Middle School After School Programs 2013-14

AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS

2013-­‐2014

MIDDLE SCHOOL

An ACS Athens Initiative 129 Aghias Paraskevis Street & Kazantzaki, Halandri, 15234, Athens GREECE T: +30 210 6393200 F: +30 210 6390051 www.acs.gr  iic@acs.gr

Institute for Innovation and Creativity ACS ATHENS: AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

MIDDLE SCHOOL The After School Learning Enhancement Program (LEP) is a program that extends learning beyond the school day and provides a supportive environment for our students at ACS Athens. The program is designed to help students develop a strong sense of their own learning processes and to provide them with a strong academic, social and emotional foundation for their schoolwork. All of the programs described in this guide have been designed to improve and maximize each student’s learning potential. All of the courses are led by instructors with a background in special education and who have the knowledge and expertise to enhance learning. Students will learn to apply basic skills and learning strategies to their work in their academic classes, so that they may be successful. In order to best meet the needs of individual students, LEP After School classes have been designed with sensitivity to grade levels, age groups and diversity issues. After school classes target discrete student needs and give emphasis to specific learning outcomes in mathematics, reading and writing and completion of homework.

What really makes the difference is the way in which these classes are delivered. To enhance what we have identified as key elements of high performance, LEP After School classes utilize curricula and teaching methods that make learning fun and exciting.

Each After School class is staffed with qualified personnel, maintaining a ratio of one adult for every 3-4 students. The reading and math support classes will run with a ratio of one teacher for every 2-3 students.

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Institute for Innovation and Creativity ACS Athens: After School Learning Enhancement Program 2013-2014 Middle School Middle School 16:00- 17:30

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Homework Support

Homework Support

Homework Support

Homework Support

Friday

\ Study Hall Math Support

Study Hall

Study Hall

Study Hall Math Support

Reading & Writing Support

Study/ Organization & Test-Taking Skills (MS)

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Middle School ACS Athens After-School Homework Study Program A program designed for students in all grade levels The After-School Homework Study Program is designed to enhance knowledge, skills, and understanding of core concepts through enriching learning opportunities that complement the school day. The goal is to link the after-school program with students’ learning experiences in the classroom in order to improve their academic achievement.

Students will benefit in measurable ways from the additional support they will receive from this program. Last year’s staff, along with other highly skilled and qualified professionals, will supervise the program. They will have use of the library, online resources and interactive boards. Emphasis will be given to reinforcing skills such as good study habit development, organizational techniques, skills and strategies for managing and completing homework assignments, test taking strategies, and time management strategies for planning ahead. This will result in students’ returning home with all, or most, of their homework completed, leaving them time for leisure activities and family pursuits.

This after-school Homework study program is open to all Middle School students.

Sessions for Middle School Students will run daily from 16:00-17:30. Students may ride the late buses or be picked up by their parents/guardians at 17:30.

Program cost per semester: Middle School: 2 ninety-minute sessions per week 4 ninety-minute sessions per week

- 1,000 euro - 1,500 euro

The program’s Instructors will: • Provide homework support.

• Teach strategies and skills.

• Ensure that the academically-linked activities are engaging.

• Give students the opportunity to gain the confidence they need to become successful and independent learners.

• Work with students in small groups of 3-4 students. rd

Location: Library 3 floor SESSION SCHEDULES Middle School First Semester dates: Daily from 16:00 - 17:30 September: October: November: December: January:

23, 24, 25, 26, 30 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 24, 29, 30, 31 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10,11,12, 16, 17, 18, 19 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23

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NEW ADDITION Middle School

Study Hall Program

A program designed for students in all grade levels The After School Study Hall Program is designed to provide supervision to students who wish to work independently on school premises in order to complete their homework. The students will be working in a quiet, organized environment under the supervision of an experienced instructor, who will be there to ensure that the study sessions run smoothly while students are completing their work on their own. The Study Hall sessions will be available Monday through Thursday from 16:00 to 17:30.

Please note that students are required to bring their laptops should they need to use a computer and/or the Internet to complete their assignments, as there are no computers available in Study Hall.

This after-school Study Hall program is open to all High School students. The student-teacher ratio will be 8:1.

Sessions for Middle School Students will run daily from 16:00-17:30. Students may ride the late buses or be picked up by their parents/guardians at 17:30.

Program cost per semester: Middle School: 2 ninety-minute sessions per week 4 ninety-minute sessions per week

- 300 euro - 500 euro

Location: Middle School Building: Class to be determined SESSION SCHEDULES Middle School First Semester dates: Daily from 16:00 - 17:30 September: October: November: December: January:

23, 24, 25, 26, 30 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 24, 29, 30, 31 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10,11,12, 16, 17, 18, 19 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23

 Minimum Number of Students Required: 6

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Activity Name / Title

Age Group: Middle School

READING / WRITING SUPPORT PROGRAM Day(s): Fridays Time: 16:00-17:30 Location: Annex Building: 1st floor

Description The After School Remedial Reading/ Writing Program is designed to assist students that are struggling with the English language, at the reading, writing and oral level, in order to obtain the necessary skills to be successful in the Language Arts discipline. The focus of the program at all school levels is to provide phonemic awareness through the use of visual, auditory and kinesthetic means and to expose the students to meaningful literature of various cultures and genres. The program also includes a grammar component which will address correct sentence structure and organization in writing. Our goal is for our students to develop a love for reading and writing by providing a strong foundation in the English language.

Instructor: Chrysoula Ploutou, ploutouc@acs.gr Chrysoula Ploutou earned her Bachelor’s degree, in Psychology and Elementary Education from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Her Master’s degree in Education was also achieved from Clark University. She acquired her Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Special Education from Fairfield University. Ms. Ploutou is a certified licensed teacher in the state of Connecticut. Ms Ploutou has taken online courses through the Professional Development Institute and has received college credit from the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Most recently she was certified in formal and informal measurement and diagnostic techniques receiving college credit from Buffalo State, State University of New York.

Ms. Ploutou has been a teacher in the public school system in the United States and in international schools in Greece since 1997. She has taught JK, K, first, second, fourth grade and was a Middle School Optimal Learning Program Specialist. Currently she is a part-time Academy Optimal Learning Program Specialist as well as the Optimal Learning Program Coordinator, supervising all three schools, Elementary School, Middle School and Academy through the department of Student Affairs.

This is Ms. Ploutou’s seventh year working at ACS and her fifth year working in the Optimal Learning Program. She is providing students with strategies to acquire the skills necessary to be successful in school and in their lives. She encourages differentiation in the classroom in order to make learning meaningful, focusing on students’ strengths and talents.

Schedule (September 2013– January 2014) September: October: November: December: January:

27 4, 11, 18, 25 1, 8, 15, 22 6, 13, 20 10, 17, 24

Program Cost per Semester: €400 Number of Students per session: 2

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Activity Name / Title Age Group: Middle School MATH SUPPORT PROGRAM Day(s): Thursdays Time: 16:00-17:30 Location: MS Building – Class to be determined Description The After School Remedial Math program is designed to help students that are struggling in basic math skills and concepts. Learning math is a cumulative process and every year of math builds on the knowledge obtained from previous classes. Such skills as adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, decimals and fractions are reviewed and strengthened. Our emphasis will be on reinforcing such techniques as graphing, statistics, ratios, proportions, percents, geometry, algebra and problem solving. Our goal for this program is to enhance students understanding of mathematics at all levels. Mathematics is a way of thinking, through this program the students will build on what they know and they will learn to use and apply strategies that will help them be successful in this area.

Instructor: Katsiyianni Matina, katsiyiannim@acs.gr Ms. Katsiyianni was born and raised is Athens, Greece. She holds a B.Sc. degree in Mathematics, from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, specializing in applied Mathematics. She holds a Master of Science in Economic Mathematics, from the National Technical University of Athens.

During the past 10 years she had the opportunity to teach math to students of different levels and she has been challenged to accommodate their special needs. At ACS Athens she has taught Geometry Honors, Algebra II & Trigonometry Honors and Pre-Calculus, for the Academy students.

Schedule (September 2013– January 2014) September: October: November: December: January:

26 3, 10, 17, 31 7, 14, 21 5, 12, 19 9, 16, 23

Program Cost per Semester: €400 Number of Students per session: 2-3

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Activity Name / Title

Age Group: Middle School

STUDY / ORGANIZATION & TEST-TAKING SKILLS Day(s): Thursdays Time: 16:00-17:30 Location: Library 3rd Floor Description The Study/Organizational and Test-Taking Skills Program aims to provide students with the ability to manage their time and workload effectively and efficiently, which will in turn improve their overall academic performance.

In this initial phase of the program, interesting and creative activities are employed so that students will learn several time-management, organizational and study methods. Students will have the opportunity to discover which skills and tricks suit their individual needs and will be shown how to apply them successfully.

Furthermore, they will obtain knowledge on various strategies, which will enhance their performance and make studying easier and therefore more pleasant. In the second phase of the course, students learn how to prepare for tests, how to take tests of all types and formats (meaning: oral, true/false, essay, short answer, math, multiple choice, and even open-book tests), and how to assess their performance as well as themselves after the test in order to improve for next time. Furthermore, test-anxiety, a factor that has enormous influence on test performance, is addressed and alleviated.

As a result, students are expected to attain the skills necessary to feel confident with studying in order to transform their most dreaded activity into a manageable task!

Instructor: Markella Kaplani, kaplanim@acs.gr Markella Kaplani holds a B.Sc. in Psychology and a Master's degree in Clinical-Counseling Psychology obtained from LaSalle University in collaboration with New York College, Athens Greece. In January, 2014 she will also be receiving her Special Education Certificate.

Ms. Kaplani has extensive academic and counseling experience with students of all age levels through several of her current and former professional positions and volunteer work. She has extensively worked with students to provide them with skills that will allow them to enhance their performance, whilst simultaneously assisting them in decreasing feelings of anxiety, frustration, and boredom, as well as behaviors of avoidance, and thoughts of self-downing. Ms. Kaplani has been part of the Optimal Learning Program at ACS for the past three years and is currently the Middle School Optimal Learning Specialist, fully supporting students with learning differences. She is also the After School Program Coordinator under the Institute’s Learning Enhancement Program, where she has been instructing in all three schools (Elementary, Middle and High), being responsible of teaching skills that aid performance improvement. In ACS Athens, she has also served as a teacher in the Mentor Program, which addresses gifted students and their individual needs and has taught a summer-course in Health with the Institute for Innovation and Creativity.

Ms. Kaplani's goal is to help and guide students in developing the skills and confidence necessary so as to become fully independent and excel in their academics and lives overall.

Schedule (September 2013– January 2014) September: October: November: December: January:

26 3, 10, 17, 31 7, 14, 21 5, 12, 19 9, 16, 23

Program Cost per Semester: â‚Ź400 Minimum number of Students per session: 3

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Institute for Innovation and Creativity

ACS Athens: After School Learning Enhancement Program Middle School Registration Information

Programs Homework Study Program Homework Study Program Study Hall Program Study Hall Program Reading/ Writing Support Math Support Study / Organizational & TestTaking Skills

Days and Time 2 sessions / week 4 sessions / week 2 sessions / week 4 sessions / week Fri 16:00-17:30 Thurs 16:00-17:30 Thurs 16:00-17:30

Number of Sessions

Cost per Semester

36

€ 1000

72

€ 1500

36

€ 300

72

€ 500

15

€ 400

14

€ 400

14

€ 400

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LATE BUS SCHEDULE – 2013-­‐2014 (Until December break)

September

12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30 * no late bus service on PTO Family BBQ day (September 20)

October

1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 29, 30, 31 * no late bus service on Halloween carnival (October 25)

November

1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25

December

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19

*Schedule from January until May will be determined at a later date, once the January exam schedule is determined

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REGISTRATION FORM Please fill out the information below for the activity(ies) of your choice in order to reserve a space for your child in any of these. Payment must be made to the Cashier’s office, to the Institute of Innovation: Learning Enhancement Programs Account, no later than Friday, September 20, 2013. Please submit the bottom of this form to the Cashier’s office when making your payment. (If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Marietta Garbis at 210-6393200 ext. 302). If enrollment in an activity does not reach the minimum number of participants required for the class to run, the class will be cancelled, you will be notified and your tuition will be returned.

Student’s Name: ___________________________Grade Level: ______ Parents’ / Guardians’ Names: __________________________________ Parents’ Email Address: ______________________________________ Phone #/s: Home: _______________ Cell Phone:___________________ Classes 1. __________________________ Tuition __________________ 2. __________________________ Tuition __________________ 3. __________________________ Tuition __________________

Amount Enclosed: ______________ €

Thank You!

*** IMPORTANT*** Sign ups by telephone will NOT be accepted.

Please remember to submit this form when making your payment at the cashier’s office.

Help us make our procedure as efficient as possible.

THANK YOU!

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