Answer Books. Please remember, answer books to help you home-grade your
child's work are provided for each level of. Kumon starting at level 3A in math and
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Hands Happy Valentine’s Day!
February 2012 Hanover Hours:
Mondays Thursdays
Kingston Hours:
Tuesdays Saturdays
2:30PM to 7:00PM 2:30PM to 7:00PM 3:00PM to 6:00PM 10:00AM to 1:00PM
Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - 10am to 2:30 Placement Testing and Parent Orientations: Hanover - Wednesdays at 4pm; Kingston - Saturdays at 1:15 Feel free to contact Kasia with any questions at any time:
781-982-3052
[email protected]
or
[email protected]
Winter Vacation – February 20th through the 25th The Hanover and Kingston Centers will be closed. All work for the entire week will be provided on Thursday and Saturday prior to vacation.
Answer Books Please remember, answer books to help you home-grade your child’s work are provided for each level of Kumon starting at level 3A in math and from 2A in Reading. Stop at the front desk to pick up a copy.
For Tax Purposes, Does Kumon Qualify As A Child Care Expense? No, tuition payments do not qualify as a childcare or dependent care expense. Expenses for care cannot include any amounts paid for food, clothing, education or entertainment.
WeatherUpdate Generally, if the roads are clear in the afternoon, the center will be open, even if the schools are closed on that day. To confirm, please call our number 781-982-3052 and our greeting will contain the specific instructions about center opening and pick of the work.
A Message re: Safety of Our Students: Please remind children that running is not allowed in the parking lot. Thank you.
Parent Conferences February is a good month to set up parent conferences to allow us to discuss your child’s progress and set up goals for the year. Please let us know if you would like to meet. Thank you.
Shhh… You Are Entering A Learning Zone! Please be respectful of others when at the Kumon center and keep noise to a minimum. Use your child’s Kumon time as an opportunity to have some quiet time for yourself. Thank you, in advance, for helping to create a quiet learning environment for all!
Understanding Reading Levels 5A - 3A Reading levels 5A through 3A are important levels because they cover phonics and a strong understanding of phonics lays the foundation for strong reading skills. In reading level 5A, beginning phonics, the child learns the consonant and short vowel sounds, as well as how to correctly write each letter of the alphabet. The child also expands his or her sight word vocabulary and, by the end of level 5A, learns to blend consonant and short vowel sounds together (i.e. Ca in Cat). In reading level 4A, intermediate phonics, the child learns to recognize two and three letter consonant blends (ie. fr, ph, str, and ing) as well as differentiate between long and short vowel sounds. In reading level 3A, advanced phonics, the child tackles vowel blends such as au, oi, ai, ea, and ou. The child also begins to complete simple reading comprehension exercises such as matching the beginning of a sentence with the correct ending to that sentence. These exercises set the stage for more advanced reading comprehension in reading level 2A.
In all three levels, children work on developing their dexterity and refining their ability to print. In reading level 5A the writing is large and oversized, but by reading level 3A the child’s writing is independent and normal in size. It is important for parents to understand that the assignments in these levels are all done the same way. We call this the “I read, we read, you read” method. (1) The parent points to each word while reading the words aloud to the child (I read). (2) The child then repeats the words with the parent (We read). (3) The child reads each word independently to the parent (You read). It is important for you to ask the child to say the highlighted sound (ie: ck, sh, etc.) aloud. It is also important that parents never allow the child to complete these worksheets alone. They must be completed orally with a parent! Remember, these levels are designed to teach the sounds, not just trace the letters.
Regrouping vs. Borrowing and Carryingin levels B and C Kumon instructors are often asked by parents, “What is regrouping, and why don’t schools teach borrowing and carrying like I learned as a child?” Regrouping and borrowing/carrying are both ways to add and subtract numbers with multiple place values. In other words, ways to facilitate adding or subtracting double and tripledigit numbers. Today, in most second grade classrooms students are taught regrouping. Regrouping is a way for students who have not yet memorized basic addition and subtraction to mark and hold their place while they count up and down on their fingers. Regrouping is also a complicated way of explaining place value. It requires the student to cross out numbers, rewrite them, and then use their fingers to count. The biggest difference between regrouping and borrowing/carrying is that regrouping requires little to no mental ability with numbers. Borrowing and carrying is another way to add and subtract numbers with multiple place values, but if done without writing the numbers as they are “carried” or “borrowed”, it requires a good deal more focus and concentration, as well as a well developed sense of numbers. As a general rule, students who do not need to “regroup” are much stronger math students. Kumon does not teach regrouping because Kumon students are required to memorize addition and subtraction facts and, therefore, can add or subtract large numbers quickly enough that regrouping is unnecessary. Essentially, Kumon students develop their minds to work with numbers until they can borrow and carry mentally. Why is this important? Students need strong mental skills with numbers in order to round numbers and estimate in long division, or to find the common denominator with fractions. They also need strong mental ability to convert fractions to decimals or decimals to fractions. Even simple calculations like adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions require mental ability, and students who only learn regrouping usually do not develop a strong number sense or have sufficient mental ability to comfortably handle long division, fractions, and beyond.
My Child Was Recently Diagnosed with a Learning Disability. Can Kumon Help? Absolutely! If your child has been diagnosed with a learning disability, don’t panic. Having a learning disability simply means that your child intakes and processes information a little differently than the “average” child. It does NOT mean that your child is any less intelligent or even that your child can’t excel beyond grade level. If your child has a learning disability, be sure to: 1. At school, talk with your school principal and work together with the school to map out the best educational program and classes to suit your child. Be sure to discuss any electronic services the school might be able to provide which could help your child - books on tape, electronic organizers, computers, camcorders to record class lessons, etc. 2. Inform us of the diagnosis, so the Kumon program can be modified to best meet your child’s needs. Sometimes this means more repetition to ensure your child masters each step before moving on to new material. Kumon is the perfect program for children with learning disabilities because it is individualized and self-paced, allowing each child to progress at a pace that is just right for that particular student. The Kumon program has been very successful for children with a wide variety of learning disabilities, but it is important to remember that your child might need a little more time and practice with each new concept.
