acs athens after school programs - middle school - 2012 - 2013

AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMS

2012-2013

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 [email protected]

2

Institute for Innovation and Creativity

ACS ATHENS: AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The After School Learning Enhancement Program 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 teachers 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 afterschool 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 2-3 students. The reading and math support classes will run

with a ratio of one teacher for every 2 students.

3


ACS Athens: After School Learning Enhancement Program

2012-2013

Middle School

Middle School Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

15:45- 16:45

Homework

Study Skills

Organization

(MS)

Homework

Writing

Captivating

Essays

Homework

Homework

Math Support

Homework \

16:45- 17:45

Homework

Test-Taking

Skills (MS)

Homework

Homework

Homework

Homework

Reading &

Writing Support

4

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 15:45-16:45 and from 16:45–17:45. Students may ride the late buses at 17:45 or be picked up by their parents/guardians at 16:45 or 17:45. Program cost per semester:

1200 euro for 4 hours a week




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.

Location: Library 3rd

floor

SESSION SCHEDULES

Middle School

First and Second Semester dates: Daily from 15:45 - 16:45 & 16:45 - 17:45 September: 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27 October: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31 November: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 December: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 January: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31 February: 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28 March: 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 April: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24 May: 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

5

Activity Name / Title Age Group: Middle School

READING / WRITING SUPPORT PROGRAM

Day(s): Fridays

Time: 16:45-17:45

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, [email protected] 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 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 the Optimal Learning Program

Coordinator, supervising all three schools, Elementary School, Middle School and Academy through the

department of Student Services.

This is Ms. Ploutou’s sixth year working at ACS Athens and her forth 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 2012– June 2013)

September: 21 October: 5, 12, 19, 26 November: 2, 9, 16, 30 December: 7, 14, 21 January: 11, 18, 25 February: 1, 8, 15, 22 March: 1, 8, 15, 22 April: 5, 12, 19 May: 10, 17, 31

Program Cost per Semester: €750

Number of Students per session: 2

mailto:[email protected]

6

Activity Name / Title

Age Group: Middle School

MATH SUPPORT PROGRAM Day(s): Thursdays

Time: 15:45-16:45


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: Maria Lambrinos, [email protected] Maria Lambrinos is a member of the Mathematics Department at ACS Athens. She holds a

degree in Education and Mathematics for the Secondary Level. She has taught Math 6, Advance Math 7,

and Honors Algebra II & Trigonometry. Prior to teaching at ACS Athens, she taught Math 6 and Pre

Algebra for five years in Middletown, New Jersey.


September: 20, 27 October: 4, 11, 18, 25 November: 1, 8, 15, 29 December: 6, 13, 20 January: 10, 17, 24, 31 February: 7, 14, 21, 28 March: 7, 14, 21, 28 April: 4, 11, 18 May: 9, 16, 23, 30


Number of Students per session: 2


7


STUDY /

ORGANIZATION SKILLS

Day(s): Mondays

Time: 15:45-16:45


Description The Study Skills / Organization Program aims to provide students with the ability to manage their time

and workload effectively and efficiently.

In this 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. 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, [email protected] Markella Kaplani has a Master’s degree in Clinical-Counseling Psychology obtained from

LaSalle University in collaboration with New York College, Athens Greece.

Ms. Kaplani has academic and counseling experience with students of all age levels through

several of her former professional positions and internship placements. 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, behaviors of

avoidance, and thoughts of self-downing. Ms. Kaplani is currently an Academy Specialist Assistant at the

Optimal Learning Department, fully supporting students with learning differences and an After-School

Instructor under the Institute’s Learning Enhancement Program in all three schools (Elementary, Middle

and High), responsible of teaching skills to students so as to assist them in performance improvement.

She has also served as an instructor in the ACS Athens Mentor Program, which addresses gifted students

and their individual needs.


September: 17, 24 October: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 November: 5, 12, 19, 26 December: 3, 10, 17 January: 7, 14, 21, 28 February: 4, 11, 18, 25 March: 4, 11 April: 1, 8, 15, 22 May: 13, 20, 27


Minimum Number of Students Required: 3


8


WRITING CAPTIVATING ESSAYS

Day(s): Tuesdays

Time: 15:45-16:45


Description Is it difficult for you to develop a topic? Do you lose marks due to lack of innovation? Is grammar and/or

structure a problem for you? Does writing require so much of your time that it looses its purpose and is no

longer pleasant? Do you panic at the thought of an essay test? You can put an end to that! The Writing

Captivating Essays Course is designed to help students with the writing process and make essay writing

an enjoyable task. It is a step-by-step course on how to write an essay, which will cover all aspects,

including how to find creative topics to write about, brainstorming, outlining, establishing good essay

structure, captivating the reader, writing strong persuasive paragraphs, and much more. In exiting this

course, students will perform better in written assignments as well as tests, thus improving their academic

performance and confidence.

Instructor: Alexia Marinides, [email protected] Alexia Marinides was born and educated in London England. After finishing her first degree at

King’s College, University of London she went on to work with children with special abilities at the

British Council. She later completed her postgraduate studies in Psychology of Education and Child

development at the Institute of Education and worked at a London Hospital and Community school

teaching children with a variety of learning and social difficulties. She has been working with the Optimal

Learning Program for three years and has been an instructor under the Institute’s Learning Enhancement

Program in the After School Program since its start in 2009.


September: 18, 25 October: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 November: 6, 13, 27 December: 4, 11, 18 January: 8, 15, 22, 29 February: 5, 12, 19, 26 March: 5, 12, 19, 26 April: 2, 9, 16, 23 May: 7, 14, 21, 28


Minimum Number of Students Required: 3-4


9


TEST-TAKING SKILLS

Day(s): Mondays

Time: 16:45-17:45

Location: Annex Building:1st floor

Description Throughout school, college and university students are mostly assessed through quizzes, tests and exams.

Given that many times half, or even more, of a class’ final grade is based on test performance, knowing

how to score well on examinations becomes a vital skill. Even though we may take this skill for granted

because it seldom becomes a topic of discussion in the classroom setting and/or because we think that “if

one studies enough they get good grades”, test-taking requires a certain set of skills that can drastically

change a student’s performance. In fact, scoring poorly on tests many times has nothing to do with low IQ

or little studying, but rather with lack of appropriate skills on how to take a test.

In this 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 and 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.

Instructor: Markella Kaplani, [email protected] Markella Kaplani has a Master’s degree in Clinical-Counseling Psychology obtained from

LaSalle University in collaboration with New York College, Athens Greece.

Ms. Kaplani has academic and counseling experience with students of all age levels through

several of her former professional positions and internship placements. 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, behaviors of

avoidance, and thoughts of self-downing. Ms. Kaplani is currently an Academy Specialist Assistant at the

Optimal Learning Department, fully supporting students with learning differences and an After-School

Instructor under the Institute’s Learning Enhancement Program in all three schools (Elementary, Middle

and High), responsible of teaching skills to students so as to assist them in performance improvement.

She has also served as an instructor in the ACS Athens Mentor Program, which addresses gifted students

and their individual needs.


September: 17, 24 October: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 November: 5, 12, 19, 26 December: 3, 10, 17 January: 7, 14, 21, 28 February: 4, 11, 18, 25 March: 4, 11 April: 1, 8, 15, 22 May: 13, 20, 27


Minimum Number of Students Required: 3


10


ACS Athens: After School Learning Enhancement Program

Middle School

Registration Information

Programs

Days and Time

# of Sessions Semester 1

# of Sessions Semester 2

Cost per Semester

Homework Study Program

5 hours per week

78 77 € 1400


10 hours per week

78

(2 hours)

77

(2 hours)

€ 2500


6 hours per week

47

(2 hours)

45

(2 hours)

€ 1600


4 hours per week

31 (2 hours)

28 (2 hours)

€ 1200

Reading/ Writing Support

Fri 16:45-17:45

15 14 € 750

Math Support

Thurs 15:45-16:45

16 16 € 500

Study / Organization Skills

Mon 15:45-17:45

17 14 € 500

Writing Captivating Essays

Tue 15:45- 17:45

16 17 € 500

Test-taking Skills

Mon 16:45- 17:45

17 14 € 500

11

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 14, 2012. 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!

acs athens after school programs - middle school - 2012 - 2013

Documents