A Step Ahead
Academic Center
3812 Littlebrook Drive
Suite B
Clemmons, NC 27012
ph: (336) 766-7124
AStepAhe
A Step Ahead Families
January 1, 2012
Dear A Step Ahead Families,
Happy New Year! I hope your new year is filled with good health and many blessings!
We're gearing up for our busiest time of year at the center. Here's the latest news:
- Tutoring Dates
- IEP Meetings
- Small Group Academy
http://www.astepaheadtutors.com/small_group_academy
End-of-grade test preparation classes for third, fifth, and eighth graders will be offered in March and April. These sessions are already about 25% full so please let me know if you're interested in enrolling your child.
- Parent Conferences in January
- Inclement Weather
Please note that your safety always comes first. If we are open but the weather in your area is not safe for travel, please let us know, and we will reschedule the session. Since we serve students from four neighboring counties, conditions can vary greatly between areas. Safety of our faculty and families comes first. If the center is closed due to inclement weather, your child's tutor will be in touch to schedule a make-up session.
Happy New Year! We look forward to seeing you this week!
Sincerely,
__________________________________________________________
Family Newsletter
December 2011
Dear A Step Ahead Families,
Happy Holidays! Here's the latest news at A Step Ahead:
Please join me in welcoming Mrs. Angela Anderson to our team! Mrs. Anderson will be teaching higher level math courses including Algebra I and II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus I and II. She will also be teaching Writing and SAT Preparation.
Mrs. Anderson has an extensive background in math and computer programming. She'll be with us Monday through Thursday for one-on-one tutoring, and she will also be on the faculty of Small Group Academy serving small groups of students on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Kindergarten Readiness for Pre-K Students
- Reading, Writing, and Math for Kindergarten Students
- Elementary Math
- Reading and Writing for the Elementary Student
- Algebra I and II
- Geometry
- Trigonometry
- Pre-Calculus
- Calculus I and II
- End-of-Grade Test Preparation for Third, Fifth and Eighth Grade Students
http://www.astepaheadtutors.com/small_group_academy
Please see our article on Small Group Academy in the latest issue of Forsyth Family Magazine (page 20). You will find a link to the article on our website:
http://www.astepaheadtutors.com/about_us
We appreciate your willingness to tell other parents about our center. I credit your recommendations to other parents as one of the primary factors in our rapid growth over the past few years.
I want to thank you for your loyalty to A Step Ahead by implementing a referral incentive program. From December 2011 through May 2012, you will receive one free tutoring session for every family you refer who enrolls in a minimum of one month of services. This applies to referrals to both Small Group Academy and one-on-one instruction.
Please help spread the word about our new Small Group Academy. We're very excited about the start of this program in January!
Just a reminder that our final day of tutoring for 2011 will be Tuesday, December 20th. We will be closed for winter break from Wednesday, December 21st through Monday, January 2nd.
We will reopen on Tuesday, January 3rd.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
Sincerely,
__________________________________________________________
Family Newsletter
November 1, 2011
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I want you to know how thankful we are for the opportunity to teach your child. We're grateful for the partnership we have with your family to help your child have the most successful school year possible.
Here are the latest updates at A Step Ahead:
Report Cards
It's hard to believe it's time for report cards to be issued. Please share the report card with your child's tutor so she may target specific areas that need to be addressed.
If the teacher has released end-of-quarter test results, please share those as well. This allows our instruction at the center to be data-driven and purposeful in regards to addressing specific goals from the standard course of study. The end-of-grade tests are a culmination of material presented each quarter. We want to make sure your child has a solid foundation with the material by the end of each quarter as new material will build upon previously presented concepts that are expected to be mastered.
SGA will begin in January! These small group classes meet once per week for 8 weeks, and class size is limited to five students. Session I begins in January, and Session II begins in March. Here's the link to the SGA page on our website:
http://www.astepaheadtutors.com/small_group_academy
Christen Sechrist, Angela Anderson, and Margaret Norris will be leading the sessions on Friday afternoons and/or Saturday mornings. I'm very excited about this expansion and the opportunity to serve more students needing extra support!
New Faculty Member
Please join me in welcoming Margaret Norris to our faculty! Margaret will be teaching in the Small Group Academy. Her focus will be Kindergarten Readiness and Kindergarten (Reading, Writing, and Math). Margaret specializes in early childhood education and taught at the Montessori School in Clemmons for 15 years. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the team, and she'll be developing our Pre-K and Kindergarten programs.
Kindergarten Readiness
For the past 5 years, we have focused on serving students in grades K-12. Starting in January we will be expanding our student body to include Pre-K students. Please share news of our new program with friends who have children who may benefit from participating in our kindergarten readiness sessions. Our first class will begin in January!
Holiday Breaks
Our center will be closed from Wednesday, 11/23 through Sunday 11/27 for Thanksgiving break. We will also be closed from Wednesday, 12/21 through Monday, 1/2 for the holidays. We hope you enjoy the holidays with your family!
Inclement Weather
Winter weather will soon be upon us! If we have inclement weather, a decision about closing the center will be made by noon. I will notify you of a closing via e-mail, and I will also post the information on our website. We do not follow the public school system's decision as they often have to close due to early morning conditions.
Please note that your safety always comes first. If we are open but the weather in your area is not safe for travel, please let us know, and we will reschedule the session. Since we serve students from four neighboring counties, conditions can vary greatly between areas. Safety of our faculty and families comes first. If the center is closed due to inclement weather, your child's tutor will be in touch to schedule a make-up session.
Parking
Thank you for your cooperation with parking behind the building. Parking in the driveway had become a safety issue, and I appreciate your attention to this matter. One of our faculty members, Debbie Crater, will be parking near the ramp at the entrance of our building for a couple weeks as she recovers from knee surgery. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Forsyth Family Magazine
Please check out our own Christen Sechrist's article on reading strategies in the November issue of Forsyth Family Magazine! We hope you find the articles helpful. Here's the link to all of our articles from the past year:
http://www.astepaheadtutors.com/about_us
I'll be writing a piece on the start of our Small Group Academy for the December issue, and Charlotte Yang will be sharing math strategies in the January issue. Please let me know if there is a topic you would like to see addressed in our column that could be useful to parents of school-aged children.
Sincerely,
Dr. Cathleen Killeen-Pittman
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We appreciate all the extra work our students are completing this summer! It's hard to believe we're already approaching the end of July.
Here is the latest news at A Step Ahead Academic Center:
Tuesday, August 23rd: Last day of summer tutoring
Wednesday, August 24th - Wednesday, August 31st: The center will be closed to allow the students to get acclimated to their new classroom settings.
Thursday, September 1st: First day of fall tutoring
Monday, September 5th: Closed for Labor Day
Wednesday, November 23rd - Sunday, November 27th: Closed for Thanksgiving Break
Wednesday, December 21st - Monday, January 2nd: Closed for Winter Break
Fun Fridays
Our summer camp program is off to a great start! Our campers have enjoyed Cooking with Numbers and Wacky Science Experiments! Up next we have Fun with Shakespeare...Really! and American Girl: Felicity. You can find more information at the following link:
http://astepaheadtutors.com/fun_fridays_-_summer_camp
Please feel free to share this link with friends who may have children who are interested in attending. You do not have to be enrolled in our tutoring program to attend the camps. These sessions are a wonderful way to reinforce academic concepts while the students are engaged and having fun!
If your child is currently enrolled in our program, you will be guaranteed a spot for fall tutoring. We will begin placements with our current families beginning August 8th, and enrollment for new families will begin the week of August 15th.
The first day of fall tutoring will be Thursday, September 1st. Our fall hours will be 3:30-8:30 Monday through Thursday. We're looking forward to a fantastic school year!
Parents have expressed interest in having their children attend small group classes at our center. Some students may not require the intensity of one-on-one instruction but would benefit from the small group classes. Other students may benefit from supplementing their one-on-one lessons with small group interaction.
Our small group EOG test preparation classes were very successful, and we will be implementing a small group option in a variety of subjects this fall. Six-week courses will be offered on Fridays and Saturdays in October and November, and they will be limited to five students per class. Enrollment will be open to current families first, and I'll share more specific details toward the end of August. I wanted to let you know what was in the works and reiterate that our current families always have first choice to participate in any special programs. We're very excited about adding the Small Group Academy to our offerings!
Thank you for partnering with us! We know it's a privilege to work with our students.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Sincerely,
__________________________________________________________
May 17, 2010
Dear A Step Ahead Families,
It's hard to believe we are approaching the end of another school year! Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work with your children. It's a privilege we do not take for granted!
Our last day of tutoring for this school year will be Thursday, May 27th. Summer tutoring will begin on Monday, June 14th. We're looking forward to a fun, productive summer with your children!
As always, I have an open door if you have any suggestions, concerns or questions.
Dr. Cathleen Pittman
__________________________________________________________
December 9, 2009
Dear A Step Ahead Families,
It's hard to believe we are reaching the halfway point of the academic year! Thank you for entrusting your children to us. It has been a productive time in which the students have given us their best efforts. We appreciate the support and communication from our families as we believe the most effective way for us to really serve the children is to work as a team.
We will close on Friday, December 18th and reopen on Monday, January 4th. I will be available by phone or e-mail during that time so please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Happy Holidays!
Dr. Cathleen Pittman
__________________________________________________________
June 10, 2009
Dear A Step Ahead Families,
I hope that you are enjoying all of the end-of-year school activities with your children! It's hard to believe that we are at the conclusion of yet another school year!
The faculty and I are looking forward to the start of our summer tutoring program on Monday, June 15th. We enjoy this time with the children as homework pressures and EOG test anxieties begin to subside. The summer is a wonderful time for us to help your child review material to ensure a solid foundation before moving on to gain a head start on next year's curriculum.
Please encourage your child to continue to read at home this summer. We recommend a minimum of 20-30 minutes each day. A summer reading incentive program is in the works at A Step Ahead, and we will fill you in on the details within the next week.
On a personal note, I want to thank you for your support, concern, and understanding during my battle with cancer this past year. I believe I am finally getting back on my feet and look forward to being back at the center on a more regular basis. The children provide an incredible energy and seem to make me forget the reality of my situation when I'm there with them. What a blessing it is to work with such wonderful families and amazing faculty!
As always, I have an open door if you have questions or suggestions. I'm looking forward to a productive summer of true teaching and authentic learning!
Sincerely,
Dr. Cathleen Pittman
__________________________________________________________
February 14, 2009
Dear A Step Ahead Families,
Happy Valentine's Day!
As you may know, the children work hard to earn a group reward. They have the opportunity to add a link to the paper chain at the end of each session in which they have put forth their best efforts. The saying goes.
"When this chain and the floor do meet, Dr. Pittman will bring us a treat!"
The children earned their reward last week and enjoyed Valentine cookies. We appreciate the hard work that your children put in when they come to tutoring.
Look for our next newsletter in your child's communication journal at the beginning of March. I will also upload the newsletter to this site for your convenience.
Thank you for entrusting your children to us!
Sincerely,
Dr. Pittman
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3812 Littlebrook Drive
Suite B
Clemmons, NC 27012
ph: (336) 766-7124
AStepAhe
