Tutor and Education News

Aug 6, Rates and Packages

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:18:37 GMT

Rates and packages are designed to make getting the help for your child easier and affordable. We do not charge for assessments and do not require long term contracts. Invest in your child's edcuation

Dec 31, Happy New Year!

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 01:36:59 GMT

We would like to wish everyone in the Virginia Academics family a Happy New Year! We are deeply thankful to all of the families, teachers,students and friends who have made our first few months rewarding. Our success is your success. The many students that we have been able to help has been an inspiration. We look forward to growth and aspire to help as many students as possible to feel good about themselves as learner. Happy New Year and Health and Happiness to All!

Sep 2, Why Choose Us

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:18:58 GMT

Virginia Academics is an outstanding program that can assist students to becoming the successful learners they were born to be.

Sep 2, Benefits of Tutoring & Academic Coaching

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:07:52 GMT

Learn about the benefits of private tutoring and academic coaching.

Sep 2, About Us

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:04:33 GMT

About Us

Jul 18, Tutor for Us

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 03:34:44 GMT

We are looking for professional tutors who love working with students.

Jul 4, test

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 20:52:43 GMT

Jul 2, Resources

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:29:33 GMT

Resources for parents and students.

Jul 2, Neat Gadget!

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:12:14 GMT

I love to share new gadgets or techniques that I find to be useful in helping my students and I will do that time to time on this site. I have been using the Mark-My-Time digital bookmark now with my students that I tutor with great success. Help keep your child reading skills sharp with this bookmark which allows kids to track the duration of reading sessions and establish daily goals. It is less than 10 dollars and I found mine at Borders. Happy Reading.

Jul 1, Local Library Visit

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:59:58 GMT

I recently have met at the local library for several of my tutoring and coaching sessions. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see so much activity. In fact, it was down right crowded! The library is offering so many special summer reading programs for all ages. The staff at our local library is so helpful. I see them helping children and parents by finding books, making suggestions, conducting storytellings, and more. If you haven't visited your local library, please add it to your "places to go" list. It is a cool and fun place to spend a few hours on a hot, sweltering summer day!

Jun 12, Books Your 4th-7th Grader Has to Read!

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 20:51:54 GMT

The Beloved Dearly. Doug Cooney, 2002. Although his father has forbidden it, Ernie, a twelve-year-old business tycoon, makes a tidy profit in the pet funeral business.
My Brother Made Me Do It. Peg Kehret, 2000. In letters to an elderly pen pal, Julie describes how her mischievous younger brother is always getting her in trouble.
Fossil Fish Found Alive: Discovering the Coelacanth . Sally M. Walker, 2002. Thought extinct for 70 million years, this fish was found still swimming in the oceans off Africa and Indonesia.
George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War . Thomas Allen, 2004. Find out how our first president used spies to gather intelligence that helped the colonies win the war.
Hanas Suitcase: A True Story. Karen Levine, 2003. A childs suitcase in a museum display leads a teacher and her class to research and discover the life of a child caught up in the Holocaust.
Heartbeat. Sharon Creech, 2004. Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life and how she fits within them. (2006 RI Childrens Book Award nominee)
The Man Who Made Time Travel. Kathryn Lasky, 2003. Laskys well-researched accessible picture book biography of John Harrison, the brilliant 17th century inventor of the marine chronometer, is supported by Hawkes intriguing equally well-researched paintings. A great introduction to your fall 5th grade unit on explorers. (2004 Batchelder Honor Book)
Ruby Holler. Sharon Creech, 2002. What happens when two precocious orphans move in with an eccentric couple in a magical place called Ruby Holler? Excitement and adventure and one of the best books ever!
Running Out of Time. Margaret Peterson Haddix, 1995. When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, thirteen-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1996 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and its up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children.
The School Story. Andrew Clements, 2001. After twelve-year-old Natalie writes a wonderful novel, her friend Zoe helps her devise a scheme to get it accepted at the publishing house where Natalies mother works as an editor.
Secrets of the Sphinx. James Cross Giblin, 2004. Discusses some of Egypt's most famous artifacts and monuments, including the pyramids, the Rosetta Stone, and, especially, the Great Sphinx, presenting research and speculation about their origins and their future. (2006 RI Childrens Book Award nominee)
Something Upstairs. Avi, 1988. After moving into an old house in Providence, Rhode Island, Kenny is visited by a ghost boy and follows him into the past.
A Week in the Woods. Andrew Clements, 2002. The fifth grades annual camping trip in the woods tests Marks survival skills and his ability to relate to a teacher

Jun 3, Summer Coaching-Personal Training for Your Brain-Part 2

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:42:59 GMT

Because education coaches offer such a wide array of services, including kindergarten readiness, basic subject remediation, college test preparation, diagnostic skills testing, study skills building, and specialized skills like computers, art and foreign languages, they work one-on-one with parents to design individualized curriculums. We had one student who needed algebra help, but her mom also wanted her to have private computer lessons, and her dad wanted her to start narrowing down her list of college choices. The education coach provided all that, in one fell swoop. Obviously, you wont find that level of accommodation in a summer school, says Garay. In addition, education coaches believe that any child can excel once the source of the problem is identified. When a student is faring poorly in school, it almost never has anything to do with intelligence, Mrs. Garay claims. It can be caused by any number of things, like an unusual mental block, or poor motivation, or shyness, or boredom. Perhaps the instructors particular teaching style didnt jibe with that students particular learning style. Or maybe its anxiety as a result of transitioning from one grade level to the next. But its our job to get to the root of it and correct it, because often the teachers are too close to it, or too busy, to see it for what it is. A great education coach can come in and really spice things up, make things fun and accessible, Garay adds. Summer school is monotonous. Parents constantly complain that their children get nothing out of it. And if thats the case, why keep sending them back? she adds, Kids think of summer school as a prison, she says. It makes them angry and resentful and less inclined to learn. And some of them feel really stigmatized by it. But having an education coach sounds kind of cool. In fact, hiring a summer education coach may be downright cost effective. One hour of concentrated study with an education coach is equivalent to several hours in a summer school classroom, says Garay. And the kids are the ones who benefit the most. They get their academic needs met, and they can use all that remaining freed-up time for the things that summer is really forplaying, reading, swimming, biking, whatever. Being kids. Thats really important. Education coaches know that, too. Virginia Academics is a new service offering private academic coaching and tutoring in the Fredericksburg area. Visit their website at www.VirginiaAcademics.com or contact by calling 540-408-3065.

Jun 3, Summer Coaching- Personal Training for Your Brain PART 1

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 23:40:17 GMT

VIRGINIA ACADEMICS OFFERS ACADEMIC COACHING TO TRAIN AND MAINTAIN YOUR CHILDS BRAIN THIS SUMMER. In case you havent heard about them, education coaches are the latest trend in personalized home tutoring services -- and an increasingly popular alternative to summer school. Education coaches are like personal fitness trainers for the mind, says Karen Garay, owner of Virginia Academics Tutoring Service in Fredericksburg, Va. Theyre credentialed, experienced teachers or honors level college or high school students who come to your home or meet at your local library and offer your child personal, individualized attention. Yet they offer much more than straightforward academic help. Theyre detectives, cheerleaders, sounding boardsquasi-counselors, really. They can help with absolutely anything and everything you need, she continues. Academic coaches are a wonderful choice for challenging gifted students during the summer, as well as helping students to start the new year off ahead of the game.

May 31, Believe!

Thu, 31 May 2007 16:36:40 GMT

Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who know the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarizedin four C's. they are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. when you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicity and unquestionable.- Walt Disney Believe in your child....build their confidence, so they can believe in themselves. Have ahappy day.

May 26, Happy Memorial Day

Sat, 26 May 2007 01:14:02 GMT

I am a proud military spouse. Married to a Marine who has been in the military for over 25 years. I would like to thank all men and women who have served in defense of our country. Too the families, wives, children, moms and dads...thank you for sharing your loved one. Our prayers are with you. Semper Fi Karen Garay