It’s Science Fair season once again! We are excited to return as judges to Parras Middle School in Redondo Beach on Wednesday May 14th. The students have been hard at work hypothesizing and experimenting and we cannot wait to see what they have come up with this year! As we saw last year, there is no limit to a child’s imagination. The most talked about and memorable experiment amongst our tutors was titled “Fat Cats: Is your cat overweight?” in which a student “interviewed” several cats of various weights and tested their mental abilities. He theorized a high correlation between heavier weights and lower mental ability. In conclusion, he found significant evidence that proved his hypothesis to be true.
To prepare for this year’s science fair, we are currently working closely with the Parras science teachers to create a unique grading rubric for each student’s project and presentation that will correspond with the project guidelines that have been provided to the students. Last year, each student took his or her turn presenting their project to a pair of judges. After they completed their presentations, the judges asked them a series of questions about their experiments and findings.
It was a great experience last to year to see some of our regular students in action at their school, presenting projects some of us tutors even helped them create! We are looking forward to this year’s science fair and hoping we can help make it a fun and memorable experience for the teachers, students, and their families. It is our greatest pleasure to give back to a community that continues to give us its infinite support.
As much as it pains us to say it, summer has reached its peak. If you go to Redondo, PVHS, Peninsula, West or South, it is time to start thinking about the fall semester and the classes you’ll be taking. Right now is the best time to review for that tricky class from last semester or get a head start on a class that you might be dreading.
A lot of you might also have assigned projects that, until now, had been pushed aside for more leisurely activities. Whether it is a book report or a history paper, the best thing to do is let your sun-soaked brain ease back into thinking critically—Do not leave it until the week before school.
And if you do find that you need a little push to get back into the groove, don’t forget that the tutors at Study Hut are here to help get you back in gear for school.
There are two types of “New Clients” at Study Hut Tutoring. There are the clients who call us when something has gone wrong, such as a bad test grade or some missing assignments they need help with. The other type of client is the proactive type; this client calls the Hut way in advance, getting times with a tutor well before a big test or Final exam.
These proactive clients often cite “getting an edge” as the reason for calling. Whether they hear about it from a friend at Parras Middle School, or a counselor at RUHS, people are picking up on the buzz, and they are calling Study Hut in Redondo Beach to get the best local tutors available. These clients often call and request a tutor by name, because that is the type of reputation that the Hut has.
Often, groups of friends sign up at the same time. If a PV High Volleyball player calls to inquire about pricing and availability, it does not surprise us at all when two of her fellow Sea Kings call for tutoring later that afternoon. We have quite a few PV and Redondo athletes, including players from the football, basketball, gold, cross country, track, and water polo teams (and more, too!).
Tests are a fundamental part of the schooling system. They are the only standardized way to assess the progress of the school as well as the student. Besides regular core curriculum tests there exist many widely
used state standardized tests that serve a number of purposes, primarily determining a student’s merit for acceptance into a higher grade level. Read the rest of this entry »
One-on-one summer program for 8th graders entering High School
As the end of the school year nears, it’s time to start thinking about the transition into a new high school. Bigger classes, different teachers for different classes, more homework, and more difficult material can be overwhelming if a student is not prepared to handle the stress of a new high school. Now is the time for eighth graders to sharpen their organization skills and develop new study tactics so they can stay on top of their work as they smoothly transition into ninth grade. Read the rest of this entry »
American and British Literature
Approaching a piece of literature may intimidate a student, just because the assignment is enormous. English assignments don’t come with simple equations and formulas. Read the rest of this entry »
So it has become apparent to us at the Study Hut that some Math students at Parras Middle School are getting started on graphing linear functions. Are slope, intercept, domain, and range not making a lot of sense at first? And what’s the deal with quadrants and coordinates?
If you’re in Algebra or Pre-Algebra, and your palms get clammy at the sight of graph paper, never fear. The tutors at Study Hut are well versed in the methods of graphing linear equations and quadratic equations. Read the rest of this entry »