Summer enrichment at Study Hut Manhattan Beach is filled with active, student-centered learning activities that get the kids out of their seats and thinking outside of the box. One of my elementary school students is entering first grade at Pacific this fall. Like most six year olds, he has an attention span of less than five minutes…maybe 30 seconds…so every few minutes we change up the routine! He practices his sight words by writing on a whiteboard, stamping the words with ink and a stamp pad, and even by jumping up and down as he spells the words out loud. For math practice he goes around to the Study Hut tutors taking polls so he can work on tally marks. This not only improves his math skills, but also gives him an opportunity to practice math in an applicable setting and see its importance to everyday life. These activities also help him to develop social skills. In addition to the social math activities, he also greets the Manhattan Crew every afternoon session using appropriate eye contact and asking follow up questions. Probably the highlight of the sessions for him is his sticker chart. He earns stickers throughout our study sessions and keeps track of them on a graph. Yesterday he told me, “I like Study Hut, it’s fun here!” I told him, “Yes, Study Hut is a lot of fun because learning is fun!” He smiled and walked out the door to show off the Star Student Award he had just earned during our session. At Study Hut, the students are at the center of everything of we do.
Summer Enrichment
July 18th, 2012Meet Jenna
June 4th, 2012Hi!
I’m Jenna, the newest tutor at Study Hut in Manhattan Beach.
I am so excited to be part of this team of awesome tutors who help students succeed and make them laugh at the same time!
I grew up in Manhattan Beach surfing and playing soccer and tennis at Mira Costa High School. As hard as it was to give up the beach for a few years, I moved to New Orleans to study Economics at Tulane University and, of course, to celebrate Mardi Gras! After graduating from college, I taught elementary school in New Orleans with Teach For America for a couple of years. I adored my students and wanted to continue teaching but I also wanted to study Spanish so I moved to Ecuador to teach English. I taught students of all ages and fell in love with the country but missed my family very much so I cam home after a year.
Now that I am back in Manhattan Beach, I am thrilled to be working with the most energetic, dedicated, fun-loving tutors in the area! The Study Hut crew is an amazing team of all-star tutors that work together to make sure the students master everything from Spanish and Calculus to learning how to read. In my first week here I have seen how the Study Hut tutors work together as a team to tackle the goals of each student. The team dynamic is truly unique in a tutoring environment and gives the students the best of the best! Study Hut tutors have made me feel at home and I can confidently say that it is truly one of the best work environments that exist. Of course, the students are the best part of this job and I can’t wait to meet more of them at Study Hut Manhattan Beach.
Jenna Schaeffer
B.A. Economics
Certified Teacher
New Tutor Mena
May 23rd, 2012My name is Mena Hanna and I am a new tutor at Study Hut in Manhattan Beach. My employment here has not yet exceeded two weeks and already I have been able to connect with the staff as well as the students that come through here. The staff is composed of college graduate and undergraduate students who are buzzing with knowledge and enthusiasm. Everyday here is a new experience and every encounter with a staff member is warm and friendly with just the right amount of cheerful comedy.
The students that come through here are bright, delightful kids who are incredibly outgoing. Students come from all around Manhattan Beach including Redondo Union High School and Mira Costa and that’s only high school! Elementary school students come from Pennekamp, Pacific, Grandview, and Robinson. Middle schooler from Manhattan Beach Middle School, American Martyrs, and Hermosa Valley. With all those mentioned, there are still others. What’s great about students all coming from one district is that many of the kids are familiar with each other and that adds to the incredible environment that is evident as soon as you step into the door.
With the combination of friendly staff and outgoing kids the atmosphere is awesome! Kids come to get tutored and have a great time doing it. They have the opportunity to create friendships with some very amazing people. Just the other day I walked in and was greeted by a student who I had only tutored once before. The greatest thing is that no one here can be considered an outsider. As soon as you walk in you have officially joined the Manhattan Beach Study Hut family, a family with strong values and character. I believe that this will be an extraordinary experience and I have no doubt that I will love every minute of it!
Truly a Superior Hut… A Letter to the Editor
May 10th, 2012Editor:
I’m writing in regards to this “Study Hut” organization that I keep hearing so much about. I was told that all four “Huts” were basically the same, so I took the liberty of visiting them myself.
I have found that Hut 1, the Manhattan Beach Study Hut, is clearly, unequivocally superior to the other three, located in Redondo Beach, El Segundo, and Newport. I will now provide several reasons for my conclusion.
• When you walk in to Hut 1, your senses are treated to a comforting mix of botanical delights and earthy hues. The calming décor reminds one of a pleasant island retreat. It’s the most truly Hut-esque, is what I’m saying.
• However, the physical surroundings somehow pale in comparison to the explosion of aesthetic bliss also known as the Hut 1 staff. This is without a doubt the most collectively attractive group of people I have ever encountered.
• Additionally, the kids at Hut 1 are incredibly bright. Their studies range from mathematics, all the way up to calculus, to AP physics, to Chinese. I strolled past one table and heard a student and tutor discussing the complications with Kantian ethics. You can imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered the student was in second grade and was also sporting a monocle. Clearly, this is an organization bursting with class and sophistication.
• When I was walking back to my Rolls, I noticed a tall freckled fellow attempting to grill burgers using nothing but small metal tongs and a pack of matches. I applaud your attempt to remain environmentally friendly.
I think you’ll agree that Hut 1 is simply an Eden. Hut 2, Hut 3, and Hut 4, while their efforts are commendable, simply cannot approach the talent and panache emanating from the original.
Good day,
Lord Rupert Everton
Introducing Peter
May 2nd, 2012I am the newest member to the great team of the Study Hut there in Manhattan Beach. My name is Peter Krejcarek I received my Environmental Engineering degree from Manhattan College in 2010. For the past two years I have been tutoring independently back East in Florida focused on the areas of math and sciences. A couple of months ago I made the move out here to the wonderful state of California but was missing tutoring. I was walking around Manhattan Beach area one day and came across the Study Hut, from the outside it looked very friendly and a great place for students to work. So I sent in my resume and asked if they needed anymore tutors. Luck has it I am back tutoring again. The study Hut is a great place, all the tutors are super nice and all the kids are very interested in learning. Being at here has allowed me to take my tutoring to the next level and improve my teaching techniques.
I have now been working for the Study Hut for 3 weeks and it has been a great time. My first impressions were right; the Study Hut is a great place to work and an awesome place for students. The atmosphere is great and positive; all the students are enjoying themselves and learning a lot at the same time. I hope to be a tutor at the Study Hut for a while, they really have a great thing going and I am very lucky to be part of it.
Study Hut Bake Sale
April 10th, 2012It’s that time of year everyone. That’s right, it’s the first ever STUDY HUT BAKE SALE. This week and next week the Manhattan Beach Study Hut is having their very first bake sale. Why sell baked goods at a tutoring center you might ask? Well, lucky for us, our manager Sam is the co-chair for this year’s Relay For Life, and Study Hut is doing everything we can to help raise money! We have three different days that people are going to bring in baked goods. We have even decided to turn it into a competition where the kids vote on which tutor baked the best dessert! All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. Every year, the American Cancer Society has a Relay for life to help raise money for research and programs. People form teams that support a particular type of cancer, and walk for 24 hours. Each team tries to keep one member on the track at all times. This represents the struggle of a cancer patient : as the day goes on you get more and more tired, and at one point reach a moment where you think you can’t continue. All you can do is have faith in the next day. The fatigue that comes with walking for 24 hours is supposed to be a representation of this message. Personally I am excited that I can experience this event with my coworkers. It will be a very new experience that will bring us closer together while at the same time supporting a wonderful cause. As for the bake sale, I am amped up to not only raise money but to win the competition! So if you are feeling up to supporting a great cause, come into study hut this Wednesday (4/11), Thursday (4/12) and Monday (4/16)!
Valerie’s First Day
April 6th, 2012I walked into Study Hut in Manhattan Beach not knowing what to expect as a new tutor going from private in-home tutoring to this local tutoring center. What I found was a team of outgoing, energetic, friendly, and intelligent tutors who loved what they do and did it very well! This was inspiring and exciting because they instantly accepted me into their Study Hut family and made a comfortable environment with all the resources I needed to tutor my students well. I was also welcomed by the home-like setting with comfortable chairs, big tables, art on the walls, and beach-y décor. I found that all the tutors have the same strive and determination to help and see their students grow to achieve their academic goals. It is as important to us tutors that all of our students pass their classes, stay organized, and reach their maximum potential. The one student to one tutor ratio really helped me connect with my students and learn a lot about what their hobbies, likes/dislikes, learning style, and most importantly what their goals are. I met many students from schools across the Manhattan School District and found that they all enjoyed their time spent here. I can tell that they really feel comfortable here as some students reach for candy in the drawer, pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and chat with other tutors and students. The tutors can really relate to the students because sometimes the tutors had the same high school teachers as the students have now. It’s interesting hearing how through the years the teacher is still doing the same assignments and field trips. Study Hut really provides an amazing learning experience for their students and we love to cheer our students on as they continue to succeed.
Prep for Summer
February 28th, 2012It may seem a tad premature to write about summer programs, but here at The Study Hut we are always thinking ahead of schedule. The sunny California weather also helps put in a good summer mood. This summer we are excited to introduce new programs for all ages!
Summer is a great time to get caught up on SATs, college apps, and enrichment for the younger ones. The Manhattan and Redondo Beach Study Huts are soon to be equipped with programs for each of those areas.
For starters, we will have reading and writing programs for kindergarten through 8th grade. For the youngsters, we will have reading workshops that target phonemic awareness to prepare them for reading. 3rd-4th graders will have the opportunity to participate in fluency workshops. 5th-8th graders will have the opportunity to take a writing workshop that will be geared toward writing perfected five paragraph essays. Each student will be provided with a private tutor that will guide them toward success.
As for the students at the High School Level we will have both math prep (Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 3/4) and SAT courses. These classes will be in a group setting and will give each student a preview on each of these subjects prior to enrolling so they can have the benefit of starting out with flying colors.
Finally, we will be offering one-on-one tutoring sessions specifically geared toward helping students with their college applications. Such topics to be covered are their personal statement, financial aid, the actual application, resume, and interview skills. Summer is always a great time to get ahead of the game with college apps. Who better to help your child prepare than a tutoring center that has helped numerous students get into college?
Although we just got finished with ski week, we are geared up for the future and can’t wait to implement our new programs! Stay tuned for more info!
xoxo,
The Study Hut Team
Ski Week
February 13th, 2012Ski-Week is upon us! Time to goof off, watch TV, and do nothing, right? WRONG! Ski week is an opportunity, my friends, and one that I suggest you ALL take. We suggest to ALL of our students (regardless of GPA) to come to their regular appointments during Ski-Week, because this is the time that can prepare you for the rest of the year. The Manhattan Beach Study Hut is open and ready to help!
Don’t get me wrong, you should absolutely use this week as a chance to relax, decompress, and recharge the batteries. Just not for the whole week. As the semester goes on, more and more information and work will be piled onto you. And understanding most of this material will be dependent on understanding the material that came before it (most importantly, the information from the very beginning of the semester). If you miss out on even a single lesson, you can find yourself losing points all over the board, and missing out on understanding entire chapters.
That’s where this week comes in. Ski-Week is a wonderful opportunity to make sure that you’re foundations are firm for the rest of the semester, thus giving you a better chance of success. This is what you should do:
1.) Make a list of all of your classes, and organize any graded material.
2.) Go through all of the graded material, and correct all mistakes.
3.) Find out what material you don’t understand, and bring it to one of the tutors here, so you can relearn the material.
If the final semester of the year is a barren, desolate, scorching desert, then Ski-Week is the oasis in the middle. It’s your opportunity to gather the resources, energy, and support you’ll need to cross that haunting wastleland. So, in short, find out your problem areas, come in and SOLVE those problem areas, and then go off and enjoy your well-deserved vacation. Happy Ski-Week, y’all!
The College Application Process
February 9th, 2012Your junior and senior years of high school are two of the most important years of school you’ll ever attend. You have to study for and take your SAT, you have to choose the colleges you want to apply to, and then you have to make that final step—surviving the dreaded college application process.
This does not have to be an overwhelmingly stressful period of your life. Yes, you do have to put forth a lot of effort to get into college, but there are people that can help with the process and ease your stress. When you’re sitting there looking at that mound of blank application materials on your desk, you may ask yourself, how can I ever do ALL of this by myself?
Well, the good news is that the tutors at the Manhattan Beach Study Hut are here to help you! You can get help from the college graduates at Study Hut that have been through the exact same, grueling process. You can’t find this kind of one-on-one service anywhere else.
We can help with in-depth SAT and ACT preparation and general organizational strategies sure to lessen your overall stress. We have the resources you need to succeed in this important time in your life. For example, one of the most difficult aspects of the college application is perfecting the application essays. We provide you with the support you need to write a unique, well-written essay that is sure to draw attention to how spectacular you will be as a college student. The strategies we teach our students in everyday tutoring include all of the study skills a high school student needs in order to succeed in college. Perfecting your study habits with Study Hut now is the best way to ensure future success in college.
