With Final exams around the corner at Peninsula High School and Palos Verdes High School, students in the AVID program have been taking advantage of Study Hut counselors and mentors with one-on-one meetings to go over their Finals Survival Guide. This is a new tweak on the comprehensive program that Study Hut has provided to the AVID for almost a decade, and the results and feedback have been overwhelming.
Before the holiday break, instructors came into each 9th and 10th grade classroom for a full-period tutorial on how to fill out the Study Hut Finals Survival Guide. Students went through the Aries portal and took a deeper look at each of their individual grades, identifying any missing assignments and low test and quiz scores. They then listed content from these assignments and tests that would be likely be coming back up on the Final exam, and they highlighted classes in which their semester grades could potentially go up or down depending on their performance on the Final exam.
The first week after the holiday break, Study Hut instructors came back into each of these same classrooms to help students construct an individualized day-by-day task list. The content on these tasks lists was derived directly from the Finals Survival Guide. Students broke down study tasks by class; for history and foreign language classes, students created manual flashcards, and then plotted 15-minute flashcard run-throughs each day leading up to the Final exam. For science and math classes, students identified units and chapters that they struggled with the first time around, and then they plotted chapter reviews and study guides each day leading up to the Final exam. The results for each student was a comprehensive task list that lined up the exact tasks that each student needs to complete in order to meet their goals on Final exams. They then met individually with Study Hut counselors for 15-minute meetings to review the task lists and make sure that their efforts aligned with their goals.
The Finals Survival Guide is a template and service that we also provide to our one-on-one students at Study Hut. It is a built in service for our clients that can help students maximize their efforts and streamline their studies. If you would like to set up a free meeting with a manager or owner at Study Hut, please email info@studyhut.com.
The Capstone Project is a research paper and project that students attending Palos Verdes High School work on throughout their junior and senior years. The Capstone Project requires students to think critically about a topic of their choice. It manifests with the students giving a presentation on their research and work to a group of teachers and parents. The Capstone Project helps students narrow down options for a major and find out if they would be passionate working on their topic long term.
Laura helped her student Olivia with her Capstone Project during her junior and senior years. Olivia was having trouble deciding which topic to pursue for her project. After weighing her different options, Laura helped her decide on examining how documentaries affect public perception of issues. They decided to use the film Blackfish and how it changed the public’s view on captive whales as the basis of Olivia’s paper. She researched the differences between the lives of orca whales in captivity versus in the wild. She worked in the field scuba diving for research and polling people on how Blackfish changed the way they looked at captive whales.
Once she had all of her research completed and data collected for her project, it was time to put it all into an essay. Laura helped Olivia organize all of her data into paragraphs. There was a lot of research, so it took time to narrow down all the facts so that Olivia could prove her initial thesis while still being concise. Olivia was chosen to be part of Capstone Elite where she competed against other selected students as some of the best Capstone projects of the class.
With finals right around the corner, a lot of different high schools are gearing up for their weekend finals cram sessions. Study Hut tutors will be helping out at Palos Verdes High School, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, and West Torrance High School. The AVID classes are holding the sessions in the Palos Verdes Peninsula School District.
There are a lot of different ways that students can maximize their results during tutoring in large groups. First, find other students who are studying the same subject, or better yet are in the same class with the same teacher. Someone may have taken better notes, or have been there on a day when you were absent. Together your group can try and work your way through the more difficult concepts of the semester together. Go through the study guide for the final together. Make sure that the answers make sense to everyone. If you are having trouble with a concept, have a friend explain it to you. They may be able to make it make sense in a way that your teacher could not. Do the same for your friends. Teaching the material to your friends will also help you get a better grasp on the information. If any of you have contradicting answers to one of the questions, make sure you find out what is actually correct either by looking in your book, asking a tutor, or by searching on the internet. Afterward, review the information later in the day or the following day on your own to make sure that it all sank in.
These past few weeks excitement waas in the air as Scholar Quiz took place! Both the Mira Costa High School study body and the Manhattan Beach Middle School student body, both competed in what we like the call, “The Scholar Quiz.”
Teams of 4 compete in different rounds of Lightning Rounds and Bonus Rounds. During the bonus rounds, you can score up to 20 points. Scholar Quiz’s premise is the same as that of the popular game ‘Jeopardy’. Each team includes four students. The the game consists of two teams of four students each, a Reader, Judge, and a Scorer.
Other schools put on their own Scholar Quiz as well. The idea started at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach. Mr. Cooper, former PV High Econ teacher and Football coach, and Barton, PV High teacher, took the idea from Costa. Both teachers attended and taught at Mira Costa High School. Cooper approached Barton, and PV High’s Scholar Quiz began in 2005.
There are three types of questions asked in the Scholar Quiz- Toss Up, Bonus, and Lightning Round questions. A toss up question is one that either team can answer. The first team raising a placard is given the first opportunity to answer. If they answer incorrectly, the second team has a chance to answer the same question. A toss up question may lead to a Bonus Round. The Bonus Round includes a specific topic with four questions. This round is where teammates work together to come up with the final answer. Only the team that wins the Toss Up can benefit from the Bonus Round. A Lightning Round question is one where ten questions are given in quick succession to the teams, with each team being allowed to answer only once. If a team answers a Lightning Round question incorrectly, they are penalized with a loss of points.
Pictured below are the winners from the MCHS Scholar Quiz
Pictured below are the winners from the MBMS Scholar Quiz
For many years, our tutors have been helping seniors at Palos Verdes High School complete their senior projects called the Capstone. This project consists of a research paper on a topic the student is interested in or affected by and a corresponding research project or experiment. Study Hut owners Rob and Sean Patrick, together with Redondo Beach manager, Justin, are all industry partners and judge the Capstone projects at the end of the year to decide which students will receive prizes and scholarships. In the past, the entire project has been completed during the course of the student’s senior year, but during the 2013-2014 school year, the school made some changes. Now students are required to finish their entire paper in the last quarter of their junior year, leaving the entire senior year to dedicate to their physical project and research. As the school is aware that this can be a very stressful time for students due to Advanced Placement exams in May, AP students are not required to begin working on their Capstone papers until after they have completed all their AP exams.
Early in the school year, I worked with a senior named Cara whose project analyzed the effectiveness of three different teaching styles. She works as a swim teacher at the South Bay Aquatic Center, which was the perfect place for her to experiment with different teaching styles in her swim classes. I recently worked with a junior named Halle who studied the societal influence on the evolution of music. While expanding on previously learned academic skills and preparing students for college level papers and projects, the Capstone also provides students an opportunity to pursue further education about a topic of personal interest.
From iLead to AVID, Study Hut covers ground in the South Bay!
Study Hut has had the privilege to extend our tutoring services to local high schools in the South Bay, including South High, Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. We are able to do this by orchestrating in-class programs like AVID (http://www.avid.org/) in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District and ILEAD through the Torrance Unified School District. In a typical AVID or ILEAD class, Study Hut will send a number of tutors (typically ranging from four to eight) who each specialize in variety of academic subjects. Our tutors then have the unique opportunity to break the class into smaller groups of students based on subject each student feels that he or she need the most help with.
Last Tuesday was an awesome day at both South High and Peninsula! We arrived at South High for ILEAD at 8am to offer additional tutoring on late start mornings. We then separated the students into a “Math and Science” classroom, and an “English, History and Foreign Language” classroom. Tori and I were put in charge of English, History and Languages room. After an hour of answering questions about everything from World War I and the differences between Preterite and Imperfect in Spanish, our manager Justin was nice enough to take us out to a quick breakfast to refuel before we headed up to PVPHS to tutor in AVID for their third and fourth periods.In AVID we like to take a more hands on approach by encouraging the students to break into groups and take turns writing their questions on the board. Their peers then use their notes and textbooks to help them solve their problem. In my English groups in AVID, we had some remarkable discussions about Animal Farm (my favorite) and determining Direct Objects vs. Predicate Nominatives.
El Segundo Office: (310) 648-8526 – Office Manager Adam – Adam@studyhut.com
The High Schools around the area have been holding registration and students have been preparing for their new classes/schedule for the Fall.
We have had many students here at the Study Hut gearing up for the new year and getting some refresher courses before the school year begins.
For students going to Mira Costa High School, school starts on the 28th of August.. one week and counting. For students attending Redondo Union High School and schools in Palos Verdes, they start school on Tuesday August 27th.
Here are the Study Hut we are closed Monday September 2nd for Labor Day and Wednesday September 5th for Yom Kippur.
On another note, we are also getting back into SAT and ACT training. The first exam of the year takes place in October which many students are signed up for.
We have diagnostic tests every other week on Saturdays at 8am for SAT/ACT/HSPT/ISEE. We had one on Saturday August 17th and the next one we have is on Saturday August 31st.
We have had many students in here for consultations with our co-owner Rob going over scores and getting prepared for their prep.
All our diagnostic tests are free as well as our consultations with Rob.
Past events and/or events coming up:
Our staff went to Parris Middle School for the week to help with registration Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8-12noon.
We helped hand out schedules, assign lockers, and distribute agendas
– We have 15 tutors going to training for AVID on Monday. It is for the AVID programs at Palos Verdes and Peninsula High Schools – teaming up so the whole mountain is on the same page
The year is finally over! Congrats to everyone who finished their finals this week and are officially on summer vacation! We have had a great Spring semester and hope to see many of you during the summer here at the Study Hut.
The schools around the neighborhood have all held their commencements and we want to congratulate all the students!! To those going from 8th grade to High School or those going from High School to College, have a wonderful summer and we know you will continue to do well and succeed!
Here are the schools that have held graduation in the area:
Redondo Union High School: Friday June 14th @ 2pm
Mira Costa High School: Thursday June 20th @ 5-6pm at Waller Stadium
Palos Verdes High School: 2pm Graduation on Wednesday June 5th
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School: Wednesday June 12th
Manhattan Beach Middle School: Wednesday June 19th @6:30pm-9pm at the Gym/MPR
For those starting summer school – Keep in mind:
Besides our normal $45/hr tutoring and our SAT tutoring… we have 4 different programs you can sign up for. We have an Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry and summer reading class!
We have many great summer programs that we are offering this summer so here is all the important information you need to know! If you don’t need to sign up for a class – we also have normal one-on-one tutoring for summer school.
The summer courses all take place between July 8th and August 8th – it’s a 5 week program – 20 hours a week – and it costs $495.
We are going to cap the classes at 10 students each so sign up now to make sure you get a spot!
The Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry classes are prep classes to help students prepare for the course that they’re taking in the fall. These classes will be taught by our same tutors that work here, and will either take place on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday.
For the summer reading, get ahead this summer! We have experienced tutors for all the reading levels and for every book on the summer reading lists! Learn to annotate and analyze literature and practice quizzes included!!
If you are interested, you can call the Study Hut!
For Manhattan Beach Location:
Manhattan Beach: (310)546-2408 or you can e-mail: Samantha@studyhut.com
For Redondo Beach Location:
Redondo Beach: (310)540-5888 or you can e-mail: Justin@studyhut.com
AVID is an Advancement Via Individual Determination: A 4-year elective that helps kids get ready for a 4-year college experience. AVID is a bi-weekly tutorial which helps kids keep their GPA up, SAT and ACT tutoring starting in 10th grade, and the rest of the time is focused on expanding their horizons and getting them ready for college.
From their website it says: AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college readiness system for elementary through higher education that is designed to increase schoolwide learning and performance. The AVID College Readiness System (ACRS) accelerates student learning, uses research based methods of effective instruction, provides meaningful and motivational professional learning, and acts as a catalyst for systemic reform and change.
AVID began in 1980 by Mary Catherine Swanson, then-head of the English department at San Diego’s Clairemont High School. The federal courts issued an order to desegregate the city’s schools, bringing large numbers of inner city students to suburban schools. While applauding the decision, Swanson wondered how these underserved students would survive at academically acclaimed Clairemont High.
Her answer was AVID, an academic elective. But it’s more than a program – it’s a philosophy: Hold students accountable to the highest standards, provide academic and social support, and they will rise to the challenge.
AVID is having their year-end site team meetings. Peninsula High School’s meeting was today and Palos Verdes High School is tomorrow the AVID year-end site team meetings are where parents, students, teachers, and tutors get together to discuss how the year went and discuss goals for next year. The Peninsula High School Avid seniors set a record: 100% of the kids that applied to a 4-year school were accepted to at least one. They had a record high for applications for next year’s freshman that is. The AVID Program is increasing the amount of tutors they are going to have next year – so the ratio will be 7 students to 1 tutor in tutorials. This year it was about 12 tutors to 1 student. They also have a record high number of kids going to their overnight college trip – which is where 41 kids spend 2 days to go see Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and University of California Santa Barbara.
Study Hut Tutoring is happy to help and assist with every student’s college essay from start to finish. College essays, or personal statements, are weighted heavily. Students who have recently graduated from Mira Costa High School, El Segundo High School, Redondo Union High School, Palos Verdes High School, and Peninsula High school received acceptance letters into their top choices after receiving one-on-one college essay help from Study Hut Tutoring.
We are professionals in this department– not only having earned acceptance into top tiered universities around the country ourselves, but we are trained by current officers that sit on the Boards of Admissions at schools like UCLA. All of our college essay specialists have had students who have successfully met their goals. When student’s show up unannounced several weeks after their last session, with their acceptance letters in hand, it tells us we’ve done a good job executing. The proof is in the pudding!
We know what universities are looking for, to say the least. We know that admissions officers are incredibly busy around this time of year. They are the gatekeepers to their prestigious universities. They are responsible for admitting and denying tens of thousands of applicants. Many admissions officers read the essay first, and then decide if the rest of the application fits with that persons credentials.
The first step to writing a strong college essay is the discovery process. We do this to avoid trite topics such as, “The reason I want to be a veterinarian is because when I was little my dog was hit by a car.” As true as that may be, universities have seen that formula played out thousands of times. We want to avoid, at all costs, an overdone essay.
Study Hut Tutoring would strongly recommend that a student spends 2 months perfecting the essay; whipping out a decent draft and having mom proof read it a week before the essay is due is probably not the best plan!
