No matter how brilliant and talented a student is, it is always difficult to juggle school obligations with extracurricular activities. It becomes even more difficult when that activity takes up your entire weekend and every day after school. However, when you are passionate about something it is completely worth it. Grace plays soccer on one of the best teams in the nation, so sometimes it is difficult to keep up with homework and school projects. She spends a lot of time at practice, at games, and traveling to and from tournaments.
Grace had been working really hard to get all her grades up so that she had straight A’s. When soccer season picked up, she began traveling every weekend and missing a lot of school so she could make it to her games. She is the star goalie for her team, so she puts in a lot of work. Due to all her traveling, she had fallen behind in math. She wanted to bring her grade back up because she knew the content was easy, she just had not been able to be in class so she could learn it.
Grace worked with her tutor Charlsey to catch up on all the concepts that she had missed. They worked through all of Grace’s homework. Charlsey gave her extra practice problems to ensure that Grace fully grasped her new material and would be able to do well on her upcoming test. They even worked ahead, just in case Grace’s team advanced to the finals and she needed to take more time off of school. Grace got an A on both of her most recent tests and brought her grade back up!
Britt comes in for tutoring at Study Hut once a week. She works on Algebra 2 with her tutor, Chris. Britt has excellent grades in all of her classes, but sometimes needs help working through the more difficult problem sets that her teacher assigns.
The graphs of conic sections and their transformations were challenging. It was hard to remember what the parent function looked like, and how each number in different spots could transform the graph. Chris and Britt worked on making parent function flashcards. They made sure to include how to find the vertex, directrix, focii, radius, and any axes the graph might have. Then, they went through many practice problems. Chris made Britt do problems until she was able to solve them quickly and correctly. Comparing her graphs to the graphs of the parent function also helped Britt gain a better understanding of how each transformation affected the graph’s shape and size.
Britt got a ninety-two percent on her Algebra II exam. She was selected by her high school to compete in a math competition against students from other high schools. She was given a set of problems and had a limited time to complete them. She wanted to prepare because some of the practice problems dealt with math she had never even seen before. She learned some concepts in Pre-calculus and Calculus so that she would be able to compete as best she could against her older peers. We cannot wait to hear what she placed in the competition!
Study Hut offers SAT 1-on-1 classes. If your student learns better in a group setting, then the class is a great choice. Ten is the maximum number of students we allow to be enrolled in the class at a time, so group sizes are small, and students can still get help if they get stuck on a concept. The class is seven weeks and meets twice a week for two hours.
One student, Erica, has already seen her score improve almost three hundred points since her first diagnostic practice test. The strategies taught in the class kept her from making silly mistakes that she had made before on previous tests. She also had a better understanding of which questions she should skip, whereas before she would go ahead and fill in an answer for every question.
Going into the test with knowledge of the strategies and the SAT layout decoded boosts confidence and helps to put even the most anxious test takers at ease. After the 1-on-1 class, our students walk into the SAT with confidence and the skills to ace it, and walk out with spectacular scores!
By the time you get to high school you have already heard all about the SAT and the ACT. But what about the SAT II Subject Tests? Many colleges require them, but people do not seem to talk about them as much as the other two tests. So, what exactly are the SAT IIs?
The SAT IIs are hour-long tests that focus on specific topics. Most tests are multiple-choice. For the language tests, there is a listening portion. The cool thing about the SAT II is that you can choose which subjects you take. That means that you can pick the subjects you know best and feel most comfortable in. Even if the college you are applying to does not require SAT IIs, they can still be helpful. Getting a great score on an SAT II can set you apart from other applicants applying to the same program. Doing well on certain SAT IIs can also count for placement in higher-level classes than you would be placed in without an SAT II.
You can take up to three SAT IIs in one day, but you may take just one as well. The subjects on the SAT II are covered in a deeper context than on the regular SAT. You will need to fully grasp concepts instead of just having broad overarching knowledge of the topic. Unlike the regular SAT, you should not wait until your junior or senior years to take the SAT II. You should take it after the class you have taken that corresponds with the topic you are picking for the SAT II. That way the majority of the information will be fresh in your head and you have a greater chance for success!
Keeping up with homeschool can be difficult. There is no regularly scheduled class that you have to attend every day, your teacher is just a strange, faceless online entity, and the classes are rarely as interactive as ones in a traditional school environment. All these factors, combined with the fact that most students find it very difficult to teach themself new material, make it very easy to fall behind. At first, it can seem like a harmless thing to do. “Oh, I’ll just make up that day tomorrow.” But soon one day behind becomes two, then three, and suddenly you are fifteen class days behind and the end of the semester is just two weeks away. It is important to remain diligent in keeping up with your homeschool classes. There are a few things that you can do to make sure that this happens.
Try to have the work completed by the day that is assigned, or the date it is scheduled to be done. If you know that you will not have any time to log in to your online class on a certain day or week, get it done beforehand and be ahead instead of waiting until after and struggling to play catch up. Schedule a regularly recurring appointment with a tutor twice a week if you cannot motivate yourself to keep up in classes, or if the material is challenging to teach to yourself. Our one-on-one tutors will make sure to keep you on track, and make all the material easy to understand.
Quite a few students come to Study Hut to work on their foreign language classes. It is especially helpful to get tutoring in a foreign language because the more you use it, the easier it is. One of our Spanish tutors, Laura, was able to help her student Connor raise his grade by ten percent with his final, bringing his final semester grade up to an A!
Connor came in twice a week to work on his Spanish with Laura. They would always go over his homework, as well as reviewing the content that he had learned in class earlier that day or that week. They extensively went over conjugating verbs, especially irregular verbs such as ir and tener. Connor practiced writing each conjugation over and over until he could do it for each subject with no mistakes. Laura and Connor also worked on improving his sentence composition and structure. They meticulously went through all the paragraphs that Connor had to write for homework and made sure that everything was correct. It does not help to slack on homework because doing things incorrectly on the homework will translate to doing it incorrectly on the test as well. Connor booked extra time before tests and when large assignments, such as essays were due. All their diligence and hard work paid off in the end. The final was an absolute breeze and Connor ended the class with an A, which he was a lot easier thanks to all of his hard work with Laura!
This week West Torrance High School will be having two finals week cram sessions at the library. Friday will be in the evening from 3PM to 6PM. Saturday will be in the morning from 9AM to 12PM. Study Hut tutors from the Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach locations come to the study sessions to help students in large groups as well as individually.
The library is split up into different sections where students can get help in the specific subject that they are studying for. This helps them focus because they do not become distracted by their friends who are trying to learn different subjects at the same time. Once a study feels like they can move on to a different subject, they can move on to the different area of the library and fully concentrate on the new material. Sessions like these are also helpful because then students can work with other students in their class. Many times, students are unable to find a convenient time and location to work together with their peers. These West High study sessions resolve that issue. Students are also able to work through problems together and go over any difficult concepts on the study guide together until a tutor becomes available. This makes their study time more efficient and effective. Many students often have the same question, so the tutor can answer all of them at once. Alternatively, the students can help each other and figure out the problem together. Whether you plan on attending one or both sessions, these study sessions will be highly beneficial to any student.
With finals quickly approaching, it is time to start relearning or brushing up on any concepts that you may have missed and just skimmed over during the semester. A lot of students just never learn a concept if they do not get it because they have the mindset of “it will just be on this test and then I will never see it again”. This is a dangerous pattern of thinking because in most classes, the concepts build on top of one another and show up again on later tests and on the final. There is still plenty of time to relearn something that you missed earlier in the school year before finals.
If you did not understand the concept because of the way the teacher taught it, seek out a different way to learn it. Come in to Study Hut for one-on-one tutoring. If you are cramming the night before and do not have time for a tutoring appointment, try researching the concept. There are plenty of free online resources that are solely for teaching, such as Khan Academy. Remember, these are not as good as someone who knows the material walking you through it, but they definitely come in handy in a pinch.
While trying to learn a concept, it is important to practice practice practice. Do practice problems. Try different types of problems. Fill out worksheets. Anything you can do to engage with the content and solidify the concept in your head will benefit you in the long run.
Once you think you have mastered it, try teaching it to someone else. Explaining a difficult concept to someone will help you learn it better.
Have any fun plans for Spring Break? Well, some students from the South Bay are going on a trip of a lifetime to Loreto, Baja California Sur Mexico tomorrow, which is not only educational but a life changing experience.
Tomorrow, 14 students from the South Bay will be going to Loreto, Baja California Sur for the week for a Student Exchange Program that was started in 1967.
Loreto was the first Spanish settlement on the Baja California Peninsula. It served as the capital of Las Californias from 1697 to 1777. The city of 14,724 people (2010 census) is located on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, about 350 km (220 mi) north of the state capital, La Paz.
The town was founded in 1697 by Jesuit missionaries, who found a steady spring of fresh water on this site, as the Mision Nuestra Senora De Loreto. The town served as the capital of the province of Las Californias from its founding until the capital was moved to Monterey on February 3, 1777. The town then became the headquarters for the Lieutenant Governor of California Viejo (later the province of Baja California).
The city is now a tourist resort, catering mostly to U.S. travelers, with daily flights from California to the Loreto International Airport (LTO). Many American tourists enjoy fishing in “pangas” for “dorado”. Local restaurants will willingly prepare the daily catch of the tourists. Loreto has a museum that coexists alongside the historic, but still active, parish. Loreto has active sister city relationships with Hermosa Beach and Cerritos California, USA.
There are 9 girls and 5 boys going. The students are from Manhattan Beach Middle School, Paris Middle School, and Adams Middle School – Manhattan and Redondo schools.
Join the fun and excitement of a lifetime in our delightful sister city Loreto , Mexico ! For over 30 years, the Hermosa Beach Sister City Association has sponsored Hermosa Valley School 7th & 8th grade students as well as students from Manhattan and Redondo in the past few years – in a cultural exchange program between Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico and the Beach Cities of Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo.
Students will live with a Loreto 7th or 8th grader and his/her family for 7 days and build a lifetime of memories with chaperoned daily activities and organized field trips. After all the fun, Beach Cities students will host their Loreto 7th or 8th grader for one week in July and show them our way of life here.
Loreto , Mexico is a safe and beautiful town on the Sea of Cortez. Chaperones will escort students to and from Mexico , match students to host families, and participate in the organized activities.
The students from Loreto will come to the South Bay during the week of July 12 – 19, 2013 and experience what life is like in the South Bay. The students will go to different cultural places, including museums, aquariums, theme parks, just to name a few.
The great thing about the Loreto program is that both Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach both have sister cities in Baja California Sur Mexico. Manhattan’s sister city is Santa Rosalia and Redondo Beach’s sister city has 2: La Paz and Ensenada. Both Mira Costa High School and Redondo Union High School have Baja Clubs and the high school students spend the week in Santa Rosalia or La Paz/Ensenada during the February Break or Spring Break. Therefore, the Hermosa Beach program prepares the 7th and 8th grade students incase they want to continue with the exchange programs in High School.
The HBSCA Cultural Exchange Program was certified by the United States Congress, and entered into the congressional record of the 110th congress session.
Study Hut, coming up on it’s sixth birthday in December has come a long way. Not only have we expanded in the South Bay, but we are now in Newport Beach! By nature, you can only imagine the tutor rivalry that has spurred out from such expansion. The biggest rivalries are between the Manhattan Beach Study Hut, which we tutors like to call “Hut 1 or The Mother Hut”, and the Redondo Beach Study Hut located in the Redondo Beach Riviera Village, which we call, “Hut 2” (take note that no other cool name has been associated with this location). Hence, I have decided to write this blog on the reasons why Hut 1 is inherently better and completely dominates Hut 2.
1. Hut one is bigger and caters to more students. The Hut is always bustling with tons of kids ranging from kindergarten to adults. We tutor the young ones in subjects such as reading and writing, high school kids come in for SATs and whatever other homework they need help with, and we have the occasional adult coming in to learn Spanish, or English for that matter!
2. Our tutors dominate! We can tutor all subjects. Whatever subject you need to be tutored in, we can do it. Even Chinese!!!!
3. We are much facier. We are open seven days a week during the school year! No matter what kind of a bind you are in, we are here for ya! Scheduling around sports proves to be no match for us. Come in on a Saturday or Sunday and knock out your school work before the week begins to get a head start.
Or newly renovated Underground is inundated with new and exciting under the sea decor.
4. We have a self built lifeguard chair. Built just for the manager, Samantha, we dominate the seating arrangements category!
5. Even though they seem to be cool over there they are merely an image of a younger brother stealing the appearance of his older brother so he can play off as “cool” in front of his friends.
6. It is not rare to find the owner Rob BBQing in the parking lot for all of the employees. We all know the way to a tutors’ heart is through their stomach… or their calculator.
All in all, both Huts are great. They both have amazingly qualified tutors with open arms ready to help each and every student that walks in the door. However, it wouldn’t be The Hut if there wasn’t a little friendly rivalry. We like to keep ourselves entertained around here 😉
