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As 2011 Grows “Old,” There’s So Much “New” to Celebrate!

December 21, 2011No Commentsmyadmin101

Mid-December always finds the happy owl a little more impatient than usual. As the old year – with all its familiarities and same-olds – winds down, she’s already got her eyes trained on the new one. But it seems this year, with all its “news,” is a little more noteworthy than usual. So before she swoops off her perch in pursuit of “Twenty One-Two,” she thought she’d take a moment to reflect, celebrate… and say thanks.

New ideas.  When it comes to new ideas for bringing out the best in college-bound students, who better than moms to recognize their students’ need for guided practice in research and writing; and to pose to Scholar’s Secret that provocative question, “Can you help…?” Why, yes, we can! Thanks for asking!

New programs. As a result of these moms’ ideas, Scholar’s Secret introduced two new programs this year. SAT Essay Prep helps students approach this critically important writing task with confidence and a plan. Sherry Weir of Greenwood says, “I would most definitely recommend your program to anyone. [My son] raised his PSAT score from the 150s to 185… his writing skills’ percentage was 99%! Can’t ask for any better than that!”

BTW 101: Beyond the Web – Information Literacy & Writing Skills for College Success teaches students how to find, evaluate, and ethically apply information in their writing. Becky Shaw, Nora Home Educators Coordinator, explains: “Our co-op’s students now have the research and writing skills to take them successfully to college and beyond… My own daughter has discovered that writing can be fun and research made easier when you have the correct tools.”

New skills. Students describe these best: “When I wrote my speech…, I was sure to use only the most credible sources available, and when it came to navigating the library, I knew exactly where to look,” says one student. Another explains, “Using the START criteria, one can evaluate every possible aspect of the source… to determine credibility. So now I’m ‘info smart.’ What now? I evaluate.” Still another, seeking an alternative to Google, exclaims, “Databases to the rescue! Science in Context generated over 200 scholarly articles for this search.”

As 2011 draws to a close, the happy owl sends her deepest gratitude to all her awesome students and their parents. Together, we’ve transformed new ideas into lifelong skills – and that’s cause for celebration. C’mon along… there’s more in store for 2012!

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