Blog
Third Quarter Slump
This time of year can bring challenges for our students because it is difficult to stay motivated and complete work to the best of one’s ability. It is not uncommon for a restlessness and complacency to set in during these last winter months. This “third quarter slump” is often defined as the time of year when students’ grades drop, and unfortunately, this can happen rather quickly.
Meet Lee Honig
We are continuing our Meet the Tutor series this month and are excited to introduce you to Lee Honig.
Lee grew up in Brooklyn, NYC and attended Hofstra University, where he graduated with a B.S. in chemistry and minors in math and community health. After college, he worked as an industrial chemist at a vinyl plastic manufacturing plant.
This is How We Do Parent-Teacher Conferences
For many schools, another round of parent-teacher conferences is just around the corner. This face-to-face meeting with your child’s teacher is a valuable time to find out what happens during the school day and how you can best support both your child and the teacher.
Summer Camp Preview
Once again Connections is excited to offer a wide range of summer camps for students of all ages through Cincinnati Country Day School. And for the first time , we are thrilled to extend our camps to Summit Country Day School as well. Check out all the camp descriptions below.
Meet Erin O'Neil
We are continuing our Meet the Tutor series this month and are excited to introduce you to one of our newest tutors, Erin O’Neil.
This Is How We Do The Morning Routine
Welcome to the second post in our new This Is How We ______ series. Each month we are talking to families around Cincinnati to find out how routines, celebrations, and responsibilities play out in their homes. This month we are talking about morning routines.
What Disney World Can Teach you about Test Prep
During the Spring of 2013, my wife and I decided that it would be a good time to take our kids to Disney World for the first time. The twins were going to turn six in April, our youngest would be able to get in to all the parks for free, and it was the first time that we were going to be headed to Florida as a family.
Meet Sara Garrison
We are excited to spend time each month this year introducing members of our outstanding tutor team. We’ll kick off 2019 introducing Sara Garrison, a tutor who has been with Connections from the beginning.
This Is How We Start The New Year!
This Is How We Start The New Year is the first in a new series of blogs posted at the beginning of each month where we talk to families all around Cincinnati to find out how routines, celebrations, and responsibilities play out in their homes. In this monthly series, we will discuss morning routines, homework, summer reading, college visits, and more! This month, we share two families traditions for starting the new year.
Subscription Boxes
Still looking for a holiday gift for the kids on your list? How about a gift that will keep delighting your child month after month?
The Gift of Experiences
This is the perfect year to think outside the box when it comes to holiday gifts. Rather than a mountain of presents that will all too quickly become outdated or broken, give the gift of a special experience. The Gift of Experiences can give your family something to look forward to and enjoy together and share in special memories that last much longer than the holiday season. Here are some ideas to get you started!
Creating a Successful Homework Routine
As we move into October, most students have fallen into the steady rhythm of academic activity. But there is one element that many learners and parents continue to struggle with throughout the school year: Homework.
Let Them Play
Playtime is an essential mark of childhood - wide open days with nothing to do but build forts, ride bikes, play tea party, and tromp through the outdoors alongside neighborhood buddies. Children of all ages grow and learn life skills such as problem solving, flexible thinking, and creative initiation when they are given time to freely choose activities and experiment with open-ended play.
Sharpen Your Writing Skills with Summer Fun
We are constantly expressing ourselves through the written word and yet, this essential skill is often terrifying for some students to complete. We’ve put together some suggestions or practicing writing in a safe and creative way.
Why Every Student Needs A Hero
As the school year approaches and lesson plans are being written, we are inspired by Sarah Fordyce, a science teacher in Los Angeles who wants students to belong, interact, and grow in her classroom. She writes about teaching science and the magic of teaching middle school on her blog www.happyteacherheart.com.
More Summer Fun
As June comes to a close, are your summer days starting to drag, or are you seizing every opportunity for summer fun? While summer can be busy with family vacations and camps, there also tends to be a lot more down time at home than during the school year which can sometimes result in complaints of boredom and overuse of screen time. What better way to avoid this than a family summer bucket list?
Summer in Cincinnati
Cincinnati has so much to offer, and so many exciting places to visit. Here are some great ideas for your family to take on summer in the city!
To Reward or Not To Reward – That is the Question
Parents often fear bribing their children to do things and ending up with a child who expects to be paid every time they are told to clean up their bedroom or do their homework. Should parents reward their child for things that are somewhat aversive or punish them for not doing those things? It may be helpful to first ask, "Is there a difference between rewards and punishments?" The long answer is yes, but the more practical answer is not really.
2018 Summer Reading Recommendations
We put together a list of our favorite reads for your child to add to his/her summer reading list to enjoy beside the pool or during long road trips. And, don’t forget, you can find most of these books on audio, so stock up and enjoy the summer!
Why Is Recess Important?
The discussion of recess has taken center stage in recent years, as parents, teachers, and educational leaders all over the country work to make the best decisions regarding how our children spend their school day. Schools have seen an increased emphasis on standardized testing since the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, and more recently, the adoption of the Common Core Standards. This has prompted school leadership to minimize and even eliminate recess time in order to provide more classroom instructional time.