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| Kumonicator of Fairfield and Steeplechase |
September 2010 | |
Greetings!
The summer has flown by! Our children are settling into the school routine. Some of you are returning to Kumon, most stayed with Kumon through the summer, and some are considering starting Kumon to put your child on the right path for a successful school year.
Regardless of your situation, we are looking forward to helping your children achieve their potential. |
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| A Bill is introduced in Congress to allow Kumon Tuition to be paid with Flexible Spending Account Dollars
Please consider contacting your Congressperson to urge its passage. This would make Kumon far more affordable for you.
Representative Pascrell (NJ) has introduced a bill in the US Congress (H.R. 4391 - The Affordable Tutoring for Our Children Act) that allows employers to amend their dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA) to include after school tutoring services. Under present law, dependent  care FSA cannot be used for "educational" expenses unless the primary purpose is custodial, such as day care and afterschool athletic camps. This bill is geared towards middle class families and allows them to use tax free dollars to pay for supplemental tutoring for their dependents ages 5-19. This proposal is intended to help middle income children obtain professional supplemental instructional services by allowing an employee to pay for such services on a before-tax basis. |
Important: Kumon North America Changes its Absence Policy
Kumon North America (KNA) is the Franchisor for all Kumon Centers in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In keeping with the understanding that children progress best in their Kumon studies when no break is taken, KNA has changed its policy regarding students taking a break from Kumon.
While in the past, students were permitted to take  up to two calendar months off in a row, and then resume their Kumon studies, the rule now is that no more than ONE CALENDAR MONTH absence will be allowed in ANY CALENDAR YEAR. This means that if your child has taken any month at all off in 2010, no additional months will be allowed in 2010, and your child may not be absent more than one month in 2011 and onward.
I understand the hardship this may involve for those families who leave the country during the summer, but we can come up with a reduced workload plan that will not disrupt your child's routine. Frequently, I have noticed those children who take off for a couple of months will then take several months to settle back down into their routine. Sometimes half a year of forward progress is sacrificed for the sake of taking a couple of months off. KNA recognizes this as well, and for that reason has instituted this change.
For those families who do choose to take two months off regardless, the down side is the need to pay the registration and materials fee again, and the loss of your student's Cosmic Points.
Should you have any questions or concerns about this matter, please do not hesitate to email me. |
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Kumon Modifies Math Levels 4A-A Worksheets
Starting in October, Kumon North America (KNA) will be introducing its improved Math worksheets for levels 4A through A. While we hope to enact this change as transparently as possible for you, I do want you to be aware of it so you won't be too confused about what's happening. The main thrust of the revision is to make the transition to number writing much easier for the students, and to ensure the students are solid on their adding skills before introducing subtraction. Thus the major differences are that the counting skills fostered in 4A will be extended well into 3A, and Level 2A will not cover subtraction at all; that skill will be deferred until Level A, sheet 81.
The target for the changeover will be sometime in October. When we make the change, we will give those of you affected a new Math Answer Book and collect the outdated one.
Kumon is constantly improving its worksheets in order to bring you a reasonably seamless transition into the higher levels.
If you have any questions about this change, please feel free to email me. |
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 Quiet in the Waiting Rooms Please!
As we have expanded, a mixed blessing from our growth has been an overcrowding of the waiting rooms. This has unfortunately led to a rather loud roar which is now hindering your children's studies. Accordingly, we would respectfully ask you to consider the quiet learning environment which will help our students most and to keep the noise in the waiting room at a minimum. This includes cell phone calls and children who are disrupting the quiet environment we seek to foster for the sake of your child. Thank you so much for understanding this need. |
 We're Streamlining our Operations
At Steeplechase, overcrowding of the five Junior Kumon tables led us to a review of what was causing the overflow. Our analysis indicated that it was largely due to students staying much longer than the recommended 20 to 30 minutes per subject. In some cases, this caused a snowball effect: the overcrowding initiated by students taking too long then resulted in students not receiving sufficient attention to wrap up their studies in a timely fashion.
We have instituted a time limit of thirty minutes maximum per subject in the Junior Kumon area, and the results have been dramatic. We are again able to serve three children per table, and parents can predict when their little ones will be ready to go.
Thank you all for your patience as we serve your children! |
| Congratulations to our 2010 Program Completers!
We have had several students complete the Program so far this year. Your child can be a Completer, as well!
Reading Completers are reading at a college level; Math Completers have mastered calculus and differential equations.
January: Harsh Mehta, Reading
February: Anthony Tran, Reading
March: Ben McClean, Math
April: Anthony Tran, Math; Christopher Onorato, Reading: Dhriti Patel, Reading
May: Hamish McLean, Reading; Amanda McLean, Reading, Dima Sarbei, Math
June:Nina Osipova, Math
July:Sheela Prabhu, Math |
 Join both the Kumon North America Fan Page and the Kumon of Fairfield and Steeplechase Fan Page!
You can connect with Kumon families around the world! Originated by Kumon North America, this Facebook fan page has attracted Kumon families from all over the world! Just click on the Facebook logo to the right to become a part of the global Kumon community.
This Facebook page is a really fun way to introduce your child to Kumon students from other countries. It's reassuring to learn that even the children in Malaysia and England struggle with Level D long division. A lot of upper level students and parents also share their insights and enthusiasm for the Program.
AND it's not just Kumon North America who has a Facebook page; Kumon of Fairfield and Steeplechase have our own as well. Come join us on line! We don't have many fans yet  but I'd like to have enough of you on there that we can have questions and answers, information about events, and discussions about areas you're struggling with in your child's Kumon (like the long division in Level D). This can be a great support group because no matter what you're dealing with, there is almost certainly another family in one of our Centers who has dealt with the same thing. Come join the fun! |
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Upcoming Events
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We will be closed Saturday, September 4, through Monday, September 6, in observance of Labor Day.
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The Kumon Store will be Open for redeeming Kumon Dollars on September 13-18, October 18-23, November 15-20, and December 13-18.
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We will be closed Saturday, October 9, through Monday, October 11, for Columbus Day.
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We will be closed Wednesday, November 24, through Sunday, November 28, for Thanksgiving.
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We will be closed Sunday, December 19, through Saturday, January 1, for the Winter Break.
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In general, we follow the CFISD calendar with the exception that we are open during the summer except for Independence Day.
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Schedule an Appointment with us! |
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 Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful children with us. Be assured we are fond of each and enjoy each for the special person s/he is!
Sincerely,
Sue McLean, B.Ch.E., J.D. Gold Elite Kumon Instructor
Kumon of Fairfield and Steeplechase |
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