Time For Fall Shopping!

Its starting to happen. The weather is getting a bit cooler, leaves are starting to change colors and its now time to start thinking about updating your children's fall wardrobe.  Although we are sure they would be happy to stay in shorts all year long, Pretty Please Atlanta has an amazing selection of fall clothing for kids of all ages, from babies to tweens.  And they are giving CineMoms a 15% discount and a chance to win tickets to see Disney On Ice Presents "Dare to Dream."

And starting today, The School Place of Roswell has your chance to win tickets to see Dolphin Tale at the Aurora Cineplex in Roswell and lots of other fun movie goodies. Plus you can save 20% off all products.   

This week we also have another great "Ask The Expert" feature with Lori Wilson, Ph.D., a pediatric neuropsychologist with  Jewish Family & Career Services (JF&CS) in the Child & Adolescent Services division.  Get more great ideas on how to help your child become a more organized and independent student. 

SS Educational Services offers one-on-one tutoring for children who are having issues at school.   The Dunwoody Tennis School is now accepting fall registrations.  Run by tennis coach Ty Fuller, the school offers tennis instruction for kids 5 - 10 and specializes in giving lots of individual attention. This fall, campMODA at the Museum of Design Atlanta in Midtown will be offering  a LEGO Robotic Experience on Saturdays from 1pm - 5pm for kids ages 6 - 12.  

Finally, if all else fails, we have the ultimate help.  Lifetime Television's new series, America's Supernanny is now casting for families in Atlanta.  If you think your family could use the help of professional American Nanny, this could be for for you!

Oh, and we have another pop quiz to close out our Back to School Guide.  Click here to take the quiz.  This week's prize is a  DVD Prize Package featuring the following titles: Spookie Buddies, Barbie Princess Charm School, Mars Needs Moms, Prom, and Phineas and Ferb The Movie.

And don't forget, any of the businesses that have been featured in our Back to School guide, can always be found on our website.  Click here to see our website listings. 

 Back To School Shopping For  

Your Prince and Princess!

PRETTY PLEASE ATLANTA  

PRETTY PLEASE ATLANTA also offers free design consultation.  Whether you are searching for a few accessories or looking to do a complete makeover of a bedroom or playroom, Pretty Please will work with you to create the perfect space that sings with personality!  

They have opened the castle doors to invite all Cinemoms to come discover a new place to shop for your children that is fun!  Excited to meet new friends, PRETTY PLEASE is offering 15% off the total of your 1st purchase if you mention CineMoms at check out!

Win Tickets!  

Starting this Saturday, October 1, stop by PRETTY PLEASE  from  10am - 6pm to register to win a  four pack of tickets to see Disney On Ice Presents Dare To Dream.   Contest ends Saturday, October 8.   Winners can choose from the following shows: Wednesday, October 12 at 7:30 PM, Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 7:30 PM or Friday, October 14, 2011 at 10:30 AM.  Tickets Subject to Availability.  Tickets are Redeemable at Philips Arena Box Office.    

Win Tickets and Goodies!  

Starting TODAY, stop by The School Place of Roswell (12315 Crabapple Road, Alpharetta) through Sunday to pick up some fun Dolphin Tale goodies and register to win a pair of tickets to see the film at the Aurora Cineplex (5100 Commerce Parkway, Roswell) and some Dolphin Tale prize packs.    

Special Dolphin Craft!

 Ask The Expert!

How to Help Your Student Start  

the School Year Off Right  

by Lori Wilson, Ph.D.  

As the school year starts, so do daily opportunities to help your children develop strong independence and self-reliance in their organization, time management, self-monitoring and planning skills. These "executive functioning" skills are a key to success in middle and high school and are being tapped more and more in later elementary grades. For some of us, this pulls on an area that we ourselves have weaknesses in. Building and exercising these skills will help at any age. Here are a few suggestions I offer the parents who come to see me with their children:

Engage your children in a discussion about goals for the school year.

Ask what went well last year. Did they develop skills and strategies over the year that helped them with homework or studying? Did they have any experiences where they learned the hard way what happens when they leave something to the last minute or when they didn't plan out their time? Encourage them to think about what they learned, what they want to keep doing and what they plan to do differently this year.

Pick one or two small goals to work on together.

Maybe it's having your children be the ones to initiate their homework more often, or experimenting with studying a little bit each night before a test or learning what it feels like to finish a long-term project a few days before it's due. They might want to choose as a goal staying more focused during homework or experimenting with different places in the house to complete it.

Think back to what your children did to get themselves ready in the morning last year, and what you did for them.

What are one or two small things they can do for themselves this year? Are they ready to pick out their own clothes? Pack their snack?  Make their lunch? Remember to brush their teeth themselves? Children's responsibilities in the morning vary greatly based on age, individual ability AND household expectations.

What's your plan?

Some students need more guidance than others to figure out how they are going to start and finish their nightly homework or a longer term assignment. When possible, give your children guidance but no more information than they can figure out themselves. Before suggesting they get started on their book report early, give them the opportunity to plan. You may help guide them in time management. If a child says "I'll study for that tomorrow," encourage him or her to think through what else is planned for that evening and assess whether or not they have sufficient time. Some questions to ask are: "How do you think it would feel coming home tomorrow if you already had it finished tonight?" "Why don't you experiment with doing it tonight this time, and see which works better for you?" or "That didn't work so well for you last time. Why don't you experiment with something different this time, so you can see which works better.

Encourage children to have an attitude of experimenting.

Some things will work for a child and some won't. Expect growth, not perfection. If a child forgot to bring home materials for an assignment three times a week last year and now is forgetting about once a week, help identify and celebrate the improvement while continuing to work on further ideas.

Making mistakes is a great teacher. Avoid rescuing.

A child leaves homework next to the computer. How will he or she learn more: if you rush it to school or if some points are taken off for the assignment being a day late? One teaches dependence, the other, consequences that encourage rethinking, reassessing and trying a different approach.  Encourage your children to assess whether or not something worked for them, whether they think it will be a good idea to try that again and what else they might do instead next time (Where would be a better place for your homework so that you are more likely to remember it?).

Lori Wilson, Ph.D. is a pediatric neuropsychologist with Jewish Family & Career Services (JF&CS) in the Child & Adolescent Services - Tools for Families division.  She provides psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations to assess cognitive, academic, and socio-emotional strengths and weaknesses in children.  

About JF&CS - JF&CS Atlanta is a Community of Caring professionals and volunteers. We offer programs, services and resources to strengthen individuals and families of all faiths, cultures and ages. We provide Your Tools for Living.

Click here for more info! 

  Register Now! 

• Ages 5 to 10
• Extra Hand, Eye & Footwork Drills
• Lots of Racquet Skills
• Starts Monday, September 19

Coach Ty Fuller has been teaching now for over 40 years and is certified both as a Master Professional and Children's Tennis Specialist, the only pro in the Southeast with those credentials. He teaches all skill levels and all ages.   

Facility

Coach Ty runs his Dunwoody Tennis School out of his home. It offers privacy, a quieter atmosphere and is free of the constant interruptions that occur at most tennis complexes. Most beginners feel uncomfortable while they're on the court, but not at Coach Ty's. Also, the elements are much better. More shade in the Summer and less wind in the Winter.  

Equipment

Coach Ty uses lots of equipment, training aids, etc. and always keeps them close at hand. When a student is hitting with the ball machine, Coach Ty is standing nearby, rather than across the net 40 to 60 feet away. By standing nearby, Coach Ty can demonstrate correct strokes, footwork, grips and more. Any changes in technique are made quickly and comfortably.  

Location

Dunwoody Tennis School is located at 1165 Spalding Drive right on the border of Sandy Springs. Coach Ty's house is diagonally across the street from Woodland Elementary School and in-between the intersections of Peachtree-Dunwoody Road and Chamblee-Dunwoody Road.  

 Ask about classes for moms too! 

  www.realcooltennis.com

 Is Your Child Struggling?

Does your child needs help in math, reading, or academic organizational skills?  Do they get frustrated with understanding assignments?   

We all have different strengths.  We are all different learners.  

SS Educational Specialists gives children the skills and confidence to find their own academic success.  

We specialize in:

· Wilson Reading

· LIPS

· Pre-academic skills

· Executive functioning

Stephanie Scalise 

stephscalise@bellsouth.net

404-354-0142  

Stephanie Scalise has been in the field of special education for over 12 years and works with children of all ages from preschool and up.  She has a masters of art in special education and is currently the learning specialist at Temple Sinai in Sandy Springs. 

Click here for more info! 

Design & Build

  This Fall!  

Want your child to do something unique and absolutely cool?

How about building and designing robots using LEGOs?

At campMODA, students 6-12 years old learn basic robotic engineering, programming principals, and science, technology, engineering and math concepts while having fun!  Your child's natural curiosity and ingenuity will help them envision possibilities and develop innovative solutions to difficult technology problems.

Click here to watch a video from this past summer's campMODA:

Museum of Design Atlanta Presents: Camp MODA 2011

campMODA 2011 will be held on the mezzanine level of the Colony Square Mall located in Midtown on Peachtree Street between 14th and 15th Streets.

Campers will be grouped according to age-6-8 year olds, 9-12 year olds.  

The following LEGO programs will be offered during each session of campMODA:

• LEGO WeDo (for ages 6-8): For children who love to build and then take their models to the next level. Working together in groups of two, kids build a series of models and use computers to program their model to move and make sounds.
• LEGO NXT (for ages 9-12): Campers will be using the LEGO NXT Robotics system to design, build and program their robot from scratch. Students participating in our Robotics camps are guided through a hands-on experience, where they learn to build robots using the LEGO NXT Robotics System.

www.museumofdesign.org 

 Back To School  

Pop Quiz! 

1) Dr. Lori Wilson of Jewish Family & Career Services writes in her article that making mistakes is a great ? (fill in the blank)

2) What is first day you can stop into Pretty Please Atlanta to register to win Disney on Ice "Dare to Dream" tickets?

3) Stephanie Scalise of SS Educational Services has a masters degree in what field?   

4) Classes at Dunwoody Tennis School are limited to how many students?

5) What movie is The School Place of Roswell giving away tickets to this week?

6) How many sessions must students enroll in at campMODA to get the maximum lego robotics experience?   

 Good Luck!