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Academic Success Gazette 
In This Issue:
Reporting Changes Can Affect Your SAT Score
Study tip #1 - Use Your Planner
Study tip #2 - Communicate with your Teacher
Monthly Coach Profile
Quick Links
How Academic Success Can Support You
At Academic Success we take great pride in finding the right coach to support the unique needs of each student we help.  Please check out the areas where we work on our web site and let us know how we can support you.
Check Out 826LA
Academic Success' favorite charity, 826LA, offers writing workshops in local public schools and free after-school tutoring in its Venice and Echo Park facilities.  Read more about our partnership with this dynamic organization in future issues of this newsletter.
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Looking for a good College Counselor or Ed Therapist?
We work and partner with Educational Therapists and College Counselors throughout the L.A. area.  Give us a call and we can recommend the right fit for your child.
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Academic Success  
Teen Book of the Month
 
Many of you have loved the work of English author Nick Hornby who wrote such beloved books as High Fidelity  and About a Boy.  Last year he came out with his first book targeted specially at young adults - Slam.  Hornby tackles skateboarding, high school anxiety, and a teenage pregnancy that forces a boy to grow up fast.  The themes in Slam are mature, but Hornby has the ability to talk about consequences without being moralizing.  Check it out!
Top 10 Teen Books of 2008
 
Looking for a great book for your teen?  Check out the below list to see the most popular books for teens today:
 
Finding the Right Coach
 
Within our team of coaches, there is one perfect fit for every student who needs support.  Check out our web site to understand more about our coaching team.
Greetings!

Welcome to the Academic Success Gazette! In this e-newsletter, we aim to inform and engage the community about issues facing students of all ages, schools and family life.
 
You will find updates to the programs that we offer at Academic Success, study tips, book and movie suggestions, interesting and informative articles, community service ideas, and referrals to other services that you may find helpful.
 
Additionally, we are thrilled to announce a change in ownership and leadership of our company.  While the company was founded by long-time teacher and academic coach, Jamie Altshule, she is now being joined by her brother Eric Altshule as a co-owner of Academic Success.  A graduate of Harvard High School (before it merged with Westlake School for Girls) and Georgetown University, Eric spent a decade working on Capitol Hill in Washington DC focusing on education policy and another decade working in international trade.  As the company keeps growing, Eric will bring a wealth of experience and energy to make sure we continue to provide the best academic coaching we can to our many clients.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jamie and Eric

Education News

 Changes in SAT Policy Affects How Scores Are Reported to Colleges 

                     
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A battle is brewing between the College Board, which administers the SAT, and many colleges.  The College Board, wants to give students the choice of which tests, and even which sections of which tests, they can reveal to the schools to which they are applying.  This would be good for the students, but VERY good for the College Board, as students will be motivated to take the test multiple times.  Many schools are fighting this proposal, as they want access to all the scores.  Read more in this article from The New York Times.
 
Looking for a standardized test coach?  At Academic Success, our Test Prep Coaches are ready to help any student maximize their score on the SAT, ACT, ISEE or SAT II tests.

Study Tips

  TIP #1 - Use your daily planner to avoid being overwhelmed by work!

shorter header It only takes one or two missing assignments to feel overwhelmed, as if you are in a hole you can't dig out of.  A simple solution - start with the daily planner.  If there is one thing that separates students who are calmly managing their load and those who are stressed out, it is strong planner skills.  Start building good habits: challenge yourself for one full week to take that planner into every single class and write something down in the space provided for homework - even if "no homework today" is written.  Then, use that planner as a check sheet at home. As each assignment is completed, cross it out. The sense of accomplishment from crossing items off the list is very motivating. It might take a little while to get back on track, but it will happen, and the stress clouds will fly away!
 
TIP #2 - Communicate with your teacher outside of class!
 
If you are struggling in a class, let your teachers know that you are working on getting back on track. Keep them updated with your small accomplishments along the way and they will be impressed with your efforts. Share your goals with your teacher like, "I am committed to raising my grade to a B this semester,"  and your teacher will be rooting for you, and give you more guidance to make reaching your goal all the easier!

Coach Profile

Meet Dave Berube
Our Coach Profile of the Month
 
Dave often jokes that his thesis, "Using Ultra-Low Frequency Field Line Resonances to Study the Inner Magnetosphere" isn't about to be optioned as a major motion picture. However, this innovative paper did earn Dave his doctorate, and later, his job his job as a professor of Physics at LMU.   Dave's passion for math and science is infectious.  Whether Dave is helping a junior on her AP Physics exam, or supporting a seventh grader on his algebra homework, Dave helps students see the beauty behind numbers. 

Greetings!

We consider it a privilege and an honor support students and their families throughout the Los Angeles area.  Please call upon us at any time; we welcome your thoughts and input.  We are available at 310-823-4398.
 
Sincerely,
 
Jamie & Eric Altshule
Academic Success, Inc.