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of the Month
This month we introduce you to another brand new Success Partner doing great work in our community, Cassandra Cando. Cassandra is an educational therapist based in West Los Angeles. She has worked with students from Pre K through high school in the areas of math, reading, phonics, comprehension, executive functions and social and study skills. Cassandra also has extensive experience working with students with autism and behavioral needs: prior to becoming an educational therapist, she worked as an Applied Behavioral Analysis therapist and special ed teacher. Cassandra has a Masters of Science in special education and is also a member of the Association of Educational Therapists. Her office is located at 11340 West Olympic Blvd, suite 250. Please contact her at 818.422.1428 or email at [email protected].
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Looking For A Student
Community Service Opportunity?
Meet Rickey Smith, social entrepreneur and owner of the sustainable food business Urban Green. He's started a community education venture called the Urban Green Kids Row program, creating opportunities for kids from diverse backgrounds to participate in many activities related to food sustainability, from planting seeds to learning about how organic food is grown and harvested. For more info on a terrific
community service and volunteering opportunity for kids, email Rickey,
or call (800) 200 3320.
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Check out Our YouTube Video!
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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.
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Looking for a College Counselor or Ed Therapist?
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We work and partner with excellent Educational Therapists and College Counselors throughout the L.A. area. Give us a call and we can recommend the right fit for your child.
310-823-4398
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Can Learning A Second Language Improve Brain Function?
Although experts in the neuroscientific fields have  long suspected that to be the case, an overwhelming amount of evidence now seems to have proven the point: that learning a second language at any age strengthens certain mental faculties. What's more, studies have shown that children who take on a second language early in life are likely to have superior multitasking and comprehension skills.
With so much controversy surrounding immigration and the retention of English as this nation's primary language, it's easy to forget the simple fact that speaking a second language doesn't just provide intellectual benefits: it can also be a huge advantage in the global jobs marketplace.
In this month's issue, we'll delve into why learning a second language gives polyglot (multiple language) students an advantage over their monoglot (single language) peers. We'll also look at where our schools stand in relation to offering language-learning alternatives to our kids and just how those with the "Bilingualism Advantage" get ahead.
At Academic Success, we're always looking beyond the noise in order to unearth the real issues that have the power to transform students' lives.
Please call with any questions at (310) 823 4398 or
All the best,
The Academic Success Team
"To have another language is to possess a second soul."
- Charlemagne
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How The Bilingualism Advantage Works
People who learn two languages are akin to being  "brain bodybuilders", according to a new study released this month in the academic journal Brain & Language. This excellent Huffington Post article summarizing the research might have parents rushing their kids to the nearest language school.
Facebook Founder Setting An Example
 It's safe to say that at this point, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg probably doesn't need to learn another language. Yet onlookers at a recent public discussion in Beijing were astonished when Zuckerberg suddenly continued the conversation... in Mandarin! This NBC News piece explores the advantages of being bilingual... even for a billionaire.
Should Bilingualism Be Mandatory?
 With the advantages of bilingualism becoming impossible to ignore, there is a growing push for our education system to make learning a second language mandatory in every classroom. This thought-provoking op-ed by the author of "The Call To Teach" sounds a compelling call for change.
A Lack For Options For Parents
 For all the good mandatory second-language education might do, a mere 15% of public elementary schools offer foreign language instruction, and that figure has actually dropped in recent years. This Washington Post report tells a bleak story for those invested in foreign language education in our public schools.
Bilingual Classes Blazing A New Trail
Although the influx of immigrant students has created  challenges for our education officials, it also offers some dynamic educational opportunities for teachers and students. This exciting report out of New York details the innovations educators are making in the classroom, using diversity of language in ways that could become a model for California. |
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Getting Started On Your Second Language
Learning a new language can feel like having to  become familiar with a vast, strange new world: at first it seems impossible, with way too much to learn. What's worse, the first steps can often be the hardest. Yet in today's digital age, it has never been easier to begin on a path toward being bilingual!
Students have a variety of free and/or inexpensive options available to them.
Doing a language trade is a fantastic way to begin learning. There are many safe language-exchange websites tailored to kids. Pick the language you want to learn, seek out someone who wants to learn your language and arrange language study sessions!
Free websites such as Francais Facile and its other language equivalents are terrific and fun ways to meet fellow learners and begin your education.
Rosetta Stone is a brilliant and inexpensive way to become fully conversational, using its interactive learning system. In addition to working by themselves, kids can also arrange online group lessons which speed up the learning process.
And remember: Whatever strategy you employ, enjoy the process. Our minds are built for language; get started now and before long that strange new world will become very familiar and you'll be on the path toward bilingualism!
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Coach Profile of The Month
 This month we are delighted to present another coach joining the elite Academic Success team, Liznergly Trujillo. Liznergly is truly one of our international tutors. Born and raised in Venezuela, Liznergly studied Systems Engineering before moving to the US with her husband in 1995. She lived in Greensboro, North Carolina and it was there that she learnt to speak English and discovered her passion, teaching. She began as a volunteer at a Spanish Immersion elementary school and within two months had been hired as a teaching assistant. After three years Liznergly was not only teaching but also implementing academic programs across the city, helping students to succeed in school and attain their goals.
Liznergly now resides in Encino, California and works as both a tutor and life coach, guiding her students and inspiring their families to support their kids' dreams. In her spare time she loves to play with her kids and continue to teach them Spanish. She also likes to cook empanadas and dance Salsa any chance she gets.
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We consider it a privilege and an honor to support students and their families throughout the Los Angeles area. Please call us at any time; we welcome your thoughts and input. We are available at 310-823-4398.
Sincerely,
Jamie Altshule
Academic Success, Inc.
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