shorter header
Academic Success Header

 

STRIKING THE BALANCE 
BETWEEN 
SCHOOL AND SPORTS
In This Issue:
Benefits of High School Sport Far-Reaching
Study Tip: Prioritizing A Daily Physical Practice
Coach of the Month: Sonia Sanchez
Quick Links

 
Academic Success Partner 
of the Month

This month we would like to introduce you to another new Success Partner doing great work in the community, Meirav Haber Bailey. Meirav is a Registered Art Therapist who specializes in working with teenagers. Meirav's fresh approach using art therapy techniques helps to unlock self-expression and insight with even the most hard-to-reach teens.
Meirav has over a decade of experience working with adolescents struggling with learning disabilities, anxiety, and emotional barriers that impair their academic performance.  Prior to becoming a therapist, Meirav worked as an academic coach with Academic Success. Since then, Meirav has worked in a variety of therapeutic settings, including CHLA, Sherman Oaks Hospital outpatient program with mentally ill adults, and Hathaway-Sycamores child and family services and transitional-aged youth outreach programs.Meirav earned her Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) with a focus in Art Therapy from Loyola Marymount University.
To contact Meirav, visit her website at www.meiravbailey.com, 
call 818 624 7144 or email Meirav at Meirav.Bailey@gmail.com.
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.

Check out Our  YouTube Video!
youtube capture
Academic Success is very proud of the two-minute video we recently produced to give you a feel for who we are, our philosophy and the way we approach our work
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.

green logo
Looking for a College Counselor or Ed Therapist?
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
What Is 
'Social Capital'?
Welcome to our Spring edition!
And with outdoor sporting activities exploding as we gear up for summer, we thought it was the perfect time to put the issue of school sport on the front-burner.
While elite high school athletes might have a clear path to college, parents of students for whom sports is not the highest priority face a vexing question: Is participation in school sports good for my child's grades, or does it take valuable time away from academic work? 
Surprisingly, the answer may now be unequivocal. Beyond the obvious health and mental benefits derived from athletic activity, kids acquire another crucial element through their engagement in sporting programs:
Social Capital.
Social Capital refers to the advantages gained by those who participate in social networks like school sport. Mutual co-operation, skill-sharing and a greater capacity for free thinking can flow through interaction with new peers outside of the classroom. 
In this month's issue we'll show the evidence suggesting that students who participate on the sporting field tend to come out ahead in the academic arena as well, provided parents and students keep schoolwork as the number one priority. 
At Academic Success, we understand that finding the perfect balance of schoolwork and extracurricular activities can make all the difference when it counts.
 
Please call with any questions at (310) 823 4398 or

 

Find us on Facebook 

 

All the best,

 

The Academic Success Team

 

"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run." 

                                                                              - Babe Ruth   

Education News 

Benefits of High School Sport Far-Reaching
 
When making the argument for sports in our schools, many focus on the competitive aspect of sporting activity. However, this New York Times op-ed, penned by a Professor of Education, argues that sports can furnish a wide variety of benefits that come into play at exam time and in later life. 

  

Study Shows Sport = Better Grades

 

While many school districts across the nation are battling to retain their sports and athletics funding, the evidence in recent times has become irrefutable: sporting engagement is good for our students' grades. Still, the news in this detailed report is not all rosy: more and more students in poorer districts are struggling to get on the playing field. 

 
Keeping School Sport
In Its Proper Place

   

One of the ways in which school sport can become
destructive to our kids' development is parents and students' obsession with on-field success. This informative Time Magazine interview with the author of an acclaimed book on youth sports may provide clarity on what has become a heated issue in education and parenting.


Girls May Experience Particular Benefits 
 
As we continue to work as a society to ensure there is equality between the sexes in all arenas of life, the data continues to suggest that school sport can be especially beneficial to girls. This excellent, thorough report outlines the advantages that might be available to female students through participation in sport at any level.

The
Numbers Don't Lie

Whatever your position may be on student engagement in sports, the data has become irrefutable: More and more kids are participating in sports on an annual basis, a upward trend-line over a quarter of a century long. This report from the National Federation of State High Schools crunches the numbers. 

Study Tips 

Prioritizing A Daily Physical Practice

For the professional and elite high school athlete, it's the dirtiest word: practice! Yet for non-athlete students in the midst of academic challenge, it may be one of the keys to high academic performance. 
Having a physical activity to turn to on a daily basis can be a godsend for kids as they tackle both a growing academic workload and the pressure of exams.
Becoming a member of a sporting team or picking up an individual sport can provide a pathway to release pent-up stress, fear and doubt. Not only that, but it's now accepted fact that getting out into the open air and working one's body freshens the mind, re-invigorating study time.
Practicing your chosen sport in solitude or with teammates is a fantastic way for students to recharge while also developing co-ordination, concentration and a sporting prowess that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.
Non-traditional practices such as yoga or martial arts are fantastic ways to develop a solitary physical ritual that kids can practice when they need to take an hour off and refuel their mental tanks. 
Having a daily physical practice can keep a person mentally, emotionally and physically healthy during life's biggest challenges, both in school and out in the world.

Coach Profile 

 
Meet Cassandra Chase,
  Coach Profile of The Month   


This month we'd like to catch up with another established presence on our team, Cassandra Chase. Born in nearby San Diego, Cassie attended California State University, graduating with honors and a BA in Visual and Performing Arts. Having enjoyed various artistic mediums since childhood, from musical instruments to theatre, Cassie then decided to relocate to Los Angeles to further pursue acting and comedy. Cassie also worked in banking during and after college and although she has since discovered a much more personally rewarding vocation in tutoring, she loves to translate the organizational and executive functioning skills she learnt during that time to her students. Cassie loves to help her students achieve a healthy balance between school and family life. She also utilizes her vast knowledge of communication skills learnt in acting school to make her coaching even more effective, fostering a sense of individual connection with each student in order to facilitate growth and instill effective study habits. In her spare time, Cassie loves attending comedy shows, traveling, and exploring Los Angeles.  She is positively thrilled to be a member of the Academic Success team. 

 :   
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.