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JBG March 2017 Newsletter
In this edition.......
- Rise Up! Summit for rising seniors
- Student of the month
- Tutor of the month
- Letter to my middle school self
- Taking care of yourself during a stressful senior year
- Welcome to Holland - a poem
- The Education Cooperative (TEC)
- College of the month - Northeastern
- School of the month - The Island School
RISE UP!
We are excited to announce the RISE UP! Summit - a partnership with Milestone Mind, Milestone Fitness, and JBG Educational Group. This will be a 5-day summit specifically for rising seniors, aimed at providing them with useful knowledge for their mind, body, and academic well-being as they prepare for their senior year and begin the college admissions process. The target dates for the summit are June 26-30 and August 21-25. (Students will sign up for one week.) Contact us at sarah@jbgeducationalgroup.com if you would like to stay informed as we near the official launch of this unique educational and wellness offering for our rising seniors!
Student of the Month
Carly Patkin
Our student of the month for March is Gann Student and Needham resident, Carly Patkin. Carly is half way through her senior year and has many college prospects – though where she will ultimately end up is still a surprise! Carly has many talents in both the academic and extracurricular realms. At her school she enjoys being the President of the Art Club as well as the Head Costume Designer and Hair & Makeup Specialist for the Red Curtain Drama Club. She also is part of the Business Club, Femininjas, and Sicha Club. She has taken classes at The Potter’s Shop & School as well as at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. She has also held many jobs over the years as a babysitter and server at Newbridge on the Charles. Her biggest accomplishment is her pottery and jewelry business. You can see her work on her Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/cap_ceramics/
Congratulations Carly! You make us proud!
Tutor of the Month
Olivia Lawrance – Academic & Test Prep Tutor
Olivia graduated from Johnson State College with her literature degree in 2013. From there, she went on to earn her Master of Fine Arts at Wichita State University, where she also taught composition courses. Originally from Jeffersonville, Vermont, Olivia now resides in Dover, New Hampshire. In her spare time she focuses on her writing and her two dogs, Mingus and Napoleon.
Letter to my middle school self:
What I would have wanted to know before the four hectic years of high school
by Jessica Sugarman
Dear middle school self,
As your eighth grade year comes to a close, you’ll begin to look ahead to the next four years of your life: high school. While high school was some of the best years of my life, it was also extremely challenging. One of my biggest regrets is not setting goals for myself as an underclassman. I just got my work done, and that was that. I didn’t strive to get a particular grade, focus on a specific skill I needed to improve upon, or even think about what my GPA was going to be. Because of this, I wasn’t where I wanted to be junior year. In fact, I was nowhere near it. I urge you to sit down at least once every semester, and create goals for each class. After time has passed, see where you stand, and adjust your standards. This will help you to be in a better place academically when it comes time to look at colleges junior and senior year.
In addition, strive to be the best that you can be, but not get overwhelmed. There will be a tremendous amount of pressure in high school, whether it is from your parents, classmates, teachers, or others. Although pressure can sometimes help one excel academically, it can also create stress. Create a balance of classes that push you, but that don't overwhelm you. Identify your goals, create a plan to get organized, and tackle your assignments. A small amount of stress is completely normal, but if you develop too much anxiety, a reevaluation might be necessary.
As for a social life, being involved in a school’s community is essential to a good high school experience. Whether that is through sports, clubs, or school-wide events, it is important to expose yourself to a large group of students. Additionally, being involved will help you immensely in the college application process. Although it might seem far away, it comes faster than you think. Colleges want to see that you are taking part in activities, and growing as a student. Even if you are overwhelmed with academic work, being involved outside of the classroom is beneficial, and can even be a stress reliever.
Your high school years will teach you a lot about yourself, from your academic strengths and weaknesses, to the way you socialize within a school community. Take advantage of all of the opportunities that come your way, and never doubt yourself. Accept failure, and use it to grow, progress, and achieve more.
Spotlight
Taking care of yourself during a stressful
senior year
Senior year, despite the rumors, is arguably the most stressful year in high school. Students are pushed to their breaking point, trying to balance loads of homework and studying, looking at colleges, college applications, and extra-curricular activities. Although getting good grades and finishing applications may seem like a top priority, taking care of yourself should always be number one. Staying up too late, overworking yourself, and stressing too much are all ways to compromise your mental and physical health. Here are some ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle, while facing the challenges that come with senior year.
1. Sleep
Studies show that teenagers need about nine hours of sleep a night, however most only get seven hours. Sleeping sufficiently is what will recharge your body for the next day, and give you the energy needed for a six-hour school day. If homework is getting in the way of your sleep schedule, try and see if something can be done to get homework completed earlier in the day. Another issue is procrastination. If you are saving a paper to the last minute or are up late studying for a test, you won't be rested for the next day. Spread long term work out, instead of saving it until the last minute.
2. Exercise
Working out and staying active not only contributes to a healthy lifestyle, but is a big stress reliever. Create a routine daily or weekly, allowing yourself to get some exercise. Working out allows the brain to release “feel good” chemicals into the body, helping with sleep, depression, and stress.
3. Make time for friends and family
Spending time with loved ones is the perfect way to get your mind off school and college. Not only is it fun to hang out with friends and family, but they are great people to talk to about school and the college process. Your friends are likely going through the same thing, and family members might have had similar experiences. It is important to talk about what is stressing you out, and take time away from school work to relax and have fun.
4. Read
Reading a book for fun is one of the best ways to take a break from stressful schoolwork. You can sit back and relax, while keeping your mind active at the same time. In fact, just six minutes of reading can reduce stress levels by over 50%.
5. Acceptance
The best way to deal with stress is to face it. Constantly denying that something is bothersome will only contribute to the issue. Tell yourself what exactly is bothering you, and why that is. Remember that over stressing during senior year is completely normal, and you are not alone.
Acknowledging what you are feeling will give you a better grasp of the situation. Find someone who is willing to listen, and reach out to people who have gone through senior year for advice.
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A parent shared the following poem with me, and I'd like to share it with you. As parents, try your best to acknowledge the amazing gifts your children possess. Don't spend so long focusing on where they lack, that you miss the amazing little person you created. - Jamie Rodriguez
Welcome to Holland
Written by Emily Peri Kingsley
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michelangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!" you say. "What do you mean, Holland?" I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy.
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to some horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy a new guidebook. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
The pain of that will never, ever, go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss.
But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things about Holland.
The Education Cooperative (TEC)
Summer Internship Program
Registration for The Education Cooperative (TEC) Career Exploration & Internships Program 2017 Summer Internship program began on Monday January 16th, 2017.
If you're interested in exploring a career before you pursue post-secondary education, this program is an opportunity to gain "real world" work experience, career-related skills, an enhanced resume for college application, and mentorship from professionals.
Opportunities are available in Medical Research, Physical Therapy, Engineering, Chemistry, General Business, Marketing, Graphic Design & Production, Government, Public Relations, Special Education, and many more.
Spots fill up fast, so submit student applications early.
For further details, including registration, fees and program details, please visit:
http://www.tec-coop.org/student-programs/internships/student-internships
or call: 781-326-2473 x 721, or email : tsullivan@tec-coop.org
College of the Month
Northeastern University
Northeastern University is one of the most competitive and popular colleges in the United States. Receiving fifty thousand applicants every year, they accept only two thousand eight hundred students, making their acceptance rate 28%. One of the stand out opportunities at NU is its Co-Op program. While many other universities only offer one internship, NU provides students with three throughout their college career. In addition, you can take an internship anywhere in the world. Whether you want to work in another state or halfway across the globe, this university has a program for you. The internships their students obtain will ultimately give them a significant advantage for their journey after college; they will have the experience and confidence needed to pursue a fulfilling career. In fact, The Princeton Review has ranked the career development department at Northeastern as #1 for 4 out of the past 7 years. In addition, the student body balances their academics and social life noticeably well. There are more than three hundred clubs to get involved in at NU, including 25 sororities and fraternities. About 16,500 students out of almost 18,000 students participate in an extra-curricular activity. As for academics, NU students are passionate and devoted to learning, which contributes to Northeastern’s 84% graduation rate in six years. Northeastern is also known for its diversity. The school is composed of 18.94% international students, and 121 foreign countries are represented within the student body. If you are a determined, academically devoted student, Northeastern University could be the place for you!
School of the month
The Island School
The Island School offers a transformative educational semester or summer term on the island of Eleuthera, in The Bahamas.
Students and teachers at The Island School engage in a process of inquiry in order to discover sustainable solutions to real world problems. High school sophomores and juniors from around the world join the community to learn outside the walls of the traditional classroom.
Students explore their classes through academics and outdoor programs that support personal growth and leadership development. During a semester, students will take courses in ecology, applied scientific research, mathematics, art, literature, and histories. In addition, students will participate in outreach programs that practice a project-based approach to local collaboration.
Their admissions process is competitive. Selected students demonstrate solid academic performance, leadership potential, and a high degree of self-motivation. The island school offers Fall and Spring semester programs and a limited Summer term.
The Island School could be a great option for you!
We are Growing!
Do you know someone who is talented, motivating, and would be a great addition to the JBG family? Spread the word! We are hiring for academic, essay, and SAT preparation tutors!
Special Offer: Give the Gift of Tutoring
Do you know someone who could use help in school, whether it is for standardized tests, college applications, or overall in academics? Now you can buy 5 tutoring sessions for someone, and get one free for yourself.
Quote of the Month
“The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than one who never fell."
Tip of the Month
Instead of using google.com for information on school assignments, use scholar.google.com You will get more accurate and credible information!
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