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MARCH 2018

Hill Country

Backpack Connection

Homework Tips! SUMMER CAMPS

MATHASIUM Where Math Makes Sense

Time Saver Ideas

Count to win:

Details on page 7 Sponsored by:

FABRA • KENDALL • CURINGTON • FAIR OAKS • ELLISON CIBOLO CREEK • AUE • LEON SPRINGS • MCANDREW

Connecting Our Families, Our Schools and Our Local Businesses

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CONTENTS

Distributed into the Backpacks of 6000 Boerne / Leon Springs Area Students

March

Fabra • Kendall • Curington • Fair Oaks • Cibolo Creek • Aue • Leon Springs • McAndrew • Ellison Elementary Schools Art Direction Susie Fluckiger Sales Audra Miller Publisher BP PUBLISHING LLC

ENTER WHICH WICH CONTEST

BOERNE AND NORTHSIDE NEWS

TIME SAVERS FOR BUSY PARENTS

DEVELOPING NUMBER SENSE

Content for the Elementary School pages contributed by each school. Backpack Connection magazines are published every six weeks during the school year by BP Publishing LLC. The advertisements in this magazine are paid for by the advertisers, which allows this magazine to be distributed free to the families of the elementary students. Unless specifically noted, no advertisers, products or services are endorsed by the publisher, BISD, or NISD, or any districts employees. The publishers (BP PUBLISHING LLC) are not responsible for omissions, errors or misinformation within this publication. All real estate advertised within this publication are subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which make it illegally to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings adverting are available on an equal opportunity basis. Reproductions of this magazine in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

HOW MATHASIUM CAME TO THE AREA

Encouraging, Supporting and Loving the Children We Share...

ADVERTISING AND GENERAL INFORMATION BP Publishing LLC 209 Walnut Grove Rd. Boerne, TX 78006 (210) 367-3048

WEBSITE

www.backpackconnection.com Backpack Connection

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ENTER OUR CONTEST! Count the Which Wich logos for a chance to win $20 Gift Card

Count the Which Wich logos in this issue (including this one!). Submit to: contest@backpackconnection.com by March 25 for a chance to win a $20 gift card to Which Wich. Include name, email, and phone number so we can contact the winner! Correct answers will be placed in a drawing to win. Only one winner will be chosen.

LAST ISSUEâ€™S WINNERS Congratulations to Hank Suess (right), our winner of the Which Wich $10 gift card. Hank is a student at Cibolo Creek Elementary and was so excited to win. Reed Orey also won a $10 gift card to Which Wich. He attends Kendall Elementary. Congratulations to both!

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BOERNE & NORTHSIDE

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BOERNE & NORTHSIDE

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BOERNE & NORTHSIDE

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BOERNE & NORTHSIDE

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BOERNE & NORTHSIDE

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Homework Tips

• Set up a “homework station” with space and surface to write, good lighting, extra paper, and any other helpful resources for your student (including room for an extra chair in case they need help). • Try to set up a routine time for homework every day. If your student does not have any homework, try to keep the routine by encouraging reading a good book. • Invite a study group over to your house. It may cost you a lot of snacks, but the kids will have support from each other, and you may learn something as well! • Visit teacher websites for clarification, information, and suggested resources. • Don’t be afraid to admit you do not know something or can’t remember. Learning side by side can be very rewarding and supportive. • Encourage and support self-driven learning. • Maintain some form of academic pursuit over summer breaks. The “summer slide” is a reality. • Use on-line resources to help motivate your student. Everything imaginable is on the internet. Art museums, science museums, historical societies, math games, writing resources, etc. are all at your fingertips. Digging deeper into a subject can really spark interest. • Do not project your struggles on to your child. Allow them to find their niche.

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• Stay positive even through the challenges. • Do not be afraid to seek professional help. Tutors and mentors are available through the school, the retail sector, and privately. This can be an especially important option if family tension is developing over homework.

DEVELOPING NUMBER SENSE Counting is the foundation of all Number Sense

• A child in Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade should be developing the ability to count forward and backward by various numbers. This is also a critical time to develop Numerical Fluency. Addition and subtraction facts should be mastered without the use of aids and fingers.

Grouping is an essential part of Number Sense. • In 2nd and 3rd grades, students should be thinking about ways to group things together to make computation easier. The idea of multiplication as repeated addition and division, “how many of these are inside that,” are introduced. • Ideally, a student will have mastered his/her multiplication facts in 3rd grade. They will be using them quite a bit going forward!

Fractional Skills are developed in upper elementary grades. Fractions can be challenging, but if a student has a fundamental understanding of a few things, they do not have to be! • What are fractions? A fraction is the result of breaking a “whole” into equal parts; one or more of those equal parts. • What are decimal fractions? A base 10 number written with a decimal point to separate the whole numbers on the left from the fractions on the right. • How do fractions “operate” on other numbers?

Proportional Thinking should be addressed in upper elementary and middle school • Students should start to see and understand relationships. • Percentages are also introduced.

Algebra Readiness should be achieved in 7th or 8th grade • Mathematical foundation should be firm. • Computation skills should be mastered. • Don’t simply memorize formulas and processes. A student should understand why a formula or a process works. • This is also a dangerous time to become “calculator dependent.” Calculators are great tools as long as you have a basic understanding of what the “tool” is doing for you. • Algebra will incorporate more abstract thinking as well as application. If you have any questions or concerns with your student’s progress, give Mathnasium of Boerne/Fair Oaks a call and we will be happy to visit with you and answer your questions. (830) 331-8414.

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How MATHASIUM Came to the Area By Meghan Phillip

Boerne, Texas…What made you pick Boerne, Texas? I wonder how many people in our little, yet growing, community have been asked that question? I for one have been asked many times over the past seven years! Phillip, my husband of 25 years, and I were raising our little family in Southlake, Texas seven years ago. We were both originally from the DFW Metroplex and our two boys were rapidly approaching transitional years entering high school and middle school. We decided to make a change! Change was not a new concept to us, we had lived in many places and are always ready for the next adventure in life, but we wanted to be settled in for the boys to finish school. I was teaching 4th grade when we stumbled upon Mathnasium. My son was struggling in math and we were concerned with more than just his homework. Did he have the foundational skills that would be necessary to help him be successful in future math classes? His teacher was doing everything in her power to help him and there were still gaps. As a teacher, I understood that you have an entire classroom full of kids who are all on various levels and all have different learning styles. Classroom teachers are highly trained, hard-working individuals doing their best to help their students learn and grow. Sometimes as parents, we just need to seek extra help. We went through the entire Mathnasium process as parents and student from assessment to monthly payments to arguments in the parking lot. We were convinced of the many benefits of the program for our son and watched him grow and build his skills.

Finding Mathasium Owning and running my own business had always been a dream of mine. We were standing in the parent waiting area of Mathnasium of Southlake one day and my husband said, “Hmm, you know, this is a great business. Kids always need help in math!”

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So, the process began with the goal in mind of serving the children and families of a smaller community. Although it seemed like we had been throwing darts at a map to most of our friends and family, we were looking for a small community with a slower pace that was thriving. Wow, did we find one! We made the move and opened Mathnasium of Boerne/Fair Oaks.

The Mathasium Mission Another great benefit to owning Mathnasium of Boerne/Fair Oaks is having the opportunity to work with a phenomenal group of people. The staff at Mathnasium is full of highly trained math-minded individuals who love working with kids. I even hired my own mother! Although I knew that she had the skills necessary to work for Mathnasium, she still had to take the Instructor Assessment and even more awkward, go through the background check. She passed both with flying colors and is a wonderfully patient addition to my staff. The Mathnasium Mission, “Help every child to understand – and master – math. It will change their world,” helps to fulfill my desire to do something meaningful for children when I go to work each day. I have the freedom and responsibility of owning and operating my own business within an organization that has a mission aligned with my own personal goals. It is an honor to go to work everyday and serve the families of Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch by providing trained instructors to help with homework as well as skill building, and top-notch curriculum to help kids increase their confidence. Being a small business owner, wife, and raising two teenage boys, is not without its daily challenges. However, seeing the “lightbulb” moment with a student or hearing a parent talk about growing confidence and understanding makes it all worthwhile!

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