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Ashley Tutors believes that learning can be fun and educational at the same time! With this in mind, Ashley Tutors is offering one lucky family the chance to win a pair of tickets to Wolf Trap’s International Children’s Festival this September!

The Arts Council of Fairfax County presents the International Children’s Festival ­– the premier international arts education experience in the U.S. — featuring the exciting young U.S. dance sensation TAP KIDS; young performers from Georgia, Serbia, and Spain; over 400 local artists and performing groups representing a diverse range of art forms, genres, and cultures; interactive arts and education tents and more!

Discover the Arts & Technology Pavilion, witness artists and performances close-up at the Global Art & Rhythm Tent and the Arts & Crafts Market, experience international foods, and participate in dozens of interactive educational activities at multiple stages and tents around the park.

Visit www.internationalchildrensfestival.org for more information.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets, please email your name, address, phone number and children’s’ ages to contest@ashleytutors.com. A winner will be selected at random on August 1^st, 2009.

We are very excited to be partnering with and jamming to the music of Takoma Park’s Echo Boom.  These guys have a bit of everything when it comes to music with their unique sound that keeps your body and mind moving all of the time.  On your winter vacation, why not make the jouney to Jammin Java in Vienna, VA to see Echo Boom in action.  Since it is a venue for all ages,  we expect to see some of our younger students and even Ashley will be out enjoying the tunes.  The folks at Jammin Java called Echo Boom, “Educated, meaningful, yet approachable lyrics; soulful, driving, yet simple melodies coming from a variety of instruments and voices, laid out over rhythm that is sure to keep you moving.”

So, you must be asking, why is a tutoring team working with a band?  Simple – we all believe in education!  From reading, to writing, to math, can’t forget chemistry and biology, and all the way to French, Echo Boom’s members believe in the importance of education.  They all graduated high school in Montgomery County and then went onto earn college degrees too.  The boys always wanted to start the band and be the rock stars, but they kept education as their number one priority.  Our tutors had amazing dreams too and always knew education was the key to chasing their dreams.  Some wanted to be writers, teachers, scientists and an American Idol hopeful – but before they could get to their their career of choice, they had to get an education first!

These guys not only play great music and are great people, they are great proponents of education.  Come out tonight and support these great friends of Ashley Tutors!  Plus, we will have some awesome announcements about our partnership with Echo Boom soon (can you say, free concert for all ages…shhh…)

Jammin Java in Vienna, VA on Tuesday, December 30 at 8:30pm. All ages are welcome so come out and support a group of guys that support us too!!!!!!!

http://ca-es.facebook.com/pages/The-Echo-Boom/44998343200

Time and PlaceStart Time: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:00pm
Location: Jammin Java
Street: 227 Maple Ave E
City/Town: Vienna, VA

Contact InfoPhone: 703.255.1566
Email: http://www.jamminjava.com/

Did you know that music lessons can help improve the memory of children? When the guys from B&B Music World, a D.C. based, in-home music lesson service told me that – it was music to my ears!

That is why I am proud to announce that we have formed a special partnership with B&B Music World. Through our new friendship, we are going to encourage our students to work with B&B to learn awesome music and improve their memories (that will help them in school too). And, since their team is a lot like ours at Ashley Tutors – energetic, experienced and always looking to make learning more fun they will get to learn in a 1-1 setting, which is exactly the same successful experience they have at Ashley Tutors.

Go see and hear for yourself! Check out our new friends at their website. Be sure to watch their free music lessons, too! Don’t forget to read this great article all about music and memory.

In November, we are really going to begin rocking and rolling with B&B Music World. So, listen up because we have some terrific contests and prizes planned for our students!

Did you know that music lessons can help improve the memory of children? When the guys from B&B Music World, a D.C. based, in-home music lesson service told me that – it was music to my ears!

That is why I am proud to announce that we have formed a special partnership with B&B Music World. Through our new friendship, we are going to encourage our students to work with B&B to learn awesome music and improve their memories (that will help them in school too). And, since their team is a lot like ours at Ashley Tutors – energetic, experienced and always looking to make learning more fun they will get to learn in a 1-1 setting, which is exactly the same successful experience they have at Ashley Tutors.

Go see and hear for yourself! Check out our new friends at their website. Be sure to watch their free music lessons, too! Don’t forget to read this great article all about music and memory.

In November, we are really going to begin rocking and rolling with B&B Music World. So, listen up because we have some terrific contests and prizes planned for our students!

Hello all:

As much as we think our team can tutor the presidential candidates in a thing or two, we know that it might be too late to help Obama or McCain.  But, it is never too late for us to help students in the Washington, D.C. area in anything from reading, to writing, to SAT prep, and even college essays.

So, during this political season, we created a political spoof on the seemingly endless political ads to show students, and especially high school students, that we have tutors who are not too old or too inexperienced — but just the right age to understand any student’s work and any student’s world!

Check it out and please send the commerical around (who knows, maybe we will get it to McCain or Obama?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfU8jb-Vths

I can’t tell you how proud our team is of Demetric Evans on the Washington Redskins.  We partnered with #92 last May to promote the importance of education and now he is educating the NFL about the importance of Demetric Evans.  See, I have my own personal tutor to teach me about football and I learned that Demetric is one of the big reasons the Cowboys couldn’t run on our defense this weekend as the Redskins ran over Dallas.  Demetric is a key defensive run stopper (to quote my tutor)!

Well, last May when Demetric talked about education, he was able to impress even the smallest of Ashley’s friends (check out the cute picture) and be sure to see the video of Demetric meeting Ashley Tutors students!  Now, he is impressing all football fans in our town.  Demetric said he wants to tutor for Ashley Tutors — maybe in the offseason?  He might be #92 for the Redskins, he is #1 on our team!

Well, if I was able to give out an award like that — say the Ashley Tutors Award for Best Book Ever — I would have to say, The Giving Tree. Still a classic and still my favorite! And that got me thinking, what are the Top 10 children’s books of all time? Since we are a team of tutors, I talked with a few other instructors and here are a few books that kept making the Top 10 list:
The Giving Tree

Wemberly Worried

The Mitten

Owl Moon

I’m Gonna Like Me

Chrysanthamum

First Day Jitters

The Dog Who Cried Wolf

The Relatives Came

My Teacher for President

Two other books that made honorable mention, according to our tutors, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and Pirates Dont Change Diapers. While these are the Top 10, if you go to our web site at www.ashleytutors.com, you can go shopping with me and find these books and a bunch of other fun stuff! Thats right — go to A+ Shopping With Ashley and I will show you all of the latest and greatest toys, books and games for children and even adults!

Don’t go yet though — we want you to tutor us on what are the best children’s books ever…according to you. Please let us know through your comments:-)

I found this great Web site that is exactly what we like our instructors at Ashley Tutors to do with their students. Don’t just talk about a boat, or a lion or a building…draw it! Again, we are always trying to encourage kinesthetic learning and Coloring.com does that.

During our sessions with our students, our tutors are always looking for fun Web sites. Our goal is to make the computer a bigger part of the learning process. Not to mention, while we try to improve the handwriting for many of our younger students, learning to type is not a bad idea too! Again, I am always eager to hear your thoughts on these Web sites or offer up some new cool places that can make learning entertaining!

Election talk is everywhere and now is a perfect time for you to talk with your kids about the importance of voting. This web site is a great resource for teaching and tutoring:

http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604947

I have found in my class that kids really want to learn and understand how our government works. There are different levels of research on this web site depending on grade level appropriateness. For grades K-2 check out Our Nation, Our Government, and Games and Activities. For grades 3-5, my favorites are How Laws are Made and Our Election Process. For grades 6-8 check out how laws are made and citzenship. There are even links for grades 9-12 with topics including National versus State government and Branches of Government. Each level has games and activities, a glossary, and links to other kid friendly government websites. Our tutors are going to talk with the Ashley Tutors students about our great democracy — you can do it too!

http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196604947

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School is almost over, and it’s time to think about keeping your student sharp during the summer.  As a teacher, I see “brain drain” every September when those kids who took the summer off don’t get back on the learning track for almost three months. 

Ashley Tutors wants all students to stay smart this summer.  Whether you START REGULAR tutoring sessions or simply schedule sessions when you are not on vacation, this is a perfect time to review concepts FROM THE YEAR BEFORe.  ALSO, STUDENTS CAN prepare for next year AND Sharpen THEIR organizational skills.  WE HAVE ENERGETIC AND ENTERTAINING READING TUTORS, MATH TUTORS, CONFIDENCE BUILDERS, ORGANIZATIONAL HELPERS…YOU NAME IT WE HAVE IT!

In addition to your student working with A tutor, you can help too.  Please check out my list of fun and kinesthetic learning activities BELOW TO keep your whole family engaged in learning all summer.

To schedule A tutor, of course just E-MAIL US AT INFO@ASHLEYTUTORS.COM and WE WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN FASTER THAN IT HEATS UP ON A JULY DAY.  Let’s make sure we make learning very entertaining all year round!

1. Take a walk to the library or bookstore and pick out a fun book that the student didn’t get to read during the school year.  Then, parents need to make time for family reading time.  Discuss story elements, character traits, and do vocabulary activities to learn and understand the meaning of new words.  In a word: read!    

2.  Just because it is the summer doesn’t mean kids have nothing to do.  Have your child keep a daily planner for walking the dog, mowing the lawn or going to swim practice.  A planner for each day will keep them in the habit of staying organized.  

3.  Take a “field trip” to get ice cream, go to a museum or the grocery store.  Make sure to read words all around you such as signs on the streets and the menu at the ice cream shop.  Before you pay for the ice cream, have your child count the money and keep those math skills up.

4.  Have your child keep a writing journal to keep them in the habit of writing on a regular basis.  Kids can write for 20 minutes about 3 times a week.  They can write about their summer, compose a creative story, or even write a play.

5. Take time to invent a new math game using dice, cards, and dominos for the whole family to play.  Make fun flash cards to help practice math facts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

6. Get out there and play!  Being outside and physical activity is proven to have a positive effect on students.  Explore nature, go to a park and the zoo – just be active.

Usually I come here and write about things I have done in the past — I couldn’t wait to tell you about what I am going to do tomorrow. We are going to meet with the great folks at Tree Top Kids and put the finishing touches on our big event on April 12th with big #92 from the Redskins Demetric Evans. Demetric and Tree Top has Kids have been awesome partners — they’ve got our whole team of tutors even more pumped up for the event! Oh yeah — many of our tutors are going to be at all of the events. For now, take a look at why we are so excited to be working with Tree Top Kids!!!!

WASHINGTON REDSKIN DEMETRIC EVANS TEAMS UP WITH

ASHLEY TUTORS AND TREE TOP KIDS TO TACKLE EDUCATION

Evans to Talk About the Importance of Education

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – Washington Redskins veteran defensive lineman, #92, Demetric Evans is appearing at Tree Top Kids’ Fairfax and Potomac locations on Saturday, April, 12, at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively. Hosted by Ashley Tutors, Evans will be there to get kids enthusiastic about learning.

“Tree Top Kids believes learning, playing and fun should go hand-in-hand in a child’s life,” said Catherine Porterfield, vice president of marketing for Tree Top Kids. “We are excited about teaming up with Ashley Tutors and having Demetric in our stores to teach students that learning can be entertaining.”

Ashley Tutors has invited Demetric Evans to talk about the role education has played in his life. Ashley Fagel, a passionate instructor with a master’s degree in education from the University of Maryland who provides the kinesthetic teaching methods for the tutoring team, will then feature some of Tree Top Kids great educational toys. Finally, Evans will read a book for the kids at the store, followed by photos and autographs.

“At Ashley Tutors we find ways to make learning fun for kids because the more they enjoy it, the more they will want to learn,” said Josh Chernikoff, a lifelong Montgomery County resident and the Ashley Tutors team member in charge of finding the most qualified educators. “We are thrilled to partner with Demetric who is such a positive role model and will stir up excitement about .”

Evans has been a solid performer on the Redskins defensive line, playing in 80 games and recording 159 tackles. Now he is tackling education.

“My education from elementary school through college at the University of Georgia has played a vital role in my life,” said Evans. “I want to encourage kids to learn all they can, and to help them understand that education is the key to unlock all their dreams.”

Beyond these exciting events on April 12, Ashley Tutors and Evans are also uniting to create the 92 for A’s program. This program will reward Ashley Tutors’ students who work hard to achieve academic success. Every student who gets one “A” or “O” (Outstanding) will get a mini football signed by Evans. Also, for every “A” or “O” its students earn, Ashley Tutors will make a donation to Evans’ charity 92 Blessings which was recently established to help 92 families, and more specifically, single parents during times of need.

For more information, please visit http://www.ashleytutors.com. Please join the Ashley Tutors team and Demetric Evans at Tree Top Kids at noon at their Fairfax store: Fairfax Corner 11895 Grand Commons Avenue Fairfax, VA 22030 (703) 815-2121. Or join the fun at 3:00 p.m. at the Tree Top Kids Potomac store: Cabin John Mall 11325 Seven Locks Road, Potomac, MD 20854 (301) 299-8300.