What I'm hearing from Andover families this September

Something I keep hearing from parents right now is how hard it is to balance after school activities with a consistent tutoring schedule. Between sports, clubs, and everything else that comes with fall, families are stretched thin. We have tried to help by building in some flexibility on our calendar, and we have been sending out surveys to get a better read on what families actually need.

The other thing I am noticing is that kids are just tired. Back to school season wears a student out, not just physically but mentally too. It shows up differently for every kid, but it is showing up for a lot of our families this fall. I like knowing we can be one steady, consistent space for our students while everything else around them is in transition.

As far as struggles go, gaps tend to show up fast once school starts back up. For our older students, even a small gap in fractions or decimals can make picking up new material a lot harder than it should be. For younger kids just hitting second or third grade, being even a little behind on numerical fluency turns into a bigger struggle pretty quickly. And confidence plays a huge role in all of this. I have seen plenty of students who genuinely know their stuff, but if they cannot answer confidently on something they already learned, they will not be able to build on it with something new.

My advice for parents at home is simple. Spend time with your kids doing regular, everyday activities together. A consistent, positive home environment helps a student's mind get into learning mode when it counts. It does not have to be anything fancy. Ordinary interaction and a little skill practice here and there adds up to pretty extraordinary results over time.

We have a lot going on right now. Mathnasium of Andover is teaming up with Mathnasium of Blaine for a Math Night at Sand Creek Elementary on Thursday, November 19th. Our students are also taking home Refer a Friend cards this month. If they know someone who could use help with math, that referral earns a free month of enrollment. We just rolled out new prizes for the school year too, and I will be honest, the stuffies and squishies are flying off the shelf faster than we can restock them.

Locally, the St. Patrick Country Fest was a big hit for us this fall. We were glad to donate a few gift cards to support a local organization through the event. We are also starting to work with some local businesses on cooperative marketing, so keep an eye out, our students may start seeing some new prizes and deals from businesses around Andover in the coming months.