Friday, April 2, 2010

“[Ads by Yahoo!] Local Tutoring Centers” plus 2 more

“[Ads by Yahoo!] Local <b>Tutoring</b> Centers” plus 2 more

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

[Ads by Yahoo!] Local <b>Tutoring</b> Centers

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Starwood Studios would offer place for musical recitals, academic <b>tutoring</b>

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 10:47 PM PDT

Bill Conrad, bconrad@acnpapers.com

Starwood Studios, located at the Offices at Byron Nelson, may soon be open to the public if a zoning change request is approved by planning and zoning and the Southlake City Council.

The offices, located at 630 E. Southlake Blvd, mainly consist of office suites, according to Debra Edmondson, general counsel for the buildings owners, Thomas Steven and Company, who spoke at a SPIN No. 7 meeting March 22.

Starwood Studios was formed when a former tenant, the Southlake Training Center, moved out last summer. The 4,300-square-foot space was converted to Starwood Studios and is currently used by the buildings tenants for parties and recitals. If the zoning change is approved, the studio could be rented to the general public.

Edmondson was clear that the only changes to the building would be in its usage.

No changes will be made to the outside of the building or to the building's parking, said Edmondson. The only changes will be made to what is going on inside.

Starwood Studios would only operate after regular business hours and would have several uses such as after-school tutoring, seminars, office parties and receptions. The room features couches, big screen televisions and a DJ booth.

This would be a unique little space that Southlake really doesn't have, said Edmondson. We have been using this for our tenants, but this will allow us to offer it during the evening and weekend hours to the general public.

Edmondson said she believes the studios would have a capacity of 100-125 people, but that number could be adjusted in order to keep within the parking regulations.

Another tenant already in the building, Hall Music Productions, would also put the studio to good use.

David Hall, a Carroll High School graduate and owner of Hall Music Productions, said the studios would be a great addition to Southlake.

There are so many kids in Southlake that write songs and create music and they don't have any outlet for that whatsoever, said Hall. Having a night each week where the kids can get together and perform for the public would be really great for the community. The only outlet they have now is all the way in Dallas in places such as Deep Ellum. We need to give them a venue for their creativity.

Hall has been teaching music lessons for 10 years in Southlake and said he offers lessons in all musical areas, including guitar, drums, singing and songwriting.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

After 13 years, WEALTH program going strong at Windsor Elem.

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 01:16 PM PDT

The Windsor Elementary Afterschool Literacy Tutoring Help program began 13 years ago, and now, four principals, about 400 students and numerous volunteer hours later, WEALTH is still a treasure in the Windsor community.

Kathy Gowans, a WEALTH volunteer coordinator who has been involved from the very beginning, said the program came about when neighborhood volunteers approached the school administration about a way to help tutor children in reading.

"We said, 'Close your eyes and dream your dream. What happens?'" Gowans recalled.

The implementation of the dream has resulted in a program that carefully matches a student with a tutor for one-on-one, 45-minute sessions before or after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September to April.

"Graduation" exercises held Thursday were the culmination this year for the 34 students and 50 volunteers involved in WEALTH.

"It's humbling to see not only the students' reading accomplishments, but the way these mentors are changing lives," said Lori Hilliard, an AmeriCorps literacy aid.

Gowans said it is typical for a student being served in the program to make a one to one-and-a-half grade level jump in reading ability during the six months of tutoring, though even higher levels of progress have been recorded. Reading levels and words per minute are tracked for students in the program. But those involved in the program agree that the impact on students goes far beyond just increased reading levels. Children new to the tutoring, who may start out looking at the ground, avoiding eye contact and not speaking, have noticeable turn-arounds. One such student went on to try out for a part in a class play.

"WEALTH impacts so many levels of students' lives," said Nancy Buttars, the fourth-grade teacher at Windsor who serves as the liaison between the program and the school. "I will be walking in the halls, and I will hear something like, 'I love my tutor,' or 'My tutor brought me a book.' "

Volunteer coordinator Lori Sperry is in her 11th year working in the program. "If I hadn't seen the progress, I wouldn't have come back," she said. "Placing a male student with a male tutor seems to make a lot of progress. It's amazing the bond that is created, and we have some great male role models."

Ken Messmer said he has been a volunteer in WEALTH for seven or eight years now. He became involved because he personally enjoys reading, was acquainted with some of the other individuals serving. And, as a businessman, could set his own hours for his employment, freeing up the time he would need for the tutoring sessions.

"I had one student who went up a whole grade level in six months." he said. "You see something like that and it changes their whole attitude. If we can help them learn to read, it changes everything."

One of the questions raised when the program first began was whether or not it would be sustainable, and if it would be possible to get tutors to stay.

Gowans said the keys to having a sustainable system include setting goals, defining roles among volunteers and emphasizing good communication.

"You listen to volunteers, solve problems and allow people to contribute to the success," she said. "In-service is where we talk about what's working and what's getting in the way."

When some students were inconsistent in showing up for tutoring sessions, resulting in frustration on the part of the tutors, a reward system was developed using tutor-generated ideas to help kids focus on attending, working while they were there, and reading at home -- the three main components leading to success in the system.

Hilliard said she was touched when she read author Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea," a volume about promoting peace in Afghanistan through books and literacy.

"But I realized," she said, "that the same opportunity exists in our own school with our own children -- the opportunity to make a difference and open up the world to a child."

The volunteers in the Windsor program are willing to "share the WEALTH" by offering tutor training and information about materials available. Gowans said good service opportunities are available within five or 10 minutes' walking distance of most homes. "All it takes is someone walking in and saying, 'Close your eyes, and dream the dream,' " she said. "I think that there are needs that match up with people's passion for service."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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