Thank you to all of our beloved teachers, students, and families for a fantastic year! We look forward with great enthusiasm to continued educational growth and inspiration in 2012!

Here at SpiderSmart, we always love great book recommendations! Here are a few from NPR: http://www.npr.org/series/you-must-read-this/

A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions. - Anonymous

We can't wait to see those grades, students!

Reading to young children promotes language acquisition and is linked with literacy development and, later on, with achievement in reading comprehension and overall success in school. Find out more: http://www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/edu1.asp

PSATs are over and there are two more weeks until your first marking period ends. Every day counts, students!

Another one of our fellow literacy-loving organizations! http://www.booksforkids.org/

Best of luck to all of our students on today's SAT!

‎"The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think - rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men." ~Bill Beattie

Back to school for our VA students! Have an amazing first week!

We wish all of our Montgomery County students a fantastic first day of school today!

One of our favorite partners in promoting literacy!

http://www.rif.org/us/about/our-programs.htm

www.rif.org

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) programs provide children with books, encourage family and community involvement, and motivate children to read through fun, literacy-based activities.

Three more weeks until school starts! Make the most of your summertime study and stop in at your local SpiderSmart today!

"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." Marva Collins

We warmly welcome our first fifteen students to the Rockville center!! We are so happy to have you learning with us.

Thanks to everyone for an unbelievable first week at our new center in Rockville!!!

A very happy birthday to our out-of-this-world Reading & Writing teacher, Ms. Sufiya!!! Thanks for more than five years of outstanding teaching and mentoring!!! We are so very lucky to have you.

OUR NEW ROCKVILLE CENTER OPENS TOMORROW!!!

Another exciting TOEFL experience! Thanks for joining us from Argentina, Gabon, South Korea, Bolivia, Israel, and France!

EXAM TIME, students! The year is almost over! We are so very proud of all your hard work and studying!

EXAM TIME, students! The year is almost over! We are so very proud of all your hard work and studying!

T-3 till the SAT! Study with confidence, students!

T-3 till the SAT! Study with confidence, students!

Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing; and dream while others are wishing. William Arthur Ward

To Our Parents:

Follow our friends at Out Came the Sun, a non-profit foundation providing comprehensive pediatric therapy services in the natural environment to the families of the District of Columbia and Maryland.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Out-Came-the-Sun-Foundation-Inc/183070598390385

A warm welcome this week to our new and returning students Sophie, Jillian, and Eric!

Countdown to the May SAT! Five more days and you're there, students!

Shout-outs for the week:

H. for moving up a level in Reading & Writing! D. for all his hard work in Geometry! H. for moving into the 700 range in SAT II Physics!

Welcome, TOEFL test-takers! We have many countries represented today: Russia, Ghana, Iran, Germany, El Salvador, and China! Good luck to all of you!

Wow, J.! A 97 on your recent math test? We're so proud of you! All that studying made a difference!

"The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts but learning how to make facts live." ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Way to go, K.! Accepted at every school on your list AND scholarships at every single one! We're so, so happy for you.

We're proud of you, S.! Math Kangaroo rocks!

International Night was a stunning success! Such impressive acts, students! What talent we have here in Bethesda!

Don't miss Whitman's student performances tonight! We can't wait to hear you sing, A.!

Thanks for this link, Shelby! Check out the new youth-friendly version of National Geographic, students: http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/

WOW, H., an *800* on Math Level 2?! Way to go!! All that hard work paid off!!

We're so proud of our long-time student J.W. for receiving an amAYzing scholarship! Also a hearty congratulations to S. for earning a *98* on her science test!

We can't WAIT to hear about your SAT scores, students!! Results from the January 22nd test released TODAY!

Congratulations to J. on wrapping up all of her college applications and scholarship essays!

Educational Quote of the Week:

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” Albert Einstein

New Semester, New Start!

Now that all your exams are over, gear up for a fresh, new semester! Immerse yourself in analysis of your academic failures and accomplishments. Assess all of your subjects and decide upon the changes you plan to effect in your study habits. Most of all, remember it's never too late to be the very best student you can be!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ON TODAY'S SAT!!!

Today's the day all of your hard work pays off, students!

SAT Countdown to Saturday!

Review, review, review! Drop in today through Thursday for test taking tips and practice. Then, as Ms. Beth always says, be sure to relax a little on Friday! Reserve the day before for rest and reflection. Get centered before the big test.

Recent Successes and Events

Congratulations to C. for earning 100% on her recent Algebra II test!!

Also, a hearty thank you from SpiderSmart to Sujuan Ba for an unforgettable gala Saturday night. We are grateful to you--and to our many parents--for such unwavering support of our program!!

WELCOME BACK, MS. SUFIYA!!!!!

Today we celebrate the return of Ms. Sufiya, who has been taking care of her new baby boy. We're all so excited to have Ms. Sufiya teaching again!!!!!

Happy 2011, Everyone!!

Happy New Year to all of our parents, teachers, and students! May 2011 be filled with academic achievement and inspiration!