JOIN US TOMORROW FOR SPIDERSMART OF ASHBURN'S GRAND OPENING!!! 6-8pm / 20915 Ashburn Rd / Ashburn, VA 20147. Free food and lots of fun! Hope to see you all there!!!

Amazing Educator, Artist, and Toymaker!

Check out her story and her passion:  

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/your-business/Twenty+Toys+child+play/7466640/story.html

“I have been working with students one-on-one for more than a decade,” said fifth-grade teacher Sean Duffy at Waples Mill Elementary School in Fairfax County. “I agree with you that 10 minutes with a kid is far more important than margin notes at home.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/saving-our-sorry-teaching-of-writing/2012/10/24/ca509c8c-1d74-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_story.html?wpisrc=emailtoafriend

BEST OF LUCK ON THE SAT, STUDENTS!! I am SO PROUD of you for ALL your hard work over the years preparing for this test!!! You are going to ROCK IT THIS MORNING!!!!!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, SPIDERSMART OF ASHBURN!!!

Take a look at our latest addition to the SpiderSmart Family of Learning Centers!

http://www.facebook.com/SpiderSmartOfAshburn?ref=ts

So much great news to share, friends! 1) We're celebrating the opening of our NEW KENTLANDS CENTER! Come visit us at 420 Main Street! 2) We are also welcoming Dr. Emyrtle Bennett, her sister Vanessa, and her daughter Melisa to our SpiderSmart of Bethesda family! They come with a wealth of experience and are all passionate educators. What a fortuitous end to a wonderful summer! Lastly, HAVE AN AWESOME FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, KIDS!!!

Ms. Sufiya reads from her book-in-the-making tonight! We are so proud of her! Ms. Sufiya's work of genius is a timeless, historically evocative, spiritually resonant interweaving of nonfiction, journalism, and memoir. Congratulations, Ms. Sufiya, on all you have accomplished--and all while teaching and inspiring our students every single day!

Dear Mrs. Jung, I don't think I could have made it through finals week without you and SpiderSmart.

Thank you soooo much!! All the teachers are wonderful and you, especially. You always welcome me with your warm smile :)) Going to SpiderSmart helped me so much. Thank you again and again. Esther H - 8th grade

One of my favorite memories is when I first came to SpiderSmart...

First, I felt a little nervous and thought it was boring because I had never been to an academy and learned there. Then I got more nervous when I met all the teachers. I stopped getting nervous and got used to everything. I started to enjoy SpiderSmart now. I call SpiderSmart a fun place. I am learning to learn at a fun academy. David C. - 2nd grade

Our Beloved Jeannie

A student recently wrote an essay about our beloved owner/founder, Jeannie Jung: Ms. Jeannie is an amazing teacher. She is special to me because when I go to SpiderSmart, she helps me to learn. I know a lot more than what we are learning at school. If Ms. J is not there, I think I'd be failing all my clases. She means the whole world to me. If I would have anything to help me remember her, I would have a photo of her in front of SpiderSmart and I would wear a green shirt. I would love a photo of her in front of SpiderSmart because that's where she taught me. I would have a green shirt on because that is her favorite color. I love Ms. J and without her, I wouldn't know a lot. Before I thought I stunk at math and reading. Along the way, she helped me realize that I am smarter than I think I am. Naseeb - 3rd grade

A most enthusiastic congratulations to our teachers, who somehow manage to be unbelievable WRITERS too! Miss Susan recently had another unforgettable short story published, Miss Julie was a finalist in a HUGE fiction contest, and Mrs. Sufiya just completed her MFA with a timeless piece fusing elements of journalism, research, and memoir. We are SO LUCKY to have these incredible writers teaching your children!

Sending waves of good luck to our SAT students today! You've worked SO hard and you're going to do SO well!!!

Our warmest congratulations to our very own Annie Tang, who has won FIRST PLACE among all Montgomery County third graders for her short story, "King Neptune and the Crazy Flute!!!" On Saturday, May 26, the Montgomery County Council of the International Reading Association (MCCIRA) will sponsor a reception to honor Annie and the other Montgomery County winners. At this celebration, Annie will meet other young authors, read her short story aloud, receive a certificate, and participate in a special writing workshop presented by Gilda Joyce author, Jennifer Allison. Annie will also receive an invitation to the Young Authors' Reception in the near future. We are SO PROUD OF YOU, Annie!

Welcome back from Spring Break, students! We're so happy to see you!

From DeLillo--an author to surely read--a comment on our symbolic mascot, the oh-so-interesting spider:

"Time seems to pass. The world happens, unrolling into moments, and you stop to glance at a spider pressed to its web. There is a quickness of light and a sense of things outlined precisely and streaks of running luster on the bay. You know more surely who you are on a strong bright day after a storm when the smallest falling leaf is stabbed with self-awareness. The wind makes a sound in the pines and the world comes into being, irreversibly, and the spider rides the wind-swayed web."

Read the heartwarming words of our newest SpiderSmart directors, who just opened a center in Cypress, Texas!

Dear Mrs. Jung,

Our one month opening was this past Saturday. I am still in the learning phase (which is not hard with Mr. Chung's positive thoughts, words and knowledge) but it is a wonderful feeling to open our center every day and know that the waiting was well worth it! We have now enrolled 19 students, the majority in elementary. They have enrolled in the Reading & Writing program mostly. It is nice progress and parents are coming every day with positive comments about SpiderSmart. Some of the comments are as follows:

• My son is on his third chapter book! He loves reading and enjoys coming to SpiderSmart. I have never seen him read so much and so fast.
• My daughter just received this paper and she received an 84% in writing!
• One parent came in and wanted me to hear a message her son left from school (it made me cry). His teacher allowed him to use her cell phone to leave this message:
"Mom you know how you always say that I have to study hard to get good grades and you know that I can do it. And you’re always telling me to think. I got an 85% on reading today, Mom--that is a B. Okay, bye."

I just wanted to share the wonderful things everyone is saying. I am proud of the teachers here and of this wonderful program that allows students and parents to feel informed of what their child is learning. My hope and goal is that SpiderSmart becomes even more well-known for the quality it has in its method.

I feel blessed to have found this bond with you and your creation. Thank you as a parent, teacher, and representative for SpiderSmart.

I hope that when I write again I have more positive comments (which I have no doubt of) and more enrolled students.

Sincerely,

Sunil and Gouthami Patel

Parent Testimonial of the Month:

Dear Mary,

My son successfully completed a reading and writing assignment in school. I forward his teacher's email to you to share the joy. He would not have achieved this without such help from you and your teachers.

"Dear Parents,

Recently in Advanced English 7 the students completed an open-ended writing assignment related to the novel, Friedrich. This was a challenging writing assignment because the students completed the reading of Friedrich completely independently. Your child did an excellent job writing this paragraph reflectively, earning 10 out of 10 points on the assignment. I have approximately 140 students, and only 9 of them earned this score, so it is a real success. Please take time to congratulate your child on this terrific accomplishment which demonstrates excellence in both reading and writing!"

Never-before-represented countries here among our test-takers today! Welcome to our friends from Nepal, Ethiopia, and Ukraine!

Stop by and see our beautiful new Annandale Center! Week #2 and we love it here! 7361 McWhorter Place / Suite 310 !