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17 · Wednesday, March 10, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Don't compromise on Driver Training School breaks can disrupt learning For many students, March Break is a fun opportunity to visit friends, socialize, and sleep in. But for parents, school breaks may cause concerns about how children are spending their days. "Breaks from school can be very disruptive to a family's schedule as well as to a child's learning momentum," said Mrs. Saly Beshara, Centre Director of Oxford Learning Oakville North East. "The disruption to the normal routine can cause children to get off-track academically." According to Mrs. Beshara free time is the time when good habits begin to slip. Maintaining good habits is especially important now, as the end of the school year is in sight, so it's important that families seek March Break activities that keep student's minds challenged. Most students have projects, essays, assignments, and readings that can be worked on over the break. "Project due dates may be far off still, but the March holidays are a perfect time to get a head start," said Mrs. Beshara. Even without assigned homework, parents should encourage children to dedicate at least one hour per day for schoolwork, to review school notes, read, or organize a binder or pencil case. "While it can be challenging to balance school break activities and keep your child on track academically, it is worth the effort," said Mrs. Beshara. With some pre-break planning, children can avoid the momentum loss that is often observed after time away from school. "Before children have the chance to plan a vacation filled with video games and sleeping in, families should outline a holiday schedule," said Mrs. Beshara. "Even the simple act of having a plan in place can keep kids on track academically." Five Tips to Keep Kids Learning On School Breaks Whether by playing board games or by reading books, maintaining an active mind is the best way for students to stay focused while on school breaks. Oxford Learning offers these tips to help students stay sharp when school is out: 1. Keep busy. School breaks can cause a drop in momentum, so it's important that students keep working during school breaks. There is always schoolwork or review that students can work on, even if they don't have assigned homework. 2. Read a book together. Parents can help young children develop better reading comprehension skills by reading and discussing books together. 3. Play board games. Board games can help children learn to be organized, to plan, to be persistent, and to improve memory. Games that use money can teach essential mathematical skills like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and even concepts like estimation. 4. Set a work schedule. Children are used to following a routine during the school day, so sticking to a routine during vacation time is natural and keeps kids on track. 5. Hit the Books. Get ahead! Upcoming projects, essays, assignments, and readings can be easily chipped away at during the break. For more information about March Break Learning or any of Oxford Learning's March Break Programs, contact Saly Beshara at Oxford Learning Oakville North East at 905257-1207; oakvillene@oxfordlearning.com. For many of us, it's the most dangerous thing we do ever day. Getting behind the wheel of a two-ton mass of metal and glass and navigating our way at speeds over 100 kilometers an hour. It's a scary thought. We only get one chance to learn correctly what it takes to stay safe on the roads and just one opportunity to develop the skills and habits that will follow us for a lifetime. Isn't it worth it to find the very best training out there? To learn it once and learn it right? The experts at DriveWise are committed to using innovative learning methods to improve safety and decrease risk amongst new drivers. DriveWise Canada incorporates state-of-the-art virtual reality driving simulation with hands-on instruction into a training experience that challenges trainess and leads them to hone their skills. The course is ministry driver education approved, meaning substantial savings on insurance costs for three to five years. The average person spends 1000's of dollars every year on their vehicle, between car payments, gas, insurance and maintenance. It just doesn't make sense to compromise on the cost of proper driving training. As with everything in life, you get what you pay for. At DriveWise, 20 hours are spent in class, which includes simulation training as well as an additional 10 hours of actual invehicle drive time and 10 hours of HomeLink training. This handson, virtual learning approach is proven to be much more effective on teens and makes a lasting impression on them for a lifetime of safe driving. March Break courses are filling up fast at DriveWise-register now. Check out our "Bring a Friend Promotion and save!" Visit the DriveWise website at www.drivewisecanada.com or locally at www.drivewiseoakville. com to enroll online, for more information, details about our programs, specials, and class times. Your also can call our Oakville office at 905-845-7200 Re Saf - 20 hrs in-class - 10 hrs HomeLink - Evenings & Weekends - Small class sizes - Use of interactive tools to keep students engaged - 10 hrs private in-car lessons - Flexible scheduling & pick up Stay home and put on a show March Break is a unique opportunity during the year to spend some quality time as a family. Rather than spending your hard earned money going out to a show, why not put the creative talents of all the family to work and prepare your very own show... to celebrate the week's vacation! Organizing a family show calls for a lot of discipline and planning. On the very first day of the vacation, choose a director who will be in charge of all aspects of the show. Each member of the family will have a part to play. If Dad likes doing impersonations, he'll have all week to prepare, same thing for Mom who loves singing and the children who adore gymnastics. Next comes the work of coordinating everything to be done: preparing the set, the costumes, make-up, lighting, rehearsals... If you're not sure how to do all this, you could always go to a bookstore or a library, where you're sure to find plenty of books and practical guides about putting on a show and which are written for adults. To motivate yourself, keep in mind that a family show is a great way of boosting selfesteem, of bringing you all closer together, of firing the imagination and of encouraging team work. On the big day treat yourselves to a delicious meal as a reward for all your hard work or... tickets to a children's show at a local theatre. You could even be daring enough to make your own invitations and distribute them among friends, family and neighbours so they too can enjoy your performance. - Driver training simulation labs - Adverse Weather effects - Risk free environment - Focused on highway, urban & city driving LIMITED SEATS REMAINING FOR MARCH 13 · March 13, 14, 15, 16 (9:30am-3:30pm) Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (March Break) · March 18, 19, 20, 21 (9:30am-3:30pm) Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (March Break) Y 5 2ARS E Proud to be a driver training service provider for the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Winter Games! C os Chosen because of our 25 YEARS in the industry, exc nt try exce y excellent xc x inst instructors and state of the art driving simulators. ato ato s ators tor ors get registered · get trained · get driving · get DriveWise For course information: www.drivewiseoakville.com info@drivewiseoakville.com 905.845.7200