LEAPS - Lacrosse Education Attitude Perseverance Success

“To know our student’s, we must know their communities and acknowledge their challenges.” –Donna Marie San Antonio, Educational Leadership

The educational aspect of LEAPS is to help support students in their academic endeavors so they are engaged in school. LEAPS tutoring program will provide educational support to help children with their academic weaknesses as well as teach them organization and study skills. Despite LEAPS focus on lacrosse, providing educational support will assist with LEAPS long-term goal of creating a new opportunity for students to gain scholarships to college via the sport of lacrosse.

·         Homework support. Tutors will assist students with the completion of their daily assigned homework from their classroom teachers. This will involve worksheets, projects and studying for upcoming assessments.  

·         Students will sign a contract to ensure they are bringing home the appropriate materials for successful completion of daily homework assignments. 

·         Tutors will utilize and revisit the classroom teacher and parent surveys to understand the child’s strengths and weaknesses. 

·         Tutors will evaluate the students performance after each session

LEAPS Educational Support, Phase 2

·         Tutors will begin to supplement tutoring sessions with additional age appropriate resources that align with the state standards for their grade. This can include math flash cards to review and increase the speed and accuracy of math facts. Playing reading games that help foster a greater interest in reading as a recreational activity as well as support the comprehension strategies that are being taught in class. 

·         LEAPS will provide organizational materials that will guide the students on a path of organizational responsibility. These may include but are not limited to: binders, hole punched paper, various color folders, pencil cases, pencils, pens, coloring materials, highlighters and note cards. Students will set up their binder to limit the amount of materials that should be brought home daily. The minimization of the materials will create an easy transition for the students to go from school to home to the tutoring sessions. 

·         Tutors will introduce a various study skills. This will show the students how to prepare for an upcoming exam. Lessons on how to create a study guide as well as appropriate note taking skills will need to take place to ensure students ability to apply the same strategies independently.  

·         Parent visitation to meet the tutor and to discuss progress that is being made during the sessions. Parents will provide input as to the relationship formed between the child and tutor and any feedback from the classroom teacher.

LEAPS Educational Support, Phase 3

·         Students will partake in educational field trips that will build their prior knowledge. Most students struggle with reading not because of their decoding ability, but rather the connections they make with the text. Without a variety of experiences students are limited to understanding the text. Field trips can include: trips to museums, going to see a play, seeing a sporting event and any educational experience will widen their view of the world and allow them to understand non-fiction text better.  

·         Students will participate in literature circles. Tutors and students will read the same literature and have guided discussions about the text. Literature circles promote critical thinking skills that will be needed throughout their life. Learning how to share your opinion appropriately will be modeled by the tutors.