Congratulations and welcome to the beginning of an expansive program for your child that will change his or her life forever. When Genie Academy was founded over ten years ago, we had the idea to utilize a new take on learning. We wanted to create a program that included the power of visualization. We realize that every child has the ability to become a genius. When children are properly trained at a young age, anything is possible.
We created a parent guide for our family at Genie Academy. This is because a child’s parent has a huge impact on the pace their child learns. We want your child to be as successful as possible. We ask all parents to assist their children with homework and provide them with a work environment that will promote high retention, comfortability, and motivation.
We know that parenting is tough. That’s why we have made your child’s learning experience both easy and fun. With our college-educated teachers, our individualized learning approach, and our regular assessments to keep your child on track, we can guarantee that with your help, child will complete our program with the tools and life skills that will serve them indefinitely.
What Makes Genie Academy Different?
We teach mental math using Ancient Techniques:
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At Genie Academy, we teach our students math utilizing an ancient tool called the abacus. It is a system that utilizes beads to count and it has the capacity to perform both simple and very complex math problems. Did you know that abacus is a Latin word meaning sand tray? Read about the science behind the abacus as well as the short term and long term benefits of utilizing the abacus to practice math here.
Assessments:
Genie Academy focuses on developing one skill at a time to maximize efficiency. We hold assessments to focus and hone in on your child’s strengths and weaknesses. We don’t want your child to be bored with their material. We seek to challenge them and keep them engaged at all times. While we recognize the individuality of each child, we have tailored our assessments within common core, reading, and writing to show us exactly what your child is struggling with.
This is why we focus on one book per subject at a time. We provide the foundation for confident learning. During typical school hours, your child may gravitate towards a particular subject because they naturally excel at it. They may strongly dislike or even become emotional over other subjects. We make sure that your child knows everything they need to know about a particular subject before they move on. We don’t pile on the material and hope some of it will stick, which is a common approach in regular school. Our curriculum is aligned with state mandates of all the material that should be covered per grade level.
Success Stories:
At over fifty success stories (and rapidly growing,) we are proud to promote the consistent ability of our students to get admitted into various gifted programs. We have our students regularly accepted into ivy league programs, competitive private schools, and even enable students to skip an entire grade. Our students earn various accolades and often score at the top of their classes. We have no doubt that your child has the ability to qualify for any and all gifted programs that your district offers.
Read our success stories here.
What Should Genie Academy Parents Expect During Each Class?
Mental Math:
- If you decide to enroll your child in Genie Academy abacus math classes, then your child will be performing and excelling at mental math on a regular basis. We practice "mentals" which is when your child imagines the abacus in their head to perform math problems using the abacus techniques they have been taught in class. This allows your child to perform mental math very quickly and helps them excel at school.
- Mentals are introduced to our students at a young age, and are practiced during each class as well as for homework.
Brief Yoga or Meditation at the beginning or end of class:
- At the beginning or end of each class, we take two-five minutes to practice mindful breathing and a guided visualization practice. This is to help your child prepare for more attentive learning and relax a potentially busy mind. If done at the end of class, it will help your child unwind, and consolidate all they have learned. This will help your child to enjoy learning more and accompany learning with feelings of calmness and relaxation. Whether or not the meditation is carried out at the beginning or end of a class is at the discretion of your child's teacher. Meditation practices will sometimes be skipped depending on the discretion of the teacher and overall class productivity.
- We also do this to teach your child emotional regulation tactics. They can practice whenever they are feeling distracted or nervous about their academics or a test. Feel free to schedule this practice into your child’s remote learning routine. While they may have trouble sitting still or taking the practice seriously at first, in time they will come to love it and benefit greatly.
Weekly Homework:
- Homework is necessary to help your child grasp the material, learn time management skills, and grow their ability to independently work and study. Homework must be completed on a weekly basis. Parents are encouraged to sit down and complete homework with their children, if possible. We ask parents to check their child's homework for completion and accuracy prior to their class each week. We provide an answer key for all Genie Academy math books here. We do not provide answer keys for Genie Academy reading books because since there are many written problems, the answers will vary greatly among students.
If homework is not completed by the student, it will be completed first thing for classwork. We will not have your child move on to new material when we are unsure if they have retained the material from the previous week’s class. If this is the case, the student may not get to the classwork assigned for that particular week. This may result in your child remaining on one book for an extended period of time. If homework is not completed and checked, it may hinder your child’s progress with their learning.
Conferences Before Next Book:
- At the completion of a book, your child will be administered a test to determine if they have retained everything they just learned from their book. When they pass with flying colors, which we are sure they will, there will be a conference with your child’s teacher. The teacher will thoroughly discuss your child’s strengths and any mistakes they made on the test. The teacher will give you their input on what the child is doing well at and any improvements they can make moving forward. This conference will prepare for the next book.
Sticker System for In-Person Students:
- At Genie Academy, we follow a sticker system to motivate students. The maximum number of stickers that can be given during one class is eleven. ( One is awarded for wearing their Genie Academy shirt.) Up to three stickers are awarded for behavior. Each student starts with three stars at the beginning of each class. Up to seven stickers may be awarded for the completion of homework from the previous week and classwork. Stickers can be exchanged for various prizes which vary based on the center your child attends.
- If there is extra time at the end of class, your child will put their own stickers onto their sticker sheet. This will help them learn their independence and fine motor skills.
- Stickers can be taken away during class if your child misbehaves. This will help establish rules and natural consequences that will play out if they should be broken.
Class Structure:
- The structure of your child’s class will vary slightly depending on a one hour or two hour class.
- In a one hour class, there will likely be no breaks unless a child specifically asks for a bathroom break. One bathroom break, if any is permitted per one hour class unless it is an emergency.
- In a two hour class, a five minute break will be given at the half-way point. This time can be used for snacking, bathroom breaks, stretching, or chatting with friends. Breaks are timed by the teacher using a timer. Some teachers may choose to end class five minutes early instead of giving a break. This is at the discretion of the teacher.
Class Size:
- At Genie Academy, we make it a priority to use every minute of class for productivity. At this time, our ratio for in-person classes does not exceed four or five. Following your child’s initial assessment, we will help you determine how your child will best succeed.
Parent Portal:
- The Parent Portal is a brand new Genie Academy feature. It is a website that enables parents to have access to their child's weekly schedule. When a parent clicks on the class, they will see the class time, teacher, and class link. The portal allows parents to self-schedule makeups when they need to miss a class. They can also see their child's assigned homework and teacher feedback for each class. Parents can reply directly to their teacher through the portal.
We are passionate about providing our students with the highest quality of education possible. They are the stars of the show! Genie Academy doesn't only make learning fun. Our teachers genuinely care about their students and easily build rapport with them.
Are you interested in signing up for a free class and assessment? Click here. We can't wait to meet you!
-The Genie Academy Team
