Sign-up for Excel Academy SBAC Prep → Understand your Child’s SBAC Testing Your child’s SBAC testing (Smarter Balanced Assessments) plays a key role in measuring progress for students in grades 3 through 8. These assessments are used by school districts in over a dozen states, including Nevada, to ensure students are meeting academic standards. Nevada [...]

What to do after Getting Deferred on College Application: A Practical Guide with Letter of Continued Interest template Disappointed, deflated, dejected – – all common and valid feelings upon learning the deferral status on your Early Decision application to your top choice school. But what to do after getting deferred? Of course, your first reaction [...]

Is Chess good for a Child?♟️ Parents may wonder if chess is good for a child. The answer is an emphatic “Yes”! When considering activities for primary grades, chess is an option right up there with soccer team and piano lessons. Studies show that chess is good for a child. It provides a significant boost [...]

Sign-up for Excel Academy College Counseling Workshop → Applying for College Scholarships: Timelines, Tips, To-Do Lists An 80’s one-hit wonder may have summed it up best with their song, “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”. With a wide range of resources and opportunities available when applying for college scholarships, your future can be [...]

College Regular Decision Deadlines Align with Holiday Season You’ve gorged on Turkey, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, cheered through Thanksgiving day football games, and shopped Black Friday /Cyber Monday deals. Now with the days of Advent counting down, Yuletide season is officially upon us – – and while It’s not a traditional holiday pastime, Regular [...]

Sign-up for Excel Academy College Counseling Workshop → ⏰ Don’t Miss Early Decision College DEADLINES October-November! Submitting Early Action or Early Decision for college? Early Decision or Action applications can add significant weight to your first preferences. Studies over the years have shown an Early Decision college application can equate to an increase of as [...]

Sign-up for Excel Academy College Counseling Workshop → ⏱Make Your College Common Application Count! According to an expose of the 2024 admissions season published in New York Magazine, the average admissions officer devotes 15 minutes or less to their initial once-over for each application! With over 1000 colleges and universities accepting the College Common Application, [...]

🧘‍♀️Students in the Classroom Benefit from Meaningful Downtime Activities School curriculum provides structured learning. Organized athletics or other extracurriculars provide structured non-academic activity. What else do students in school need? The answer is: Downtime. But downtime does not have to be meaningless. Free play, reading for pleasure, video gaming and IRL social interaction are common [...]

🇺🇸 Spark Students’ Success Through Fourth of July Themes 🇺🇸 July 4th – Independence Day – is not only a time for family, friends and fireworks, but also an opportunity to inspire your student and keep their spirit of learning engaged during summer break. _____________________________________________________________ 💦 Make a different kind of splash and dive into [...]