Setting your Child up for Success!

Hi Guys,

        This first week of school has been great fun. I just want to let you know that we will be doing a bulk of the homework in class the first two weeks of the semester. The third week we'll do about half of it in class. Finally, during the fourth week, we'll be doing about a third of the weekly homework in class. After the first monthly test, starting in Week 7, all future homework will be done at home.

        There is a very important reason why I am doing this. The homework cycle for Third Grade is a quite challenging process. I really need to monitor the students to make sure they are doing it correctly. Once they learn how the homework cycle works, the class will be able to make great advancements in the English language.  If a student starts out doing this fundamental process all wrong for a few weeks, it becomes very difficult to "unlearn" the incorrect habits.
     
        On another important note, here are a few things I would like each student to start bringing to school or have in class on a daily basis.

1. Three highlighters -  Yellow,  Pink  and  Green. We use highlighters every day.
2. Wooden pencils - no automatic pencils, please! A pencil is a tool, not a toy. I have seen bored students wasting 5 to 10 minutes taking apart their pencils to put more lead in.
3. Colored pencils or markers for drawing and coloring.

Thanks and have a great week,

Mr. Kuhel

Welcome Back to School for Fall 2016

Dear Xin Min Parents,

        My name is Mr. Jeff Kuhel and I am very excited about this upcoming school year teaching the Third Grade. I am currently married to a wonderful Taiwanese woman, Cindy, who works as a molecular biologist conducting research on cancer at Taipei Medical University. Together, we have a lovely 8 year old daughter, Momo, who also will be entering 3rd grade this fall.

       To begin with, here’s a little about my teaching background. I have successfully taught thousands of hours of ESL in South America, Europe, and for the past 20 years in Taiwan. I have extensive experience across a broad spectrum, ranging from young beginners to near-native speakers

       For five years I was the head writer and editor at Caves Books.  I am a published author having written ESL textbooks specifically designed for native Chinese speakers at the elementary school level as well as junior high school, high school and beyond. Several of these titles help students prepare for the GEPT examination. I received my Bachelor’s degree from UCLA and I have also studied at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, the Sorbonne in Paris France and Cultural University in Taipei.

       I look forward to meeting you all at the Parent Teacher Conference on Saturday, September 24th. I am excited about cooperating with you throughout the coming school year to create the best education possible for your child.

Sincerely,

Jeff Kuhel