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Peters Elementary would like to thank the members of our caring & generous community! As families worked hard to recover from the pandemic this year, the administration at Peters Elementary wanted to lift the burden of the cost of off our community.

We decided a supply drive was in order. A post was made on social media expressing a need for earbuds, an expensive item that has been difficult to collect in the past. Within 24 hours, we had enough donations to outfit every child at school with a pair of earbuds. PTA President Jessica Valenzuela said, “This community has poured such love into Peters [Elementary] this spring, it’s touched every parent and staff member’s heart”. “Our vision of what we want to provide to our students and staff often largely outweighs what our budget allows. We had high hopes and asked our community and sponsors, and they did not disappoint us! We were able to provide basic school supplies during the 2020-2021 school year and will be able to do so again for 2021-2022, thanks to their generosity. We even had two beautiful murals painted. We are so fortunate to have such a loving community” said Peters Elementary Principal, Susanna Deutsch.

Because of our community’s love & generosity, the Administration, & PTA were able to work beside other Plantation schools to bring this project to life on February 11th, 2021. People from all over our beautiful city and beyond donated new mugs for our Kindness Cups initiative. We delivered mugs of hot chocolate & candy to Plantation’s first responders. The morning began at the Police Department where 200 mugs were delivered to men & women who are on call to serve our community every day. The caravan of love continued at the Fire Department where principals, counselors and PTA members spread love for the BCPS Day of Service. This was just a small thank you from our enormously appreciative community of Plantation schools.

Principal Deutsch was also the catalyst behind another PTA & donor funded project, The Kindness Matters Project, this year. Art Teacher, Krystal Applebaum, local artist Robert Rollins, along with a generous donation from a corporate sponsor Complete Property Services, made magic happen by creating a breathtaking mural to remind everyone on campus that Kindness Matters! The mural brightens the school & teaches the important lesson of inclusivity and kindness. In addition, a sensational pair of Panda Parents have brought the school’s main entrance to life with another exciting mural! Bright colors of the rainbow adorn the pillars. Handprints spell out “Rise Up” in American Sign Language in a free-hand painted mural that is encouraging to every Panda passerby! Our school is looking as vibrant and brilliant as the children walking its halls, and the Plantation community has played an instrumental role in its success.

There truly are GREAT things happening at Peters Elementary! We can hardly wait to welcome all our Pandas back in the Fall!!

Peters Elementary is located at 851 NW 68th Avenue, Plantation 33317 and may be reached at (754) 322-7900.

Students often experience gaps in their learning when a particular concept or subject taught in school was not fully understood. Here’s why learning gaps are a problem – and how to fix them!

When talking about learning gaps, it’s important to understand how they form. Learning is based on educational building blocks (in the sense that new knowledge “builds” upon previous concepts that have been taught). Teachers have to cover a lot of content each year, and sometimes the class needs to move on to the next chapter. If a student didn’t really “get it” – there’s a good chance that any future concepts that rely on understanding this knowledge are going to be even more difficult to grasp. This is how learning gaps begin to form.

Learning gaps have always been common in education, but the last year has been especially difficult for students. The transition to online learning has been a lot tougher on some students than others, and unfortunately this has led to an increase in learning gaps. The issue is compounded for students who were let out from school early in 2020, with some experiencing over 6 months of “down time” before starting virtual classes in the fall. This “COVID slide” compounded existing learning gaps that have always existed.

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to addressing learning gaps is that students themselves are not always aware of why they are struggling. As a result, identifying learning gaps should be the first step any tutor or academic coach takes in order to create an individualized plan for the student moving forward.

In general, the best way to address learning gaps is simple – go back and revisit the areas that need extra work. Although this seems like an obvious answer, remember that learning gaps form because students are often forced to “move on” with their class’s pace, regardless of whether or not they have gained a firm understanding of the concept being taught. Tutors have the unique ability to go back and revisit previous topics and subjects that weren’t clear, working one on one at the student’s pace. As the student gains clarity into concepts that were not understood previously, the gaps in their learning will gradually begin to close.

In summary, we’d recommend taking a three-step approach when dealing with learning gaps: • Understand why learning gaps form. • Identify specific gaps in the student’s learning. • Work with a teacher, tutor, or academic coach and revisit previous material.

Once learning gaps begin to close, students often see huge improvements in both their grades as well as their overall attitude towards academics. Learning is constantly about moving forward and building upon previous knowledge, so it’s incredibly important for students to have a firm academic foundation in all subjects.

Tutor Doctor South Fort Lauderdale provides one-to-one in-home and online tutoring for all ages and all subjects. We meet students where they are, to get them where they need to go. Contact us today to schedule your free in-home consultation (954) 440-5544 https://www.tutordoctor.com/ftl .