< Previous20 • Allegheny West Magazine • September/October 2021 y > Learning CurvesLearning Curves This information provided courtesy of George Hess DPT, COMT. He is the owner of and a physical therapist at Hess Physical Therapy. He is also the author of the book “Back To Normal.” He can be reached at his Kennedy location at 566 Pine Hollow Rd., Mckees Rocks, 15136, at (412) 771-1055, at his Crafton location at 37 Foster Ave., 15205, at (412) 458-3445, or by email: George@hesspt.com. BY GEORGE HESS, PT, DPT, COMT HESS PHYSICAL THERAPY Peripheral neuropathy refers to a problem with the peripheral nerves. These nerves send messages from the central nervous system, the brain and the spinal cord to the rest of the body. The peripheral nerves tell the body when, for example, the feet are cold. It can lead to tingling, prickling, numbness and muscle weakness in various parts of the body. Peripheral neuropathy can affect a range of different nerves, so it can impact a variety of locations in different ways. It can affect a single nerve or multiple nerves at the same time. It is also associated with a number of different underlying medical conditions. Sometimes there is no identifiable cause. Peripheral neuropathy affects approximately 20 million people in the U.S. What is peripheral neuropathy? Damaged myelin sheath of an unhealthy nerve. Healthy nerve cell Unhealthy nerve cell Quick facts about peripheral neuropathy Here are some facts about peripheral neuropathy: • Neuropathy is a common complication of a number of different medical conditions. • It can involve the motor nerves, the sensory nerves and the autonomic nerves. • Sometimes, it affects a single nerve or multiple nerves. • Physical trauma, infection, metabolic problems, repetitive injury, exposure to toxins and some drugs are all possible causes. • People with diabetes have a high risk of neuropathy. Learn more at our FREE screenings on Oct. 12. See next page for details:22 • Allegheny West Magazine • September/October 2021September/October 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 27 New School Year, New Experiences. Same Consistent Results With Kumon. In-Center And Virtual Classes Available To learn more, schedule an orientation today! © 2021 Kumon North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Kumon Math and Reading Center of Robinson Township Robinson Town Centre, 1940 Park Manor Blvd. Suite 512 Pittsburgh, PA 15205 robinsontownship_pa@ikumon.com | 412-790-6100 Study tips from Kumon Center of Robinson What is timing? Timing is defined as the period or point in time that something occurs. When we talk about academics, it is the time it takes to complete an assignment. At Kumon, time plays an important role in your child’s progress. Kumon worksheets have a spot for students to write down their start and end time. The time taken to complete the worksheets helps your child’s Kumon instructor determine how challenging or simple the set was for them to complete. What is accuracy? Accuracy is defined as the quality of being correct. This means how well your child completed an assignment or their Kumon worksheet set. Accuracy can determine how well your child knows the subject matter and how ready they are to advance. Accuracy is also another important component at Kumon. In fact, Kumon students are encouraged to correct any mistakes right away so that they are less likely to repeat the same mistake on future assignments. Why are timing and accuracy important? Timing and accuracy go hand in hand with one another because they help determine your child’s confidence in their work. A child might be able to rank a perfect score, but it might have taken them a long time to complete their assignment. They may not fully grasp the related concepts, they might have distractions, or they may not be confident enough to complete the work quickly. It is important for your child to feel comfortable with their assigned worksheets. This will help them seamlessly advance in their coursework. Keep an eye out for your child if they are completing work too quickly or if it is becoming too time consuming. This can be a sign that they are not studying at the right level. “Just-right” level of study The just-right level of study is the optimum level for each student to develop their academic and self-learning ability. It can be a comfortable level or a challenging one, depending on what is best for each student at different stages in their Kumon journey. Our instructors are constantly considering timing and accuracy by evaluating whether your child needs less work, more work, or that extra review to help them get ahead. What remains constant, however, is that the “just-right” level must always be a level at which students can repeatedly experience a sense of accomplishment and progress on their own without being taught. Kumon instructors continually challenge students to grow by gradually increasing the level of difficulty of the worksheets they assign, while also noticing and considering the increases in each student’s level of academic ability. BY SHANTHA BHARTHI, KUMON LEARNING CENTERS Shantha Bharthi is the Center Director of the Kumon Center of Robinson Township at Robinson Town Centre. Kumon instructors prepare individualized lesson plans for each child and support them as they progress through Kumon. To learn more and schedule a FREE parent orientation and student placement test, call the Kumon Center of Robinson Township at (412) 790-6100. y > Learning Curves Learning Curves28 • Allegheny West Magazine • September/October 2021July/August 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 29 Montour School District Superintendent’s Message Follow Dr. Stone on Twitter! @DR_CHRIS_STONE Dr. Christopher Stone Superintendent Montour School District Follow Montour School District @MontourSD Well, it is that time of year again... Back-to-school is a time of exciting new beginnings, from little ones walking into the elementary school for the very first time to high school seniors embarking upon their last year at Montour. We are pleased to help make these experiences memorable for our students! If you have had the privilege of working or spending time in any of our schools, hopefully you have recognized that the district prides itself in providing a world-class educational experience for all students. We are working hard to get back to normal, as it is our goal to stay in school, five days per week, and avoid any quarantines during this spike in COVID-19 cases. Montour started the school year by requiring students in K through 12 to mask, and is continuing to do so per the recent Pennsylvania Department of Health mandate. Below shows a quarantining example of when students are masked vs unmasked in a classroom setting. When students are masked, only the student who tests positive must quarantine. If they are unmasked, 30 to 50 students could have to isolate per incident, depending on the grade level and the number of classroom settings the positive student attended. What can parents and the community expect for the 2021-2022 school year? You can expect a full commitment to the District Core Values, which grounds everything that we do at Montour. We will continue to put our students first, and challenge all Montour stakeholders to commit themselves to a growth mindset. We will continue to notify the school community of COVID-19 cases in each building and regularly update our tracker. A protocol will be in place for any students not wearing a face covering within the school building, which may involve parents picking students up from school. Obviously, we greatly appreciate parental cooperation during this temporary mitigation period. On a positive note, we had an amazing kick-off with our teaching staff! The teachers received professional development on new programs and protocols, to include the growing of lasting relationships with students. The students at Montour amaze us every single day, and we share their successes on all platforms available to us. At the same time, we are constantly reviewing our achievements to set our sights on higher accomplishments, as we know there is always room for growth. We hope that you will join us, whether as a parent, a grandparent, a partner, a volunteer or an advocate. We appreciate your support and look forward to another amazing school year with 99.4% of our students back in the buildings! Lastly, we will continue to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students in accordance with USDA’s continuation of the program for the 2021-2022 school year. I am excited for an amazing school year. I hope you are too! Stay up to date at www.montourschools.com! Next >