Special New 3-Session SAT Retreat Administration for Students and their Parents
This program emphasizes holistic elements necessary for personal best performance on the SAT.
Because this special administration of the SAT Retreat invites parents to be a part of the learning experience, at least one parent must be present at each of the 3 sessions. Parents can alternate attendance.
LOCATION: Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School, 1733 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130
RETREAT DIRECTORS: Dr. Patricia Sisca Pace and Fr. George Bur, SJ President of Saint Joseph’s Prep
DATE AND TIMES:
Session 1: Sunday, March 25, 10:45a.m. to 12:45p.m.
Session 2: Sunday April 1, 10:45a.m. to 12:15p.m.
Session 3: Monday Evening, April 2, 6:30p.m. to 8:30p.m.
COST: $180, includes 2 retreat workbooks, CD, trade book (covers both parents and 1 student)
ENROLLMENT is limited to 15 families. Students from Saint Joseph’s Prep are extended preferential enrollment until February 29, at which point students from any school can enroll.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This 3-session program emphasizes important holistic elements of test-taking to promote health of mind, body, emotions, and spirit. It educates the whole person by providing useful techniques for dealing with non-academic factors (such as test-anxiety, distractions, low-confidence, and boredom) that thwart personal best performance. Students are taught and then shown how to use those techniques on real SAT Math, Critical Reading, Grammar, and Essay questions.
Before both Sunday sessions, participants are invited to attend Mass, celebrated by Fr. Bur at 10a.m. in the Prep’s Chapel. On the first Sunday, after a brief introduction to the SAT Retreat and its effects, students and their parents will be immersed in the first 3 segments of the retreat, which focus on emotions. Upon completion, parents will gather to deepen their understanding of how they can reinforce the techniques at home, while the students are being shown how to apply the techniques to actual SAT problems.
The second session, with its emphasis on body, follows a similar format. In the last session, which spotlights the spirit, parents are again invited to learn how to reinforce the retreat techniques at home while students apply the approach to essay writing.
SAT Retreat evaluation sample from SJP students at last year’s program:
- Not many people realize that a well-balanced mix of mind, body, and spirit is incredibly important to a person to be able to take a test like the SAT and perform at the highest of his/her abilities.
- Physical and mental control greatly helped me overcome some of my own issues that I have not only with the SAT but also in life.
- The realization that I can do this.
- I gained a deep understanding of how to move forward in finding my true self.
- I thought the total approach was awesome. I truly believe that this type of approach and focus truly works.