In our first edition of Potential for 2022, we focus on how Kumon provides each student with skills and capabilities that enable them to have a bright future.
We hope you enjoy reading!
The Kumon NSW team at the 2021 Kumon State Combined Carnival in Wollongong.
Kumon Australia and New Zealand is proud to continue our support of Little Athletics NSW throughout 2022.
Students and athletes understand the importance of persistence, practice and hard work in order to achieve results. This is why Kumon will continue to support Little Athletics NSW throughout 2022.
“We welcome the continuation of our partnership with Little Athletics NSW”, said Steven Sou, Division Leader of Kumon NSW.
“We are confident this will help even more young children grow into confident, well-rounded adults who thrive both inside and outside the classroom.”
The ongoing partnership means that Kumon will sponsor the 2022 Kumon State Combined Carnival, to be held from Saturday 6 March to Sunday 7 March in Maitland, the Little Athletics NSW Coach of the Year Award, and will support various local Little Athletics NSW events throughout 2022.
Should you wish to learn more, contact Kumon via our enquiry form.
Kane (left) with his brother Kyle (right), who is also a completer of the Kumon English programme.
For Kane, 18 years old, the Kumon Mathematics and English programmes helped him to excel in school, think differently, and build the confidence to pursue his ambitions as he enters university.
Kane, a recent Melbourne High School graduate selected to pursue a degree in commerce at the University of Melbourne in 2022, was enrolled into Kumon Mathematics and English while in Year 2 of primary school.
Kane went onto reach the final levels of Kumon Mathematics, where he studied advanced differentiation, integration, and differential equations. Kane also completed the whole Kumon English programme in Year 6, meaning he developed a high level of reading comprehension ability at a relatively young age.
The support Kane received from Kumon Mathematics and English benefited him greatly throughout school, he says.
“I think the Kumon English programme, particularly, allowed me to enjoy reading a bit more than I would’ve if I wasn’t enrolled”, Kane says. “This is because Kumon gives you a lot of range with the reading, and gave you a lot of good books that did interest me. It got me excited about English as a subject”.
“Kumon Mathematics allowed me to think outside the box. It exposed me to a lot of concepts that I wouldn’t normally be exposed to at that age”, he says.
Kane wants to start his own business after graduating from university. He also writes as a hobby, with many of his pieces published on his blog. Kane says that along with helping to improve in reading comprehension, Kumon English helped him to grow as a writer.
“Kumon English, especially the later levels, helped me to derive my own ideas from stuff that’s already written”, he says. “It also just helped me to love to read. I think that’s what’s allowed me to generate ideas of my own and share ideas that I found in books to other people on the blog”.
To learn more about how Kumon Mathematics and English can help your child throughout school and beyond, contact your nearest Kumon centre: https://www.kumonsearch.com.au/ (AU) or https://www.kumonsearch.co.nz/ (NZ)
*Kane and Kyle are children of a current Kumon Instructor
Elin, studying Kumon English more than one year ahead of her school grade.
Since he is not a native English speaker himself, Jun wanted his daughter, Elin, to receive some extra support in building a strong reading comprehension ability. So, he enrolled Elin into the Kumon English programme.
Elin, six years old and now in Year 1 in school, studies the Kumon English programme one year ahead of her school grade level. She is gradually improving her ability to read aloud and will soon learn to begin reading silently. Jun says he has seen consistent improvement in Elin’s English ability since she started Kumon.
“She’s much better than last year because she started Kumon when she was in kindergarten, four years old”, Jun says. “I think she will build stronger skills through Kumon, like reading, writing, and a strong vocabulary. She is more comfortable to go to school. I can it in see her face, her smiles when she speaks English more, and her confidence”.
Jun also says the daily study habit and self-learning ability, that Elin is developing through Kumon, will be of lifelong benefit for her throughout school and beyond.
“Self-learning is most important in high school”, Jun says. “Sometimes, we still help the kids with their school homework. But one day, the homework from school will be too hard for us, so they’ll need to study it by themselves, figure it out and face the challenge.”
Elin says her favourite thing about Kumon English is that it helps her to learn more words. She hopes to become a nurse or doctor when she grows up.
The Kumon English programme builds a high level of reading comprehension ability. To inspire students to read widely, the worksheets contain more extracts from published texts than any other reading programme in the world. They are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, from the simplest to the most complex.
The worksheets begin with familiar words, phrases and short sentences. Students then learn to read and write by sounding short vowels, consonants and sound parts; tracing, copying and writing words; and reading aloud short passages. They progress to reading and writing simple and complex sentences, and comprehending paragraphs. The worksheets culminate in summarising and critical reading.
To learn about how the Kumon English programme could help your child, contact your nearest Kumon centre: https://www.kumonsearch.com.au/
Kumon Instructors and staff at Little Athletics South Australia’s Kumon PB Classic.
Kumon Australia and New Zealand is committed to helping children realise their potential.
Our Kumon centres achieve this goal through instruction of the individualised mathematics and English programmes that develop fundamental mental calculation and reading comprehension skills in our students, as well as confidence in the classroom and the ability to self-learn. This benefits our students throughout their schooling, in tertiary education, and beyond.
At the same time, Kumon recognises the importance for children to grow into healthy, well-rounded adults who thrive outside the classroom. For this reason, Kumon recently partnered with children’s sporting associations, including Little Athletics organisations in New Zealand, Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory, as well as Basketball Victoria and Surf Lifesaving Queensland.
Whether on the track, the basketball court, or in the surf, these organisations all help children to realise their potential. They provide children an opportunity to socialise, develop skills and confidence, and many of them teach children the importance of practise and persistence, as does Kumon Mathematics and English.
We look forward to continuing our partnerships with all these organisations in 2022 and to furthering our contribution to the community. Should you wish to learn more, please contact us via this form: https://au.kumonglobal.com/contact-us/general-enquiry/
We are pleased to announce that Kumon Australia is partnering with Little Athletics ACT. Both organisations are committed to developing children of all ages and abilities.
Students and athletes recognise the importance of persistence and practice to achieve results, so both organisations are working together throughout 2022.
“Kumon students understand that the right amount of practise in maths and English is beneficial for their progress”, says Steven Sou, Division Leader of Kumon ACT. “This is similar to young athletes who keep practising until they achieve their goals on the track”.
“Kumon is thrilled to expand our support of Little Athletics to the ACT. We are confident this will help even more young children grow into confident, well-rounded adults”.
Matthew Wade, Manager of Growth and Development at Little Athletics ACT, says they are delighted to partner with Kumon.
“Kumon are already heavily involved in the Little Athletics community throughout Australia, and play a huge role in little athletes from New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, and now the ACT, achieving their best”, he says.
“To have a brand such as Kumon on board, whose values are so similar to our own in terms of continued individual development and a ‘be your best’ attitude, it really is exciting for the overall development for everyone involved in the sport”.
To learn more about this partnership, please contact Kumon via our enquiry form: https://au.kumonglobal.com/contact-us/general-enquiry/
Esmael with his Kumon medals.
Starting school for the very first time can be an exciting, yet daunting step for children and their parents. But for 5-year-old Esmael, a smooth transition from kindergarten is likely, given the preparation he’s been doing with Kumon Mathematics and English.
Esmael studies both Kumon Mathematics and English programmes one year ahead of his school grade level level, meaning he has already covered the fundamental maths and reading concepts that he will encounter in Year 1.
For his mother Samsam, this is extra reassurance that Esmael will thrive at school.
“Esmael’s gained so much confidence and focus”, Samsam says. “Now he doesn’t get distracted as quickly as he used to. Even with the background noise or the other kids asking questions, he still concentrates and just focuses on his task.”
“I think that will really help him with starting school and I wouldn’t really worry about the academic aspect of school”, she says. “He can just focus more on developing social skills and making friends”.
Samsam says prior to enrolling Esmael into Kumon, she was trying to prepare him for school on her own. However, she found this to be a challenge, especially as this took place during Melbourne’s extended 2020 lockdown.
“During the pandemic, I was trying to teach him at home by myself and I found it quite challenging”, Samsam explains. “So, I wanted someone to help me at least get the basics correct, like his pencil grip and basic writing.”
Esmael says he likes Kumon and that it’s helping him to become a better learner. He wants to become a police officer when he grows up. Samsam says no matter what path Esmael chooses to pursue as an adult, that the fundamental mathematics and reading skills he is learning at Kumon will be of benefit.
“Esmael does both English and maths with Kumon. So, if he changes his mind and decides to have a career in STEM, he will already have that strong maths knowledge”, Samsam says.
“Regardless of what career Esmael chooses, it’s really important for him to have those strong communication skills, both written and verbal, to have good grammar, good sentence structure, because regardless of what you do, it’s really important to have solid communication skills.”
To learn more about how Kumon Mathematics and English could benefit your child when they start school and beyond, contact your nearest Kumon centre: https://www.kumonsearch.com.au/ (AU) and https://www.kumonsearch.co.nz/ (NZ)
Through solving advanced mathematics such as differentiation and trigonometry, siblings Lutanda and Malaika are way ahead of the curve.
Lutanda (left) with older sister Malaika (right) at the 2019 Kumon Advanced Student Forum in Adelaide.
Lutanda, 12 years old and in Year 6, and Malaika, 14 years old and in Year 8, both study the Kumon Mathematics programme more than five years ahead of their school grade level. At Kumon, they are comfortably studying complex mathematics that they would not have otherwise been introduced to until Year 11 or 12 in high school.
Kumon Mathematics develops quick, precise calculation skills necessary for the study of high school mathematics, and students progress at a rate determined by their ability, not age. It is a comprehensive programme, including topics such as number recognition, counting and writing; the four basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; fractions and decimals; and algebra, equations, functions and calculus. Each worksheet builds on what has come before and prepares students for what comes next.
Malaika says Kumon has helped her greatly, both in mathematics and elsewhere.
“I find school maths easy to do and I’ve been placed in the top maths class at school”, she says. “I also believe that Kumon helps me in other subjects, such as science, especially when we are dealing with figures and numbers”.
Malaika says Kumon has boosted her ability to focus and remain disciplined, which helps her both in school, and in competitive tennis and athletics.
“Kumon plays a major part in the discipline I apply when training for my competitions”, Malaika says. “This is the discipline that I have had since I’ve been doing Kumon from when I was in year two”.
Lutanda says that Kumon has helped him greatly in school and to develop discipline, which he applies to his schoolwork, swimming, and tennis. He also says Kumon helped him to build perseverance.
“For example, when I find some school work challenging, I do not give up and keep on trying until I understand what I’m meant to be doing”, Lutanda says.
In recognition of their achievements in Kumon Mathematics, Lutanda and Malaika were invited to Kumon’s 2021 Virtual Advanced Student Forum, held each year in November. Despite moving to a virtual format due to the pandemic, this forum is where Kumon’s highest achieving students are celebrated. Attending students also hear from a range of guest speakers and have the opportunity to network with one another.
“It’s always great to be invited to Advanced Student Forum”, Lutanda says. “This is the fifth time that I’ve been invited and I always get inspired when I listen to the stories that the invited guests share with us. I also find the environment to be very motivating”.
Musenje, Malaika and Lutanda’s mother, says she is proud of both of her children for their achievements in Kumon.
“I’m ever so proud of them and proud of their achievements, and really appreciative of all the hard work that they put in”, Musenje says. “It just goes to show that if you put your mind to something and you work really hard, something is going to pay off”.
Mischa, aspiring author and studying Kumon English more than five years ahead of school grade.
Nine-year-old Mischa dreams of becoming an author, and is preparing now by studying Kumon English more than five years ahead of her school grade.
Mischa, now just finishing up Year 4 at school, was enrolled into the Kumon English programme at the age of three. Now, Mischa is covering critical literature analysis in Kumon English, a topic she would not have been otherwise exposed to until Year 11.
Mischa says there have been two big benefits of Kumon English for her reading and writing.
“Firstly, I’ve always been a fast reader and I think Kumon helped tremendously. Secondly, and most importantly, Kumon English has given me confidence and tips in writing interesting and well-worded compositions, particularly when answering questions in paragraphs or writing text pieces like poems”, Mischa says.
The Kumon English programme develops a high level of reading comprehension ability in students. To inspire students to read widely, the worksheets contain more extracts from published texts than any other reading programme in the world. Mischa says the text extracts in particular helped her to become a better writer.
“Many of the examples of pieces by excellent authors in the Kumon English worksheets have also helped me to build up my own writing style”, Mischa says.
“I especially liked answering questions about these stories, it really makes me think and become interested in them. I sometimes try to incorporate these authors’ styles into my own writing”.
In recognition of her achievements in Kumon English, Mischa was invited to Kumon’s 2021 Virtual Advanced Student Forum, held each year in November. Despite moving to a virtual format due to the pandemic, this forum is where Kumon’s highest achieving students are celebrated. Attending students also hear from a range of guest speakers and have the opportunity to network with one another.
Mischa says she is looking forward to event. Finishing the whole Kumon English programme is her next goal and step towards becoming an author.
“While it’s great that I’m doing such advanced work, it’s not my biggest goal. Now it’s in the past, and I’m still striving towards the completion of the Kumon English programme”, she says.
Noreen, Mischa’s mother, says that Kumon English can boost any child’s reading ability.
“It’s worth giving it a try. It has encouraged my child to read from a variety of books and other materials that interest her, for an extended period of time”, Noreen says.
“She would even ask me to buy those books that she read from her Kumon worksheets”.
Kumon Australia and New Zealand is proud to announce a new partnership with Basketball Victoria to help young people realise their potential.
Throughout this partnership, Kumon will have naming rights to the Kumon Country Metro Challenge and Kumon Classic tournaments.
The Kumon Country Metro Challenge, held in January 2022, is a brand-new all-Victorian tournament to give young athletes a chance to hone their skills and develop within the Victorian High Performance pathway as part of elite preparation for Australian Junior Championships.
The Kumon Classic is held on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June each year, and the 2022-event will be the first after a two-year hiatus due to lockdowns and border closures. The elite tournament features 128 of Australia’s best junior basketball teams across Under-12, Under-14, Under-16, and Under-18 boys and girls age groups, and is a highlight on the Australian basketball calendar.
Scott Quilty, Division Leader of Kumon Victoria, says this partnership will help Kumon connect with local families while supporting the work of Basketball Victoria.
“We are proud to support an organisation like Basketball Victoria that shares our passion for helping young people to reach their potential”, he says.
“Kumon provides children with strong skills in mathematics and English, and the confidence to excel academically. We see this partnership as a way for both of our organisations to help children grow into confident, well-rounded adults”.
Nick Honey, CEO of Basketball Victoria, says this partnership demonstrates both organisations’ commitment to children’s development.
“Kumon and Basketball Victoria know just how important it is to give high-level opportunities for young people to develop”, Honey says.
“Our organisations both encourage children and teenagers to find ways to succeed and thrive – whether it’s on the basketball court, in the classroom, or on the way to joining the professional workplace”.
To learn more about the partnership, please contact Kumon via our enquiry form: https://au.kumonglobal.com/contact-us/general-enquiry/
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