June 15, 2016
School’s in for summer Learn & Play
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Smart eats for summer
Community Voices
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By Dr. Rance Thomas
Students raise their hands in class at the Barrington Elementary School summer school program.
Photo courtesy Hazelwood School District
Summer school programs look to give students a leg up in the classroom
Around Town
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Business
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Emotional attachment
By Sara Hardin School bells are still ringing for many students as summer school programs begin this month. Many schools are currently applying summer instruction that serves to invigorate and extend the learning process past the limits of the normal school year. “Research tells us that a lot of times, schools have to spend the beginning weeks of school remediating or going back over content from the prior year,” said Dr. Candice Carter-Oliver, Assistant Superintendent of the Normandy School District. “If reaffirming skills isn’t happening regularly over the summer time, children experience a lull. Summer learning is a way to provide enrichment, enhancement and fun, along with the academic core.” Modern summer school programs offer instruction that is tailored to students based on their grade level and performance levels in given subjects. The dated assumption that summer school serves strictly remedial or disciplinary purposes for students is being laid to rest, as there is something available for learners with all types of interests and learning styles. “Participating in summer school doesn’t mean that you have to be deficient in a particular skill area,” said Bonita Jamison, Assistant Superintendent
of Student Support Services for the Riverview Gardens School District. “We are really looking at taking an interestbased approach to develop our program to ensure that student engagement is high, which then increases the likelihood of students actually participating. I believe that we should always take a differentiated approach to meeting the needs of students. If students are not engaged, they are not going to interact and grasp the content that is being taught.” Opportunities for recreational activities and hands-on learning ensure that students stay motivated and engaged in their lessons while giving them a chance to have a bit of summer vacation fun. A holistic approach to summer instruction allows the implementation of fundamental skills such as literacy, critical thinking skills and social and emotional development. “The instruction during the summer has a greater focus on collaboration and hands-on activities,” said Dr. Jeff Haug, Assistant Superintendent of the Hazelwood School District. “At the elementary level, the primary focus of the curriculum is to develop students’ language, literacy and critical thinking skills through differentiated instruction. In addition to integrating reading and writing into all classroom activities
and lessons, students will be given daily instruction in math concepts, reasoning, and problem solving.” Summer programs have been found to be critical in narrowing achievement gaps while offering students more personalized instruction. “Normandy has seen improvements in our APR [Annual Performance Report] and are expecting improvements in 2016 as well. We believe that these actions are See SCHOOL page 2
New Montessori Middle School
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