The North Santiam School District has opened three summer programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12.
“Our K-8 program will support students by working on foundational ELL and math skills,” said Dave Bolin, NSSD’s assistant superintendent. “Our summer school program will concentrate on the recovery of skills that some students may need extra support with to be more prepared and successful in the coming school year.”
Targeted for skill development, Summer School, including the session for English Language Learners, runs five weeks from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday, from now until July 30.
“We will focus on students who have struggled in this challenging school year by keeping class sizes small and reinforcing concepts that they learned throughout the school year,” Bolin said. “We also want to continue to support student’s social and emotional needs as well. We will offer STEAM enrichment activities beyond the focused learning time. We want to do all we can to provide enrichment activities to make the learning experience fun and inviting so kids will want to come.”
According to Bolin, Stayton High School will utilize and online credit recovery program for core classes and teacher-led courses for arts, including choir, band, art and theater.
“Additionally, our Transitions students will have a half-day of teacher-led instruction, focusing on cooking and the Life Skills students will work at the Aumsville food bank in the afternoon,” Bolin said.
“We will be offering meal services, both breakfast and lunch. Several teachers will be offering extension activities in STEM and CTE courses for students.”
The Algebra Readiness – AVID Summer Bridge Program prepares high school students who need acceleration in algebra skills, by providing an interactive, hands-on math program designed to get students’ brains moving while learning advanced math concepts, Bolin said.
“Focusing on math acceleration will help student engage in as many educational options as possible, including being prepared to enter a four-year university, and helps students stay on track for graduation,” he said.
Summer Extension is designed as an enrichment program for after-school and will include field trips, educational activities, and visits from organizations such as OMSI. Designed for students K-12, the high school activities will focus on credit recovery.
So far, approximately 250 students and 50 staff will participate in the summer programs, which are funded by one-time special funds provided by the state of Oregon. According to Bolin, two grants written and approved by NSSD, the K-8 Summer Enrichment Program Grant and Summer Academic Support Grants for 9-12 are funded by HB 5042A, and requires 20 percent in matching funds from the district.
The House Bill authorized the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to make available $195.6 million General Fund and $10 million Federal Funds in grant funding to participating school districts for academic summer school to support high school students facing academic credit loss, summer enrichment programs, and wrap-around child care.
“This is a great opportunity for kids and for our schools,” Bolin said. “Some of the opportunities include funding for new technology which can also be carried over into the next school year to improve instruction at all schools in the district.”
“We have several fun extension activities opportunities planned for any K-8 student to participate in,” he said. “OMSI will be on site and several teachers are offering fun after school extensions that will be fun for students. Robotics, art, 3D printing, field trips and more!”
For more information, call the NSSD office at 503-769-1582 or 503-769-5935.
