Though the regular school year is coming to a close this week, hundreds of Denair students and instructors already are making plans to participate in summer classes that will be held until late June.
For elementary-age children, summer school is a time for continued enrichment in core subjects like English, math and science to improve their knowledge and prepare them for the next grade level. Classes begin May 29 at Denair Elementary Charter Academy and run through June 27.
For high school students, summer is an important opportunity to earn credits in courses they failed so they can get back on track to graduate. Classes run June 2-30 at Denair Charter Academy.
At DECA, current transitional kindergarten through sixth-graders are eligible to participate in summer school. As of Monday morning, 215 students are signed up.
The focus of the program, explained Principal Robert Moore, is continued education and enrichment opportunities to keep students engaged during the summer.
“We want staff to take this opportunity to continue giving students the tools to become strong readers or even build upon the foundations that have already been established throughout the year,” he said. “We will continue to provide some interventions this year to strengthen our authentic literacy skills in small groups or individually as well.”
Moore said summer school teachers are encouraged to do longer projects that sometimes get squeezed out in the regular school year.
“The summer program really gives the opportunities to integrate science as well due to its hands-on and project-based nature,” he said.
Instruction that helps with students’ social emotional development also is part of DECA’s summer program, Moore said.
Classes at DECA begin at 8:30 a.m., but many students arrive beginning at 7:30 to take advantage of the free breakfasts that are offered. Classes run until 11:30 a.m. when students are fed a free lunch and have recess.
The afternoon enrichment includes a rotation of fun activities until 4:30 p.m., Moore said. There is a snack for students in the afternoon. Parents are allowed to pick students up any time after the morning instructional period ends.
“I am excited for another successful summer program where we can continue to serve the families in the community by continuing to provide learning experiences and also giving students some shared experiences that will hopefully build their relationships with our school staff,” Moore said.
At DCA, the learning atmosphere is decidedly more serious than what exists next door at DECA. That’s because – for many students – the ability to earn a high school diploma is literally on the line. Students who have failed classes must retake them to receive those all-important credits that will allow them to graduate.
There are two tracks toward credit recovery available at DCA. Both have roughly 30 students enrolled this summer.
The first is independent study – where the students do the bulk of their work at home on a computer and come to campus once a week to meet with their teacher. This is the path taken by students who attend DCA the rest of the year. They can choose from courses in math, English, careers, art, history, science, physical education and computer literacy.
The second option is cyber high, which requires students to physically come to campus five days a week from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This is the favored alternative of students who attend Denair High and need to make up classes in math, English, health or social science. They typically take one intensive online course at a time. Once they pass the first, they move on to the next one.
