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DCPS Gears Up for Summer of Learning and Exploration

Tuesday, June 3, 2014
DCPS Gears Up for Summer of Learning and Exploration

District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has an exciting array of programs, offerings and academic experiences planned for the summer months for students. Academic and enrichment opportunities are available for all students, including students with disabilities and English Language Learners. This summer in particular, DCPS is offering a variety of brand new programs that focus on engaging middle grade students, consistent with budget priorities for the upcoming school year, as well as key goals in DCPS’ A Capital Commitment, the district’s strategic plan to improve education for all students by 2017. DCPS has also purchased $200,000 in books for every preK to fifth grade student in the targeted lowest performing schools to read over the summer. In addition, DCPS will offer summer meals, including breakfast and lunch, to any school age child at 49 schools across the city. Seats are still available for many programs and more information is available here.

“When the academic school year ends on June 20, many of our school doors will remain open for other exciting learning opportunities for students,” said DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “Learning doesn’t stop when the school year ends. We are delighted to continue to serve our students throughout the summer and we hope families will take advantage of everything we have to offer at DCPS this summer.”

DC Meets Washington

DCPS will launch a brand-new pilot program called DC Meets Washington to introduce rising 7th and 8th grade students at Browne and Cardozo Education Campuses to the city and industries that make up Washington, D.C. DC Meets Washington, which runs for five weeks, includes a morning session focused on college and career exposure and an afternoon session focused on academic programming. During the morning component of the program, students will learn from experts and experience college and career opportunities within the IT, engineering, hospitality and government sectors.  They will meet with local leaders from each of these sectors, and participate in site visits where they will directly experience professional and postsecondary opportunities in each of these fields.  Examples of site visits for each sector may include speakers from and visits to the floor of the United States House of Representatives, a prominent architecture firm, the DC Convention Center and the Georgetown University Schools of Public Policy and Foreign Service. The program runs from June 30 – August 1 and enrollment is currently ongoing.  

During the afternoon, students will receive academic supports in literacy and/or STEM from a community-based organization.  DCPS is currently reviewing applications from various organizations to finalize a provider.

“For too many of our students, DC is a much different place than Washington. It’s time to meld those worlds and ensure both that our students know about the exciting, demanding, fast-paced world around them and that these industries can think of DCPS students as future leaders who can one day help be at the helm of these powerful companies and organizations,” said Henderson.

K-8 DCPS Summer School

DCPS will host eight school sites for the K-8 summer school program. From 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., teachers will use a research-based curriculum, aligned with Common Core State Standards, and online blended learning programs (Lexia and ST Math) to deliver a high-impact experience that will improve students’ reading, writing, and math skills. Specifically, students will learn in the 120 – minute literacy block and the 90 minute math block. The goal of the program is to provide additional academic support and enrichment for students to prevent “summer slide” or academic regression that can happen when students are not in school. Students will also receive breakfast and lunch during the free program. Teachers for the summer include DCPS’ most highly effective teachers, as well as those from the DC Teaching Fellows program. Instructional experts, including leaders from the Mary Jane Patterson Fellows, Master Educators, and DC Teaching Fellow coaches, instructors and site coordinators, will provide instructional support to staff.

For the first time, this year, DCPS opened registration for the K-8 program in February to align with the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) camp registration. Since enrollment started in February, the majority of summer school seats are full, but DCPS will continue to enroll students as seats remain available. Last year, DCPS focused on improving and increasing average daily attendance at summer school, averaging 81 percent over the five week program, which is up from previous years.

“Summer school should flow seamlessly from our traditional school year,” said Henderson. “We want our students who need a little extra help or those who love school so much that they want to be there for some extra time over the summer to feel that summer school is a continuation of the rigorous learning environment they experience throughout the school year,” said Henderson.

This summer’s academic programming includes:

 Grade  Unit Focus
Kindergarten: Wonders of Nature Students will explore how plants exist, grow, and change.
First:  Protecting Our Earth Students will learn how conservation and recycling are important to the environment.
Second: Taking Care of Ourselves Students will learn about the four body systems, while understanding what needs to be done to maintain our health.
Third: Inspired by the Sea: What’s Down There? Students learn about legends of the sea and become familiar with informational texts about animals that live in fresh and salt water.
Fourth: The Changing Earth Students will explore how waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape the earth’s land surface. Students will be able to explain how natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides change the surface of the earth.
Fifth: What’s Out There? Students will learn how the Earth is part of the Solar System and about other bodies that make up the Solar System, such as planets,stars, comets, moons, and asteroids.

 

The afternoon component of the K-8 summer school program includes collaboration with other city agencies, such as the Department of Parks and Recreation and Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, to provide enriching afternoon programming at all K-8 sites from 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Students will be able to take part in afternoon programs that offer various types of enrichment like field trips, swimming, city exploration, soccer, hands-on science activities and arts and music, as seats are available.

Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) Summer Program

Another new program this summer is the expansion of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, DCPS’ talent development program that finds gifted and talented qualities in all students and hones in and creates opportunities based on their interests and abilities. This summer, DC Public Schools is collaborating with the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Connecticut to provide more than 100 DCPS students with a 4-week free summer enrichment learning opportunity for rising sixth, seventh and eighth grade students. DCPS is accepting applications for the remaining seats for this program.

The program will immerse students in engaging and challenging topics in which they have a strong interest and work in groups with others who share these interests. They will use technology and other resources to carry out original investigations by solving real-world problems in science, math, creative writing, social studies, or the arts while having a hands-on, enjoyable, learning experience.

“SEM has inspired and fostered creativity in students across this city,” said Henderson. “With this new summer program, we are essentially expanding the school year for students involved with SEM to provide an additional five weeks of enrichment.”

Summer Bridge

Every year, DCPS offers summer programming to rising high school students to ease the transition and ensure student success. This year, every neighborhood high school will offer a summer bridge program for interested students, and application high schools are also offering their own programming. Throughout the day during the five week program, students will strengthen academic skills and learn practical strategies for high school success. Students who are part of the Summer Youth Employment Program can work while participating in Summer Bridge. Others may earn 0.5 credits toward graduation or a stipend.  Teachers at the majority of the summer bridge programs are the same teachers the students will have in their 9th grade academies.

“Our 9th graders are at such a critical time in their academic career,” said Henderson. “Transitioning to high school can often be stressful and intimidating. With Summer Bridge, we can mitigate some of those anxieties and make high school seem much less intimidating, while also providing important opportunities for learning.”

English Language Learner Summer Academic Program (ELLSAP)

For the third year, DCPS is offering a rigorous academic summer program for English Language Learner (ELL) high school students to support students’ progress in English language development.

This program, which is available to students at any English proficiency level, provides students with additional opportunities to accumulate necessary credits towards graduation. The program brings students together from six different high schools, allowing students to broaden their horizon and work collaboratively with students from other cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 

“The targeted and dedicated support we provide to our English Language Learner students makes a huge difference,” said Henderson. “This program in particular has had a positive impact on student achievement and student satisfaction. We’ve seen tremendous success, including students who started in this program with very limited English proficiency and went on to graduate within four years with a sense of extreme accomplishment. I’m excited about what we are able to offer again this year.”

Summer Meals

“A major component of our summer offerings are the meals we provide,” said Henderson. “Three out of four children in DCPS rely on free or reduced priced school meals during the school year and their need for healthy meals is just as important over the summer. We still serve these meals over the summer and we want families to know that they can come to schools to ensure their children get the nutrition they need over the summer. I am proud that the availability of these meals to our families in need does not change when the school year ends.”

At 49 DCPS schools, across all wards in the city, DCPS will provide meals to all school age children, regardless of whether or not they are enrolled in the program offered at the school over the summer. At the majority of these schools, DCPS will serve both breakfast and lunch, including hot meals. DCPS serves the most hot meals over the summer to children in need. A list of DCPS summer meal sites will be available on the DCPS website.

Summer Reading

“Literacy is our strongest focus because the ability to read and write empowers our students to succeed across all subjects,” said Henderson. “This summer, we want the love of reading and writing to continue all summer long.”

DCPS is also making a districtwide strategic investment to help mitigate learning loss over the summer. Every preK to fifth grade student in the targeted 40 lowest performing schools will receive four non-fiction and one fiction book to use over the summer. Over the coming weeks leading up to the last day of school, teachers are working on lessons that will lead up to engaging activities for the students to do over the summer with their new books. In addition, every elementary school student in DCPS will receive a writing journal over the summer to use for reflection and other activities.

More information about other summer programs is available here.