At first glance, the kids appear to be whiling away their break with a time-honored, kid-appropriate pursuit — blowing bubbles into the warm summer air.
But hang around a few minutes and you’ll hear talk about the viscosity of the solution and the engineering design process.
This group of accelerated second- through fourth-graders from Side Creek Elementary in Aurora soaks up science enrichment while, in other classrooms, kids push toward proficiency in reading, writing and math.
The credit-recovery mode that made “summer school” the bane of blistering dog days still helps stumbling students regain their academic footing.
But districts across the metro area have both broadened and finely tuned their focus with programs — from traditional to off-the-cuff — that have kids spending their summer blogging about books, easing the coming transition to middle and high school and even preparing for the rigors of college.
What else would they be doing?
“I’d probably just go swimming,” said Tristan Sommers, 10, who happily gave that up for the Side Creek science class. “This is a way to learn more things. Also, there’s a lot of fun in here.”
Under teacher Jennifer DeHayes- Rice, the class has measured wind speed and learned about turbines, created water filtration systems, tested air samples and measured particulate emissions from teachers’ cars.
Aurora Public Schools calls its free program Fifth Block, a 23-day stretch that lengthens the school year for about 4,000 kids entering third through 10th grades — and eventually could be a template for an expanded school calendar for all students.
Fifth Block, now in its fourth year, uses pre-testing to identify and offer additional instruction to students who haven’t achieved proficiency in subject areas but have demonstrated growth and consistent attendance. The science portion targets high-achievers.
The program has led participants to improved CSAP performance in all but a few grade levels, according to a report on the program released last fall.
“I see that they’re coming in stronger the next year,” said Side Creek principal Suzanne Morris- Sherer. “They feel really empowered when they come in ready for the school year.”
When the students fail to produce the anticipated bubbles after dipping their wire wands into a soapy solution, DeHayes-Rice sends them back to the drawing board. They pull out their netbooks and research other “recipes” for bubbles.
Minutes later, 10-year-old Quesdon Ivey finds and mixes a new solution.
“Ten cups water, one cup dish soap,” he says proudly. “And it worked.”
Exercising the brain during break
All over, much of the summer emphasis now aims to not only fill individual achievement gaps but also give kids enrichment and a running start as they move to a new school experience.
Prairie Middle School, in the Cherry Creek School District, is launching an accelerated summer program for students wanting to challenge themselves in math and science.
Students pay $250 for the six-week program and can select from six math and eight science courses taught at the Institute of Science and Technology on the district’s Overland-Prairie Campus.
Denver Public Schools has continued its sixth- and ninth-grade “Academies” designed to smooth the transition into middle and high school.
The academies, which run from late July through early August, help students develop relationships with school staff and peers while gaining an understanding of middle and high school expectations.
The district found that students in its inaugural ninth-grade academy — targeted at students who lagged behind — did better academically and were less likely to drop out in high school. Now the program aims at all interested kids.
Another summer program, the College Ready Institute, runs from mid-June into August and prepares students for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and concurrent enrollment classes in local colleges.
“We want our students to have fun over the summer, but make sure they have a jump-start to the school year,” says Antwan Wilson, assistant superintendent for post-secondary readiness.
The state’s largest district, Jefferson County Public Schools, offers an online option for high schoolers to recover credits, though it’s not offered this summer while the system undergoes an upgrade.
Still, many students making up failed classes fare better with traditional seat time — and Jeffco has nearly 1,000 kids working at Green Mountain, Dakota Ridge, Arvada and Evergreen high schools, says Frank DeAngelis, the Columbine High School principal who’s also directing Jeffco’s summer school.
But like other districts, it has taken a more comprehensive approach to academic offerings.
“It’s not our parents’ summer school, where you show up, get credit and go away,” DeAngelis said.
Jeffco offers three-week sessions at Ken Caryl, Dunstan and Oberon middle schools to bring eighth-graders up to speed in core subjects before they launch their high school careers.
Rising expectations have made summertime something more than a time to chill.
“One of the biggest criticisms of education in America is instructional time — is it not enough? What I see happening now is that there are enrichment programs to give kids a head start,” DeAngelis said.
Principal surprised by involvement
Some activities blossom just a little unexpectedly.
Before he goes to sleep, Stober Elementary School principal Andrew Zapotoczny sometimes grabs his smartphone and visits a website where some of his young students — way more than he expected — have registered their comments on a summer reading blog.
Just before school let out for the year, the Jeffco school gave each of its 310 students eight paperback books — four fiction, four nonfiction — that matched their grade level. But Stober also wanted to take the exercise into the digital age.
Teacher-librarian Lindsay Garlow crafted the blog, accessible only through the district’s Web page for safety. There, kids can reference some guiding questions to help them through the books, leave their own comments, share ideas and interact with several teachers who have chimed in — plus the principal.
“We’re hoping that kids will not only maintain, but show a small amount of reading growth,” Zapotoczny says. “But ultimately it’s to prevent the ‘summer slide.’ “
Studies have shown that reading levels can diminish if students fail to crack a book during summer vacation. But the principal notes the program also was designed to provide all kids with books and library cards so even those without Internet access at home can still participate on the blog.
Just a week into the summer, 60 kids already had posted comments on books, beginning a lively conversation that educators hope will gain momentum over the summer.
“I thought it would take off,” Garlow says. “But I wasn’t expecting this much, this soon.”
So far, the result has been something for Zapotoczny to smile about before he drops off to sleep.
“There are five to 10 kids on here I never would have thought would be on here blogging,” he says. “You never know who it’s going to grab.”
Kevin Simpson: 303-954-1739 or ksimpson@denverpost.com
