From the Field: Addressing Student Needs Over Summer Break

Summer Learning: “We will be providing lots of summer learning opportunities for our students. We partner with the CARE Center and YMCA to provide a Power Scholars Academy for our students in grades K-6. Students will receive academic and enrichment experiences throughout the six-week program. We will also be providing a summer reading camp for any students who show consistent deficiencies in the area of early literacy.”—Amy Mason, @AMasonPrincipal, Alabama

Staying Connected: “We are always available during the summer months; parents and children know when we are at the school. We stay in touch. We send students home with summer reading and summer activity challenges. We are hoping to partner with some day care providers and tutoring agencies to help children catch up and keep learning during the months that the traditional “summer slide” creeps in.”—Courtney Monterecy, @CMonterecy, Rhode Island

Family Engagement: “We have purchased additional digital resources for academic support that will be accessible for kindergarten students over the summer. We have also purchased a digital parent education program that provides great parent tips and short video clips to assist families with a multitude of topics including social-emotional support.”—Julie Bloss, @BlossJulie, Oklahoma

Summer Reading: “We provide books students can keep, a weekly open library, a book mobile to go into the neighborhoods and provide books to students who do not have transportation to our library or the public library, and this year we are sending home math resources (like games, dice, cards, etc.). We provide a kindergarten rise program for upcoming kindergartners to get used to school without the ‘big’ kids around.”—Lyn Marsilio, @LynMarsilio, Virginia

Special Education Support: “The summer of 2021 brings so many possibilities for our students. Our school participates in extended school year opportunities for children with special education needs. In addition, we traditionally host ‘cool school,’ which is a fun, camp-like atmosphere to engage in learning activities. Most of all, we encourage our children to travel, read, explore, discover, and enjoy all the magic summer brings to a childhood.”—Missie Patschke, @MelissaPatschke, Pennsylvania

Reestablish School Community: “[As] social distancing restrictions lighten up, I am hoping to have community activities during the summer. This will reestablish our school community, provide much-needed social interactions, and hopefully ease any anxiety prior to returning to school in late August.”—Ed Cosentino, @PrincipalECos, Maryland