Description of activities
This program is the centerpiece of the PCLS extended learning effort, as it is widely available to all, flexible to individual student/family needs, community-based and family-focused, highly accessible, and “whole child” focused. The program will be linked with the PCLS Lunch Box (the mobile food truck program which serves student lunches throughout the community throughout the summer). The Summer XP program will be delivered at a different Lunch Box community stop each day of the week in conjunction with the lunch delivery. This means that it will operate Monday through Friday each week throughout the entire summer, two hours per day.
At a different location within the community each day, the program will provide four “stations”: literacy support/instruction, math/science support/instruction, family games, and a “featured” activity (facilitated by different community partners). The academic and game stations will be facilitated by PCLS teachers and staff who know the students. Because our students have been so saturated with computer use this year, activities will be “hands-on”, utilizing non-digital materials. Take-home learning materials will be routinely provided. While all activities offered each day are important to support students in different ways, it is important that students participate in the academic activities each time. In order to best ensure this, participating in the academic stations will be necessary in order to participate in the games and other activities. This participation is also incentivized through the program’s reward system.
The program is based on a video game theme. Students earn “experience points (XP)” in order to “level up” over the summer. Points are earned through participation in the activities offered, as well as through completing activities at home. Points are tracked utilizing Class Dojo. This app allows not only for tracking student points but also for family communication and ongoing promotion of the program. Through the points students accumulate, they will earn small prizes along the way (donated by various educational publishing companies), as well as the opportunity to earn larger prizes at the conclusion of the program (donated by local businesses).
The design of the program provides a location very proximal (walking distance) to every student at least once per week, but students are welcomed and encouraged to participate as many days as they want. The hope is that the reward system will incentivize student participation multiple times per week.
Additionally, parental support will be provided each day. Services will be provided to assist parents with technology, with accessing their students’ grades and progress online, with new student enrollment, and any other needs which might be served through the district’s Family Resource Center. Families will be encouraged to attend the program with their children.
Partners in delivering this program include: Scholastic, YMCA, Morley Library, McGraw Hill, Curriculum Associates, Phonics in Motion, COSI, City of Painesville, Grand Canyon University, Pioneer Water Park, United Skates, Lake Erie College, Crossroads, Holden Arboretum, Painesville Credit Union, Scholastic, First Books, Catalyst Ministry
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Intended outcomes
While teachers will be able to target instruction for individual students to some extent, the central instructional purpose of the program is to provide supplemental and enrichment experience, keeping students positively engaged with learning between the end of this school year through the beginning of the next.
Just as important, the program will support student socio-emotional well-being. After a school year of relative or complete isolation, our students need the opportunity to re-establish some normalcy around interaction with others. This program represents not only a student-support but also community-building effort.
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