In what could possibly be a preview of the new school year, Monday was the third day of summer school for nearly 8,000 students of Savannah-Chatham County public schools. In contrast to 2020, when a minimum amount of credit-recovery courses were offered and only virtually, school hallways and classrooms have teachers and students interacting and learning in-person once again.
Students rode buses or were dropped off at their assigned school, ate breakfast, then went to their classrooms. There were scheduled breaks, more learning, then lunch. Students continued on in afternoon sessions, then some were taken to after-school care.
According to Superintendent Ann Levett's operational update given at the June 2 school board meeting, 7,070 students enrolled in Session I and of those, 793 are using before- and after-care. In Session II, 820 students are registered for classes and 125 are registered for before- and after-care. For Session I, 671 teachers and assistants are employed; in Session II, 127 teachers and assistants are employed.
"Summer is really going to be an opportunity for us to have five days in-person, before- and after-care. It will look a lot like a typical school experience," Levett said at the May 5 school board meeting.
The details of the Embrace summer learning program were unveiled at the April 14 school board meeting. The district wanted to create a "robust summer learning program" that embraced the whole child in learning with these goals: readiness, acceleration, credit acquisition and enrichment.
The $8.58 million price tag for Savannah-Chatham County summer school is being covered by Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES 2 and 3) federal funding.
"We were very fortunate to have enough teachers," said Brian Dotson, Hubert Middle School principal. "[The numbers of] teachers and students aligned just right." For summer school, Hubert is a hub for students from Hubert and nearby Shuman Elementary. Just over 200 students are participating from both schools. Hubert normally has about 500 students in sixth to eighth grades during the school year.
There are some remediation classes. The remediation, or catch-up for students who may have fallen behind during the pandemic, includes fun activities, such as cooking and robotics. "In our cooking classes, students are also working on math and reading skills," said Latasha Quarterman, assistant principal of Shuman Elementary. She added teachers are just as happy to see their students.
The district had previously said that teachers know their students best; students who needed remediation were recommended by their teachers to attend summer school.
Hubert teacher Melanie West worked with students in her English/language arts class. As she asked questions, students input short answers on their laptops, which were connected to the Viewsonic board in the front of the room. Students could discuss their answers and the rationale for giving them. Answers are displayed anonymously so a student is not embarrassed by an incorrect answer.
Remnants of the year that was are still visible. Younger students still wear face masks, and have their own supplies kept in zip bags at their desks (no sharing of items). A few teachers also wear face masks. Students work in small groups of no more than three.
For the rising sixth-graders at Hubert, summer school is giving them a sneak peak into what to expect in middle school. Switching classes will be something new to these recent elementary school graduates.
Of course middle school math is a bit more complicated than elementary math. To help the students figure out percentages, students in William Scott's class were calculating percentages of the various colors of Skittles and M&Ms candies. Once the calculations were complete and checked for accuracy, students could eat the candies as a reward.
The sixth-grade students who participate in summer school are going to be a bit ahead of their peers when school starts, Dotson said. Students are also getting a small break from at least one district rule: For summer school, no uniforms are required.
Williams hosting Formey kids
At nearby A. B. Williams Elementary, students from that school are joined with rising first-graders from Formey Early Learning Center. About 250 students (including 46 rising first-graders from Formey) are participating in the summer Embrace program at Williams, according to Cassie Martinez, assistant principal at Formey.
To keep the learning fun and engaging, multiple subjects are integrated into each lesson. Rachael Penhurst's rising third-graders were in the beginning process of creating penny spinners. The first step was tracing a circle on construction paper and cutting it out. Eventually, the student will insert a penny into the middle and set it to spin. In a later part of the lesson, the student will hypothesize if a nickel and dime would spin the same, faster or slower than a penny — all part of various Georgia standards.
Savannah-Chatham County's summer Embrace program includes two sessions: Session 1 will continue through June 23. Session 2 runs June 28 to 30 and continues July 6 to 21. District officials added registration for both sessions is closed, but if a student needs additional coursework, the family may contact their child's school and summer school admission will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
The first day of fall school for 2021-22 for all students is Aug. 4.
Barbara Augsdorfer is the education and nonprofits reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Reach her at BAugsdorfer@gannett.com or on Twitter @Babs7983.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Teachers, 7,000-plus students in summer school for remediation, enrichment
The Latest
Featured
