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Friday is graduation day (4 photos)

Little learners get brought up to speed on reading, writing in time for September classes; parent feedback 'fantastic,' says ADSB principal

Friday marks 'graduation day' for a group of little learners at four schools within the Algoma District School Board.

This month (August 2 to 19), the ADSB has been running a Summer Learning Program, designed to improve reading and writing skills for children in Grades 1 and 2 before they head back to regular classes in September.

"Our target area this year was students in Grade 1 who may be below bench mark or just at the right level of reading, and we're trying to make sure they don't have summer learning loss going back to school in September, to give them a little boost," said Carol Lucio, Mountain View Public School principal and Summer Learning Program co-administrator.

"They get referred to the program through their classroom teacher and the principal of their school," Lucio said. 

The parents, in turn, decide from there if they want their child to attend.

Most of the children enrolled in the Summer Learning Program are in Grade 1 heading into Grade 2, with a few SK children going into Grade 1, and a few Grade 2 children preparing for Grade 3.

The program is taught at East View, HM Robbins and Queen Elizabeth Public Schools in Sault Ste. Marie, along with Thessalon Public School.

There are about 120 children involved in the program across the four schools, Lucio estimated.

The children are bused to and from classes by the ADSB, while in other cases, children are brought to classes by their parents.

The students get intensive literacy support for three and a half hours in the mornings (with time for breaks and lunch, of course) Monday through Friday, with a recreation component in the afternoons.

The recreation component includes field trips, to locations such as Bellevue Park or the Manzo Pool, for example.

There are about 20 children enrolled in the program at East View, where Lucio and co-administrator Lorrie Morley (who is also HM Robbins principal) spoke to SooToday.

"They get a lot of individualized attention," Lucio said.

"We've had tons of success and celebrations with the kids, there is one little guy who came in who wasn't a reader, and now he's reading, he is so pumped."

This marks the third year in a row the ADSB has offered the Summer Learning Program.

How do the children feel about attending school in the summer?

"When I was at Thessalon the other day, one little girl looked at me and said 'we're a family' because the class sizes are smaller," Morley said.

"They get so much one-on-one attention, they're in classes with different kids and they're meeting new friends," Lucio said, likening it to summer camp.

The program, offered at schools province-wide and monitored by the Ministry of Education, also supports First Nation, Metis and Inuit primary students.

Each child receives a colourful Summer Learning Program T-shirt, a refillable water bottle and a mid-morning snack each day.

Parents are asked to ensure their children bring a packed lunch each day, sunscreen and a hat, and indoor and outdoor shoes.

Each child receives a certificate of completion, and an anecdotal report card will be given to parents and the receiving teacher in September.

Parent feedback has been "fantastic," Lucio said.

Summer Learning Program children at Queen Elizabeth and HM Robbins Public Schools, along with their teachers and parents, were celebrating the end of classes with a barbecue Thursday afternoon while East View and Thessalon barbecues will be held Friday.

There are 20 staff members involved with administering the program, Lucio said.

The teachers are certified, occasional teachers within the ADSB system, with recent graduates from faculties of education or undergraduate university students currently on summer vacation serving as support staff for the program.

 

  

 


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Darren Taylor

About the Author: Darren Taylor

Darren Taylor is a news reporter and photographer in Sault Ste Marie. He regularly covers community events, political announcements and numerous board meetings. With a background in broadcast journalism, Darren has worked in the media since 1996.
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