Summer break can be both fun and productive

(Published Sunday, June 8, 2008 in Examiner-Enterprise)

For some, summer time is break time.

Families take vacations together. Outdoor activities – such as camping and swimming – are in abundance. A warm day in the sun – perhaps lying in a hammock while taking in a new book – is always a good choice as well.

But for others, the summer can offer different opportunities. For students who are looking to get a better grasp on a particular subject, summer classes offered within the Bartlesville Public School District can provide a great boost. The Summer Food Service Program for Children, which is sponsored by the district and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, provides free breakfasts and lunches to children aged 18 and under at five of our school sites. The driving academy, which is run out of the Bartlesville Mid-High School, helps youngsters safely learn how best to operate an automobile.

The summer months mean different things to different people.

While we continue to build academically within the district during the summer, construction projects are underway as well. A product of the $29.95 million school bond issue which was approved last year, the Lady Bruin Softball Field, located between the Mid-High and Hoover Elementary School campuses, is expected to be ready for the 2008 varsity season. Heating, cooling, ceiling panel and interior renovation work is being done at both Wayside and Ranch Heights elementary schools as part of the 2007 school bond issue package as well. Also, we like to use the summer months to get our school sites into tip-top shape heading into the next academic year. Thus, we're currently in the midst of painting as many classrooms as possible.

An estimated 1,000 students are enrolled in summer classes this year at the six sites which provide them – the Mid-High, Central Middle School and Jane Phillips, Richard Kane, Oak Park and Woodrow Wilson elementary schools. A wide array of courses is offered, allowing students an opportunity to make sure they have a firm grasp of the material in several different subject areas. Classes last a half-day and are in session from June 2 through July 31.

Class sizes in summer school are smaller than what are seen during a typical academic year. Thus the instructors are able to spend more one-on-one time with each student, assuring they are grasping the lesson at hand.

As part of the summer school agenda, focused algebra and reading academies are offered to students.

“Summer school is a quality endeavor for students who are trying to reach academic goals and be better prepared when the regular academic year starts,” says Janet Vernon, the BPSD executive director of secondary education operations. “Summer school is a ticket toward better understanding curriculum.”

Summer Food Service Program meals are available – Monday through Friday from June 2 through July 31 – to youngsters at Jane Phillips, Kane, Oak Park , Wilson and Central. Breakfast is served from 8:30-9 a.m. while lunch is dished up from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. No registrations, applications or qualifications are required for the youngsters to receive their meals. All they need to do is visit one of the providing sites.

The driving academy features one three-week session in June and another in July, and both are full. Led by Gerald Demaray, a foreign language instructor at the Mid-High, the summer driving academy has a total enrollment of 20 students this year.

The Summer Camp program is in full swing once again at Hoover Elementary School . In operation throughout the summer, the program allows children from ages five through 11 a fun way to spend their week days – Monday through Friday, from 7:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The program features more than 250 kids this year and they have the opportunity to take part in several fun activities such as swimming, ice skating, roller skating, bowling, biking, board games and trips to the movies, area water parks and the Tulsa Zoo. The district's school-aged care coordinator, Connie Standridge has carried the reins of the program for seven years and does a terrific job with it.

Several of our teachers and administrators use the summer months to hone their respective skills by taking graduate classes and attending training sessions. This year, we have 29 instructors who will be attending an advanced placement class training workshop on the University of Tulsa campus. Forty teachers will take part in M.S. Literacy First training while 34 will take part in Great Expectations training at the middle school level. At the elementary school level, we recently concluded gifted and talented cluster training while we still have several instructors scheduled to attend Great Expectations and Renzuli training among other insightful workshops.