Coshocton City Schools engaging students all summer long
Peggy Bowman, a fifth grade teacher at Coshocton Elementary School is pictured teaching a session of summer school on Wednesday, June 29. Josie Sellers | Beacon
COSHOCTON – Coshocton City Schools’ goal is to engage students throughout the summer and the district is accomplishing that with three different programs.
Two weeks after school ended they hosted a fine arts camp. After a small break they held Camp Invention and now they are offering a seven week summer school program.
Summer school started Monday, June 27 and will run until Thursday, Aug. 11 at Coshocton Elementary School. Students entering first through sixth grade meet from 8:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday and learn lessons on literacy and math.
“It’s open to all our students,” said Kathy Robbins, director of curriculum and learning. “We sent out flyers about summer school but teachers also wrote personal letters to students and their parents that they felt were at risk for not mastering literacy and math skills.”
Summer school used to only be held for two to three weeks, but Robbins said this is the second year the district has offered it for seven weeks.
“We want to prevent regression of acquired learning,” she said. “Sometimes students really take off during school, but then their skills aren’t kept as sharp during the summer because they aren’t practicing them. You’ll see a gap in where they were when they left in the spring and where they are when they come back in the fall. If kids aren’t involved in a summer school program they should at least do the library’s summer reading program.”
Robbins said they collected data during last year’s summer school and found a 46 percent decrease in regression with those who attended.
“That was a huge point of interest for us and knowing that what we are doing is working,” she said. “We just have to get kids here and that’s why we offer transportation, breakfast and lunch. We want to be as inviting as possible.”
Eighty-one students registered for the program and Robbins said on Wednesday, June 29 they had 49.
“We are hoping more will still come, but we are grateful for the 49 we have,” Robbins said.
The students are taught by Coshocton City Schools staff and Robbins said no substitutes are used. If a teacher can’t make a session there are other staff members on standby to fill in for them and some of the teachers will stay for a few weeks and then another one will take over the class. There also are volunteers from the foster grandparent program.
“We try to have no more than 12 to a teacher,” Robbins said. “There is a high level of engagement and a lot of work done in small groups. The teachers do a phenomenal job.”
The students are not given homework, but they do have their skills assessed.
“We want to move them ahead or at least make sure they don’t lose any ground,” Robbins said.
Majority of funding for summer school comes from federal funds and Robbins said the school’s general fund also helps some.
It is not too late to enroll your child in summer school. If interested, contact Robbins at 740-622-1901 or come to Coshocton Elementary School at 8:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday to sign your child up. The registration table is located near the gym doors on the lower level of Coshocton Elementary School. Breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m. and classes begin at 8:50 a.m.
“We only do half days so children can still play and do things with their families,” Robbins said.
Any child who misses no more than three days of summer school will have their name entered into a drawing for prizes that will be awarded on the last day.
Category: Education
