THE DALLES —Summer school and enhancement opportunities were discussed at the May 26 North Wasco County District 21 School board meeting. The opportunities were broken down by grade level in a presentation made by Educational Success and Innovative Programming Director Kimberly Tyskiewicz, along with Director of School Improvement Scott Whitbeck.
K-8 summer school will be taking place at The Dalles Middle School (TDMS) June 29 through July 27, Monday through Thursday between 8 a.m. and noon. According to Whitbeck, the school’s content and structure will be similar to last year’s summer school, with instruction in topics such as reading and English language development, writing math and science activities such as stem kits, art projects, physical education and fitness, as well as lessons on dental health and exams provided by local dental health technicians. Instructional assistants will be available to assist each teacher, and according to Whitbeck, there will also be special education teachers who will be working with students that have individual educational plans (IEP). “Although this is not a compulsory program in summer, and so we’re not obligated by law to follow the IEPs, of course we still want to do as close as we can,” said Whitbeck, “because we know that has been designed as what’s the best learning opportunities for those students.”
Participating students will receive breakfast and lunch at no additional charge to families, with transportation being available to qualifying students. According to Whitbeck, students will receive “swag bags” upon arrival, and can win prizes based on rewards earned for things such as good behavior and attendance. “Lots of fun along with good learning happening to help them enter the next grade level at a higher level (with) more confidence,” said Whitbeck.
Taking place during the afternoon, all K-8 students will have the opportunity to participate in summer enhancement activities. According to Tyskiewicz, enhancement activities run from July 5 through Aug. 11, Monday through Thursday, allowing students enrolled in summer school to focus on academics in the morning and participate in enhancement after. A few of the enhancement activities planned for this summer include a three day soccer camp in August, week-long sessions of STEM related activities held the Discovery Center over the course of five weeks, with each week available to different age groups, as well as three, two-week long performing arts camps with multiple options for activities for students to participate in, “the kids can select the drumline or ... vocal music, or band or drama … so there will be a variety,” said Tyskiewicz.
While not specifically geared towards them, according to Tyskiewicz, many of the enhancement programs are seeking high schoolers to volunteer to assist and mentor the younger students in the activities, giving them opportunity to participate, as well as earn positive credit towards school if they have fallen off track for graduation. According to the presentation, students also have the opportunity to earn positive credits through online learning platforms Edmentum or Acellus, or through a “specialization project,” in which a student takes on a real-world project while meeting specific criteria to earn credit. For students who did not pass a class and need to recover credits, there will be in person classes covering subjects such as English, math, science, social studies and electives at The Dalles High School (TDHS) from July 7 through Aug. 10, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon. According to Tyskiewicz, Acellus will be available for any classes not held in person.
Also in the May 26 board meeting, the school board approved the adoption of new world language (WL) materials, effective next school year.
In a presentation by Whitbeck, the materials recommended are from Wayside Publishing, and were selected from the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) list of approved materials for adoption (a process that takes place every seven-year period, according to OAR 581-011-0070). After a selection process that consisted of high school WL teachers testing out materials in February, and a discussion of criteria by Whitbeck, TDHS Principal Kurt Evans, TDHS Vice Principal Phil Williams, and Superintendent Carolyn Bernal, the selection was narrowed down to one publisher that “met or exceeded” ODE criteria for both Spanish, and District 21’s new addition to its WL selection, French, in all levels. “Those are our high schools two languages that will be offered next year,” said Whitbeck.
The 2022-23 course offerings will consist of Spanish levels 1-4, which will have two available teachers, and level one French, which will have one available teacher. According to the presentation, there will be a budget for purchasing additional materials for upcoming years based on fall enrollment forecasting each spring. In total, the cost of materials comes to $150,904, broken down by cost of textbooks and digital licenses, with one set per classroom over a period of seven years, as well as the cost of professional development.
In a unanimous decision, the board approved the recommended materials.
To view the entire May 26 school board meeting, go to the District 21 Facebook page or the District 21 media channel on YouTube.
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