At MLC, school was ‘in’ for summer during pair of sessions for grades K-6
School has been “in” this summer for participating Mountain Lake Christian (MLC) elementary-age students during a pair of summer school sessions.
The three-day Summer School Session II will be wrapping up tomorrow (Thursday, July 27) – with the start of the 2017-2018 school year looming less than a month away. The first session was held Tuesday, June 27 through Thursday, June 29.
“What we are doing,” shares MLC Lead Teacher Kim Friesen, “is working on retaining – and building – on skills learned during the school year; a ‘skills sharpening.’ Our goal through these summer sessions is to combat summer learning loss and explore new ways of learning en route to helping students enter this school year a step ahead.”
During each session of review and development, there was a skills emphasis in math, reading, language arts and science – along with a sprinkling of social studies and Spanish. The classes were conducted free of charge
The afternoon classes of two-and-one-half hours kicked off each day with an hour of instruction, followed by a half-hour of physical activity using large motor skills and snack – and closed with another 60 minutes of classroom work.
Another benefit of the sessions touted by Friesen were the reading and listening times between student and volunteer adult. “Those minutes each day gave each student the opportunity to an adult’s undivided attention, to read to them and then to discuss what they had read about and learned.”
The inaugural two-part Summer School Sessions were held last year, and Friesen notes that teachers at MLC noticed in increase in math facts retention when students arrived for the 2016-2017 school year.
Along with the adult “listeners,” MLC staff also volunteered their time and talents to each session. During the second session, those staff members included Friesen (grades 4-6), Nordis Olson (grades 2-3), Rachel Knutson (grades K-1), Brittany Siebert (grades 4-6 and K-1) and Miriam Rojas (grades 2-3). The adults participating in reading and listening times were Annette Dick, Bernice Dick, JoAnn Friesen and Vickie Krueger. Volunteer student assistants were Regan James and Eli Johnson.
During the June session, staff taking part were Friesen, Siebert, Olson, Knutson, Karin Stoesz, Holly Penner, Mandy Linscheid and Amanda Korns. “Listeners” included Margaret Dick, along with JoAnn Friesen, Annette Dick and Bernice Dick. Eli Johnson was a student assistant.
The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 23. A “Back-To-School Night” is slated for Monday, August 21, to be combined as an Open House to highlight all of the school’s interior renovations completed over the summer.
Below is a photo gallery of action during Summer Session II:
