Children Hone Reading, Writing, Math Skills in Summer Institute

Before starting their word study for the day, Vanessa Vaccaro’s pre-fifth-graders in the Park School Summer Institute took a few minutes to practice mindfulness.

“Close your eyes and bring your hands together. Feel the air moving in and out of your nose. Keep stretching up with your elbows and fingers straight,” the teacher said, reciting an exercise from the “Calm Classroom” program. “Now slowly lower your arms and rest your hands at your side.”

After the brief exercise on July 16, students tackled “snap” words that all fifth-graders should know and be able to spell quickly and correctly. The first one was favorite.

“Remember, we’re going to chant it, we’re going to visualize it, skywrite it and then we’re going to cover it and try to write it,” Ms. Vaccaro said.

Her students are among about 300 children who are in the Summer Institute, which ends Aug. 1. The students, who will be entering kindergarten through grade 5 in the fall, are at the school from 8 a.m. to noon four days a week. The principals are Melisa Stoller, the Park School assistant principal, and Eleana de Luna, literacy coach for grades 2 and 3.

In Victoria Orta’s pre-fifth-grade class, Jackson Mathew and classmate Andrew Nieves had picked a “jot” idea from the books they were reading and explored it as they wrote “long and strong.”

Jackson said the Summer Institute was going well so far. “We do all the subjects in school but no social studies and science,” he said. “I go to the pool afterward.”

In Michelle Cambareri’s pre-second-grade class, children wrote about small moments in their lives, such as a trip they took. Three middle school students assist her by working with their younger peers. They cannot help spell words, but they can guide the elementary students in stretching out sounds and in generating topic ideas.

“Their job is to always make sure they keep the kids focused and keep the kids engaged,” she said.

The Anne M. Dorner Middle School students have a great relationship with the second-graders, Ms. Cambareri said. “The kids have trust,” she said.

Twenty-six students are assisting teachers and helping students this summer. Fourteen are from AMD, 11 are from Ossining High School and one is from Roosevelt School.

Lesly Illescas, who starts ninth grade in the fall, is helping in Nicole Sibiski’s pre-third-grade classroom. She had Ms. Sibiski as a teacher when she was in elementary school and had a great experience.

“I really like hanging out with kids,” said Lesly, who is a first-year volunteer. “This is a really great age.”

Alex Morocho, who is a volunteer in Rhonda Fernandez’ pre-third-grade class, agreed. He starts seventh grade at AMD in September. “I just like working with the kids,” he said.

In Julia Garcia’s pre-fourth-grade class, students partnered up to read a “reader’s theater” that the students had written the day before. A reader’s theater is a script that has been adapted from a piece of literature. In this case, it was from “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate.

Evelyn said her favorite character in the book is Ruby, an elephant, because “she does a lot of funny stuff.” Her partner, Diana Santos, is drawn to Ivan, a gorilla. “He’s also funny and he’s nice, Diana said.

Both are enjoying Ms. Garcia’s class. “We learn more stuff and when we go to regular school, we’ll know lots of things and we’ll be really smart,” she said.