No Rest for Learners: Summer in the City

The City of Fairfax Schools welcome students this summer for fun, learning and preparation for the upcoming school year. With camps and programs designed specifically to help bridge the summer gap, City of Fairfax schools are providing a number of ways for students to continue learning and be prepared in September.

According to the National Summer Learning Association, students can lose up to two months of grade-level equivalency in math skills. Johns Hopkins studied Baltimore Public Schools and noted that some students lose more than two months in reading achievement over the summer months.

To combat this loss, city schools worked with Fairfax County Public Schools and the City of Fairfax to create specialized programs to aid a number of students. The goals of the programs are to strengthen basic skills through learning opportunities that challenge students, review content and use critical thinking skills. For example, students entering kindergarten with little or no preschool experience will be able to participate in school routines and social activities at both Daniels Run Elementary School and Providence Elementary School.

For older students, subject-specific classes such as Algebra will be available to provide additional time and support. In addition, selected rising 7th and 9th graders will be given opportunities to ease the transition from one school to the new school. There will also be advanced academic boot camps to help prepare students to the rigors of AP/Honors classes at Fairfax High School.

In all schools, there will be a strong literacy and math focus. Project LIFT is a research-based summer reading program for 4th and 7th grade students. At the end of the school year, school librarians assisted students to choose high interest, appropriate reading level books to increase retention. Both elementary schools will be holding "reading parties" in their school libraries complete with pizza and stories for students to enjoy.

Fairfax High School is working to promote literacy with a community-wide book recommendation - Peak by Roland Smith. Students, staff and family members are encouraged to read about a teenager sent to Thailand to live with his estranged father. The father and son climb Mount Everest and learn to set goals, "climb high, sleep low", collaborate and use critical thinking to stay alive in the harsh environment. In keeping spirit with the goal, City of Fairfax School Board Members and staff all purchased the book to read this summer and plan to discuss in the fall with FHS students and staff.

"Study after study show teachers need to 'reteach' information from the previous school year because of the amount of academic loss over the summer," said Dr. Peter Noonan, Superintendent of City of Fairfax Schools. "Working with parents, we as a community - through the schools, public library and free City of Fairfax cultural programs - can provide a number of opportunities for students to learn and engage."

For more information on summer programs, please contact the schools directly. School contact information can be found on our website http://www.cityoffairfaxschools.org/.