FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 27, 2008

Contact: Matt Earle

970.328.4807

matthew.earle@eagleschools.net

School is in Session for Summer

Click here for a short video on summer school at GCMS

For some, summer is not only for travel and spending time with the family; it is also time for children to catch up on the basics such as math, writing and reading to prepare for the subsequent school year. Eagle County Schools (ECS) provides such opportunities through summer school for elementary and secondary level students. Summer school lasts 20 days and meets half-a-day for students interested in attending. ECS offers locations on both the west- and east-end of Eagle County for both levels of education.

At the elementary level, teachers focus on the students in second grade who are not reading at grade level. “We try to narrow our focus on English Language Learner (ELL) students who are on an individual literacy plan (ILP),” said Heather Eberts, ECS Executive Director of Elementary Education. The funding this year allowed ECS to offer 260 students a summer school opportunity. With additional room left over, the focus shifted to literacy at the third grade level. Avon Elementary School (AES) and Gypsum Elementary School (GES) have implemented the program this summer.

Middle school students have more options than elementary students when it comes to summer school. There are three tiers when discussing summer educational opportunities. Students who are in tier one are required to attend summer school based on their NWEA reading scores or they have two D’s or worse in their core subjects; tier two students are either not proficient in reading scores on the NWEA or they have two D’s or worse will receive letters but are not required to attend summer school; tier three are those who are proficient in testing and have high grades in their core subjects, but would like something interesting to do during the summer. “We would like to add an enrichment tier of our summer school opportunity, which would consist of science labs, outdoor education and other art subjects that our students would be interested in taking,” said Mike Gass, ECS Executive Director of Secondary Education.

Gypsum Creek Middle School (GCMS) is one of the locations that offers summer school opportunities at the middle school level. “Students spend one hour a day with our teachers who focus on math, writing and reading,” said Steve Smith, GCMS Principal. “We are very fortunate to have incredible teachers spending their summer teaching the students one-on-one.” Parents paid $200 for their child to attend summer school, but Smith uses it as an incentive; the family receives $100 on completion of summer school. Berry Creek Middle School (BCMS) and Eagle Valley Middle School (EVMS) also provide summer school as an opportunity for middle school students.

Educating Every Student for Success