Just over 800 students participated in the Sunnyvale School District Summer Explorations Program this year! During the sessions, students in elementary and middle schools had adventures both inside and outside the classroom.
Some students learned about reptiles and their habitats, holding ball pythons and boas. Others visited a working farm, learning about biology and life cycles while interacting with goats, chickens, and a variety of other animals. Others saw how barnyard animals can play a role in helping individuals living with disabilities or health challenges. Students also visited local museums and neighborhood parks as part of their summer learning, and every middle schooler was able to visit Stanford University as part of our partnership program with Stanford for a glimpse into the university experience. Excursions such as these help our students to learn in an experiential and engaging way.
Students had plenty of engaging opportunities for learning right on campus as well, tackling academic skills while learning thematically about topics like camping, the ocean, and the life cycle of plants and animals. Our multilingual learners who are new to the country practiced learning English and getting familiar with our campuses. And Stanford student teachers and staff joined us again this summer, working in most of our classrooms and bringing along their innovative instructional practices while increasing our adult-to-student ratio.
Our summer campuses were fully inclusive, with students with special needs from our Extended School Year and general student population sharing campus locations and gaining opportunities for more frequent interactions and new friendships. We even had some high schoolers on the scene, joining some of our very own middle schoolers to mentor younger students enrolled in Extended School Year at Ellis.
It all adds up to fun-fueled, inclusive learning that can minimize summer learning loss and make the transition back into the classroom easier in the fall.
Summer programs make a difference! We’ll be gearing up for next summer’s programs before you know it, so tune in next spring for the information about upcoming summer programs.
