The Sunnyvale School District’s summer school program was a resounding success, with more than 540 students taking part in this enriching experience. Our dedicated staff began planning for the program as early as December, ensuring that it offered a robust and engaging curriculum for all students.
Both the elementary and ESY (Extended School Year) programs were held at Bishop Elementary School, while the middle school program took place at Columbia Middle School. This year, all of our students had the opportunity to participate in exciting learning excursions. Elementary students explored the Farm to Table Silicon Valley, while middle school students visited Stanford University and explored Hispanic/Latino-focused dorms, providing them with a glimpse of what it’s like to be a college student.
The academic focus of the summer school program varied by grade level. Elementary students concentrated on math and literacy, while middle school students delved into humanities, science, math, language, and history. ESY, specifically designed for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), offered specialized summer programming. For the second year in a row, the ESY program included a peer mentoring program, pairing rising seventh and eighth graders with students with special needs. This program fostered inclusion, mentoring, and friendship.
A new addition to this year’s summer school was dedicated classes for students who are new to the country and are learning English. These classes focused on teaching essential vocabulary words to help students navigate the school campus and school day. This program was tied to a new curriculum being piloted to support newcomers in their academic and social development. By the end of the program, these students even performed Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” for the staff.
Our longstanding partnership with Stanford University continued for the fourteenth year, with student teachers collaborating with mentor teachers in the classroom. This provided student teachers with valuable experience and allowed students to benefit from the latest instructional best practices. Our food services team also experimented with new recipes to determine student preferences for the school year, ensuring that healthy and delicious meals are available. Students enjoyed dishes like Korean BBQ burritos, overnight oats, fresh muffins, and more!
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our dedicated staff for their hard work in making this summer school program such a success. We are incredibly proud of our students for their continued growth and development.
“[Our team] does a phenomenal job,” Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Dr. Christina Ballantyne said. “Every year our summer program gets better. They aren’t just maintaining the status quo. Their efforts show that our students are making better achievements and the team does that by finding new ways to engage our students and add to the existing programs.”
“To see the smiles on the faces of students and staff alike make it all worthwhile,” said Behavior Intervention Services Coordinator Chin Chin Chiu.
