School News

District 13 schools abuzz this summer

Posted

For some children, summer is about sleeping late and hanging out in the air conditioning. That’s not the case for the hundreds of children who attend District 13’s summer recreation program, along with its other academic offerings during the two-month break from school.

A few dozen children begin their day as early at 7:45 a.m. for the summer SCOPE program, which offers children a chance to keep their reading, writing and math skills sharp. Classes are held at the James A. Dever School for an hour, four days a week, and it is open to students entering grades 1-6.

“It really is a nice program,” summer school Principal Denise DeMeo said, “and we hope more parents take advantage of it next year.”

April Hobert, a teacher in Queens, is directing the program, hosted by SCOPE Educational Services. She said the goal is to have students engaged in learning through hands-on activities, such as arts and crafts. “During the year, it’s very rigorous,” she said. “There’s a lot of times the teachers don’t get to do the fun activities.”

With the new Common Core standards, Hobert added, extra practice over the summer can do any student good. All SCOPE classes are taught by certified teachers, with support from volunteer high school students.

After SCOPE ends, many children stay for District 13’s summer recreation program, which is being held this year at Dever and Wheeler Avenue School. There are 328 students enrolled, which is higher than last year. Not much has changed in the long-standing program — children plays games, sports, run through the sprinklers and do arts and crafts. Popular fields trips to places such as Hot Skates continue, and the program will wrap up with a family DJ party. Occasionally, the children get a treat from Ralph’s Italian Ices.

DeMeo said “recreation” is the key word in the program’s name. “We try and get the kids outside and moving every day,” she said. “We want them to be active over the summer.”

Page 1 / 2