In Summer, Learning is Still a Focus at Many Schools
Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean school’s out for many HWDSB students – a wide variety of programs help them work ahead, upgrade and gain new skills and languages.
The traditional school year may have ended in June, but for Continuing and Community Education staff and students July and August are a busy time of year.
“We offer a range of programs for a wide variety of learnings, and that’s what makes CCE an interesting place every summer,” explained Jeff Moore, CCE Principal.
New this year is a non-credit English as a Second Language program. The program is meant to help our newcomer students from Grade 7-12 to improve their English so when September comes around, they have already acquired English language skills that will help them succeed next school year.
In a broad sense, CCE categorizes its offerings into programs that allow students to earn credits, and those that offer opportunities for learning without earning a credit.
Perhaps the most familiar credit program involves summer school, which was held at Sherwood and Sir John A. Macdonald. Each location had a slightly different focus.
“Not every student wants to learn the same way or location,” Moore said. “This is why it’s important to keep in mind that we are offering online learning and other less traditional learning options.”
Online learning remains popular while many students prefer the daily face-to-face contact with a teacher. Other students love being able to email a teacher a question about content of the courses developed by the Ministry of Education.
In July, CCE offered full credit courses to about 2,500 HWDSB, non-HWDSB and adult students looking to complete an additional credit online. The summer co-op program is offering about 60 registered students one or two credit co-op opportunities’ the two credit co-op continuing until August 11.
But credits are just for high school students.
In the Reach Ahead program, Grade 8 students to participate in credit programs so they can ‘reach ahead’ and complete a secondary school credit prior to starting high school. The program, which runs in July, lets students select from three courses: headstART which focused on music, visual and general arts; Jump Up focused on health and physical education; and TechConnect focuses on communications and computer technology. In all, about 120 students enrolled this summer.
And 60 adults are taking summer school in August to upgrade courses or complete full credit course options.
Credits are one thing – but there are also schools hosting programs that aren’t about working toward graduation, but still have a focus on learning for students in grades 7 to 10.
These include:
- Basketball & Literacy runs in week-long sessions at Sir Allan MacNab secondary for students who enjoy basketball and would benefit from literacy support.
- Floorball & Literacy at Sherwood secondary is a similar program but with a different hockey-related sport.
- Leaders in Action allows students to work with the Rotary Summer Camp to develop leadership and literacy skills while earning volunteer hours required to graduate.
- Summer Literacy Worx, Math Worx and Fractions is a one-week, skill-focused program that helps students in grades 7 and 8 build or maintain literacy and math skills.
- The STEP Program at secondary schools supports Grade 8 students about to enter high school, by building math, literacy and learning skills.
In other locations, students are expanding their world through language.
Across HWDSB schools, elementary students are learning international languages that include Arabic, Dari, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Sudanese, Traditional Chinese and Urdu. And adult English as a Second Language (ESL) students can learn, in day or night school, through courses on literacy, English, computers, citizenship test preparation and childcare.
Updated on Thursday, July 21, 2016.