Registration day involved record interest in summer session for elementary students this year, with nearly 2200 people signing up in the first 10 minutes, alone. Many families are choosing summer school because of the opportunities for students to explore their interests or try something new and fun.
The District offers dozens of enrichment choices with everything from sports, rock band and woodworking to robotics, engineering and coding. Secondary students also have the chance to make up a course or get ahead for the next school year. (See the flyers with course options here.)
Kevin Brandt is the Director of Instruction responsible for Summer Session. He says the pandemic was top of mind during the planning stage:
As with the regular school year, our focus is on health and safety first. We’re extremely pleased to be able to offer students exciting and enriching programming again this year.”
The District is also prioritizing vulnerable students. As in previous years, a chance to register early was given to referral-based students who were identified by principals and teachers as someone who could particularly benefit from summer courses, resulting in approximately 700 students needing extra support set to attend Summer Session.
Students going into Grades 8 and 9 who have been away from in-person learning during the regular school year will also have the chance to take a Return to In-Class Instruction course.
Mr Brandt:
If you’re a student who has been out of a school building for a long time, this gives you an opportunity to try partial days and get used to in-person learning, again. This is about supporting transitions and the bridge for students when they go from elementary to high school.”
Also new this year is a “tech hub” site at École Cariboo Hill Secondary with opportunities to take technology-based courses, such as: video game development, computer programming, and digital animation.
The enormous popularity of Summer Session has organizers at the District exploring a waitlist option that could be added this year – even as they work on adding capacity for popular courses in the coming weeks.
Learn more about Summer Session 2021, how to register, and how to check for space in courses here.
Posted April 2021