Summer Schools Wrap Up With A Report

By Eliza Hallabeck

As the schools are about to enter into the second month of classes, Director of Continuing Education Elissa Gellis gave a short presentation to the Board of Education with Assistant Superintendent Linda Gejda during their meeting September 16 to let the board know how the summer school classes went.

“It’s a summary for the 2008 summer programs that were held in Newtown,” said Dr Gejda, who introduced the report. “It was a combination of academic and enrichment courses offered this year, as there have been in the past.”

More than 660 students participated during this summer’s school session. Overall the enrollment is down, Ms Gellis said, but elementary students enrollment in academic classes went up by nearly 40 percent.

“This may primarily be due to the increased efforts of teachers and administrators in encouraging students to participate in the summer classes,” said Dr Gejda.

Participation from Newtown Middle School-aged students also had an increased participation level in the enrollment. High school level and Reed Intermediate School students had a decrease in participation.

“Elissa and I talked about reasons why the numbers might have been down this summer,” said Dr Gejda, “and one of the things I think was a great possibility was economic reasons. Also perhaps students opted to take different courses, which would have shifted the enrollment from one course to another. But overall the enrollment was down.”

 Summer classes in 2007 saw an increase of student turnout for the courses and a profit. Dr Gejda said it is still too soon to know if the courses offered this summer will have a profit.

“I really want to commend Elissa and Ed Wolfe, who was the administrative person on site,” said Dr Gejda, who added the summer school team is seasoned and accomplished. “I want to thank Elissa for all the work she has done.”

Usually students who need extra help with their academics are recommended for the summer programs by their teachers, according to Ms Gellis.

 “Next year we are looking into tracking the students a little more closely, just to see how they go on,” Ms Gellis said.

At the end of the summer, Ms Gellis said, a report is sent to the state to show the students’ performance, and a report goes to the teachers so they know how the student did during the summer class.

One of the classes offered during the summer for high school students includes a physical education class, which counts as credit for taking a gym class like a regular PE course during the school year.

It is the only summer course offered for credit at the high school level, according to Ms Gellis, and it is for students who choose to take it in the summer and not during the school year.

“The students who took it really enjoyed it,” said Ms Gellis.