Los Alamos Middle School implements Saturday School. Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS News:
Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) is successfully implementing Saturday School, a completely voluntary program in which students get extra help from teachers and catch up on school work.
The goal is to finish assignments and make sure they are not falling behind. Last year was the first year for 7th and 8th grade Saturday School and this year’s improved version comes with extra assistance and better communications from teachers. Saturday School is not a disciplinary environment, but rather student-chosen time to complete assigned work with extra guidance from high-quality teachers.
LAMS Principal Mike Johnson was a part of the original team at Los Alamos High School where the program was first put into motion. When Mike Johnson joined the LAMS team, he decided he wanted to start the program up for middle schoolers. The Los Alamos Juvenile Justice Advisory Board (JJAB) provides funding for Saturday School at LAHS, so Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus asked if they wanted to support the efforts at the middle school as well, and they agreed. Their model purposefully matches that of the high school, so students will be prepared when they move up to high school.
At Saturday School, students tend to work on makeup homework, makeup tests, or even to get ahead on assignments before a busy week. There is a mix of students who attend: some are simply asking for more help from a teacher while others are specifically recommended by a teacher. For instance, a student may be struggling with fractions (or certain math concepts), and during Saturday School, the teacher can provide the student with targeted hands-on instruction. A lot of times these areas are identified through classroom assessments.
According to Johnson, some students like to attend because it is a quiet place to get work done, free of distractions. Students stay for the entire 3-hour period and are also instructed to keep a log of the work they accomplish.
Saturday School is not meant for one type of student, but rather students of any level who might need help, including special education students. The program is always staffed with three teachers and one administrative staff member. The ratio of students to teachers is about 6:1, which the students seem to appreciate. Johnson finds that 8th graders tend to have the highest participation, probably because high school is right around the corner.
And students really see the results from attending Saturday school; “Kids are amazed with how much they get done,” said Johnson. In one case, a teacher was working with a particular student that was behind. While he finished assignments, the teacher could immediately input the grades into Power School. At the end of the session, the student remarked, “In three hours, I went from an F to an A!”
The teachers that graciously give their time to show up on the weekend are compensated, but they mostly appreciate the small class size and chance to help students who really need it, which exemplifies the dedication to their students and willingness to help them succeed.
One goal for the 2nd semester is to offer more opportunities for skills building assistance. Right now, the middle school has Advancement Through Individual Determination, or AVID, which is essentially a class to help students build important study skills and organized note taking to be successful, so their goal is to offer AVID sessions at Saturday school.
Another possible addition to the current Saturday School format is a series of parent gatherings hosted in the school library. The Healthy Schools Initiative, in collaboration with community partners, would like to provide an opportunity for parents to learn about and discuss topics relevant to supporting our students/youth. As this initiative develops, HSI and LAMS staff welcome feedback from parents on what topics they would like to learn about.
Given the success of Saturday School thus far, Johnson said it is definitely something that they will continue to cultivate and grow.
Parents may make a reservation for their student to attend Saturday School by emailing hawksaturdayschool@laschools.net. Registration for each week’s Saturday School closes at 12:00 p.m. the Friday before. Please make sure to register as early as possible to allow teachers time to prepare work if needed.