Students at the LAPS Summer Learning Program held at Aspen Elementary in June. Courtesy/LAPS 

LAPS News:

While some were enjoying scoops of ice cream, a large group of students were getting an extra scoop of learning through the Los Alamos Public Schools Summer Learning Program that was held at Aspen Elementary School in June.

This was the second year that Los Alamos Public Schools participated in the Literacy NM Summer Program which provided small group specialized reading and math instruction for students who had completed kindergarten through 7th grade. This program replaced the traditional summer school that the district provided in past years.

At the beginning of the program, there were 229 students enrolled, the largest enrollment the program ever had, according to Site Coordinator David Parsons. “Some students were able to attend every day, and some students came as often as they could,” he said. “We averaged 165 students attending each day, which was our biggest program ever.”

Parsons has been the coordinator for the past six years and is excited about the growing interest in the summer learning program. “While I would like to take all the credit for that, the program has really expanded due to additional funding, advertising, and student incentives from both the Los Alamos Public Schools and the State of New Mexico,” he said. “Los Alamos Public Schools has helped us to have a nurse on site, which has been very helpful! Additionally, the summer program has a core staff that work most programs that have been mentors to others and have helped the program keep consistency from year to year.”

He added, “I also feel that the program continues to grow because staff, families, and students are generally happy with the program and help us advertise through word of mouth.” The program, which was funded by the state, employed 45 staff, including teachers, educational assistants and other personnel. Each staff member received pre-program training from the State of New Mexico in both the Lavinia reading program and the Zearn math program in order to come in well prepared.

Parsons noted that staff appreciated the highly structured programs from the State of New Mexico. Each day, students participated in reading lessons with Lavinia Reading, an award-winning program, practiced their phonics, and practiced math through structured lessons in Zearn. “They found the curriculum to be high quality and easy to follow, providing a good pace of instruction to build academic confidence,” he noted.

Families were very supportive of the program, commenting that their children came away from this program with increased academic confidence, and an excitement to keep reading and practice other academic skills for the rest of the summer.

“The program works well because I have a really awesome staff, and I am grateful for them,” Parsons said. “I appreciated that the staff worked together to use their collective experience to help the students. When I had the chance to walk through the classrooms, I saw students working hard in class, reading novels and short stories together, engaging in discussions, and expanding friendships.”

Courtesy/LAPS 

Courtesy/LAPS