Summer program combines learning and fun for those students who need help retaining knowledge

 A two-month vacation from school during the summer is just too long for some students.

That’s why 71 RCS students are attending classes through August 10.

The students have been identified has having special needs or disabilities that require educational opportunities year-round.

The students – who range from pre-school aged to 21 years old – attend summer programs because the nature of their disability “is so severe that they would not be able to retain the information they had learned previously during the year with a break over the summer,” said Elaine Dykeman, supervisor and chairperson of Committee on Special Education.

A standard two-month summer vacation, she said, would lead see the skills these students have developed during the school year regress too greatly.

During the summer program, which runs from July 2 to August 10, students focus on everything from academics to functional skills such as cooking and food shopping skills. They additionally receive the various therapies – physical, occupational and more – that they receive during the school year.

“It’s a lot of focusing on retaining the skills they learned during the school year and putting a fun spin on it,” said Teacher Lorri McCarthy.

Social Worker Eileen Hoffman said a lot of effort is put in by the faculty and staff to be creative in how they work with the students during the summer months. That creative focus has lead to, among other things, practicing math and measurement skills using sand and toys outside,

“Like any children, they want to be outside in the summer,” McCarthy said.

The program also utilizes many field trips – with destinations such as the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and Crossgates Mall – to make learning fun.

Half of the RCS students attending summer classes are assigned to A.W. Becker Elementary School and the Middle School; the half are attending classes through Capital Region Board of Cooperative Education Services and private school programs.

RCS’ summer special education students are divided into three classes of 12 where they are taught by one teacher and four teaching assistants, which are prescribed by the committee on Special education. The committee consists of parents and school officials and evaluates students on a yearly basis.

 “The CSE reviews the recommendations from teachers and the committee decides who is eligible by looking at how much a student regresses over a school break.  We look closely at a students functioning in the classroom and make a team decision on eligibility for extended year services,” Dykeman said.