No one likes the “summer slide,” when students lose some of what they have learned during the year as a result of summer break. Tyler ISD’s Bilingual/ESL Summer School gives students in PK-3rd grade the opportunity to continue their education and avoid the dreaded “summer slide.” Students in this program have an exciting summer engaging in hands-on activities and will enter the new school year confident in their knowledge.
Last week students were sent home with backpacks full of books and instructional materials! With these learning tools, parents can work with their students at home and practice literacy skills that will prepare them for the upcoming school year. These resources aid in student success and provide fun instruction at home that they might not otherwise have access to.
While the Bilingual/ESL program is required to provide summer school for pre-k and kindergarten students, funding is carefully used so the program can be offered to students through 3rd grade as well. This allows more students to improve their reading, writing, math, and language skills in English.
"The primary focus [of the program] is Academic Enrichment and English Language Acquisition," Tyler ISD Director of Bilingual/ESL Programs Ana Segulin said. "We measure where the kids are when they come to us and we measure progress toward the end, so we look at what the kids are learning.”
Studies in the program include science, social studies, math, literacy, ESL (English as a Second Language), and of course summer calls for an opportunity to learn outside of the classroom!
Last year students were visited by a fire truck and heard from police officers and firefighters about what a day in their life is like. This week they had the opportunity to tour an ambulance and hear from EMTs about their job and the kind of people they help. Students were eager to share that they knew to call 9-1-1 for emergencies and enjoyed hearing the sirens and watching the lights of the ambulance. Next week, students in the program will receive a special visit from a four-legged friend — a cow!
“We try to bring visitors to enrich life experiences for the students," Segulin said. "Community workers allow students to see different people in the community that help out.”
The Bilingual/ESL Program primarily serves Spanish-speaking students but also has students that speak Vietnamese, Arabic, and other languages.