Although it was summer vacation, Fayetteville-Manlius School District’s elementary schools buzzed with activity during the district’s 2021 Summer Literacy Camp.
About 130 elementary school students spent a portion of their summer at the schools maintaining the literacy gains they made during the previous school year. Each school of the district’s three elementary schools hosted a camp for two hours per day Tuesdays through Thursdays for five weeks total.
Students entering grades 1-3 for the 2021-22 school year were invited to participate based on literacy data and teacher recommendations as to which students would benefit the most from the program. Students took part in a variety of activities, including reading a mix of fiction and nonfiction books and participating in hands-on activities to practice sight word recognition.
Typically, the program has been hosted at one school and enrolled fewer students.
“We offered the program at all three schools to increase opportunities for our youngest learners to receive additional support in literacy before the new school year starts,” said Mary Coughlin, the district’s assistant superintendent for instruction.
In addition to expanding enrollment capacity, hosting the program in each of the district’s three school buildings was more convenient and familiar for the students since they could attend the program in their home elementary school, Coughlin said.