Round Lake District 116 will have hybrid summer school classes

Round Lake Unit District 116 will offer a hybrid summer learning program focusing on math and literacy for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

The optional program will run June 7-30, according to the District 116 website. There is no cost to enroll, and busing will be provided from the student's school to Ellis Elementary School. Monday and Tuesday classes will by in person from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Ellis, and students will attend classes remotely during the same hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Director of Elementary Education Beth Kiewicz said about 20 students have enrolled so far. Summer programs in the past have had about 200 enroll, she said.

"We see that the students really do care about learning," Kiewicz said. "These programs teach concepts and standards of learning until they master them, and it is encouraging to see more students want to be a part of it."

In addition, all students through fifth grade will have access to online programs for extra practice and skills reinforcement over the summer.

Programs for kindergarten through second-grade students start with phonics with Reading Horizons, literacy with RAZ Plus, and math fact fluency with Dreambox Learning. Third- through fifth-graders can study literacy with RAZ Plus, math with Freckle, and math fact fluency with Reflex. Math fact fluency is what helps students quickly and accurately perform basic math skills without the need to count fingers or draw equations, which helps students solve more complex math problems.

Kiewicz said summer school can help families concerned about learning loss during the pandemic. She also said the school district plans to assess progress made during the pandemic on math and literacy skills to see if students are meeting standards.

District 116 began hybrid instruction April 5, with students able to opt to attend school for half days twice a week. All students in the district were issued iPads to use while learning remotely.