Nevada summer school plans finalized

Plans for summer school are underway at the various grade levels in the Nevada R-5 School District. The summer school program is scheduled to begin Monday, June 2 and will end June 27. Sessions will be held from 8 a.m. to noon each day. Summer school begins with the youngest students: children who will be entering kindergarten in the fall of 2003 are invited to take part in one of the two-week sessions -- from 8 a.m. to noon each day, June 2-13 or June 16-27 at Bryan School. These students will have the opportunity to take part in kindergarten activities and participate in Safety City, as they tour a miniature town on big-wheel trikes, while learning about safety and security which includes fire, pedestrian, bicycle, seat belt and stranger safety. Other classes for current Kindergarten and first grade students offered at Bryan Elementary include: "The Dog Days of Summer," "Tree-mendous," "Art Around the World," "Let's Make Musical Instruments," "Read, Write and Glue," "Fun With Fiction," "This Land is Your Land", "Kids in the Kitchen," "Let the Games Begin,""All About our World" and Review classes for kindergarten and first grade. The Review classes will be taught by the school's Title One reading recovery teachers and will focus on math and reading skills. An individualized plan of study devised by the child's 2002-03 classroom teacher will be implemented by the reading recovery teachers during summer school. The review classes are tailored to the meet the needs of each child who is performing below grade level in either math and reading and will help implement strategies required by the No Child Left Behind federal legislation. Children who finished second grade through fifth grade are invited to attend summer school at Truman Elementary School. Some classes being offered on those grade level include "Read It!, Write It, Make It!," "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?," "The Sky is the Limit," "Computers Don't Byte," "The Human Body Walk, "Cookin' Up Fun through Literature and Math" as well as many more exciting and educational classes. Review classes are also available for grades 2 through 5. In classes for grades 6 through 8, to be conducted at the Nevada Middle School, students will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of exploratory and review classes. Some classes being offered at these grade levels include "Teching It to the Limit," "Computer Field Trips" and "Keyboarding." Physical education, which will include bowling, swimming, skating and many other fun lifetime sport activities will be offered, along with band. In band, students will learn basic fundamentals on a musical instrument. Many more classes are available including "Algebra Head Start," a course designed to help students get ready for Algebra I in the fall. At the high school, there are many course offerings that will result in high school credit including but not limited to Spanish, a full credit of geometry, physical science and several sections of English. Other core academics in science, social studies, math and language arts will also be provided for those students needing to replace a failed credit. The ROTC Drill and Ceremony class and a secondary transition class for students with individual education plans will also be offered. In addition, drivers education will again be offered. There are still available openings in the second session of driver's education beginning June 16 and ending July 3 . Driver's education, like all other summer school classes are offered free of charge to any district or out-of-district student. A $2 driver's permit supplied by the Missouri Department of Revenue will need to be purchased by each student. Students enrolling in driver's education will need to be at least 15 years of age by the first date of the summer school session they are attending. Among some of the other things offered this summer are nutritious midmorning meals, prepared by the district's contracted food service company for children through grade eight. Sack meals that are dietarily nutritious will feature fresh fruit, sandwiches, pizza, milk, trail mix, cookies and other favorites each day. Ice cream will be offered as a special treat occasionally. The cost for the mid-morning meal is $1.25 per day, and the school requests that parents send a check or cash for the entire 20-day session if possible. Any unused lunch money will be returned in the event the child must be absent. Those children qualifying during the current school year for free or reduced lunches will be able to continue their eligibility without additional paperwork. The four-week reduced lunch fee for all 20 days summer school is in session will be $8. Consolidated bus routes will provide transportation for students again this year. Arrangements for transportation need to be made with the summer school directors: Debbie Spaur, (417) 448-2060, through grade 1; Jan Bowman, (417)448-2070, grades 2-5; Jared Brown (417) 448-2040, grades 6-8 and Sean Smith, (417) 448-2020 grades 9-12. Also for those students who have not previously attended Nevada schools, Cliff Pettibon, transportation supervisor, may be contacted at (417) 448-2096 for busing arrangements. All summer school classes offered at Bryan Elementary, Truman Elementary, the middle school and the high school are free of charge to all resident and non-resident students. Information regarding bus routes, meal menus, and class schedules were sent home with students the last day of the regular school term. Packets of the same information will be available in the four school offices, as well. Children who will be entering kindergarten in the fall and who are enrolled in the pre-kindergarten readiness and safety city summer school sessions will receive a packet in the mail. Enrollments for summer school are still being taken at all the schools and will continue to be accepted until the first day of summer school on June 2. In addition to summer school enrollment, kindergarten enrollment for the 2003-04 school year continues at Bryan School, 400 West Lee from 8 a.m. to11 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., daily. Since staffing needs for kindergarten can not be determined until enrollment is completed, parents are encouraged to take care of enrollment as soon as possible, even if they do not have all the necessary documents at this time. Children must be five on or before July 31, to be eligible to attend kindergarten next year.