R-1 administrators review summer school activities

By Colin Willard, Advocate Staff Writer
Posted 7/17/24

VIENNA — Vienna Elementary School Principal Shanda Snodgrass and Vienna High School Principal Tim Metcalf recapped summer school activities during their June 25 administrative reports.

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R-1 administrators review summer school activities

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VIENNA — Vienna Elementary School Principal Shanda Snodgrass and Vienna High School Principal Tim Metcalf recapped summer school activities during their June 25 administrative reports.

The elementary school distributed at least 643 prizes to more than 150 students throughout summer school. Two students won the grand prize, and they each took home an iPad. Every student who attended summer school received at least one prize though many received more based on their attendance. Snodgrass recognized Vienna Quik Spot, Studio 607, The Zone and Vienna United Methodist Church for helping to provide prizes for the students. The money for prizes came to the district as part of the Catapult Learning summer school curriculum.

Students participated in many fun activities throughout the summer session. Those included enjoying popsicles donated by Vienna United Methodist Church and eating nachos. The last day featured a foam party at the Vienna Library.

Other activities at the elementary school during the summer session included athletic camps and visits to the library and visits to the school by librarians. Summer school also featured reading intervention. Students worked in 16 groups daily to work on phonics, fluency and sight words. Throughout the summer session, teachers held 293 read-alouds to focus on vocabulary and reading structure. Two of the reading groups received an additional 30 minutes of help each day to focus on phonics.

Superintendent Teresa Messersmith said a few teachers worked on their Career Ladder hours during summer school, which was helpful for giving students attention one-on-one or in a small group.

Snodgrass ended by thanking all the teachers, paraprofessionals, student helpers, custodians, cooks, secretaries, administrators and community members who helped to make this year’s summer school a success.

“It was, I want to say, one of our best summer schools,” she said. “For the fun that we had and the structure. I had several teachers say how much they really enjoyed the curriculum this year and the hands-on stuff. They get to do a lot more project-based (learning) in the summer that you can’t typically do in the regular school year, and that opens up a whole new category for a lot of students who thrive on that.”

During summer school, the district had 34 middle school students enrolled in classes. Of those students, 20 had perfect attendance and another three only missed one day. The curriculum featured a variety of projects.

In English class, students created their own magazines. In social studies, the students held a mock election and demonstrated court proceedings while defending their chosen sides of an issue. Math class worked on geometry. Art activities included decorating the sidewalks. The science class studied Newton’s laws of motion by experimenting with cardboard cars. Metcalf said the summer school curriculum impressed him.

“I think that it probably makes any teacher who goes through it a better teacher in the process because it’s a lot of project-based learning,” he said.

In the high school classes, 10 students participated in driver’s education. Ed Morse Chevrolet in Rolla donated a car for the class to use. Other high school enrollment included 12 students in personal finance and 16 students in virtual courses. Another 11 students made up time lost during the spring semester due to absences. Three high school students and four middle school students participated in credit recovery.

Board President Dave Long asked how students made up the lost hours during summer school.

Metcalf said the students making up time stayed engaged during the summer session. Many of them only had to make up one or two days, so they helped the elementary school staff by working one-on-one with students. Next year, Metcalf plans to have students choose make-up days to spread out extra help instead of having it all at once.

Snodgrass recognized VHS student Yasmin Soto for volunteering with the elementary school throughout the summer session.

At the end of May, the high school hosted an individual career and academic planning event for incoming freshmen. Metcalf said 28 of the 36 students in the class attended, and the students who did not attend had a virtual option.

Registration for the 2024-25 school year will be online. The registration forms are already available and helpful in providing the school with updated contact information and students’ needs for medical plans. Students from pre-K through 12th grade need their registration forms returned to the school by Aug. 5. Metcalf said 150 middle school and high school students had already returned their forms.