Students go for the gold with summer learning

Published 10:00 am Friday, July 13, 2012

What did you do today to make you feel proud?

Those words are the motto for the staff and students involved in the Kitsap Lake Elementary Summer Olympics.

The games are open to students of the Bremerton school from kindergarten through fifth grade and focus on reading, writing and math through Olympic styled games meant to make learning fun.

The activities for the summer games will include writing activities such as shaping poems, writing letters to athletes and the creation of Olympic rhymes and jokes.

Reading activities will include learning about the history of the Olympics, reading about sport and quiz scavenger hunts as well as adults reading to younger students.

Math activities will include measurement games, fact finding tic-tac-toe and relay games designed to enhance number skills.

The program also offers help for English language learner students and math programs for current Ascend program participants. A free lunch will also be available to students each day of the games.

Computer learning games are also made available in the school library to assist youngsters with learning.

Hilah Cochrane, a teacher at the school and instructional coach for the games, said 90 students had registered for the games as of July 10 and she wanted all of them to learn but also enjoy themselves in the process.

“I think that during the school year we focus a lot on academic rigor and essential learning,” Cochrane said. “In the summer, we want to help them solidify that, but in a really fun way.”

Young learners set a goal for themselves to read 400 minutes during the four weeks of the games, and those who accomplish the goal will receive a gold medal at a ceremony on the last day of the games, Cochrane said.

Another benefit of the games is that students can check out library books during the summer and at the end of the games students will receive a free book they may take home.

Parents are encouraged to attend and engage in learning activities so teachers can model learning strategies parents can use at home, Cochrane said.

“The parent component is really important,” she said. “We feel this is as much about getting the parents involved and keeping them involved as it is about the kids.”

Patty Grenquist, principal of the school, said the games were a way to keep young people connected to learning during the summer.

“Those long breaks can really hurt kids who are struggling,” she said. “If I could, I would keep the school open year round.”

Liam Salibury, a student enrolled in the games, said he enjoyed crafts and making things with his hands.

“It’s fun to make things and do math and read,” he said. “I just made a torch and that was fun.”

The school will be open for the games Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to noon through Aug. 2 and a free lunch will be served for students from 11:30 a.m. to noon.

Cochrane said the motto “What did you do today to make you feel proud?” is something the teachers use to help students learn that all of the activities are about students finding the best in themselves and striving for personal excellence.

“That is an underlying theme for everything we do here,” she said.