By Sarah Beauchemin
San Diego parents who are on the lookout for an excellent summer academic or enrichment opportunity for their kids are in luck.
On July 1, Ingenuity Charter School’s summer session returns for its fifth robust year, open to all San Diego County residents in sixth through 12th grade.
Ingenuity Charter School – a hybrid learning middle and high school that opened its doors in 2015 – exists to give San Diego’s underrepresented student population access to high-quality education that fits around their unique home and work responsibilities.
The bulk of Ingenuity’s coursework is offered to students through its cutting-edge online learning platform, Edgenuity. This means students have convenient 24/7 access to their studies so they can complete their work on their own schedule.
To ensure that students stay closely connected to their Ingenuity instructors, they are also required to meet in person with teachers two or three times per week.
Summer session works the same way as Ingenuity’s traditional school year in that it offers a convenient blend of online and face-to-face learning. Summer session also features open enrollment and important programs like credit recovery, academic enrichment, driver’s education and physical education.
Staying on track and enrichment opportunities
All of Ingenuity’s summer session programs are designed to support different goals for students.
For example, credit recovery courses help students in grades 6-12 stay on track by making up credits for a course they previously failed. This allows them to move onto the next grade or fulfill timely graduation requirements.
Enrichment courses are for students in grades 6-12 who would like to advance in a particular subject area, but whose home school does not offer summer session courses. Unlike credit recovery courses, enrollment in enrichment classes is only by recommendation of a teacher or counselor.
“These classes really help students pursue quality learning opportunities during the summer,” says Rachel Wells, third-year Ingenuity instructor. “Some need the academic reinforcement while others simply want a bridging opportunity to the next grade.”
For sixth through eighth grade students, Ingenuity’s summer session “bridging” enrichment courses are a crucial part of preparing for the upcoming school year. Learners in these classes can bridge the summer “forgetfulness” gap as well as get a head start on new concepts in subjects like math and Language Arts.
“All of our enrichment classes are designed to be uniquely innovative,” says John Lee, summer session instructor and Ingenuity teacher of four years. “For instance, students also have the opportunity to go on field trips, which allows for academic growth in a very hands-on way.”
A safe, active space for summer break
In addition to credit recovery and enrichment courses, Ingenuity is San Diego’s go-to summer source for driver’s education and physical education classes.
Driver’s ed is available to all students who will turn 15 ½ years old by the end of the course in August. Graduates earn a certificate of completion, which they can take to the DMV to begin the required driving hours for a learner’s permit.
Those in grades 9-12 who want to stay active or join a sports team over the summer can do so with Ingenuity’s wide range of PE classes and teams. This summer, Ingenuity is excited to announce they’ve added basketball to their volleyball and football PE teams.
“Summer PE is great because students get a chance to participate in a sport that they might not otherwise have the opportunity to during the regular school year,” says Wells. “The team sports help students to learn and demonstrate more confidence, leadership and self-respect.”
Ingenuity’s summer session is especially important and helpful for underrepresented students because Ingenuity is one of the only schools in San Diego that offers a summer learning program, due to the budget constraints.
Another crucial aspect of summer session is that students are given a nutritious breakfast and lunch, free of charge.
“Sadly, for some students, these might be their only meals of the day,” says Wells. “At least while they are here with us, food is provided to help fight hunger – a really important factor in students focusing more on their schoolwork.”
Ultimately, Ingenuity’s well-rounded summer session program ensures that students remain engaged with their academics, peers, instructors and campus life year-round. With the help of Ingenuity’s keen guidance, young learners are set on a trajectory to become successful, well informed adults.
[call_to_action color=” button_text=’Learn More’ button_url=’http://www.ingenuitycharter.org’]Please call (619) 262-2046 or go to www.ingenuitycharter.org to register your student for Summer Session 2019.[/call_to_action]