Kindergarten Here I Come Summer Camp
USD 297 c/o St Francis Recreation Commission was awarded a Cheyenne County Hansen Community Grant of $3,230.88 in 2020.
In 2019 a group of parents and elementary educators came together working to create a summer academic camp for students entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2019. The group of volunteers have formed a board to address the need for this age level as USD 297 addresses a summer reading program for upper level students but not entering Kindergarteners.
The 2019 camp was a big success and we would like to continue the Summer Reading Camp for years to come. The camp is funded by grants. The camp works with students and their academic and social skills prior to entering Kindergarten. We are structuring the camp for two days a week for two hours each day. During this time students will receive one-on-one and small group support for various activities of learning, such as the alphabet, numbers, basic sight words and more. Different teaching styles will be utilized so children have opportunity and preparation for structured learning.
During the Summer reading program we will provide students with different opportunities to access books during the summer. The Summer Reading curriculum we have chosen has a variety of books that come with the program. The children will be able to use these books to read and do activities. We will be working with the non-profit ABC Preschool to borrow books so the children can have a library of books for summer reading. We will also incorporate books into the camp for reading and will center science and craft projects around the books we read from the curriculum. Each child will receive a fun summer reading bag to fill with a book or two to take home each day to read with their parents and siblings. At the end of the camp we will send the bag home with each student, along with 4-5 books for the child to keep.
We will tour the St. Francis Public Library and will take the pre-kindergarteners to the St. Francis Grade School to tour the Library and elementary school to familiarize them with the school setting. A goal of the camp is to introduce the classroom to the student and make their kindergarten transition exciting and smooth.
