Research shows that students who don’t engage in educational activities over the summer lose some of their learning. They score lower on standardized tests after that break from school. Low-income children especially experience that problem, losing an average of over two months of reading achievement during the summer break.

Lake Washington School District offers a summer school program for elementary students, but parents have to pay tuition for their students to attend. A grant of $63,000 from the Lake Washington Schools Foundation will enable 115 elementary students who are academically at risk and in financial need to attend Core Academic Summer School at no charge. This grant is the largest the Lake Washington Schools Foundation has given to a single program in Lake Washington School District.

“For some students, summer school is an important opportunity to catch up,” noted Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent. “For others, it’s important to make sure they don’t lose any of what they have learned. In either case, this grant will help make sure that at-risk kids get what they need to start the next school year right.”

“Because of our generous community, the Foundation is able to provide funding to allow the District to expand the opportunity for at risk students to participate in academic summer school,” noted Sherry Wartelle, LWSF co-president, “at a time when school districts around the country are cutting summer school due to budget issues.”

This program will be offered to students identified as academically at risk in four district schools with the most students who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch. Those schools are Einstein Elementary, Muir Elementary, Redmond Elementary and Rose Hill Elementary Schools.

Core Academic Summer School consists of a three-and-a-half hour school day, with classes covering reading, writing and math. Students will also have elective offerings in physical education, visual arts, drama, webpage creation, video production and world language. Classes will prepare students for work at the next grade level in the fall. Classes will be held July 12 through Augn 6 at Twain Elementary. Bus transportation will be provided, also thanks to this funding. For information, go to www.lwsf.org.