Students will have a new way of retaining information this summer as Durango School District 9-R presents its Summer Bridge Program. The school district is coordinating with the Durango Education Foundation to help students maintain what they learned during the previous school year.
Superintendent Karen Cheser said the program involves giving workbooks to students, kindergarten through ninth grade, to work on during the summer. This is supposed to help prepare them for the next grade.
“We think it’s vitally important that students continue to learn through the summer,” Cheser said. “There’s something called summer slide, which typically happens because students are off for the summer. They tend to revert a bit in their reading and math proficiency. We wanted to continue to help students to learn.”
The program also helps parents get involved with their child’s education to better understand their comprehension before heading into the next school year. It does this by developing students in categories such as math, science, reading and social studies. Students are rewarded with passes when they finish a certain number of pages. Some of the passes include free access to Purgatory Resort, Lake Nighthorse and the Durango Community Recreation Center.
There are requirements to receive the prizes. If students finish the first 40 pages of their book by June 15, they will receive a pass. The same applies if they finish 80 pages by July 14 and 120 pages by Aug. 3.
“We want students to kind of pace themselves so they can get through it and be finished by the beginning of school,” Cheser said.
At the end of summer, students who return their completed books the first week of school will be entered to potentially win family adventures or a game console.
If students need help with the workbooks, there are multiple resources available, including Southwest La Plata Libraries and Compañeros for Spanish-speaking students.
Cheser sees the program correlating with the new Portrait of a Graduate plan the school district has put in place for next fall.
Part of the Portrait of a Graduate plan involves collaborating empathetically with others, as well learning leadership skills.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
