It has been a busy few weeks since the Extended School Year started July 7 at Dutchess BOCES’ Salt Point Center where students have been maintaining academic skills they learned during the last school year to avoid the “summer slide.”
After doing sensory work with clay and rubbery toys, Erika Frazier’s students focused on the letter “J” by watching a fun music video about how to draw the letter and learning about what type of animals start with “J.” Additionally, they worked on an assignment writing out foods that start with “J” and colored their own jars of jam. Toward the end of the program, a book of student written poems for each letter of the alphabet will be compiled in a book that will be displayed during the annual ESY Showcase on Aug. 14.
“The poem book has been important to the students because it allows them to learn new words that begin with the letter of the day and allows them to work on their letter formation as well,” Frazier said.
Meanwhile, Eric Drotzer’s students focused on the phrase “being together,” which included writing out the sentence and determining whether a period or exclamation mark should end it. They also worked on a writing assignment asking them how a stick and stone help each other.
Gabe Beauvis’ favorite assignments included writing out the lyrics to “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and drawing accompanying pictures of a farmer and his animals, as well as coloring in a picture based off of the “Grumpy Monkey” book series teaching kids that it is okay to feel their feelings.
“He is frustrated, angry, mad and still a little grumpy,” Beauvis said of the character Jim Panzee. “I like how the Grumpy Monkey has to take a deep breath.”
Matthew Sneyd most looked forward to the PBIS Friday Dance Party and enjoyed doing math problems, and an art assignment based on Julia Cook’s “My Mouth Is A Volcano: A Picture Book About Interrupting,” which teaches children how to manage their rambunctious thoughts and words in an empathetic way.
“I drew a volcano with gray and orange; I drew orange lava,” Matthew said of his art. “I draw everything.”
