Submitted by Summer Staff Members
What a Great Way to End Summer School!
It’s hard to believe our summer school session has already come to a close—June truly flew by! Over the past few weeks, we saw so much growth, learning, and laughter. We’re incredibly proud of all the progress our students made.
We wrapped up our final week with a special celebration at the Maquoketa fairgrounds: “Healthy Bodies, Happy Hearts.” After starting the day as usual, we hopped on the bus at 9:30 a.m. and spent a full day enjoying the sunshine and fun. Students rotated through five exciting activity stations, enjoyed a delicious grilled lunch provided by the Jackson County Pork Producers, and returned to school around 2:30 p.m. It was a fantastic day full of movement, teamwork, and smiles.
On our very last day, some groups headed to the park for outdoor games and activities, while others cooled off with some water fun back at school. It was the perfect way to celebrate all the hard work our students put in—and to end summer learning with joy, laughter, and great memories!
Here’s a peek at what each group has been up to this month:
Third Grade Adventures with Mrs. Thomson and Miss Keeya
Our third graders have been diving into reading and math in fun and creative ways. They’ve been practicing fluency, working on the novel The Littles, and mastering multiplication through games like Kahoot and Reflex. They’ve tackled tricky story problems, practiced 3-digit addition and subtraction, and even tried their hand at poetry and persuasive writing (flip flops vs. sneakers, anyone?). They’ve also been working on leadership habits like walking in line, using indoor voices, and taking care of materials. So much learning—and so many smiles!
Kindergarten Fun with Miss Marx and Miss Salina
Kindergarten has been all about hands-on learning and big growth! In ELA, our youngest learners have been digging into digraphs, blends, and sight words with games like Sight Word Jenga, Bug Swatting, and Zingo. Math has been just as exciting, with dice games, number tracing, and early addition and subtraction practice. And let’s not forget the brain breaks! From making slime and foil art to water critters and bracelets, this group has had a blast while learning important social skills like sharing, saying “please” and “thank you,” and taking turns.
Lots of Laughs and Learning with Mrs. Lawson & Miss Barb
This group has had a fantastic few week! They’ve built reading skills with Reader’s Theater, phonics games, and stories like Henry and Mudge. They’ve also done some fun and flavorful writing—like explaining how to blow a bubble or describing their favorite ice cream (followed by eating it, of course!). In math, they’ve focused on place value and number forms through games and hands-on activities. It’s been a great mix of fun, learning, and friendship.
Exploring and Creating with Ms. Tara & Ms. Sara
Ms. Tara and Ms. Sara’s group has been hard at work on reading and math—and having a lot of fun along the way. They’ve focused on sight words, spelling patterns, phonemic awareness, and more with the UFLI program. In math, they’ve used number lines, ten frames, and number bonds to solve all kinds of problems. A highlight? A science lesson on plant “superpowers” where students designed windproof umbrellas based on trees. They loved testing them out and bringing them home to share!
We’re so proud of everything our students have accomplished this June. Thank you to all the families for your support, and to our amazing staff for making summer school a place where learning is fun and every student can shine.
Students were served breakfast & lunch daily. Lily found a fun shaped fry and made us laugh.
Stephanie Daniels read a book to us about a child trying new food on our field trip to the new Jackson County Extension Office Building. Then we got to make bagel pizzas with a variety of veggies & cream cheese.
