What: The Office of African American Academic Acceleration (A4) will for the first time hold three summer programs simultaneously
When: Summer Literacy Program (June 14-July 14); Summer Math Camp (June 14-July 2); Kinder Readiness Summer Academy (July 6-Aug. 3)
Where: Summer Literacy Program – Ayer (5272 E. Lowe Ave.), King (1001 E. Florence Ave.), Thomas (4444 N. Millbrook Ave.) and Williams (525 W. Saginaw Way) elementary schools Kinder Reading Summer Academy – Kirk (2000 E. Belgravia Ave.) and Thomas elementary schools
A4 will launch its fourth annual Summer Literacy Program and two pilot programs: Summer Math Camp and Kinder Readiness Summer Academy. The summer programs will collectively serve more than 500 pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students.
The Summer Literacy Program, in partnership with the Springboard Collaborative, is a four-week intensive program for kindergarten through fourth grade students offering daily independent reading with a teacher, targeted small group lessons, writing, family workshops and more. It offers enhanced learning bolstered by home-based engagement and parent-child collaboration. This year’s goal is to accelerate reading for 360 African American students who are below reading grade level to proficiency and beyond. Students have an option to participate in person or in a distance learning format.
A4 will pilot the Kinder Readiness Summer Academy in collaboration with the district’s Early Learning Department. The four-week program will focus on preparing incoming kindergartners and their parents for the start of school in August. The program will target 60 African American students with no formal Fresno Unified educational experience. Participants will learn and practice foundational academic and social and emotional learning skills to provide them with a more equitable start to their academic career.
The Summer Math Camp is a three-week virtual program that will teach fifth and sixth grade students how to code and make a simple video game by using math and fractions. They will also have the opportunity to meet and interact with gaming experts and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) professionals. A4 will host weekly workshops to help parents learn math and coding concepts so they can better support their students. The goal is to create a learning experience for 100 students that fosters positive attitudes around math.
To learn more about A4’s initiatives, visit https://a4.fresnounified.org. To enroll students in one of the summer programs, e-mail A4Summer@fresnounified.org.
“This summer, A4 is adding two additional programs to its highly successful literacy program, so that even more students have the opportunity to accelerate their learning and be better prepared for the next school year,” said Superintendent Bob Nelson.