IN Peters Township October/November 2019 | Page 60

EXTENDING THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH
FUN IN PETERS TOWNSHIP
F
or most students in our
community, the school year ends
after 180 days. But students in
our Extended School Year (ESY)
program know that summer is when the
fun begins in Peters Township!
Extended School Year (ESY) services
are special education and related
services that are provided to students
with disabilities beyond the 180-day
school year. To better support students
with special needs in our community,
Peters Township School District offers
the Extended School Year program to
children who meet specific criteria and
can benefit from the additional time
reinforcing skills in the classroom.
“For some of our students, prolonged
interruptions in the school schedule like
summer break can result in the loss of
basic skills and taking much longer to
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PETERS TOWNSHIP
regain those skills than their peers with
or without disabilities,” explains Patricia
Kelly, Director of Pupil Services in Peters
Township who oversees the program.
“Our hope is that our ESY services help
prevent any regression.”
This summer, ESY in Peters Township
welcomed 44 students during the five
week-long program. Staff members
are quick to point out that while their
calendar of events may look like a
summer recreation program, there was
a lot of planning and purpose behind
each lesson and outing for the students.
Progress is monitored to help ensure
students will return ready for a new
school year.
Pleasant Valley 3rd grade teacher Mary
Beth Barnes worked with the students
who had just completed grades K-2 and
organized her events into theme weeks
for the students filled with crafts and
activities. The students completed hands-
on activities that helped to maintain skills
they learned throughout the school year.
Summer activities included visits from
the Peters Township Fire Department,
Ambulance and Police Department to
help build positive relationships with
the students and a field trip to the Peters
Township Public Library. Often events
included a craft or project to take home
to encourage more discussion at home
about their experiences.
“They left here everyday with
something to take home and share with
their family,” Barnes explained. She added
that these simple projects helped to
stimulate reciprocal conversations for the
students, something that they often don’t
initiate naturally.
The structure of the program allows for
more social interaction than the typical
school day when bell schedules and
other required activities can make that
challenging.
ESY students during their summer activities
planting with Mrs. Barnes, hearing from the
PT Fire Department, exercising on the park
equipment and even meeting Grace the
miniature horse.
“The environment is structured, but
not as pressured as a regular school
day,” adds teacher Heidi Colombo who
served as Lead Support Teacher for
the ESY program. “You can see them
starting to build friendships and they
are truly enjoying learning in the school
environment.”
One important part of the program is
helping our students with special needs