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 58 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