MANSFIELD – Starting in June, GOAL Digital Academy offered a plethora of summer activities for students, ranging from summer book clubs to credit recovery for high school students. These programs were met with enthusiasm from both students and staff.
Summer book clubs were offered to all GOAL students. Each grade-level group had specific books that matched their reading abilities and student interest. Students who participated received books and journaling supplies at no cost. Students met virtually once a week with their book club teacher and students in their grade band for group discussions and to make connections to the text.
The first- and second-graders read "Dinosaurs Before Dark" and were provided the book "The Knights at Dawn" to read on their own. Six students participated in reading the book and the weekly discussions. The third- and fourth-graders read "My Father's Dragon" and were provided the book "Elmer and the Dragon." Seven students participated in reading the book and the weekly discussions. The fifth- and sixth-graders read "The Greenglass House" and were provided the book "Ghost of Greenglass House." Four students participated in reading the book and the weekly discussions. High school students read "Anthem" and were provided the book "Dragon Hoops." Four students participated in reading the book and the weekly discussions.
The Summer AIM program is designed to prevent students from regressing in their reading and math abilities over the summer while school is not in session. The program uses the online educational platform iReady. The program creates a personalized learning path for each student. The learning path is developed to help close any educational gaps students might have as well as challenge and extend their knowledge in areas that they are already strong in. iReady Summer Enrichment was a big success with 22 students completing 25 lessons or more during the five weeks of the program. Sixteen of the 22 students completed 50 or more lessons, with the highest number of lessons completed being 82. Those students completing at least 25 lessons earned a $25 gift card, and those completing at least 50 lessons earned a $50 gift card.
To help middle-schoolers close achievement gaps and better prepare for high school math classes, a middle-school math class taught by a high school algebra teacher was offered. Eleven of the eighth-grade students passed this course to help them better transition into Algebra 1 in high school.
GOAL Digital Academy also offered art enrichment activities at the Mansfield Art Center and the Mansfield Lab that saw several students participate in ceramics, mosaics, and Chihuly glass. The student service club had several students work to clean up area parks. At Delaware, they removed eight bags of trash from the Alum Creek State Park hiking trails. In Mount Vernon, students and staff helped the city crew remove trash and storm debris around Ariel-Foundation Park and lake.
Credit Recovery Summer School offered high school students an opportunity to earn credits toward graduation throughout the five-week summer school session. Classes were offered in English, math, science, social studies and a few electives, including personal finance, health, physical education and careers. Thirty-five students earned credit during the summer session.
Tish Jenkins, GOAL Digital Academy superintendent, said keeping students engaged was the driving force behind planning these summer activities.
“Too often, students, particularly older students, don’t get a lot of options when it comes to fun activities during the summer," Jenkins said. "We made sure that all of our students from kindergarten through 11th grade had a number of interesting things to do, including some community service to help foster civic pride. Keeping them engaged during the summer means they will come back to school ready to learn.”
GOAL Digital Academy serves 12 counties in Central Ohio with its seven learning labs and celebrates students’ diverse learning styles, interests and talents by going beyond academics and providing students with well-rounded opportunities to meet new people and engage in their passions. GOAL offers regular family education and networking opportunities and continually works to remove family or community barriers that impact student success.
