Summer, the break between school years that students and teachers dream about through the semesters. Yet, a dark cloud looms over the horizon, suggesting that students learn even more during their time off…

Now that we’re in the last month of school, summer school is just around the corner. Many people are apprehensive to consider it, however, many benefits go unappreciated.

 Firstly, summer school gives students the chance to make up failed courses in just two months, rivaling the normal five one would spend during the school year. Plus, students can take classes such as Career Prep or Driver’s Education to free up their schedule in the fall. 

However, from a more serious and educational standpoint, summer programs and learning prove to be vital resources for a student’s learning. Studies dating back to the early twentieth-century show reports of summer learning loss in students, averaging around one to two months of loss. Students from lower-income families are shown to be the most susceptible to summer learning loss due to the lack of resources available to them and their families. This means that many teachers have to reteach many concepts before they can start teaching the appropriate grade-level standards, and as many people know well, there’s often not enough time in the school year to cover everything that’s required. Though preventing summer learning loss can be achieved through other summer programs, summer school is often one of the most accessible ways to help it. Though summer school may not be your first choice, students and teachers must work together to find what’s best for them.

With so many options it can be confusing for students to know what they may need, so here’s a breakdown of all the courses that are offered for summer school at BJHS.

SUMMER SCHOOL 2023 INFORMATION

ACCESS Classes

• ACCESS classes are online courses offered for students that have failed classes.
• The ACCESS courses are split into two sections
  • Online credit recovery classes for students that failed with a 40 or higher
  • Online classes that offer course credit for those who failed with a 39 or lower
• Both of these courses take place from June 1-June 29, but students have until July 20 to complete coursework
• From June 5-June 29, Learning Lab tutoring sessions are offered at BJHS Monday-Thursday, from 8:00-12:00. These provide Math and English/Language Arts tutoring. Students are highly encouraged to attend these sessions. 
• No costs are associated with these courses
• For information regarding courses offered through ACCESS, click HERE for credit recovery classes, and HERE for classes offered for course credit

Online Courses

• Beginning Kinesiology (Life PE), Health, Economics, Government, Career Prep A, Career Prep B, and Full Credit Career Prep are offered to take over the summer
• These courses run from June 1-June 29. All coursework for these classes is due June 29.
• These classes are taught by BJHS teachers
• $100 fee per every 0.5 credit

In-Person Courses

• There are two courses offered for in-person instruction
  • Driver’s Education
  • ACT Bootcamp
• Driver’s Ed Prerequisites: Students MUST HAVE a VALID Learner’s Permit AND driving experience before taking this class
  • $ 200-course fee
  • Although this course is a 0.5 credit course, costs are still the same as full credit courses due to additional costs this class has
  • Only one session is required to earn this credit
  • Students meet in the AV room at BJHS on the first day from 8:00-3:00
  • After this meeting, driving appointments are scheduled by the student and instructor
  • You must choose ONE of the listed two-week instructional periods
    • The offered periods are: June 5-16, June 20-30, and July 10-21
• ACT Bootcamp (NOT a class credit): One session is offered from June 5-June 8 for $150. Students meet at BJHS from 8:00-12:00

For any additional information, follow these links to the Summer School Brochure, Registration, and Online Payment. For any additional questions, contact Mr. Runnion at [email protected] or Mr. Hoyle at [email protected], and of course, remember to make the most of your summer and prepare for the 2023-2024 school year!