NEISD keeps summer learning fun with live virtual experiences

At many schools, classrooms are empty, surrounded by bare walls and desks that are tucked away.

But, for hundreds of students, summer school is in full swing.

"We’ve had to switch to being really techy,” Kimberly Leyva said.

Leyva, a former NEISD kid herself, teaches third-graders at Larkspur this the summer but during the school year, she is the Instructional Interventionist at Colonial Hills Elementary School.

She is just one of many staff members working behind the scenes to make the summer school program a memorable one.

“We’ve planned weekly for there to be some sort of virtual tour or field trip where students are able to access different aspects of the community that maybe they wouldn’t have otherwise have had a field trip to,” Leyva explained.

“Teachers, CIS, counselors, librarians, data processors, administrative assistants, bilingual coaches, and community members have come together to go the distance as our theme reflects the hard work and dedication of everyone,” Larkspur Elementary’s summer school principal Francisco Delgado said.

Approximately 569 students from campuses around Larkspur including Colonial Hills, Jackson-Keller, Olmos, and Dellview Elementary are enrolled in summer school at Larkspur.

“We mainly focus on reviewing important standards for reading and math for students who need a little additional practice or remediation,” Levya explained.

The classes are done in a live setting in both English and Spanish and are recorded to accommodate families who are only able to attend at a later time.

At 9:30 a.m., the day begins with a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lesson.

Jaisy Izquierdo, a former journalist from Cuba, is one of the bilingual teachers who works with kindergarteners this summer. 

During the school year, she is the second-grade bilingual teachers at Colonial Hills Elementary School.

“Technology allows us to be with them in their homes and living rooms working with them live as if we were in a classroom,” Izquierdo explained.

She said parents are stay involved too as every family is contacted by their child’s teacher at least once a week.

“We’ve seen an incredible response from the parents. My students are very small since they are in kindergarten. So, the parents are my hands, they are my eyes, they are the breaths necessary so that the kids continue working and paying attention,” she said.

Along with core instruction, there’s always something interactive and engaging planned like virtual field trips to the McNay Art Museum, Animal Care Services (ACS), the San Antonio Zoo, and the San Antonio Missions Historical Park.

“The kids were able to ask direct questions to the park ranger that was giving the tour and we learned; I learned along with them,” Izquierdo said.

And, in the age of COVID-19, both teachers said it’s important to keep kids connected, even if that means bringing the classroom home.   

“The hugest response that we’re getting is just the fact that they show up every day eager to learn,” Levya said.

Izquierdo said the students and parents can always count on the teachers because they are there to help.

“Continue learning, reading, focusing, and nothing will stop us. Not even a pandemic!”

To learn more about NEISD summer school, click here: https://www.neisd.net/Page/879

Because #NEISDcares!