Posted: 12 May 2010 11:15 PM PDT

Students at some Chambersburg Area School District elementary schools that were struggling in reading received extra help this school year -- as did the teachers that were tutoring them.

The district and students from Dr. Andrea Malmont's elements of instruction class at Shippensburg University teamed up and developed a Professional Development School Partnership for the school year. Five days a week, students from Malmont's class would travel to Fayetteville. Scotland and Benjamin Chambers Elementary schools and provide a half-hour of one-on-one tutoring to those who had fallen below proficient levels through assessment teaching.

Julie Brown, Fayetteville's head teacher and intervention coach, said the SU students would arrive at the elementary schools and pick up the lesson plan for each child and work with them in the afternoons from 2:45 p.m. to around 3:15 p.m.

Brown said the tutoring not only assisted the students with reading but also took a time slot that can occasionally be difficult for learning and used it efficiently. Brown said many students are not up for more learning in late afternoon hours.

"It almost became a buddy system," Malmont said.

About 60 students were tutored at Fayetteville. Malmont said that although most of the teaching students had signed up to visit the schools for one hour a week, most were spending about twice that amount visiting the schools.

"That one extra session was the difference between it being concrete

for the students and not being concrete," Brown said.

"It was definitely a fun and valuable experience for everyone," Malmont said.

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Keith Paradise can be reached at kparadise@publicopinionnews.com or 262-4811.

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Kingsport schools partner with YMCA instead of parks for summer tutoring

Posted: 12 May 2010 08:01 PM PDT

Kingsport schools partner with YMCA instead of parks for summer tutoring

KINGSPORT — The Kingsport school system is providing tutoring through the YMCA summer program instead of the Kingsport Parks and Recreation Department program it used last year.

Both programs for elementary school and middle school students have added features, including a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program in the Greater Kingsport Family YMCA program and expanded sports camps in the Parks and Recreation program.

And both will have free hot lunches for students through a federally funded feeding program.

"We've had a partnership with the YMCA for many years in terms of providing after-school care for children at many of our schools," said Amy Greear, spokeswoman for the city school system.

Kerrie Coode is the school system's coordinator for its after-school and summer programs with the YMCA, which are funded through LEAP — Lottery for Education: Afterschool Programs.

The summer YMCA program will operate at Johnson and Lincoln elementary schools from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for those in grades K-5 this fall and at Sevier Middle School the same times for those in grades 6-9 this fall.

"We are targeting students who have been identified as needing remediation work during the summer," Greear said. "We are providing students tutoring in that program at no cost."

Greear said about 20 students at each of eight elementary schools, or about 160 students, have been invited to attend the YMCA program tuition free to receive the tutoring. She said each site will have about 120 slots or 240 total.

Without a scholarship or other assistance, Abigail Simmons, YMCA membership and marketing director, said the charge for the program from May 24 through July 16 is $105 for YMCA members and $120 for non-members, with discounts available for multiple children. A non-refunded $30 registration fee also is required.

The program continues for another week at Warriors Path State Park at the same price, but participants must register for at least two other weeks to attend the Warriors Path sessions. However, participants can pick and choose which weeks they will attend in advance.

Simmons emphasized that assistance remains available.

Greear and Ginger Keller-Ferguson, technical and grant writer for the school system, said anyone interested should contact the YMCA or the city system for more information as soon as possible.

Greear said the YMCA program, technically an expansion of the LEAP after-school program during the school year, also will include a new "GEMS for STEM" program sponsored by Eastman Chemical Co. One day a week, engineers and other Eastman employees will work with and tutor YMCA program students in science, technology, engineering and math.

In addition, Greear said the Arts Council of Greater Kingsport is working with the program to provide a resident artist to work with the students one day a week.

Also, the students will swim several times a week at the Dobyns-Bennett High School indoor swimming pool.

The YMCA program also will accept child-care vouchers issued by the Department of Human Services, Keller-Ferguson said.

In the other program, Mark Kilgore, program coordinator for Kingsport Parks and Recreation, said students ages 6-12 go to Roosevelt, Kennedy, Lincoln and Jefferson elementary schools and Lee Apartments, while students ages 13-15 go to the old Lynn View Middle School.

The program runs May 25 through July 16. All but Jefferson and Lynn View run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Jefferson runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Lynn View goes from 11 a.m to 5:30 p.m.

Kilgore said about 40 slots are left at Jefferson, which is the most popular because of the early drop-off and late pickup times.

The enrollment charge is a $10 fee for each child of city residents and $30 for those of non-city residents. Kilgore said based on last year's registration, he expects about 700 youth in the program.

Kilgore said the Parks and Recreation program will include swimming at Legion Pool, as well as trips to Wetlands Water Park and Bays Mountain Park. Also included are playground competitions and an expanded slate of sports camps.

Kilgore said six camps — part of the Extreme Challenge — are available: girls basketball, boys basketball, baseball, wrestling, football and volleyball.

All will be at Dobyns-Bennett except for wrestling at the Civic Auditorium and volleyball at Robinson Middle School.

The YMCA program includes the free meal, free snacks and no-cost field trips and swimming three times a week. It has a ratio of one counselor for every 10 children, as well as two hours of supervised physical activity a week for elementary students and 30 minutes a week for teenagers in the Xtreme at the YMCA program at Sevier.

For more information about the YMCA program and the school system's involvement in it, contact Coode at 378-2881 or the YMCA at 247-9622.

For more information about the Kingsport Parks and Recreation program, contact Kilgore at 224-2489.

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Area Tutoring Schools Close Without Warning

Posted: 12 May 2010 01:17 PM PDT

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