The Hollister School District once again operated a successful Extended School Year (ESY) program for a month of the summer, giving eligible students opportunities to prevent learning loss and keep structured schedules.
The ESY program ran from June 12-July 12 at Rancho Santana School. ESY is an extension of the Special Education program or otherwise for students with Individual Education Programs (IEPs) who are deemed to need the additional learning time to prevent educational setbacks.
“It’s for retention and then for minimizing learning loss,” said Dr. Gabriel Gutierrez, Director of Special Education for HSD.
There were about 130 students from the district in grades TK-8 taking part this summer. The program involved 13 teachers, 6 specialists, and about 60 paraeducators for the 20 days of extended school year.
Each school year, IEP teams conduct an analysis during an IEP meeting to determine if students meet criteria for ESY. Not all students with IEPs are eligible. Parents also can opt out if they choose, but the district does “strongly encourage” participation for those deemed eligible because it’s in students’ best interests, Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez noted the district also has some students with IEPs who attend on an appointment basis, such as for educationally related mental health services, language and speech services, or occupational therapy services. Although some students may not have met criteria for ESY, the IEP teams have deemed that the related services are needed to prevent setbacks in those areas. Students receive those services at specified times.
For the larger group, ESY activities ran from 8:30am-12:30pm each school day, with transportation provided for students who needed it.
“It’s a good way to maintain structure,” said Mahalia Magabo, ESY Coordinator for the district.
Each day, students started with a morning meeting and breakfast provided by the school. That was followed by periods focused on language arts, math and science, with time provided for other support services as needed. Additionally, there were field days; time for water play; weekly school-wide themes; and school-wide contests such as door-decorating activities, best exercise video and poster-making.
“They also made posters for community helpers,” Magabo said. “Since we were not able to do any field trips, we invited police officers and firefighters to come to an assembly. The students enjoyed it a lot.”
While the routines kept the students’ minds active through hands-on learning, there was also a focus on being healthy and doing outdoor activities.
“Because it’s summertime,” Magabo said, excitedly. “I have to remind myself—it’s summertime.”
Maintaining a positive environment was a big part of ESY, as shown by positive school-wide office referrals. Teachers had a chance to pick a student on a daily basis to go to the office, have their names announced, and get a pizza card as a reward.
“Instead of being sent to the office for discipline, they’re getting sent to the office for positive behaviors,” Magabo said.
She said everything went smoothly this summer for ESY, while noting for the final day July 12 everybody prepared a tie-dye shirt.
Gutierrez said the district strives for the students to gain benefits and have the best experience possible through ESY.
“We appreciate parents who have sent their students over the summer to continue learning and socializing with their peers,” he said. “Ultimately working together, we’re going to have greater outcomes for the students.”
