Home » Expression! Summer School Program

Expression! Summer School Program

2011 Summer School Program
May 31- July 29, 2011: 8 AM - 12 PM

View photos from our 2009 summer school program here >>

Our annual acclaimed summer school program provides six weeks of daily intensive instruction in all subjects: Mathematics, Language Arts, Writing, Foreign Language, Abacus (soroban), Public Speaking, Crafts, and Music and/or Art Instruction. Students of all ages are welcome, and will be divided into two groups, based primarily upon their ages. These groups rotate every 45 minutes among the different subjects. In addition, a fifteen minute mid-morning snack is provided. There will be a special graduation/awards ceremony celebrating the achievements of the participants at the conclusion of the program. Program curriculum is as follows:

INTENSIVE MATH & LANGUAGE ARTS:
A total of 90 minutes daily will be devoted to RA academic studies. Students will have the opportunity to make tremendous progress, at their own individual pace, within a short period of time.

WRITING
45 minutes will be devoted to the development of students’ writing, a crucial skill that is often the weakest area in their overall education. Students will complete various assignments and projects designed to explore different stylistic genres and to strengthen their overall verbal, grammatical, and research skills.

JAPANESE
Students will have the opportunity to understand the importance of learning a language and culture other than English. Pronunciation, reading, writing, and conversational skills will be emphasized. This is an introductory course.

ABACUS (Soroban)
This is a traditional Asian manual calculator. The abacus was introduced to Japan from China in the 16th century. Abacus arithmetic was, along with reading and writing, a central element in traditional education, and was made a part of the official school curriculum in 1926. Skilled abacus users can process fairly complex computations mentally at high speeds. The Japanese believe that learning the abacus develops children’s abilities to handle figures.

ART
1.5 hour sessions per week will be devoted to students exploring their visual creativity in projects utilizing various mediums. Elements of art history will be integrated and there will also be an emphasis on aesthetic appreciation. Students’ works will be exhibited in the final graduation ceremony.

PUBLIC SPEAKING
The Academy believes that in order to nurture our youths to be active leaders in our community and to encourage them to be courageous in their thinking, learning, and education, it is vitally important for students to develop their ability to communicate to others effectively. For 45 minutes each week, students will learn to build their speaking skills, and to address their ideas successfully to an audience.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Students love to work with their hands, and 45 minutes per week will be spent building and working on a project that develops their mind-eye-hand coordination. This will also be showcased at the conclusion of the program.

GRADUATION AND AWARDS CEREMONY
The 2011 Summer School Graduation and Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 5:00 PM. Please join us as we celebrate the achievements of our summer school participants!