If you’re looking to get your kids out of the house this summer, the Londonderry School District may have the solution you’re looking for.
During June, the district will be beginning its Summer Enrichment programs that will be offered for every grade from Kindergarten all the way to Grade 12. Not only do these programs serve to keep students’ minds fresh outside of the school year, but it also promotes students strengths in academic areas and helps to expose them to other interests.
Science will mostly take center stage during June. The first of these programs, Exploring ChemMysteries, will be for fourth and fifth graders and focus on chemical phenomenon occurring from household substances. The program will explore concepts like how temperature and pressure change the behavior of particles and how molecules interact with one another. Some activities will be more relaxed, such as making slime and homemade ice cream, while others will be based around detective work, like fingerprinting and identifying unknown powders. Three classes will be held from June 27th until the 29th. The minimum class size is six students and the maximum is twelve. They will go from 9:30 a.m. to Noon at Londonderry Middle School and will be taught by Karen Kilgore.
The other scientific program, Scientific Inquiry & Design, will be more oriented in physical science and be available for sixth through ninth graders. The activities will focus on teaching students about Newton’s Laws of Motion, friction, energy transfer and balanced and unbalanced forces. The participants will learn these concepts by doing things like building air rockets, string racers, carbon dioxide boats and foam insulated roller coasters. Four classes will be held from June 27th until June 30th. The minimum class size is eight students and the maximum is twelve. They will go from 8:30 a.m. to Noon at Londonderry High School and will be taught by Douglas Smith.
The final June program will take on a more athletic focus, titled Running School. Offered to sixth through eighth graders, it will be based around the various elements of cross country running, teaching them about warm-ups, cool-down, physical training, pacing, nutrition, hydration and running terminology. Video apps will be used to record the runner’s form, while IPads will help the students research running techniques and equipment. Four classes will be held from June 27th until June 30th. The minimum class size is ten students and the maximum is twenty-four. They will go from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Londonderry High School and taught by Matt Noon.
Theresa Bertrand, Registrar for the Londonderry School District, who has been advertising these programs, noted that ”By offering these programs over the summer, we hope to engage the children in areas of studies that they typically would not be exposed to during the regular academic school year.”
It should be noted that the programs carry a minimum and maximum fee. The minimum fee will be charged if the maximum class size is reached, but fewer students in each class will equal a higher fee. Registration must be received by June 2nd and is first come, first served. More programs will be announced for July.
For more information about the programs, check Londonderry.org, Town Hall, the Leach Library, the School Main Offices and School Newsletters.