July 16, 2024, Lancaster ISD/Lancaster, TX-- Lancaster ISD is continuing to build and develop all of its students through Extended School Year Services (ESY) this summer. For the past couple of weeks, teachers have been working diligently with students on furthering their academics in a way that is both fun and educational. This is seen by the implementation of classes such as Life Skills, Specialized Program Individualizing Reading Excellence (S.P.I.R.E), Multisensory Reading Program, Speech, and Total Communication. These classes assist students with closing gaps and reaching the next level.
Teramesia Brown is a Life Skills and Special Education teacher who works at West Main Elementary. Brown is currently working as a Life Skills Teacher for the program and is dedicated to growing her students. This class was created for students who have difficulty in retention to maintain the consistency needed for success. “Majority of our students are going to keep what we learn here and they're going to be able to hold it and move through the rest of the summer,” Brown shared. “When they start the school year, they're either going to start above where they ended or right where they ended.”
In this camp, students work on a multitude of things such as identifying numbers, counting, multiplying, subtracting, and addition. Brown hopes that through this program students learn things such as taking turns, independence, and self-motivation.
Cameisha Borner is the teacher for the S.P.I.R.E Reading Intervention Program. During the school year, she worked at Rosa Parks Millbrook Elementary as the Inclusion/Content Mastery teacher but was recently hired as the Total Communication Teacher. In the S.P.I.R.E program, the goal is to close reading gaps for students to help them succeed in all areas of their academic careers. “ We know that reading is connected to writing, spelling, fluency, as well as comprehension,” Borner explained. “We’re trying to make sure that we are touching and targeting all of those reading components that help develop the student.”
Borner’s goal is to not only develop the student’s reading abilities but also create talented readers and writers. She is proud to participate in this program and loves to see students excel.
“I am able to see them make the growth and the changes that they need at a faster pace because we can slow it down for them. Not only can we slow it down for them but we can reach them where they're at,” she said. “Students are expected to walk away with high self-esteem recognizing that nobody is perfect but through hard work they will make great improvement.”
Lancaster ISD is dedicated to providing all students with the resources to help them reach the next level. Through their equitable approach, students are expected to succeed academically and holistically as well. Inspire. Empower. Roar!
