Dear Parents/Guardians:
The purpose of this newsletter is to share information about George Mason High School's 2021 Summer Academy Program. Students will have the opportunity to select from a variety of Hybrid Classroom (Hy-C) courses for new credit, credit recovery or continuation, or obtain enrichment for advanced courses. Parents/Guardians may register their child/children using this Summer Academy Registration Form by Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Parents/Guardians will be sent a confirmation email once registration closes and not before.
Summer Academy Information
Summer Academy is composed of two parts: a 2-week virtual only format from June 7-20 and a 6-week face-to-face (optional) and virtual format from June 21-July 29. Classes will meet four days a week, Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to 12:00pm. (There is no school on July 5 for the holiday). The flexibility of the Hy-C program allows students to work independently; this will be required if your child intends to earn a full credit. Students must complete their final exam by the end of Summer Academy on Thursday, July 29 at Noon. All outstanding coursework must be submitted by July 30 at 3:00pm.
Within Summer Academy is the Summer Bridge Program. This program will be available for selected courses where students have been identified as needing additional support to continue to the next level of a course where the curriculum is designed to build upon itself. Invitations and details to summer bridge courses will be sent the week of June 14 to families of identified students. This program will be virtual only.
Orientation and Start Date
A Summer Academy Orientation will be held in the GMHS Auditorium on Tuesday, May 25 at 10:15am. (A virtual option will be available). At this time, students will receive instructions on how to access the course in which they are enrolled. This will allow students to begin their class as early as Monday, June 7. From June 7-20, students will be able to work independently in a virtual format. From June 21-July 29, teachers will be available in the Mustang Library and select classrooms during Summer Academy hours. A school laptop is required.
Course Expectations
A student who is attempting to earn a full credit should expect to begin the course on June 7 and continue throughout the summer. A student who spends an average of 20 hours per week during the 8-week summer session can expect to complete one full-credit class. Partially completed work from a summer course will not transfer to the next school year.
Final Exams and Standards of Learning (SOL) Exams
All Summer Academy courses require a proctored final exam to be taken the week of July 26 in person. Students must complete their final exam by Thursday, July 29 at Noon. SOL Exams will be administered when students return to school in September 2021.
Courses Available
In Hybrid Courses (Hy-C), content is presented via computer-based lessons, activities and assessments AND students are supported by classroom teachers for additional content support, monitoring, and guidance. Hy-C courses are aligned to the Virginia SOLs and serve to meet the basic requirements of credit for graduation. Summer Hy-C courses are offered in:
English: Gr9, Gr10, Gr11, Gr12
Math: Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II
Science: Biology, Earth Science, Astronomy
Social Studies: World Civ I, World Civ II, US Government, US/VA History
Interdisciplinary: Personal Finance and Economics
Health and Physical Education: PE/Health 9, PE/Health 10
Transportation and Snack Breaks
A bus is available to transport students to and from school. The school bus schedule will be available on the Summer Academy website by mid-June. A snack break will be scheduled at a regular time during the day and a light snack will be provided free of charge. Please note that students will NOT be allowed to leave campus during the school day.
Sincerely,
David Serensits
Peter Laub
Steven Knight
Joshua Singer
Summer Academy Administrators
April 16, 2021