Summer school offers fun learning opportunities

Short-term summer enrichment classes will be offered once again this summer by the Davis school district, meeting Mondays through Thursdays from June 17 to July 22, with a holiday break July 1-5. Some classes meet for just a few days, others for a few weeks. The deadline for enrollment is April 30.

Fees are charged; they vary, depending on the length of the course and the materials involved.

The summer enrichment program was launched last summer by the Davis Adult and Community Education School, and was well received. This year’s course lineup includes some courses that were popular last summer, and some that are new. Among the offerings:

* College App Boot Camp, offering pointers on the UC/CSU A-G requirements, early application vs. early admission, SAT vs. ACT, a review of college applications and more. This class is for high school seniors.

* Writing the College Essay: The personal statement, in which students will draft and revise an essay for college applications. This class is for high school seniors.

* Kids in the Kitchen, a hands-on course for students in grades 4-8 covering basic knife skills; preparation of entrees, vegetables and desserts; menu planning and more.

* Bake It Up, a class for grades 4-9 that involves baking cookies, muffins, scones, biscuits, pies, tarts and cakes, using fresh ingredients.

* Around the World in Eight Days, a geography course for students in grades 3-5.

* Masterworks from Near and Far, in which students in grades 3-8 will learn about artists in different cultures that pushed the envelope to create masterpieces.

* That Art is Mine!, a hands-on class for grades 3-4 in which children will create their own imaginative works in various media.

* Art Studio, a class for grades 5-7 covering two-dimensional principles used in drawing and painting to convey mass, space, texture, light and shadow.

* Art of the Comic Book, covering the basics of superhero anatomy, perspective and sequential storytelling. This class is for students in grades 3-8.

* Oil Painting, a class for students in grades 6-12 that is open to beginners and more advanced students.

* Welding for Artists, a class for grades 9-12 that will cover welding techniques  that can be used to produce structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing art.

* GROW Junior High, an introductory class for junior high students who want to learn more about plants, gardening, floriculture, farming, animal science and agribusiness careers.

* Zumba for Kids. A youth-oriented version of the popular fitness program that uses dance moves set to Latin/international music. This class is for students in grades 3-6.

* Moving Words: The Duet of Writing and Dance, a course that will use movement to inspire young authors in grades 1-4.

* Awesome Algebra, a course for students in grades 8-12 who want to practice algebra skills before entering higher math classes, or prepare for Algebra 1.

* Geometry Gurus, an indoor/outdoor course in which students will estimate the height of trees from their shadows, create fractal art and more.

* Express Yourself!, a course in oratory for grades 9-12, covering visual aids, computer tips and learning how to speak effectively in spontaneous situations.

* Reading is Fun!, a course for pupils in grades 1-2 that involves both listening and reading.

* Reading Fluency, a course for pupils in grades 3-4 that will increase comprehension skills through stories, including some chapter books.

* Wizards, Witches and Spells, a course in fantasy writing for grades 4-6 covering story elements and strategies for revisions of stories.

* Writer’s Workshop, a course for grades 2-3 in which students will share their writing. Students also will prepare a folder of their work for self-publication.

* Between the Lines, a creative writing course for grades 6-8, in which students will be encouraged to read their work aloud and listen to their peers do the same.

* The Art of the Short Story, a course for grades 9-12 that will explore themes relating to the family and the search for identity.

* Backyard Science, for grades 2-7, which will look at bugs, birds, trees and more in a hands-on setting.

* Programming with Robots, a class for grades 8-12 that will cover the basics of well-structured programming (syntax, variables, conditional statements and control loops) as students program robots for a series of physical challenges.

* Drama: Alice in Wonderland, in which students in grades 6-12 will prepare for a July 25 production of a play based on the famous story.

* Center Stage, a class for grades 2-5 in which children will actively engage in pantomime, impromptu storytelling, character control and skits.

Students can find more information or register by going online to www.djusd.k12.ca.usadultschool. Or, they can stop by the Adult School office on the southwest corner of the Davis High School campus at 14th Street and Oak Avenue, or call 530-757-5380.

— Reach Jeff Hudson at jhudson@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8055.