Building on the success that was achieved during The Knox School’s spring season of Distance Education, Knox Summer Adventures is proud to offer academic programs designed to engage the mind, build important skills and prepare students for the rigors of upcoming standardized exams.
Register Today and avoid the dreaded “SUMMER SLIDE!”
Learn About Our Enrichment Programs
Summer will look different this year, but the SAT won’t…
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to learn from experienced SAT and ACT instructors during The Knox School’s Virtual Test Prep Summer Intensive.
All sessions run for 90 minutes and begin at 10:30 a.m. EST:
JULY 7 – AUGUST 20, 2020
Classes meet twice per week on Tuesdays & Thursdays
Fee: $800.00 for 14 sessions
Tuesday’s – MATHEMATICS
The SAT /ACT Math course is designed to provide students with maximum exposure to the concepts that appear on the SAT and ACT Math tests. Students will learn techniques that will help them answer both multiple-choice questions and gridded response questions. The Math SAT will contain both a calculator section and a non-calculator section.
The main topics we will cover are:
- The Heart of Algebra
- Problem Solving and Data Analysis
- Passport to Advanced Math
- Geometry
We will also briefly review Complex Numbers while the ACT adds in the additional subject of Trigonometry. The ACT contains 60 multiple choice questions to be completed in 60 minutes all calculator friendly. The course will review previously learned concepts and teach any new topics that are needed for students who may have not yet reached the needed level of mathematics for the exams. Time-saving techniques that help in answering multiple-choice questions will be explored.
Thursday’s – VERBAL
The SAT/ACT English course will review the types of questions the college entrance exams will ask in English and Reading sections. We will break down each type of question to focus on the best ways to approach them. Specifically, we will practice the grammar skills and topics covered in the English section to be able to recognize the change needed in the passage before even looking at the answer choices, and we will read various passages from all parts of the reading section to develop a comfort with all the topics that could potentially be presented on the exam.
Our Teachers:
Donna Pergola is a New York State Certified English teacher and College Counselor who owns and operates a private tutoring company in addition to teaching at The Knox School for the past six years. Mrs. Pergola has more than a decade of experience in test prep tutoring and her instructional methods have helped Knox students raise their verbal scores by an average of 100 points.
Deb Mazzant is a graduate of Penn State where she majored in Mathematics education. With more than 15 years of teaching and tutoring experience, Deb knows how to motivate students to engage with mathematics so they can be successful on the SAT and ACT. Students leave Deb’s sessions with the belief that math can be fun, even if they didn’t think so before!
Required Course Materials:
To be purchased by students who register for this class.
Knox Summer Adventures is happy to offer a Middle School Enrichment Program to help students engage in a summer assignment, as well as refresh their knowledge to ensure they are ready to enter their new grade level. These classes will be 100% online, over a duration of 9 weeks.
All sessions run for 60 minutes
June 15 – August 28, 2020
_______
June 15th – July 3rd
July 13th – July 31st
August 10th – August 28th
Fee: $500 for 27 sessions
6TH & 7TH GRADE PROGRAM
Classes meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. EST
Mondays – Students will meet for one hour for Math enrichment, 8:00 – 9:00 A.M. EST. We will have mini-lessons to review the topics covered in the summer assignments. Students will be responsible for completing some of the corresponding questions independently, and it will be reviewed together in the following class.
Wednesdays – Students will meet for one hour for ELA enrichment, 8:00 – 9:00 P.M. EST. They will read 2-3 chapters of their summer reading book together and participate in reading comprehension and grammar activities based on the chapter(s) of the book. They will also be responsible for reading selected parts of the book independently (a recorded reading with annotation will be provided if needed) which will be discussed in the following class.
Fridays – Students who participated in Fri”YAY” during Term 3 truly enjoyed it, and they asked if we can continue it through the summer. During this time 9:00 – 10:00 A.M. EST, ALL middle school students will play games and enjoy time to socialize with their friends!
8TH GRADE PROGRAM
Classes meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
9:00 a.m. – *10:00 a.m. EST
Mondays – Students will meet for Math enrichment, *9:00 – 9:45 A.M. EST for the students taking Pre-Algebra and *9:45 – 10:30 A.M. EST for the students taking Algebra 1. We will have mini-lessons to review the topics covered in the summer assignments. Students will be responsible for completing the corresponding questions independently, and it will be reviewed together in the following class.
Wednesdays – Students will meet for one hour for ELA enrichment, 9:00 – 10:00 P.M. EST. They have a choice between four different dystopian novels, so we will be doing mini-lessons on various literary devices using our anchor text “Ponies,” then applying them to our novels. They will also take part in reading comprehension and grammar activities to maintain their skills. They will also be responsible for reading assigned chapters of their novels to be able to participate in the next class’ discussions. If they need assistance in reading their novels, arrangements can be made.
Fridays – Students who participated in Fri”YAY” during Term 3 truly enjoyed it, and they asked if we can continue it through the summer. During this time 9:00 – 10:00 A.M. EST, ALL middle school students will play games and enjoy time to socialize with their friends!
Course Assignments:
By registering for the Middle School Enrichment Program, students will complete the summer assignments required by The Knox School’s Middle School classes. Please read the assignment for your child’s grade level to determine the course materials that must be purchased to participate in this program.
Our Teacher:
Dana Fernandez has a Master’s Degree in Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages and has dedicated the past few months to help improve the Middle School Program at Knox. As part of her efforts to continue the education of the Knox Middle Schoolers, she designed a Summer Enrichment Program to help maintain the skills acquired throughout the school year, as well as assist them in completing their summer assignments.
Knox Summer Adventures is thrilled to present STEM education programs for High School and Middle School students with a highly-skilled research specialist. Not only will these classes “bridge the gap” in learning during the summer’s downtime, but they will also allow students to explore topics that they may not receive in their traditional science classes.
All sessions run for 50 minutes
June 29 – July 24, 2020
Classes Meet 3 days per week – Monday, Wednesday, Friday
1:00 – 1:50 p.m. – Middle School Class
2:00 – 2:50 p.m. – High School Class
Fee: $600 for 12 sessions
Introduction to Science Research
for High School students
This course is designed for students interested in scientific research and biodesign. Students will be introduced to the design process, including realistic constraints. Moreover, important fields in biomedical research will be discussed, including genetic engineering and associated ethical dilemmas. Informal “journal club” style sessions will allow students to gain familiarity with scientific literature and practice effective speaking skills while learning about cutting-edge research via casual discussion with peers. Finally, students will work together to propose their own engineered solutions to a real-life problem.
Introduction to Science Research
for Middle School students
This course is designed for students who are curious about the world around them and enjoy the process of figuring out how things work. Students will learn about the causes of various disease states and consider the research which aims to rectify them, as well as the ethical dilemmas often associated. We will delve into some of the seemingly endless and awesome possibilities that exist within biomedical research and consider what future treatments might look like. Informal “journal club” style sessions will allow each student to practice effective speaking skills through open discussion with peers. Finally, students will work together to propose their own engineered solutions to a real-life problem.
Our Teacher:
Eva Gallegos recently completed studies in biomedical engineering and applied mathematics and statistics and has been working as the teacher of engineering at the Knox School for the past year. She is an experienced lab researcher with interests in medical research, innovation, and engineering design. Moreover, she has a passion for teaching and mentoring, and has worked as a tutor, student mentor and teaching assistant for university STEM students over the past four years.
The Knox School is committed to welcoming our international students with this two week, intense emergent Readers Theater program. Our aim is to prepare international students for an American boarding school experience through an interactive approach using Readers Theater to explore American and World Literature while building their language skills across all four language domains, i.e. listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing.
All sessions run for 90 minutes from 8:00-9:30 a.m. EST.
August 3 – 14, 2020
Classes meet 5 days per week – Monday-Friday
Fee: $800.00 for 10 sessions
What is Readers Theater?
Reader’s Theater is a form of oral presentation with an emphasis on reading aloud rather than on memorization. Readers Theater gives students the chance to enjoy literature while gaining confidence in both social and academic settings and building a formal integrated experience into mainstream academic classes in the fall. Through this hands-on experience, students will gain a better understanding of the culture and expectations of the American Classroom while strengthening their language skills.
Using an internet-based language placement test, students are placed by proficiency levels into groups for Readers Theater. Daily morning English language lessons focus on one piece of literature written as a play. Students will select a part to play and through preview, rehearsal, and practice, students will develop skills in listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. On selected evenings, students will be expected to analyze one aspect of their literature piece through a writing prompt. Students will submit short paragraphs that explore their comprehension of literature, vocabulary, and plot while developing their own reflective opinion through writing. Assignments will be discussed and edited with the teacher’s guidance. Our culminating experience will prepare students for an online performance of one of the Readers Theater scripts for invited guests to enjoy. (Guests will include administrators, ENL department faculty, and specially invited guests.)
ENL Fellow
In addition to classroom instruction, each participant is paired with an ENL Fellow, a Knox student who is dedicated to helping the new international student increase their English fluency and successfully transition to the Knox learning community. Students are scheduled for three 20-minute evening meetings with their ENL Fellow throughout the two-week program.
A certificate of attendance is given to each student at the conclusion of the program. Contact Virginia Riccardi, Assistant Head of School, for additional information at vriccardi@knoxschool.org.
Our Teacher:
Susan Layton is a New York and California State Certified Public Educator in Elementary Education and English as a New Language. She holds a Masters in Instructional Technology and Media Management. Susan has taught for over 31 years and brings with her experience in professional training and development, as well as holding a minor in athletic training and coaching with 15 years of experience in coaching. She also has 36 credit hours towards a Masters in Guidance and Counseling. Susan has traveled extensively across the globe and brings with her an appreciation of all cultures and the excitement to blend cultures within her ENL classroom at The Knox School. Susan has successfully completed her first year at Knox as an ENL teacher, Service Learning Coordinator, and Jam Club Advisor. Susan is highly motivated to help her students achieve success in commanding the English language and experiencing a perfect blend of American culture from her experiences on the East and West coasts of the US.
