News Photo by Julie Riddle Students board a bus at Hinks Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon.

ALPENA — Alpena Public Schools parents have until Friday to sign their child or children up for summer school.

The district will be offering summer school opportunities to K-12 students, including two sessions of “A Summer of Literacy” for students in kindergarten to second grade, “A Summer of S.T.E.A.M.” for students in third through eighth grades, and a credit recovery program for students in ninth through 12th grades.

“The overall goal of the program — of our summer opportunities — is to keep kids engaged, to keep their minds active, and to work on key standards along the way,” Assistant Superintendent for K-12 Curriculum Meaghan Gauthier said. “It’s not to fully assess their learning gaps, and monitor those and provide personalized instruction, it really is to engage kids and keep the fun of learning through a variety of experiences.”

The K-2 Summer of Literacy program is offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays the last three weeks in June and the first three weeks in August at Besser or Sanborn School.

The program is free to students, who can attend one or both sessions. Kindergarten will meet from 8:30 to 10 a.m., first grade from 10:30 a.m until 12 p.m. and second grade from 12:30 p.m. until 2 p.m.

The Summer of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics program will be offered to students in grades 3 through 8 who have a C or lower in math or English.

The program will last for three hours, with grades 3 to 5 meeting from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and students in grades 6 to 8 attending from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. from June 8-10, June 15-17, and June 22-24. A second session will be held in August, from Aug. 3 – 5, Aug. 10-12, and Aug. 17-19.

“They’ll meet with an English teacher and they’ll work on reading strategies that are integrated with the focus of Starbase,” Gauthier said. “So we’re trying to integrate that STEAM focus with Starbase content.”

Students will then work with a math teacher to work on foundational math concepts and also Starbase teachers, she said. Gauthier said there are currently 58 students registered for kids in June and 24 students in August.

Students in grades 3-8, who have earned a C or lower, can also attend a three-day art summer camp on July 20-22 or July 27-29 at Art in the Loft. Classes are limited to 25 students, with students in grades 3 to 5 attending from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and students in grades 6 to 8 attending from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Students in grades 9 to 12 can work with their teachers three hours a day, three days a week for three weeks in June to recover any Semester 1 course failures. Gauthier said district officials are considering offering credit recovery again in August for students to recover any Semester 2 course failures.

Additionally, Gauthier said every student in grades K-5 will receive a summer Brain Quest book. The books are designed to bridge skills students learn in between grades and are aligned with the district’s curriculum.

Gauthier said the district is paying for summer school using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.

Questions about A Summer of Literacy can be directed to Stephanie Florip by calling 989-358-5563 or emailing florips@alpenaschools.com.

Questions about a Summer of STEAM can contact Jeana Bellanger by calling 989-358-5015 or emailing bellangerj@alpenaschools.com.