Felicia Seminski from Frederiksen elementary school works with her students. In this years STEAM Summer Camp, Ms. Seminski is teaching 3M’s: Mysteries, Makerspace & Movies.
DPIE’s Summer Camp features half day academic programs organized by local teachers and qualified educators. The program is open to students from all school districts. Hello parents, can you believe there are only about 20 days of school left before your children are home for Summer vacation? Ok, get that look of panic off your face because DPIE has just the thing to help you out. This summer, the DPIE STEAM Summer Camp returns and it will be bigger and better than ever. Our new Summer Camp is offering a choice of 20 different one, two and three week courses between the dates of June 11 – 29 and classes will be held at both Amador and Murray Elementary Schools. All classes will run 3 ½ hours long between the hours of 8:30 – noon. Plus our STEAM Summer Camp is open to students from all school districts.
Summer Courses Stimulate Student Thinking & Creativity
Our STEAM Summer Camp is not just an ordinary program offering ordinary classes, kids will have the opportunity to participate in project based learning, investigations, research and will enjoy a wide variety of hands-on and fun activities that will keep their minds engaged and sharp. “The STEAM Summer Camp brings the DPIE program full circle” explained DPIE Program Manager, Vickie Constantinides. “With the opening of STEAM Elementary Academy this summer, we will have programs in place for elementary, middle and high school students.” Answering the question as to why parents should enroll their children in summer programs, Ms Constantinides responded, “There is so much research out there that points to the degree of learning loss that takes place over the summer. By offering robust programs like the classes DPIE has this summer, will keep kids’ minds actively engaged in learning, while also having fun. In the end, these classes will help kids start the school year ready to learn.”
20 Creative Summer Camp Course Options
Most of DPIE’s courses are being offered by certificated DUSD teachers with a few highly sought after outside partners integrated into the program as well. The course titles are diverse and include those listed below.
- The Science & Engineering of Roller Coasters
- Earth’s Biospheres: Oceans, Deserts & The Rainforest
- Harness the Sun: Constructing Solar Cars
- Video Game Design
- Jurassic Brick Land Camp
- Junior Engineering & Coding
- Superhero Academy Camp
- The 3M’s – Mysteries, Makerspace & Movies
- Galaxy Far Away – Space Camp
- Amazing Animal Adventures
- Engineering, Coding and Makerspace
- Creative Writing: Poems, Stories & Songs, “Oh My”
- It’s Out of this World: The Magic Behind Technology
For a full listing of all our classes being offered, go to the DPIE website at https://www.dpie.org/summer/steam/. Once you’ve made your class decision, you can enroll your child online and use your credit card to pay the enrollment fee.
Teachers Teach Their Passion
When asked about why she wants to offer her Biospheres class in the summer, Amador teacher Elizabeth Littlejohn said “I absolutely love that teachers get the chance to teach things simply because they are passionate about a topic. It’s so much fun to work with the kiddos in a different capacity and to develop your own program.” “I still run into students who took the Oceans class that Ms. McCrory and I taught two summers ago and I’m blown away, about how much they remember from that class,” said Ms Littlejohn. “Kids absorb so much more information when the subject is something that grabs their attention, it’s kind of like being in college” Felicia Suminski from Frederiksen Elementary School who also teaches in the DPIE After School program, will be offering the “3M: Mysteries, Music and Movies” class this summer. Asked about her class, Ms. Suminski said, “Hands on exploration is the best way to increase the long-term retention of new material. The mysteries portion of our class will allow students to develop their answers through hands-on trial and error.” “I believe that building, creating and constructing with support and some freedom allows students to discover the “why” and the “how” of how things work” said Ms Suminski. “Kids in my class will also have the chance to problem solve, learn there can be many ways to solve a problem and I look forward to supporting students on their journey to discover who they are as a learner.”
STEAM Summer Camp Enrollment Now Open
Enrollment in DPIE’s STEAM Elementary Summer Camp is open and classes are already filling. So, if you’re interested in keeping your child’s mind actively engaged this Summer, while also ensuring they have a good time, go to the DPIE website and read about the courses being offered, pick the class or classes you want, then click on the enroll now button to save a seat in the class of your choice. Again, our Summer Camp is open to students from all school districts–so feel free to invite your friends from neighboring cities.
Financial Aid for Dublin Students
Please know that Financial Aid is available to the children of families enrolled in the Free and Reduced Price lunch program in the Dublin Unified School District. If you have questions about this, please don’t hesitate to call or email us. For more information, visit our Financial Aid page.
