PR 2015-04-23: TEF Sponsors 6th year of Summer Enrichment Classes for Grades 9-12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TEF Sponsors 6th year of Summer Enrichment Classes for Grades 9-12

Registration Opens May 1; Students Have Until June 1 to Sign Up for High School Acceleration, Enrichment Classes

April 22, 2015 – TEMECULA – The Temecula Education Foundation (TEF), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the more than 28,000 students in the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD),  is pleased to announce that its list of proposed classes for Summer 2015 high school acceleration and enrichment classes, known as TEF Summer High School, is now online at www.tvfee.org. Online class registration (available via www.tvfee.org) opens May 1 and closes June 1. There are no refunds for any courses after June 5.  Classes will be held on the campus of Chaparral High School. All classes are subject to change, based on teacher availability and student enrollment.

“The TEF-sponsored for-credit and non-credit classes offer high school students, including current 8th graders who will be freshmen in August, an opportunity to get a head start on their 2015-16 high school classes. Students also can prepare for the rigors of high school math, writing, and Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry by taking enrichment boot camps. We are excited to continue our collaboration with the TVUSD and the City of Temecula. This is our sixth year of providing this opportunity for students,” said Rebecca Weersing, TEF President.

Among the proposed 20 enrichment classes are American Sign Language, Geometry, Guitar, Spanish 1 and 2, World History, Ceramics, Economics, Government, and Creative Writing. All for-credit classes meet University of California “A-G” entrance requirements.

In addition to traditional classroom courses, students also will have the option of virtual, blended (VB) courses which are a combination of in-class and on-line studies. Among these VB, for-credit classes are Geometry, Spanish 2, Creative Writing, Government, and Economics. “VB classes are rigorous and require independent study, perseverance, and discipline,” Weersing noted. “They allow more flexibility, but they are definitely not for all students,” she added.

To help give students an advantage before tackling regular school-year classes, workshops (for practice only; no credit) will be offered in Pre-AP Chemistry and Algebra I. The designation AP refers to Advanced Placement, college-level classes which are generally more demanding. Back for its second year is an Algebra I Boot Camp, which is designed to help students transition from middle to high school by reviewing and helping them understand basic algebraic concepts under new Common Core standards.

The TEF also is offering boot camps to prepare students for the challenge of high school writing, studying, and post-secondary college decision making.  “Making a successful transition to high school is important for entering ninth graders, and we think learning how to write five-paragraph, in-class essays and practicing proper study techniques will be very helpful. Those are skills all students need to learn,” Weersing noted.

“A college planning workshop is intended for those entering their junior and senior years in August 2015. It will focus on college selection and application, including how to write entrance essays, and will result in students developing a college plan before their hectic senior year starts,” she said.

A new and expected-to-be-popular camp is the weeklong IMPROV skills class, which is intended for any high school student who wants to learn or improve their improvisation skills. “IMPROV nights are huge in high school and college, and are always a lot of fun. We will offer beginning and advanced techniques, and the camp will culminate in a live performance which will be open to the public. Improv is no joke – it teaches confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills,” she said.

Now in its sixth year, fee-based acceleration and enrichment classes are a joint venture with the City of Temecula, which provides online class registration through its website, and the TVUSD, which serves as the accreditation body for courses taught for credit.

“Thanks to the partnership with the City of Temecula, TEF can offer families the convenient option to register students online and pay with a credit card for summer enrichment and for-credit classes,” Weersing noted.

Classes will be held Mondays through Fridays at Chaparral High School beginning June 15 and concluding July 10. Schedules vary; see www.tvfee.org for specific dates. Classes are intended for students in the TVUSD; students from other districts should check with their home schools before registering.

There will be no physical or on-site registration available until online registration closes and only if seats remain. Classes are subject to change based on lack of enrollment and/or teacher availability. Interested families are asked to check the registration website after June 8 to find out if TEF will hold one or more on-site summer school registration dates.

Enrichment or for-credit classes should not be confused with TVUSD high school credit recovery or remediation summer school courses. Information on those courses is available from each high school’s counseling department and on the TVUSD website at www.tvusd.k12.ca.us.