Submitted
Sheridan Elementary School held another successful Summer Surfing Safari where students could have fun, beat the heat, and learn. With approximately 100 students as its target audience, this one-week summer enrichment program provided first through fifth graders an exciting head start to the school year.
Mr. Ellis helps students choose their Kona Ice flavor. (Photo provided by Sheridan Community Schools)
The Summer Surfing Safari program embraces the core educational goals of enhancing reading fluency, comprehension, and math skills while fostering a love for reading and exploring the wonders of STEM education. The program uses the current reading curriculum along with supplemental materials carefully crafted around a captivating theme, ensuring students are not only learning but having a blast doing so. Scott Ellis, who has been helping plan Summer Safari for over 10 years, was particularly excited about this year’s theme: Shark Week!
With an average of 15 to 20 students per grade-level section, the Summer Surfing Safari promises personalized attention and an engaging learning environment thanks to Sheridan’s amazing teachers: Jordan Ricks, Kathryn Dunphy, Scott Ellis, Kaytlynn Wilder, Mellisa Terry, and Jennifer Gonzalez. Bus transportation is provided at no cost to families, ensuring that every student can be a part of this enriching experience.
Principal Valerie Roberts shared her thanks to the support from the Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) for providing snacks daily for the students.
“The PTO’s dedication to the success of the Summer Surfing Safari is a testament to the strong sense of community that underpins this initiative,” Roberts said. “Summer Surfing Safari has always been an exciting way to jump back into the swing of school a little early! Our teachers love getting to do different projects around a new theme that they might not be able to do during the normal school year. Students love the shortened days, the project-based learning, and especially the Kona Ice truck that visits at the end of the week! It is a great way to kick off the new year!”
(From left) Eliya Henderson, Nigel Freeland, Makenna Bende, and Hunter DeVore work on shark related activities during Shark Week. (Photo provided by Sheridan Community Schools)
The Summer Surfing Safari program not only equips students with essential academic skills, but also fosters a sense of curiosity, creativity, and a passion for learning. By blending education with fun and adventure, Sheridan Elementary is nurturing the minds of young learners, setting them on a path to excel in the upcoming school year and beyond.
For more information about the Sheridan Elementary School, please visit scs.k12.in.us/ses.
Guest reader Lana Lechner reads a shark book to Summer Safari students. (Photo provided by Sheridan Community Schools)