Math and science are the focus of a new program Morgan Hill
Unified School District will be offering for middle school students
this summer.
Morgan Hill – Math and science are the focus of a new program Morgan Hill Unified School District will be offering for middle school students this summer.
The Tech Academy, targeting students in grades 6-8, will run for three weeks with three-hour sessions each day. The program was started at San Jose State last year, with 140 students participating.
This summer, the program will be offered at Sobrato High School.
“This offering is a quality opportunity for advanced experiences in physical science and mathematics, located in Morgan Hill Unified, to serve South County,” said Bob Davis, student services coordinator for MHUSD. “Participants are likely to get a tremendous boost at the middle school level. We are pleased to have the Tech Academy in our district.”
The Tech Academy is a partnership of the Silicon Valley Engineering Council (SVEC), Santa Clara County Office of Education, San Jose State and Santa Clara universities and the 2010 International Science and Engineering Fair.
The program was developed around the need to better prepare students pursuing college programs in science, engineering and technology.
“It is important for students at these grades to understand the exciting profession of engineering and technology and the importance of K-12 math and science in this new era of globalization,” said Jay Pinson, Tech Academy director. “America’s economic success requires that we expand our engineering workforce.”
Davis said parents interested in signing up their middle school students, or students going into middle school in the fall, should ask their current school principal for an application.
MHUSD’s regular summer school program will begin in June. Davis introduced the two principals during the March 27 School Board meeting.
Lloyd Webb, who is an assistant principal at Live Oak High School, will be the summer school 7-through-12th-grade principal. The secondary summer school session will be held at Sobrato High School.
Frank Lines, currently assistant principal at Martin Murphy Middle School, will serve as principal for the elementary summer school session, which will be held at Nordstrom Elementary School.
Students in the elementary program will attend summer school June 19 through July 19, 20 days, with a break during the Fourth of July weekend July 4-6. Summer hours for elementary students are 8am-12:30pm.
Students in grades 7 and 8 will attend from June 19 through July 26, 25 days, from 8am-12:30pm, while high school students attending summer school will begin June 19 and continue through Aug. 2, 30 days, from 8:30am until 1pm.
According to Davis, the district’s summer school program during summer 2006 had a budget of approximately $275,000. This year’s projected funding rate is $4.06 per student per hour, compared to last year’s rate of $3.87. Last year, 1,349 students attended summer school, 524 of them in the elementary program and 825 in the secondary program. There were 16 students who completed requirements for high school and graduated at the end of the session.
SUMMER TECH ACADEMY
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Location will be Sobrato High School
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Focus is math and science
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Targets students entering or already enrolled at Martin Murphy and Britton middle schools
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Duration is three weeks
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Conducted in partnership with Silicon Valley Engineering Council, Santa Clara County Office of Education and San Jose State and Santa Clara universities
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Parents can register their children by asking school principals for registration form
