Summer learning programs in California run the gamut as educators try to support the diverse needs of students so they can successfully transition to in-person instruction this fall. 

Contra Costa School of Performing Arts (SPA) in Walnut Creek is blazing its own trail by offering a free summer learning program dedicated to improving the health and wellness of its students.

“We know through data that a lot of our kids are coming back to school with trauma and mental health challenges,” says Karen Montgomery, SPA’s Coordinator of Wellness, Culture and Climate. “They don’t have a very rosy outlook on life right now … spending time talking to our students and hearing their fears before the school year begins will help inform how we continue to support them throughout the year.”

SPA is a nonprofit charter public school that offers an arts-integrated curriculum within a college and career preparatory setting for middle and high school students.

This is the first time SPA is offering a health and wellness summer learning program which – at its core – focuses on building students’ social and emotional skills, as well as teaching them fundamental life skills.

Check out SPA's summer program in action! >> Click on this slideshow:

Students learn about self-care, regulating emotions, mindfulness, positive classroom behavior, as well as healthy eating and sleeping habits.

They also get a crash course on fundamental student/life skills such as taking notes during a lecture, working within a group, working on a deadline, presenting in front of people, and doing research.

“We really wanted to focus on the executive functioning skills of our students, building and strengthening those skills, but also their ability to collaborate, cooperate, problem solve, and resolve conflict,” SPA Executive Director Dr. Robert Chalwell said. “We know that by focusing on these specific skills during the summer, our kids will be in a better position to succeed upon their return to the regular flow of school.”

School-wide Health & Wellness Projects

In addition to addressing the health and wellness of individual students, SPA’s summer learning program also provides students an opportunity to design strategies and programs that could benefit the health and wellness of the entire school community.

According to Ms. Montgomery, students are placed in groups which compete against one another to develop an initiative that could be implemented during the 2021-22 academic year.

So far, SPA’s incoming 7th and 8th grade students developed these winning concepts:

• 3-Minute Cool-Downs – Each SPA student will be given a limited supply of “3-minute cool down” passes to use during the school year. A student may use a pass in order to reset, reflect, or regulate emotions.
  
  
• Normalizing Period Talk – In addition to having community conversations about destigmatizing menstruation, all bathrooms on campus – including the male bathrooms – will be stocked with feminine products at no cost.

With the help of Ms. Montgomery and other educators, students on the winning teams will soon work alongside SPA teachers, staff and other students to turn their ideas into reality.

“All of the students who are participating in this program will become student leaders on campus once the regular school year begins,” Dr. Chalwell says. “They’ll be able to mentor their peers and lead similar activities. The goal is for all our students to work together to move the whole school along.”

To learn more about Contra Costa School of Performing Arts, visit their website. You can also check out this video about SPA:

This blog story was written by Ana Tintocalis, CCSA's Director of Media Relations and Research. She is a frequent contributor to the CharterNation Blog. Got a good charter school story? Contact her at atintocalis@ccsa.org