Camp Cajon is Delivering the #BestSummerEver for Students

EL CAJON, Calif., July 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cajon Valley Union School District just completed Week 1 of Camp Cajon. It was a huge success thanks to the hundreds of teachers, counselors, staff, and partners who answered the call to serve the Cajon Valley students, families and community. Camp Cajon, including before and after Extended Day Care, is free to all Cajon Valley students and includes daily field trips, outdoor immersion, computer science, engineering, club level sports, performing arts, and daily learning explorations and community building activities provided by Cajon Valley teachers.

Camp Cajon is based on the design principles from Summer Learning and Beyond: Opportunities for Equitable Learning Postpandemic, a report co-produced by the Learning Policy Institute and the Spencer Foundation, developed to support schools and districts in developing systems that are equitable, rigorous, and meaningful in the pandemic and post-pandemic world.

Dr. David Miyashiro, Superintendent of the Cajon Valley Union School District, along with several leading educators from the fields of higher education and K-12 research and policy, was invited to participate with The Learning Policy Institute and The Spencer Foundation during Spring of 2020 in the production of this holistic framework for designing goals, practices, and activities for summer learning and beyond.

The Six Design Principles for Summer Learning and Beyond include: 

1. Center Relationships
2. Create a Culture of Affirmation and Belonging
3. Build From Students' Interests and Take a Whole Child Approach to Their Development
4. Engage Students' and Families' Knowledge in Disciplinary Learning
5. Provide Creative, Inquiry-Based Forms of Learning
6. Address Educator Needs and Learning

The full report and detailed account of the 6 Design Principles can be found online at https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/summer-learning -creating-equity, and at spencer.org.

The Cajon Valley Union School District drew national attention when it reopened schools for Emergency Childcare for Essential Workers in April of 2020. Building on the success of this program and hearing feedback from families that parents needed to work and that their students were struggling amidst social and emotional isolation from Governor Newsom's shelter in place orders, Cajon Valley reopened all 27 of its schools in June of 2020 using federal CARES Act funds to create a free, optional Summer Enrichment Program for the district's students.  Under the care and nurturing of their teachers and school employees who know them so well, students participated in small groups, personalized instruction, hands-on science activities, arts, organized sports, swimming, and field trips. The district also partnered with Beable, a literacy platform, to organize Summer Spark reading challenge with weekly prizes for students showing the most growth.

On average Cajon Valley students experienced Extraordinary Outcomes: 5X Expected Lexile Gains and Increased Levels of Hope and Engagement. These growth measures remained consistent throughout the 2020-2021 school year where all Cajon Valley schools stayed open for their students.

This Summer at Camp Cajon reading growth will continue with Beable, providing teachers with a comprehensive Learner Record to monitor progress in literacy, social-emotional learning, career development and to personalize learning for each student with ease. 

Camp Cajon starts week 2 of a 6 week program that will culminate with celebrations and live performances at the Magnolia Center for the entire Cajon Valley Community to attend.  There is still room to register so tell a friend to come out and join the fun.  For more information, please visit www.cajonvalley.net/campcajon. Come join the Cajon Valley Union School District at Camp Cajon for the #BestSummerEver

About Cajon Valley Union School District:
Named a 2019 Top Workplace in San Diego, Cajon Valley Union School District focuses on the positivity of each student's unique strengths, interests, and values. Recently showcased during the National Safe School Reopening Summit, Cajon Valley has garnered nationwide recognition as a leader in education excellence and innovation. Serving over 60 square miles of San Diego's East County, Cajon Valley Union School District offers personalized education, with programs that develop students into happy kids, healthy relationships, on a path to gainful employment, making El Cajon the best place to live, work, play and raise a family. Visit our website at www.cajonvalley.net.

Contact:
Howard Shen
619-590-5823
[email protected]

SOURCE Cajon Valley Union School District