As of Monday, March 17, Duneland School Corporation has opened registration for the DSC 2025 Summer School program for grades K-12. Contrary to popular belief, summer school is a privilege rather than a punishment. In many minds, taking summer school insinuates failure to pass the course during the previous school year. Be that as it may, retaking a failed class for a short period of summer vacation prevents students from having to complete another eighteen weeks of it. Additionally, an insufficient grade is not the only qualifier for DSC Summer School. Older students who desire to free up room in their schedule for the following school year or work extra and ahead in their high school education are provided that opportunity by the program.
Unlike in past years, parents and guardians of summer school students can register their child in the convenience of the Skyward Family Access’ Arena Scheduling feature for the course of their choosing. Self-scheduling eases the process of enrolling in summer school for students and parents, but with this more efficient process comes a few details to take note of. Classrooms are not of endless capacity, and once the maximum threshold of a class is reached, enrollment for that particular class will be closed. Despite the independence that self-scheduling grants Duneland families, all courses are monitored and reviewed by one of Chesterton’s school counselors. Although there is always the possibility that a spot in the course will open even after enrollment is closed, summer school is first come first serve in the sense that the first students to sign up are almost guaranteed to receive a spot over the later sign-ups, so make sure to be one of the first ones! Registration for summer school grades 8-12 is open until May 2, but it is best to sign up sooner rather than later.
To utilize the new self-scheduling means, sign into Skyward Student Access and heed the green message announcing the opening of Arena Scheduling for the DSC Summer School program. Somewhere within the same toolbar that contains the students grades, current schedule, and portfolio is the Arena Scheduling tab. Select this button and then the 2024-2025 hyperlink under the student’s name. To select a course, first click “Add” next to the name of the class, and then review the updated schedule request by clicking “View/Print Schedule,” which will be written in red above the list of courses. After reviewing the schedule, submit course requests via the red “Submit Schedule” button next to “View/Print Schedule.” After submitting enrollment, Arena Scheduling will be locked for students and parents until the request is acknowledged and the status is changed.
Another twist on the summer school program to which Duneland has grown accustomed is the change in physical education requirements for the class of 2029 and the students to follow. Beginning with 2025’s incoming freshmen, students will be required to take just one semester of PE instead of the dreaded two semesters. Besides for PE, all courses that are currently offered in credit recovery are also offered this summer.
“This allows students to catch up if they failed one or more credits this school year,” says CHS assistant principal Robert Blumenthal, the head of the school’s summer education program.
As well as regular courses like English or French, other required and elective courses are available for students who are looking to alleviate their schedule during the school year, and Freshman and Sophomore TEAM, separate programs that prepare students for the respective grade. Additionally, dual credit courses Advanced Comp and Advanced Speech are available over the summer for the first time, but students in either of these classes must be sure to enroll in both semesters of summer school in order to earn full credit. But, if everything goes according to plan, all courses are weighted the same as they are during the school year, only summed up into a total of just fifteen or thirty days. This may sound improbable, but the speed at which summer school is completed can be attributed to small class sizes and long class periods.
“It turns out that taking a summer school class actually meets more than students will meeting during the school year!” says Blumenthal.
In total, one semester of summer school takes just over 80 hours out of summer vacation; not such a bad price to pay, especially if it is for failing a previous class. The 3 days and 8 hours it takes up are spread amongst 15 business days in either June or July at a duration of 5 hours and 25 minutes a day. A Duneland summer school day begins at 7:30 AM and ends at 12:55 PM, leaving plenty of time for enjoying summer vacation to its fullest. Summer school provides something different for every student, whether that be a quick and easy second chance at a tough class or a quick and easy extra learning opportunity. Sign up on Skyward now to take advantage of the program and all the benefits it has to offer!
