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The five SLC schools--Crossland, DuVal, Oxon Hill, Potomac, and Suitland--will host the third annual summer bridge program for rising ninth graders beginning July 5 and running through July 28, from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. This program is made possible by a USDE smaller learning community grant. The Jumpstart program is designed to help students transition from middle school to high school both academically and socially. This spirited and high energy academic acceleration and enrichment program will expose students to the academic rigor they should anticipate as freshmen and provide opportunities for them to gain the skills and confidence to excel in school and achieve college and career goals, opening doors of opportunity. Along with improving academic skills, students will become familiar with the high school building, make friendships with their peers and build relationships with teachers from their new high school that will aid them in their freshman year and beyond. The goals of the program are to:
 * Welcome to Jumpstart to Graduation 2011 (JSTG)! **
 * Assist rising ninth graders with their transition from middle school to the academically challenging high school environment through a variety of enrichment, social, and orientation activities that are designed to give students a head start towards a successful high school experience.
 * Introduce students to key high school faculty who will be teaching in the Freshman Institute or working with freshmen during the school year.
 * Expose students to and engage them in a preview of the 9th grade curriculum for English and Math, using hands-on activities that will culminate into a project-based learning experience.
 * Provide students with an opportunity to begin building community with other students.
 * Acclimate students to the notion that college and career planning begins as soon as they enter ninth grade by having them set goals, complete a career interest inventory, and participate in a field trip to a local college or university.
 * Help students discover how they learn best by exposing them to a research-based learning styles inventory.

Students in the Jumpstart program will participate in a project-based learning experience that is designed to engage students in issues related to their environment, improve their skills in problem solving, the use of data, and persuasive writing, while preparing them for the rigors of high school. This project-based curriculum integrates multiple resources that students and teachers can use to support their project; however, The Discovery Education Network will be used as a primary source for information, including links, images, and video. Students will create their environmentally themed project using Glogster. This wiki is designed to provide all of the lessons, topic information and resources, project guidelines, and program management forms to enable teachers effectively guide students through the curricula and final project-based presentations. The examples of student projects and videos posted in this wiki again are just to help stimulate imaginations and possibilities for student's projects. We would encourage teachers to show as many as necessary if you sense that students would benefit from seeing a variety of exemplars and options for projects to help them decide what they may want to do for their project. Whether you are a teacher or a student we hope that you enjoy your experience in this Summer Jumpstart Program and we look forward to your feedback that will help make the Jumpstart program even better next year! Darlene J. Bruton, Instructional Supervisor/SLC Project Director darlene.bruton@pgcps.org (301) 669-6000