When will I know if my child is accepted into our chosen Summer Scholars Academy? Our summer team will send periodic emails to families to let them know their child(ren) is/are confirmed for one of our Summer Scholar academies. This email will simply confirm registration.
When will we find out more details about our summer scholar program, such as transportation, meals, schedules, etc? Further information should be sent out the first couple weeks of May (program details in a welcome letter sent via School Messenger). Transportation information should be available during the second week of June (via robocall/text/email).
What is the difference between Discovery and Learning and the GEMS-GISE-STEM Academy? Discovery and Learning follows a more traditional school day schedule and provides more intensive focus on math and literacy. Physical education, art, and field trips are also offered. Our GEMS-GISE-STEM Academy focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math through project-based learning, via classroom work and activities. Targeted math classes and reading classes are available upon request on the summer registration form.
What does a typical day look like? Students engage daily in integrated science and literacy lessons, math, art, physical education and participate in onsite and off-site field trips. Typically scheduled in the morning, students participate in math and literacy “workshop” experiences through large group, small group and independent work. Afternoons could include extended project-based learning time and/or specialists including art or PE.
My child doesn't attend a Minneapolis Public School? Is my child allowed to attend? If your child attends a charter school or other district public school, and you reside in Minneapolis, your child may attend our in-person learning academies for grades 1-5. Additional documentation will be required from your child’s teacher, in addition to an additional registration form. Our summer team will reach out to begin this process. If you live outside of Minneapolis but your child does attend a Minneapolis Public School, your child may attend but you must provide transportation.
My child attends a charter school but doesn't have any academic needs, may he/she still attend? As mentioned above, we do need feedback from your child’s teacher. If your child does not require academic assistance, there are other areas that will qualify (social/emotional needs), such as practicing perseverance, maintaining positive relationships, etc.
My child needs to miss some of the summer scholar program due to vacation (or other reason). Is this okay? Because of our project-based learning techniques, i.e. group work, we prefer that a student does not miss any time. We do understand, however, that things may come up (i.e. previously planned events). In this event, however, we do not want a child missing more than one week. Please notify your site when your child is absent.
Do I select an application based on my child's current grade or on their grade in the Fall of 2025? When choosing the appropriate application (especially important for current K and 5th graders), choose based on your child’s grade in the Fall of 2025. So, a current Kindergartner will choose the 1-5 application. A current 5th grader will choose the 6-8 application. A current 8th grader will choose the Fast Track application.
May I make a request that my child be placed in a class with a friend? Yes, you may. We will do our best to honor these requests, however, know that it is not a guarantee. Multiple factors may contribute to this decision, such as class size/availability, session time, etc.
Will students be placed in classrooms with other students from their year-long school? Students in classrooms will come from all sites assigned to the cluster location. So, classrooms will include peers and new friends to be made.
How do I make a later request, or changed request, for transportation? You may email SummerScholars@mpls.k12.mn.us . Please be sure to include your child’s name along with their pickup and drop off address. Please know that the deadline for transportation for Day 1 is May 2nd. The transportation deadline for Day 3 of programming (which means you’ll need to drive the first couple of days) is June 5th.
Will I be able to use Here Comes the Bus this summer? My Ride is the new parent app for families and caregivers to track their student’s yellow bus. My Ride will begin displaying GPS information on June 23 for students enrolled in summer school 2025. My Ride K-12 website is a great resource for information on the new app and provides additional details.
In partnership with Communications, the Transportation department has created a toolkit to use when sharing information about My Ride with families. Included is social media post and graphic, a newsletter item, ½ page flyers and a user guide. We’ve also included some talking points to help answer questions from families about this GPS change.
The toolkit can be found on the Transportation Technology Updates site. We ask for your support in sharing these messages with any families you interact with. Our goal is to have as many families as possible use the app to manage their student’s transportation information.
Will a nurse be available at the summer academy sites? Yes, we will have a nurse on site during our summer academies.
My child has an IEP. What does that mean for the Summer Scholars Academy? We employ social workers for our summer academies. Our social workers will review your child’s IEP and work with the summer academy location to determine implementation of those needs. In some cases, it may be determined that your child is best suited in one of our ESY summer locations. In the event of this, our team will reach out to you. If your child attends a charter school or non-MPS public district (and you live in Mpls), please email your child’s IEP to:
SummerScholars@mpls.k12.mn.us
Do students in the elementary program get to select their classes? They will not. Students will be scheduled for a variety of course offerings.
Are meals provided? Yes, both breakfast and lunch are provided to summer scholars at no cost.
Is there a cost to participate? No, there is no cost to participate in our Summer Scholars Academy.
Who do I contact if student is going to be out? Please contact your summer location’s office to report absences.
