Summer Programs

Note that students will participate in either the On-Campus Lower School Program OR the Virtual Lower School Program, (see next dropdown) but not both.

On-Campus Lower School Morning Program
8:30am–12:30pm

Monday–Friday
Tuition: $3,300 for completed contracts and full payment received by April 15, $3,600 after April 15, $4,100 after May 31

Students should bring a snack; they will have a short snack and movement break during the program. A copy of your child’s schedule will be provided at the beginning of the summer session.

Young learners enrolled in The Lab School of Washington’s summer program will benefit from daily small-group instruction as well as classes designed to enhance language, and social development. A report from your child’s reading tutor describing literacy skills targeted over the summer, areas of continued need, and effective strategies for ensuring continued progress in literacy is provided after the end of the summer session.

Each child’s daily schedule includes the following:

Reading Instruction
Students engage in daily, specialized small-group structured literacy instruction, targeting phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies. These focused Orton-Gillingham lessons provide the intensity and depth critical for emerging and developing readers. Students are grouped according to particular needs.

Number Investigators
Using a multi-sensory approach involving art and hands-on projects, students will tackle a variety of math applications including number sense, measurement, estimation, graphing, and algebraic equations. Daily challenges and word problems will reinforce skills learned as students investigate the wide world of numbers. Students will learn that everyone can do math as they collaborate with others, build models, and solve problems emphasizing logic, critical thinking, and attention to detail.

Academic Clubs
Our signature Academic Clubs immerse students in themed learning environments. Each Academic Club sets a dramatic framework for learning by creating an imagined time and place where every child plays an important role. Students experience hands-on, project-based learning designed to build language, content knowledge, and critical thinking with a variety of art forms. Students participate in one of three Academic Clubs.

Summer of Insects:

• Ant Research Lab – Join our team of entomologists as we explore and study the world of ants!
• Insect Art Gallery – Join us at our gallery as we study and create art inspired by insects. Guided by examples both ancient and modern, the beauty of bugs will spark our artistic creativity.
• Beekeeper’s Club – Explore the lives of honeybees as you join our team of beekeepers. In collaboration with DC Beekeepers Alliance.

For rising 7th–12th

On-Campus Middle School/High School Program Morning Program 8:30am–12:30pm

Monday–Friday
Tuition: $3,300 for completed contracts and full payment received by April 15, $3,600 after April 15, $4,100 after May 31

The Summer Project – Join us in creating a digital journey into America’s past

The Home Front: Life in America during World War II

View Summer Project Brochure

The Lab School’s Summer Program explores the dramatic economic and cultural changes of the 1940s, a time of unprecedented production and mobilization by American civilians in war time, through an exciting, challenging immersion into arts and academics.

Over the course of our 4-week adventure, students will participate in a plethora of arts-based and academic activities, culminating in an overarching digital project. Exploring literary, social, political, and cultural contexts of this important time in American history will help strengthen their academic, social, and problem-solving skills.

Whether your primary interests are in the visual or the performing arts, you will have the opportunity to contribute to all aspects
of the summer project, while developing and applying academic skills in reading, writing, math, and the arts!

For rising 2nd–rising 9th

Monday–Friday
Tuition: $3,050 for completed contracts and full payment received by April 15, $3,350 after April 15, $3,850 after May 31

The virtual program sessions will be scheduled between 8:30am–12:15pm; however, other scheduling options may be considered based on need.

Should your child enroll in the Virtual Summer School program?
The virtual option is built with flexibility in mind. This option might be right for you if you live outside the DMV or if your child has a challenging schedule.

What is the focus of the Virtual Summer School program?
The virtual summer program is primarily a maintenance program focusing on skill retention in reading, writing, and math. Students will be in groups of four unless otherwise noted.

What is the theme of the Virtual Summer School program this summer?

Reading
Students will engage in daily literacy instruction with an Orton- Gillingham trained tutor. These sessions will be tailored to each student’s needs by working on phonemic awareness, decoding,
spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies. Students
will practice daily oral reading and fluency development. These sessions provide the intensity and depth critical for emerging, developing, and proficient readers. Lower school students will be paired with one other student; middle school students will be in groups of up to four students.

Math
Students will work in small groups consisting of a maximum of four students. Students are provided with opportunities to solve authentic math problems while giving ample opportunities to practice calculation skills. Math vocabulary will be highlighted. The daily challenges will include math topics such as number sense, measurement, estimation, data science, and algebraic equations. Students will see the application of math skills to help them not only reinforce their skills but to also help increase their overall enjoyment of math.

Writing
Writing skills will be strengthened by daily writing work. Writing strategies will be embedded into the content students are learning in reading (and math). Students will incorporate textual evidence into their writing beginning at the sentence level and moving, as appropriate, into paragraphs and compositions. Students will produce writing that requires all parts of the writing process: brainstorming, outlining, note taking, drafting, editing, and revising to create a polished final product.

Other virtual tutoring opportunities are available. Please reach out to amy.oswalt@labschool.org for more information.
 

Advanced Writing Workshop: Building College-Ready Writers
Monday–Friday
Ages: Rising 7th–12th grade (groups of 2–4 students depending on age and skill)
Times (choose one): 7:30am–8:30am, 9:00am–10:00am, 11:00am–12:00pm, 1:30pm–2:30pm, 2:30pm–3:30pm, 3:30pm–4:30pm
Tuition: $2,775

Is your student ready to move beyond the basics and advance their writing skills? Through small-group instruction, students will develop strategies to increase sophistication of vocabulary, sentence structure, and multi-paragraph essays. Specific instruction using programs such as The Writing Revolution® will give students practice planning, organizing, drafting, revising, and editing a variety of expository text structures, such as academic essays and high school/college entrance compositions. Students will leave with a toolkit to tackle future writing assignments. Students will:

• increase executive functioning skills for planning, organizing, and self-assessing written work.
• improve outlining and selection of graphic organizers.
• enhance complexity, clarity, and coherence of essays.
• reinforce research skills and strategies.
• strengthen skills for editing and revising written work.
• explore assistive technology to support individual needs,
• such as word prediction, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and research organization tools.

Please note a writing sample will be required for admission into this program.

Perfecting the Project: Executive Function Skills for Long-Term Project Planning
Monday–Friday
Ages 11+ (groups of 2–4 students depending on age and skill)
Times (choose one): 7:30am–8:30am, 9:00am–10:00am, 11:00am–12:00pm, 1:30pm–2:30pm, 2:30pm–3:30pm, 3:30pm–4:30pm
Tuition: $2,775

Engaging with Lab’s 3-D printers, students will complete projects that require the honing and utilization of critical executive function skills, including task initiation, planning/prioritization, organization, time management, goal-directed persistence, flexibility, and metacognition. Students will:

• learn time-management strategies for daily, weekly, and long- term assignments.
• practice estimating time, monitoring project timelines, and reflecting on adherence to guidelines.
• explore technology and Smart devices to determine which programs work to keep them on track.
• learn popular executive functioning strategies, including “Get Ready, Do, Done.”
• generate a home strategy toolkit for future academic tasks and projects.

Beyond the Page*
*For Lab High School Students
via Distance Learning
Ages: Rising 9th–12th grade (for Lab Students only)
Twice per week (flexible schedule available)
Tuition: $945

Rising 9th–12th grade Lab students are guided through their assigned summer reading book with a specific focus on reading comprehension techniques, executive functioning strategies, and independent learning and self-advocacy skills.
Two times per week, Speech-Language Pathologists will:

• assign reading sections.
• post an assignment that focuses on factual comprehension, higher-level comprehension (e.g., inferences or predictions), or connections to self, the world, and other texts.
• schedule online “hangout” sessions for video conferencing and collaborative book discussions.
• provide individualized feedback and support on all assignments.

The Road to Reading and Spelling
Monday–Friday
Ages 5+ (students paired by age and skill)
Times (choose one): 7:30am–8:30am, 9:00am–10:00am, 11:00am–12:00pm, 1:30pm–2:30pm, 2:30pm–3:30pm, 3:30pm–4:30pm
Tuition: $2,775

Instruction is highly individualized and systematically targets development of reading and spelling skills. A variety of research- based reading and spelling resources using the Orton-Gillingham approach may be utilized, specific to the needs of each child.

Daily sessions include:

• individual and small-group instruction, tailored to student- specific needs.
• computer-based instruction for further practice with phonological, decoding, and encoding skills.

Instructional Goals:

• Develop pre- and early-literacy skills.
• Increase phonological awareness skills including rhyming, blending, segmenting, and sound manipulation.
• Improve knowledge of alphabetic code for reading and spelling skills.
• Develop syllabification skills and morphological awareness to enhance reading and spelling (e.g., syllable division strategies,
• recognition of prefixes, suffixes, roots).
• Enhance reading accuracy and fluency for comprehension.

Post-testing shows, on average, 15–20% gains in foundational reading and spelling skills.

The Art of Storytelling
Monday–Friday
Ages 8–12 (groups of 2–4 students depending on age and skill)
Times (choose one): 7:30am–8:30am, 9:00am–10:00am, 11:00am–12:00pm, 1:30pm–2:30pm, 2:30pm–3:30pm, 3:30pm–4:30pm
Tuition: $2,775

Storytelling skills are the building blocks of communication, friendships, and comprehension. Does your child have a lot to say but can’t always get their message across? Do they skip details or go off on tangents when talking about their day? Using interactive digital and art platforms, students will develop language skills to bring their stories to life through the creation of comics and movies. Within a small group, students will learn tools for planning a complete, well-organized narrative. A variety of methods and materials including Mindwing Concepts Story Grammar Marker® and Six Second Stories® will be introduced. Students will:

• learn the critical components of a narrative.
• answer WH-questions.
• identify key information from stories read aloud and develop
• succinct summaries.
• improve the ability to share personal experiences in a concise,
• organized fashion.
• explore movie making, book, and comic strip technology.

Comprehension Capers
Monday–Friday
Ages 8–12 (groups of 2–4 students depending on age and skill)
Times (choose one): 7:30am–8:30am, 9:00am–10:00am, 11:00am–12:00pm, 1:30pm–2:30pm, 2:30pm–3:30pm, 3:30pm–4:30pm
Tuition: $2,775

Calling all detectives! It is time to put your sleuthing skills to work! Through small-group instruction, students will hone their language comprehension skills while solving mysteries and “crimes.” Interactive, engaging activities, allow student to work collaboratively to gain experience deriving deeper meaning from information provided in order to draw reasonable conclusions. Students will:

• extract, analyze, and synthesize facts.
• identify and summarize key information.
• develop observation, inference, and prediction skills.
• practice deductive reasoning skills.
• cite textual and/or observational evidence that supports analysis and conclusions.

Building a Writer’s Toolbox
Monday–Friday
Ages 8+ (groups of 2–4 students depending on age and skill)
Times (choose one): 7:30am–8:30am, 9:00am–10:00am, 11:00am–12:00pm, 1:30pm–2:30pm, 2:30pm–3:30pm, 3:30pm–4:30pm
Tuition: $2,775

Help your child become more at ease with the writing process! Through small-group instruction, students will develop tools to prepare for writing in a variety of academic contexts. Specific instruction using programs such as The Writing Revolution® will give students practice planning, organizing, drafting, and revising in a variety of expository text structures. Students will leave with a toolkit to tackle future writing assignments! Students will:

• increase executive functioning skills for planning and organizing the writing process.
• enhance sophistication of sentence structure, word choice, and writing style.
• explore assistive technology tools to support individual needs, such as: word prediction, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech.

Please note a writing sample will be required for admission into this program.

All Speech, Language, and Literacy programs are run by ASHA-certified Speech-Language Pathologists.
For more information on all Speech and Language programs, please contact Kelly Mills at 202–349–8660 or kelly.mills@labschool.org.

Hands-on Fun!
Ages 8–12
2:00pm–3:00pm Monday–Friday (19 sessions) All virtual
Maximum of 4 students
Tuition: $2,475

Handwriting, keyboarding, puzzles, mazes, projects! Join the team of occupational therapists to work on fine motor skills
and improve handwriting, keyboarding, and use of tools. Each day will include activities that improve visual motor integration. Using fun tasks, and drills, therapists will develop a progression of just-right challenges within a developmental framework to build the necessary skills needed for written communication such as handwriting and keyboarding. They will also present visual-spatial tasks including puzzles, mazes, and reading charts and graphs. Since this group is all virtual, relevant supplies will be dropped off to the student’s house prior to July 6.

This group includes:

• individualized handwriting instruction.
• individualized keyboarding instruction.
• assignment of online keyboarding account for at-home practice
• exploration and functional use of various academic tools: rulers, yardsticks, measuring cups, compasses, protractors, hole punches, etc.

Interactive Metronome
Ages 8 +
12:30pm–1:30pm (if in person);
2:00pm–3:00pm if virtual Monday–Friday (19 sessions)
Can be in-person or virtual
Maximum of 2 students
Tuition: $3,000

What is IM? The Interactive Metronome® (IM) is a computer-based program shown to improve attention, coordination, and timing in students. During each session, the participant listens to a rhythmic beat while completing various hand and foot exercises.

Benefits of Interactive Metronome include:

• improving working memory, learning to filter distractions, inhibiting impulsivity, and promoting self-regulation.
• addressing weaknesses in skill areas such as fine-motor coordination, handwriting, gross-motor coordination, agility, and visual/perceptual motor skills.
• offering individualized one-on-one program.

Sessions will be provided by an occupational therapist trained in IM.

To provide the most effective treatment, a questionnaire of occupational therapy skills will be completed prior to the first session. If participating virtually, the home version of IM will be dropped off at your child’s house prior to July 6.

Speech and Language 1:1 Therapy
Ages 6+
1-hour sessions offered between 8:30am–1:30pm
Individual sessions offered 1–2 times per week
4 sessions: $620
8 sessions: $1,240

Summer therapy services are a great way to introduce or maintain speech and language skills. Individual therapy sessions are available for students of all ages and can take place in-person or virtually. All sessions are 60 minutes in length, highly individualized, and can target skills such as:

• vocabulary and concept knowledge
• grammar/syntax
• listening and reading comprehension
• language formulation and organization 
• social pragmatics
• problem solving
• phonological awareness, reading, and spelling 
• written expression
• voice, fluency, and articulation
• executive functioning

Occupational Therapy 1:1 sessions (60 minutes)
8 sessions (T/Th): $1,240
11 sessions (MWF): $1,705
19 sessions (every day): $2,945

Individual therapy sessions are available for students of all ages. Sessions can be either virtual or in-person. All sessions are
60 minutes in length, highly individualized, and can target skills such as:

• handwriting
• keyboarding
• gross motor skills
• fine motor skills
• visual motor integration 
• visual perceptual skills
• ocular motor skills
• sensory integration
• executive functioning

Occupational Therapy 1:1 sessions (45 minutes)

(For students enrolled in either the Lower School or the Middle/High School morning programs)

During the school day
Scheduled during a break time or non-academic class
4 sessions: $580
8 sessions: $1,160

Sessions can be either virtual or in-person. All sessions are 45 minutes in length, highly individualized, and can target skills such as:

• handwriting
• keyboarding
• gross motor skills
• fine motor skills
• visual motor integration 
• visual perceptual skills
• ocular motor skills
• sensory integration
• executive functioning

Ready, Set, SMILE!
Ages 4–7
8:45am–12:30pm on campus
Monday–Friday
Maximum of 5 students
Tuition: $3,500 for completed contracts and full payment received by April 15, $3,800 after April 15

Revamped and rebranded for the 2021 summer, this occupational therapy (OT) group takes your child back to the foundations of sensory motor development! Targeting 4–7 year-olds, this dynamic 3 hour and 45 minute group addresses sensory motor integration and self-regulation skills, pre-writing fine motor activities, gross motor skills, and social skills.

• In-person while following safe risk-mitigation practices
• 2:1 and 1:1 ratio for instruction and therapy
• OT sensory motor activities emphasize motor coordination, body awareness, balance, core stability, and self-regulation while utilizing suspended equipment.
• Fine motor activities target foundational skills necessary for handwriting and tool manipulation, including bilateral coordination, hand and finger strength, visual perceptual and visual motor skills, and more!
• Activities of daily living are integrated throughout the day, including lunch time, to promote independence.
• End-of-summer report provides individualized suggestions for home and school.

SAILors Burst!
During the weeks of July 6–July 30, 2021 via Distance Learning
Ages 4–6
30-minute sessions between the hours of 8:30am–10:30am
Individual Sessions: 3 days a week (M/W/F)
Group Sessions: 2 days a week (T/Th) Parent Forum: 1 per week
Tuition: $2,225

Give your young child a burst of Speech And Intensive Language* this summer while developing social and academic skills needed for preschool and kindergarten classrooms.

Weekly Therapeutic Schedule:

• 3 Individual sessions (30 min/session)
• 2 Small group sessions (30 min/session) Parent Forum (30 min)

Individual sessions are tailored to your child’s specific profile. Small group instruction (2–4 students per group) may include:

• Pragmatics & Play – Using the We Thinkers! Program®, students work together to learn about and practice social language skills through lessons, stories, and play.
• Speech-Sound Success – Practice generalizing articulation and speech skills in play and craft activities. SLPs will provide multiple opportunities for cuing and practice in a fun, group dynamic.
• Early Literacy Lessons – Work on pre-literacy skills such as phonemic awareness, letter recognition and formation, and early sound-symbol correspondence.
• Lively Language – Practice with following directions, listening comprehension, sentence structure, and vocabulary through thematic instruction.

A brief screening will be required before enrollment into Ready, Set, SMILE.
For more information, please contact the Occupational Therapy Department at 202–349–8600 or OT@labschool.org.

Socializing with Friends
Ages: Rising 5th–8th grade
Tuesdays 1:30pm–2:15pm
Fee: $480

Students who identify as girls will engage in activities to improve social skills and practice verbalizing their feelings. Group activities will promote communication and self-advocacy skills and help to build relationship skills. The group will include game play as a way of promoting peer relationships and bonding.

Developing Independence & Healthy Habits
Ages: Rising 7th–9th grade
Mondays & Wednesdays, 2:00pm–2:45pm
Fee: $840

In a safe, inviting, and fun space, students will develop the introspective skills needed to choose healthy habits that will lead to an enjoyable and meaningful summer and beyond. Students will spend time identifying personal goals in the areas of physical health, emotional health, and relational health with family and friends, and will learn different self-management strategies to support the practice of healthy habits throughout the summer and into the next school year. Games, group discussions, and student-designed and -facilitated activities will be used in sessions over the course of the group.

Individual Psychotherapy Sessions
50 minute individual psychotherapy sessions are offered 1–2 times per week during the summer session.
Morning and afternoon session times are available.
Ages 6+
Fee: $195 per session

Psychotherapy services during the summer session can help to address a number of emotional or behavioral concerns, and to support the development of emerging skills. Sessions incorporating cognitive-behavioral approaches can address a range of areas, including:

• anxieties and fears
• lack of confidence
• emotional self-awareness
• self-control and self-regulation skills 
• healthy coping skills
• problem-solving skills
• perspective-taking

All group offerings will be conducted virtually.