Summer Overview & FAQs

Summer@Carroll’s Beginning Readers (entering Grades 1-2) and Grades 3-4 programs are on the Carroll School Lower School campus: 1841 Trapelo Road, Waltham, MA. The programs for Grades 5-9 take place on the Carroll Middle School campus: 25 Baker Bridge Road, Lincoln, MA.

Most of the students enrolled in Summer@Carroll are not enrolled in the academic-year program at Carroll School. Many students return for more than one summer of academic strengthening.

The academic staff of Summer@Carroll is made up of experienced teachers from Carroll School and other local schools. All language tutors are Orton-Gillingham trained. The teaching staff are all trained and experienced in their educational fields. The majority of the academic staff are veterans of previous Summer@Carroll programs.

Summer@Carroll has a full-time nurse on duty all day who acts as the Health Care Supervisor for the program. In addition, supervisors and counselors are certified in first aid. Summer@Carroll has a doctor who acts as Health Care Consultant for the summer. Emerson Hospital in Concord is used in case of emergencies.

Mornings are devoted to academic intervention using Carroll School’s direct, multisensory and systematic approaches to helping students with language-based learning differences. Every student has four class blocks each morning. Afternoons are filled with a variety of fun summer activities here at Carroll School and occasional off-campus field trips (frequency varies by program and is dependent on pandemic conditions). Each student is assigned by grade to an afternoon enrichment group, consisting of 6-10 children assigned to one counselor. A junior counselor provides additional support to each grade. Carroll counselors are current college students or recent college graduates with experience working with children. Junior counselors are rising high school seniors or college freshmen. The majority of the staff have prior experience at Summer@Carroll.

All Summer@Carroll students entering Grades 1-7 receive language instruction using the Orton-Gillingham approach each day of the program.

Beginning Readers students (entering grades 1-2) take a multisensory, highly interactive Orton-Gillingham class each day. 2+ Orton-Gillingham tutors work with each class, creating carefully curated groups of 2-3 students to deliver each Summer@Carroll child what they most need.

Elementary and Middle School students (entering grades 3-7) receive daily 1:1 Orton-Gillingham language tutoring. For all Elementary and many Middle School students, tutoring will take place in person. For our older Middle School students, tutoring may take place in person and/or virtually using school-issued Chromebooks.

High School Readiness students (entering Grades 8-9) do not typically have language tutorials, but accommodations can sometimes be made for tutoring if it's critical to the student’s academic success. HSR students focus on writing, executive functioning, and math skills during their morning academic blocks.

There is no homework assigned during the Summer@Carroll program. If possible, we suggest that students refrain from participating in any additional writing, math, or Orton-Gillingham services during the Summer@Carroll weeks. We feel the students work hard enough each morning during their academic blocks, and recommend relaxing in the evenings!

Summer@Carroll serves students entering Grades 1-9 who have a primary diagnosis of a language-based learning difficulty, such as dyslexia. Get more information about Summer Admissions here.

When Summer@Carroll has filled all spots within a program, we start a waitlist. Priority is given to present Carroll School academic-year students, returning Summer@Carroll students, students accepted for fall admission to Carroll School, and students from the prior year’s waitlist.

Summer@Carroll is a full-day program. We feel that the combination of the academics and fun afternoon activities along with a conscious effort to develop social skills and self-confidence creates unique programs that are both academically and socially beneficial. During the afternoon activities, children form friendships with other students that contribute to a positive social environment.

In the summer, we want the children to be comfortable. T-shirts and shorts are the usual attire during the summer. For safety reasons, campers should wear sneakers every day rather than flip flops or crocs.

Please drop your child off by 8:30 each morning, which allows them time to check in with their counselor before heading to their first class. Students are welcome to arrive as early as 8:10 to play outside and socialize with friends before the academic morning begins.

Dismissal for most students (entering grades 3-9) takes place at 4:00 each afternoon. Beginning Readers (entering grades 1-2) have an earlier dismissal at 2:30, with the option to add on Extended Day until 4:00 pm.

Keeping our community healthy and safe is a priority. Proof of having received the COVID-19 vaccine, once FDA approved, is required to attend Summer@Carroll. In addition, students and staff will be required to engage in mitigation strategies while at school.

Full details of this policy are included in the Registration Agreement that enrolling families will sign in CampBrain. Please be sure to read the Registration Agreement carefully before signing.

In the spring, enrolled families will receive instructions for submitting required health information in CampBrain. If FDA approved, proof of having received the COVID-19 vaccine will be included in these requirements.

CampBrain is an online portal which allows for the secure submission of medical information. Please do not send us medical information via email.

For families seeking a religious and/or medical exemption, please contact Judi Seldin, Assistant Head of School (jseldin@carrollschool.org) before completing your Registration Agreement.

At this time, we anticipate that mask use will be optional during most activities on campus. Mitigation strategies such as masking and COVID testing will be continually evaluated over the course of the spring in order to align with pandemic conditions as of Summer 2022.

We will share detailed information regarding our COVID-19 mitigation strategies and policies with enrolled families later this spring.

For Summer 2022, we will return to allowing students and staff to interact with community members from other grades. This year’s carpool directory will allow families to connect across grade levels and campuses.