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At Hollin Meadows Elementary School in Alexandria, spring break began much like a regular school day. Students arrived by bus at 8 a.m., received breakfast packs from Assistant Principal Francesca Gilley and headed into classrooms for four days of focused learning.
They were participating in Fairfax County Public Schools’ Spring Sprouts and Blooming Readers programs, which provide additional instruction at select Title I elementary schools during spring break. Many enrolled students are considered at risk of chronic absenteeism.
The programs use small groups and hands-on activities to strengthen literacy and math skills. Spring Sprouts serves kindergarten and first-grade students, while Blooming Readers aims to help students read at grade level by the end of third grade.
Kindergartner Jakob said he wanted to spend his break at Hollin Meadows “because I love school!”
Third grader Ashley also welcomed the extra classroom time as she prepared for fourth grade. She set goals to improve her reading, writing and math during the week.
“I like learning,” Ashley said. “I’m going on to fourth grade, so I thought [the extra lesson time] would help me a lot.”
At Hollin Meadows, teachers built the lessons around a spring theme. Third-grade teacher Ann Biczo combined reading and writing instruction with environmental science, asking students to choose a favorite plant and research what it needs to thrive.
Biczo also introduced the class to botany, showing students how literacy skills connect with real-world careers. They examined books about plants and considered factors including sunlight, rain, temperature and dry or wet conditions.
Ashley said the lessons had already helped her tackle difficult words. When she struggled with spelling, Biczo encouraged her to sound out the word until she found the correct answer.
The learning will extend into the school garden. Students plan to transplant radishes grown during the third quarter into raised beds, while the third graders will plant favorite flowers to take home.
Biczo said students will use a measuring tape to calculate the area of the raised garden beds, turning the activity into a practical math lesson.
“There’s a real reason behind what you’re learning,” she said.
Jakob said he was excited to try planting because he had never done it before.
The programs support Goals 1 and 3 of the FCPS 2023-30 Strategic Plan by helping younger students establish strong academic foundations and improve their reading skills. Gilley said seeing progress over a single week can encourage students to imagine what they could accomplish during an entire school year.
“They’ll get to see their learning literally come to life through those plants growing,” Gilley said. “By having this program, the hope is we can continue to build on that love of learning, because they’re all capable of such amazing things.”