Basics Summer School ran from 1985 to 2007 as a classroom situation held at Epworth United Methodist Church in Pawtucket, RI. In 2008 Basics Summer School became Basics Supplementary School offering year-round service as a "school without walls." Instruction is now provided through mailed instructional packets in conjunction with e-mail access to instructors, as well as by tutoring and by a combination of tutoring and mailed packets.
Basics Supplementary School, like Basics Summer School (our former name), which had been in operation since 1985, now serves the community year-round as a remedial and enrichment tool for secondary students in the form of tutoring; and as a credit makeup tool for students who failed because of excessive absence or lack of effort, in the form of two distance learning programs: one exclusively by mail and one that includes some direct, face to face contact with the teacher.
Basics Supplementary School responds to the Back to Basics movement by stressing the essential skills of reading and writing in all subjects. It is an affordable, after-school complement to regular school work that can lead to successful performance in school and beyond. We believe that sometimes essential or fundamental skills ("basics") are missed in the classroom and can be provided by caring, experienced, state-certified, professional teachers in relatively short periods of time.
All teachers are certified by the RI Department of Education. Credit granted by Basics Supplementary School has been honored since 1985 by all public and private, local and distant schools whose students have attended. Even students from states as distant as Florida and California who were summering in Rhode Island or nearby Massachusetts have attended our program for credit in their home town school systems. Instruction is based on State Standards.
A student may register for tutoring or distance learning at any time by downloading a registration form and mailing it to
Mr. Vance Westgate, Director
Basics Supplementary School
1 Seba Kent Road
Pawtucket, RI 02861
Times and places for tutoring that are agreeable to student, parents, and tutor will be arranged.
WHEN? A student may register at any time. However, registering after mid-July for credit by September is not recommended because of the limited time before the start of school.
HOW? The application must be downloaded, completely filled out and signed by a parent (or guardian) and by a school official (guidance counselor, administrator) and mailed with the appropriate payment to
Mr. Vance Westgate, Director
Basics Supplementary School
1 Seba Kent Road
Pawtucket, RI 02861
WHAT CHOICES ARE THERE? Courses are listed here, but one of three programs must first be selected:
A. TUTORING includes at least 10 hours of one-on-one with two or more hours of homework for each hour of tutoring.
COST: $660.00
B. GUIDED INDEPENDENT STUDY is a self-paced, distance learning program wherein the student is mailed a study guide with instructions and assignments requiring 30-40 hours to complete, during which time the teacher, who prepared the packet and who is certified in the appropriate field, is accessible via e-mail for assistance. The completed packet must be returned in six weeks or less by mail to be evaluated by that teacher.
COST: $180.00.
C. TUTORED INDEPENDENT STUDY is the same as Guided Independent Study with the addition of a one hour's face to face session with the tutor for progress evaluation and review prior to the sudent's completing his packet.
This one hour of contact with the tutor most likely exceeds the amount of time the average student would confer directly with his teacher in five or six weeks of a traditional summer school in a classroom situation.
COST: $240.00
WHICH PROGRAM IS RIGHT FOR THE STUDENT?
Guided Independent Study is recommended primarily for students who failed because of excessive absence or lack of effort.
Students who need remedial work who struggled or failed despite their best efforts or because they couldn't grasp certain concepts are encouraged to take Tutoring exclusively.
Guidance counselor or parents may feel that Tutored Independent Study offers a greater guarantee of success than the Guided Independent Study.
Mr. Vance Westgate, Director
Basics Supplementary School
1 Seba Kent Road
Pawtucket, RI 02861
Email us at vancewestgate@gmail.com
Vance,
Thank you so much. My son is now officially a senior . . . I have to tell you how impressed I am with your program. [My son] did contact [your math teacher] a couple of times and he was great with him. I contacted him once and he was very accommodating. Not to mention the time and effort you put in to make this work for [my son]. I truly appreciate everyone's efforts.
With Much Appreciation,
E. V.
Dear Mr. Westgate:
Thank you for providing [my daughter] with the necessary materials to complete her missed classwork due to illness. I also appreciated the help she received from both the Geometry and Biology teachers. They were excellent...
Thanks.
Dr. Pierre
I do thank you for all that you have done for [my daughter] to complete these two classes.
Sincerely,
Sheryl
Hi Mr. Westgate,
Thank you for getting back to me and thanks for your efforts with [our student]. I appreciate your help.
Thanks again,
E. C.
Guidance Counselor
[My son] had difficulties last year and took your program and was able to move to the next year. I have spoken with ... the academic dean ... and she would support [my son] entering your program...
Thomas
Dear Mr. Westgate:
I do appreciate your willingness to be flexible to accommodate for more hours if needed.
Sincerely
Dr. Pierre
Dear Mr. Westgate:
I wanted to give you some feedback on the assignment that was provided for our student. I have already emailed my thanks to Mr. Pereira for his time to prepare the assignment and for being quick to respond to questions that were emailed to him for clarification as the assignment was completed. This work reflected real-world math and was a more practical application to the type of math skills that will be used beyond high school. We are so appreciative that this opportunity was available, and wanted to be sure to thank you for your contributions in supporting students like ours.
Sincerely, Jen