Serra Summer School
Questions? Send us an email
All Summer at Serra programs, unless otherwise noted, are designed for on-campus, in-person participation.
covid-19 health and safety protocols established for serra high school and approved by the san mateo county health department
will be employed throughout the summer. view our covid-19 school reopening plans for more information.
programs are subject to change based on local COVID-19 conditions and public health orders.
- Freshman Bridge Program: June 21 - July 15 (incoming Serra freshmen only)
- Geometry for Rising Freshmen: June 14 - July 16
- High School: June 14-July 16
Freshman Bridge Program: June 21 - July 15 (incoming Serra freshmen only)
Freshman Bridge Program: June 21-July 15 (four-week session)
Hours: 8 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
Course Fee: $750
This program is open only to incoming Serra freshmen. It is specifically designed to meet the needs of students who may benefit from remedial review and support in the transition to high school. This program reviews foundational curriculum in English, math and science. Students who enroll in this program will fulfill their summer required reading* and math in a supportive learning environment.
Unsure if this program can benefit your son? Please contact the admissions department.
*Students will read one of the two books required of all incoming freshmen. This program is not recommended for students who do not require review, nor is it recommended for students looking for advancement or enrichment courses.
Attendance:
Students who are enrolled in the Freshman Bridge Program as a condition of admission to Serra High School may miss only two days of class during the four-week summer session and must complete their final exams. Final exams will be given on Wednesday, July 14. The last day of school for students in this program is Thursday, July 15. Please address any attendance concerns or conflicts here.
Textbooks:
Math and science textbooks for the Freshman Bridge Program are loaned to students for the duration of the summer session. Textbooks for the Freshman Bridge Program English course will be provided to students at no additional cost.
Geometry for Rising Freshmen: June 14 - July 16
Geometry: June 14-July 16
Geometry for Advancement and Honors Geometry for Advancement are five-week courses open to boys and girls from any school. The courses are UC/CSU approved and mirror the college preparatory curriculum taught at Serra during the regular school year.
Students enrolled in Geometry for Advancement are strongly encouraged to attend classes in person. but have the option to choose distance learning. However, the decision to attend in-person or distance learning will be for the entirety of the summer session; students will not be allowed to switch between the two options.
Students enrolled in Honors Geometry for Advancement must attend classes in person.
geometry for advancement
Hours: 8 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (10 units)
Course Fee: $1,200
Incoming Serra freshmen: You may enroll in this class only after you have taken the math placement test at Serra in May and received permission from Serra’s Dean of Studies Rita Lee. You will receive a letter from Mrs. Lee soon after you complete the placement test; the letter will address your math placement and, if appropriate, what you need to do prior to enrolling in Geometry for Advancement this summer.
Students not attending Serra in the fall: You may enroll in this class at your own discretion. However, if you are intending to take the class for high school credit, it is strongly advised that you speak with your high school counselor before registering.
Topics covered in this course include tools of geometry, reasoning and proofs, parallel and perpendicular lines, congruent triangles, triangle relationships, quadrilaterals, similarity, right triangles and trigonometry, area of polygons, surface area and volume of solids, circles, and probability.
Honors Geometry for Advancement
Hours: 8 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (10 units)
Course Fee: $1,200
Incoming Serra freshmen: You may enroll in this class only after you have taken the math placement test at Serra in May and received permission from Serra’s Dean of Studies Rita Lee. You will receive a letter from Mrs. Lee soon after you complete the placement test; the letter will address your math placement and, if appropriate, what you need to do prior to enrolling in Honors Geometry for Advancement this summer.
Students not attending Serra in the fall: You must submit the Honors Placement Agreement prior to the first day of class. You may scan and email the completed form here, or mail it to Junípero Serra High School, 451 West 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403, attention Summer School.
Topics covered in this course include basic geometric concepts, inductive and deductive reasoning, parallel and perpendicular lines, congruent triangles and triangle relationships, quadrilaterals, similarity, right triangles and trigonometry, transformations, area, surface area and volume, circles, and probability.
Textbooks:
Geometry textbooks are loaned to students for the summer session.
High School: June 14-July 16
High school courses, open to boys and girls from any school, offer college preparatory curriculum that mirrors the curriculum taught at Serra during the regular school year. All courses are UC/CSU approved.
Course Design:
Courses are designed for students seeking advancement or remediation (credit recovery). The first and second semester courses for remedial math and science classes run concurrently; therefore, you cannot take a second semester course for credit unless you have completed and mastered the skills for the first semester. Other courses are designed as “survey” classes for which you can earn credit for either the first or the second semester of the course.
Textbooks:
Textbooks are loaned to students for the duration of the summer session.
Attendance:
Students enrolled in Geometry for Advancement are strongly encouraged to attend classes in person, but have the option to choose distance learning. However, the decision to attend in-person or distance will be for the entirety of the summer session; students will not be allowed to switch between the two options. All other courses scheduled this summer will offer in-person classes only. In order to receive credit, you may miss only two days of class during the five-week summer session and you must complete the final exam. Final exams for high school courses will not be rescheduled to accommodate student absences.
Official Transcripts:
If you do not attend Serra High School during the regular school year and you want us to send an official transcript to your school, you must complete and submit the Request for 2021 Summer School Transcript form to the Serra summer school director no later than Friday, June 18. You also can pick up a copy of the form at Serra’s main office.
Important:
If you do not attend Serra High School during the regular school year, you are strongly advised to consult with your school counselor or academic dean to ensure that the classes you wish to take will meet the requirements for the credits you need. Pre-approval is required for students who wish to enroll in the Honors Geometry for Advancement class (see details below).
What happens if YOU cancel a class?
The last day you may cancel a class and receive a refund is Wednesday, June 16, 2021. A $100 fee will be deducted from the refund for each class you cancel, regardless of the class tuition. No refunds will be given for classes cancelled after the June 16 deadline.
What happens if WE cancel a class?
Because our summer school program has an open, rolling enrollment over several months, we will not know our final registration numbers until early June. Please be aware that low enrollment in a specific course may make it necessary for us to cancel the course or combine sections. We will notify you as early as possible should this occur. If we cancel a course, you will receive a full refund.
HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC COURSES
MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA 1 for Remediation - FIRST SEMESTER
Hours: 8 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
Topics covered in this course include properties of real numbers, solving multi-step equations, proportions and percents, solving multi-step inequalities, an introduction to functions, linear functions and solving systems of equations.
ALGEBRA 1 for Remediation - SECOND SEMESTER
Hours: 8 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
Topics covered in this course include properties of exponents and exponential functions, factoring polynomials, quadratic functions and equations, radical expressions and equations, rational expressions and functions, and data analysis.
ALGEBRA 2 for Remediation - FIRST SEMESTER
Hours: 11 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
Topics covered in this course include solving multi-step equations and inequalities, absolute value functions, piecewise functions, systems of equations and inequalities, matrices, quadratic functions and polynomial functions.
ALGEBRA 2 for Remediation - SECOND SEMESTER
Hours: 11 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
Topics covered in this course include radical functions, rational exponents, exponential and logarithmic functions, rational functions, sequences and series, conic sections and statistics.
Geometry for Advancement
Hours: 8 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (10 units)
Course Fee: $1,200
Current Serra Students: You may enroll in this class only after you have met with your counselor, received permission from Serra’s Dean of Studies Rita Lee and completed the Mathematics Department Advancement Contract. You can obtain this from Mrs. Lee or from your counselor.
Students not attending Serra in the fall: You may enroll in this class at your own discretion. However, if you are intending to take the class for high school credit, it is strongly advised that you speak with your high school counselor before registering.
Topics covered in this course include tools of geometry, reasoning and proofs, parallel and perpendicular lines, congruent triangles, triangle relationships, quadrilaterals, similarity, right triangles and trigonometry, area of polygons, surface area and volume of solids, circles, and probability.
Honors Geometry for Advancement
Hours: 8 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (10 units)
Course Fee: $1,200
Current Serra Students: You may enroll in this class only after you have met with your counselor, received permission from Serra’s Dean of Studies Rita Lee and completed the the Mathematics Department Advancement Contract. You may obtain this form from Mrs. Lee or your counselor.
Students not attending Serra in the fall: You must submit the Honors Placement Agreement prior to the first day of class. You may scan and email the completed form to email, or mail it to Junipero Serra High School, 451 West 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403, attention Summer School.
Topics covered in this course include basic geometric concepts, inductive and deductive reasoning, parallel and perpendicular lines, congruent triangles and triangle relationships, quadrilaterals, similarity, right triangles and trigonometry, transformations, area, surface area and volume, circles, and probability.
ENGLISH
ENGLISH 1-2 FOR REMEDIATION
HOURS: 8 A.M. - 10:45 a.M.
COURSE FEE: $600
This freshman English course focuses on introducing critical thinking, reading comprehension and writing composition about literature. Using Writers Inc. as the primary writing text, the writing composition instruction is designed to develop the writing process. In conjunction with their writing, students review the elements of grammar, sentence completion, progression, and variety, and study vocabulary. This is a survey course; it will satisfy requirements for one semester of English 1-2.
WORLD LANGUAGES
SPANISH i for Remediation
Hours: 8 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
This first-year Spanish course is a review of basic grammar, including simple verb tenses, basic conversational vocabulary and sentence formation. It will satisfy requirements for one semester of Spanish I.
Spanish II for Remediation
Hours: 8 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
Topics in this second-year Spanish course include verb formation with an emphasis on mastering past tenses, sentence structure, vocabulary and the historical and cultural aspects of the Hispanic world. It will satisfy requirements for one semester of Spanish II.
LAB SCIENCES
BIOLOGY for Remediation – FIRST SEMESTER
Hours: 11 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
Students will study topics including chemistry of life, cells and their environment, cell structure, photosynthesis and cellular respiration as well as an introduction to cellular reproduction.
BIOLOGY for Remediation – SECOND SEMESTER
Hours: 11 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
The second semester of biology will explore meiosis and sexual reproduction, heredity, DNA and the production of proteins. Students will also study principles of evolution, ecology, kingdoms of life and human biology.
Chemistry for Remediation – first SEMESTER
Hours: 11 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
First semester chemistry students explore how to analyze what they observe in the world with their eyes in terms of the invisible behavior of an atomic reality. Problem solving in both a mathematical sense and hands-on learning is taught while exploring atomic structure, geometry, electron movement, basic molecular interaction and laws that govern what we can see, touch and feel.
Chemistry for Remediation – second SEMESTER
Hours: 11 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. (5 units)
Course Fee: $600
Second semester chemistry students study types and properties of chemical reactions. Students learn to measure, qualify and predict the relationships among atoms, molecules and ions as they interact with one another. Concepts of the mole, stoichiometry and net ionic equations are taught while students explore the scientific method, making observations of molecular theory in the laboratory.