School Life
Summer Camps & Programs

Summer of Excellence

Summer of Excellence is a Lower Division summer enrichment program for elementary school-aged children. The early childhood grades of Pre-K and Kindergarten are treated to a three-week, themed-based camp, while first through fifth-grade campers are offered three one-week camps that focus on language arts, math, and science while integrating reading and writing skills throughout the three weeks. All campers are given the opportunity to refresh and enhance their skills in reading, writing, math, computers, and social studies at their level while on a wonderful adventure that creates great memories. Additional enrichment is offered to each camper through physical education classes, creative library experiences, and science/foreign language instruction. Campers enjoy getting to know new friends, classmates, and faculty while learning daily routines.

About the director: Michele McKenna joined the Berkeley faculty in 2005 and has been a Summer Programs faculty member since 2006. She is in her seventh summer leading Summer of Excellence, having been closely involved with this popular lower division enrichment program for many years prior to that. She is a Florida native, a graduate of Leto High School, and received her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University. She currently teaches in the Center for Science, Engineering, and Technology (C-SET) at Berkeley. Michele has also worked in kindergarten, first grade, second grade, the learning center, and as a member of the technology team. She has presented on using technology effectively in the classroom at the Future of Education and Technology Conference, the Florida Council of Independent Schools annual conference, and the Florida Kindergarten Council annual conference. Her son, Brandon, graduated from Berkeley in 2017, having been a student at Berkeley since pre-kindergarten.

Please click on each camp below for a description.

List of 4 items.

  • "Oh, the Places You Go"

    Explore the worlds of math, science, and language arts through the eyes of our favorite authors. Pre-Kindergarten students will learn about the wonderful world of Eric Carle. Kindergarten students will cook up some fun with Dr. Seuss, while first grade students will read, write and add with Laura Numeroff. Pre-K and Kindergarten camps are three weeks. First grade campers have the option to attend one, two, or all three weeks.

    Weeks 5, 6, 7 (sessions for incoming Pre-K, K, and 1st graders); a hearty lunch provided by Sage Dining Services is an add-on option for this camp.

  • “Language Artists”

    During our first week of Summer of Excellence, our second and third-grade “language artists” will be inspired to tap into their creative writing skills by having an opportunity to respond to literature through literature circles, as well as working through the writing process. The focus on decoding, fluency, reading comprehension, and the writing process will provide opportunities for each camper to build upon their reading and writing skills. At the same time, our fourth and fifth-grade campers will be able to further develop reading strategies and language conventions by being exposed to literature that will elicit verbal and written responses which will require the use of critical thinking skills, as well as creative verbal and written communication.

    This is a one-week session. A hearty lunch provided by Sage Dining Services is an add-on option for this camp.

    Week 5 (sessions for incoming 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders)

  • “Math Mania”

    The second week of Summer of Excellence brings our second through fifth-grade campers to “Math Mania” where they will apply math to everyday activities through the use of games, arts and crafts, and creative problem-solving opportunities. The focus during “Math Mania” is to reinforce basic math facts and grade-level appropriate concepts, as well as explore and discover numbers in the world that surrounds them.

    This is a one-week session. A hearty lunch provided by Sage Dining Services is an add-on option for this camp.

    Week 6 (sessions for incoming 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders)

  • “Science Magic”

    Our last week of Summer of Excellence will provide an opportunity for our second through fifth-grade campers to continue to practice and apply reading, writing, and math skills that were reinforced in the previous weeks by integrating these skills into magical science experiments and activities. The focus of “Science Magic” is to allow our campers to work through science-process skills, such as investigations, which will provide an opportunity for the campers to reinforce an understanding of science concepts through the use of scientific inquiry to develop explanations and nurture curiosity.

    This is a one-week session. A hearty lunch provided by Sage Dining Services is an add-on option for this camp.

    Week 7 (sessions for incoming 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders)

Summer 2023

Week 1: June 5 - 9
Week 2: June 12 - 16
Week 3: June 19 - 23
Week 4: June 26 - 30
NO CAMPS July 3 - 7
Week 5: July 10 - 14
Week 6: July 17 - 21
Week 7: July 24 - 28
2024 Summer Catalog Coming Soon!

Berkeley Preparatory School

Founded in 1960, Berkeley is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory day school located in Tampa, FL, for boys and girls in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. Approximately 1,400 students gather here from the greater Tampa Bay area to form ONE Berkeley.