Wareham students are learning about marine science, computer animation, robotics, and even the Rubik's Cube this summer.

The grant-funded summer CARE program is entering its second year of a "pilot" that has elementary and middle school students in school for six hours per day, four days per week, for six weeks. The goal: Sharpening classroom skills throughout the summer.

"A lot of students tend to lose momentum" in the summer, said Jane Fondulis, Program Facilitator for Beyond School Time for Wareham Public Schools, and organizer of the CARE program. "The program targets students who are not proficient on MCAS" exams, and serves students entering grades three through eight, she said

CARE stands for "Community, Academic, Recreation, and Enrichment." Approximately 30% to 40% of CARE students are special-education students, and more than 60% of students are considered low-income, Fondulis said.

From learning about the beach to practicing math skills to -- newly added this summer -- creating colorful mosaics using hundreds of Rubik's Cubes, and learning computer animation through a Massachusetts Institute of Technology program called "Scratch," students' minds are getting some exercise.

The Rubik's Cube class has elementary students incorporating geometry into solving the famous puzzle, in addition to making artistic mosaics with the cubes.

"Scratch" has students writing stories about themselves, programming computer animations, and showing their work off to classmates.

"They're computer programming, but it's very kid-friendly," said teacher Amanda Fitzgerald as her students worked on an "all about me" project in Scratch.

The nonprofit Buzzards Bay Coalition, which works to protect and restore the bay, has also signed up to work with the CARE students every Monday.

Officials are currently examining data to see how the longer program hours, provided by the $107,000 "pilot" grant, are impacting students in the classroom, but Fondulis says teachers have already seen positive results in the program's transitional group for fifth-graders going into grade six.

In addition to working on classroom skills, the students learn their way around the middle school and how to work the dreaded combination lock on the lockers.

"Teachers saw a big difference with these kids," Fondulis said. "The students were able to just go right into the flow" of middle school.

The program, which also serves students through an after-school program during the school year, has been in the district for nearly a decade -- and has always been grant-funded.

"Wareham is an exemplary site in the state," Fondulis noted with a smile.

Wareham Week will check in with the CARE program throughout the summer to see what the students are up to. Check upcoming issues of the paper and WarehamVillageSoup.com for more!