Auburn -- Ashley Defelice looked down at the laminated cards in her hand and carefully sounded out the words written on them in black marker. With a little help from her mom, who sat at the child-size desk next to her, Defelice rearranged the words to create sentences.

This is Defelice's third summer participating in the Opportunity to Achieve Success in School program (OASIS), but her mother is impressed with what she has accomplished in the last five weeks at the half-day summer program.

"It has definitely been keeping her brain active through the summer," said Lisa Defelice.

At the OASIS "I Can Do It Night," like Defelice showed their parents, family and community members what they had accomplished this summer. The OASIS program, now in its sixth year, is set up to catch students before they "fall between the cracks," said OASIS coordinator Terri Dec.

What began as a pilot program at Casey Park in 1999, has now become a program that helps students bridge the gap between school years. While the program has fluctuated numbers, as far as students and teachers are concerned, it has maintained the same core goals.

"These are students who need a little extra help being brought up to speed," OASIS Principal Fed Prentice said. "We try to prepare them for what is coming up next year."

Auburn students, in grades one through four, can attend the program based on a teacher recommendation. Each classroom, with no more than a dozen students, is taught by both a teacher and an aide.

With all the new requirements under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act, the program also helps schools make sure students are getting the academic intervention they require. The focus of each class is mainly on mathematics and English language arts, which are the two major areas addressed by NCLB, as well as New York state. Classes are designed to combine material learned in the previous year with what will be taught in the upcoming year -- to make the transition smoother for students.

The day is structured and students participate in work stations and are served breakfast and lunch, which helps to keep them on a routine.

Events like "I Can Do It Night," give parents the opportunity to see what their children are learning, so they can also practice and develop a routine at home.

"There needs to be reinforcement at home," Gail Mangan said. "This lets parents see what their kids are working on."

Mangan a fifth-grade teacher at Genesee Elementary School during the school year, works at the OASIS program with third graders in the summer. Mangan said working with another grade level helps her remember how to teach basic concepts.

Dyanna Johnson, a proud 8 1/2, does not mind spending her summer in the classroom.

"I like learning all the stuff we do," Johnson said as she tried to focus on the word problem in front of her. Her 17-year-old cousin Caress Murray leans over and tries to help Johnson pick out the problem's numbers.

"I don't mind coming here, it's fun," Johnson said.

Whether it be a circus or frog theme, each classroom is decorated to not only assist in lessons, but to also lend a sense of fun to summer learning. Throughout the summer, community leaders, such as school board members and government officials, come and read to the students.

This week the Auburn Doubledays came to visit with the students.

"Once the kids get involved in the activities and see that learning can be fun, they don't mind learning," said fourth-grade teacher Sylvia DelFavero.

Class sizes are smaller than during the typical school year, giving students the one on one attention they require.

Many students are also placed in classrooms with the same teacher they will have in the fall. The other feature that helps students track their progress is a pre- and post-test.

"It is amazing how much progress they make in just five weeks," DelFavero said.

"But this program just lays the foundation, it does not solve the whole problem, but it is a good start."

Staff writer Ashley Lipsky can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 235 or ashley.lipsky@lee.net