Mars Area School District will use American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding to kick-start a week of summer learning activities at the beginning of August in an effort to fight learning loss.

Assistant superintendent Elizabeth McMahon explained that the program “Liftoff to Success” would serve current kindergarten through fifth grade students. It will run for four days, from Aug. 8 to 11.

“It’s going to be a week of literacy and numeracy skill sets, and this is a review and reinforcement, just to get them ready for when school starts on (Aug.) 24,” she explained at the Mars Area School Board meeting Tuesday night.

The free Liftoff event has already garnered interest after the district sent out a survey to families to gauge interest. The program will teach children in kindergarten through grade two in a morning session and grades three to five in an afternoon session.

Approximately 181 students are already registered to attend the program in the morning, and 113 are registered in the evening.

“All are invited, and no one is turned away,” McMahon said. “There might be more trickling in, but that’s what we have right now.”

About 17 teachers are already on board to staff the program and facilitate instruction. The program will be held in the Mars Area Elementary School building.