NEWS
from the West After School Center,
Inc.
620 Garfield Avenue
Lancaster, OH 43130
740-653-5678 740-653-2402 FAX
Email:
westafterschool@westafterschoolcenter.org
Visit us at
www.westafterschoolcenter.org
September 16, 2011
from the office of Julie Bibler, Executive Director
This weekly update is distributed via email to the WASC Board of Directors & Staff, Volunteers, School Staffs, Parents, State and National Afterschool Advocates, Providers, and Community Leaders
WE
ARE
21st CENTURY
COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS
Our mission to is provide programs and services that enrich the educational, social, and cultural
opportunities of students in our community
East Community Learning Center
ECLC students learned about Aboriginal Dot Art during the art rotation last week. Students used different types of beans to outline and fill in images of native Australian animals.
We also held our Open House on Thursday. Parents and siblings joined the ECLC students during their daily rotations.
Finally, we observed Patriot Day by creating patriotic banners
Cedar Heights Community Learning
Last week at afterschool was great. We had a chance to go outside on Friday and enjoy the walking track and playground. Mrs. Warner is in charge of the walking track program at CCLC. She logs our miles and gives us rewards for racking up big mileage. The mileage club is a good addition to the health and nutrition component of afterschool. On Friday, we also had a bonus gym class with Mr. Dorian and we met our new Youth Development instructor, Mrs. Della Winters.
Tallmadge Community Learning Center
We are off to a great start here at Tallmadge Community Learning Center. With over 30 students enrolled, we are looking forward to a successful year. Our week went very well and our students have come in with positive attitudes.
As of September 19th, we will add our final staff member. Samantha Peters will be joining us and working in our homework rotation. Samantha works at Tallmadge as an Educational Aide in one of the preschool classes. She brings with her a wealth of experience and we look forward to having her on staff.
We had a really great Fun Friday. In addition to playing outside and free time in the computer lab, Mrs. Warner and her daughter joined us for cup stacking. The students had a good time with this activity, especially when they competed in races and other competitions. It got very competitive when the boys faced the girls in a race.
On Wednesday, September 21st, we will be having an Open House for parents and teachers. It will run from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. and everyone will have a chance to go through an abbreviated version of our academic rotations. Afterward, we will be serving punch and cookies. We hope that everyone can attend.
West After School Center
Enrollment is continuing to grow at the West After School Center and so is the excitement. One of our Fun Friday Activities this week was a science experiment called, “Dancing Popcorn.” With the help of Mrs. Pressler, the students prepared for this experiment the day before by soaking popcorn kernels in a glass of water. They then made predictions about the outcome of the water level and the size of the kernels. This lesson incorporated math and science. The students measured the water level and the popcorn level. The following day, they planted the soaked seeds in soil and in this lesson, we will record the growth. The remaining of the kernels were placed in a jar with baking soda and vinegar and the children watched the seeds pop around. The soaked seeds had the best results. All of this information is contained in graphs along with the students’ hypotheses.
General Sherman Community Learning Center
Thomas Ewing Community Learning Center
The
junior high afterschool programs are off to a great start and into the
groove of homework. The Centers discussed Patriot Day, a day that is
held each year on September 11th in memory of the nearly 3,000 people
who died during the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and
Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Even though the students were familiar with
the 9/11 attacks, we determined that the mean age of our students was
two years old when this occurred. The students read a summary of the
terrorist attacks and completed an anagram using the words, "Patriot
Day."
Students from the Thomas Ewing and General Sherman Community Learning
Centers were also found experimenting with paper airplanes. The initial
test flight was made with any kind of plane the students knew how to
make. This STEM activity has the students measuring the distance their
paper airplanes fly and recording that data in feet and inches and
converting the measurement to metric measurement. The students will
complete their three flights next week in order to determine the mean
distance. The students will be comparing specific types of planes such
as the "bullet," the "classic dart," the "condor," and the "arrow.” Read
next week to find out which type of plane flew the longest distance.
We appreciate the many community agencies that help students and families with acquisition of their back to school supplies. Likewise, with a limited budget and six centers to provide for, the West After School Center is always in need of the list at the right.
Donations are appreciated
White board markers
Tissues
Clorox wipes / hand sanitizers
Zip-lock bags (gallon size)
Glue sticks
Colored pencils
Erasers
Crayons
AA batteries
WANTED!!
A FEW GOOD PEOPLE
Experience not necessary
Do you have one hour a week to make a difference in the life of a child?
We need volunteers at all our locations (WASC, East, Cedar Heights and Tallmadge).
To learn more,
contact Ruthann Petrovay at 653-5678
Our volunteers are key to our success.
The West After School Center, 21st CCLC before and afterschool programs for school-age children, were informed that our programs have passed the annual inspection and will continue as a one-star-rated Step-Up-to Quality Center.
Congratulations to our staff and our board of directors for continued good work and governance.
The West After School Center would like to thank our community partner, The Girl Scouts of Ohio's Heartland Council, for providing a summer crafts program at the WASC and East Elementary School summer lunch programs. The children enjoyed making a variety of crafts, including swap pins that are traded at summer camp.
The West After School Center wants to thank Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio and its Choice Food Pantry for providing families at all six of our 21st Century CLC’s with bread, bagels and English muffins. They will continue to support us in the coming weeks and months.
The West After School Center is a provider for the Ohio Benefit Bank. If you are in need of assistance related to childcare, food, health coverage or home energy needs, please call the WASC at 653-5678 and set up an appointment to do a quick check to see if you might qualify for help.
The Kroger Community Rewards!
You can help support the
West After School Center
every time you shop at your local Krogers. It's simple. Just sign up and every time you shop and have your Krogers Plus Card scanned, a portion of the amount comes to the West After School Center. Encourage your friends to help us - and support our mission!
Thanks to our supporters.
We received over $204.76 during the third quarter of this rewards program! (May, June & July).
****TO USE THE KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM:
1. All current and new members must enroll after April 1, 2011.
2. Please log on to
www.krogercommunityrewards.com
and click on "Ohio" to register your Kroger Plus Card. After registering, a portion of each purchase you make using your Rewards card comes to the West After School Center, Inc.
Save the Date!
April 2-4, 2012
Dallas, Texas
