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 23, 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
The West After School Center has a new look on Facebook. Thanks to Della Winters for taking on this project and keeping it up to date. Check us out on the web at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-After-School-Center-Inc/252452234788392
and make sure to “Like” us.
East Community Learning Center
Mr. Dorion made his first visit to ECLC last week. Students spent a 45-minute rotation playing many different games with him. What a great way to work towards the 60 minutes of daily activity that is recommended for kids!
We also played board games. Students enjoyed games such as My Word, Dinosaurs Extinct?, Yahtzee, Connect 4, Guess Who?, and Chutes and Ladders.
Cedar Heights Community Learning
Week three of the afterschool program at Cedar Heights was filled with
activities. Mrs. Winters, the Youth Development leader, was with us all
week and taught us about manners and treating others the way we want to
be treated. We all became "bucket fillers" this week by using kind
words and actions with our classmates. We also enjoyed Mrs. Maria
Mulder and her ZUMBA class on Friday. She is a great instructor and her
pink parachute is a lot of fun to play with while we listen to Justin
Beiber.
Youth Development
Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
Youth Development has gotten off to a great start at Cedar Community Learning Center! We kicked off our week reading the book, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. We learned that everyone carries an invisible bucket with them every day, and our invisible bucket holds good thoughts and good feelings we have about ourselves. When our buckets are full, we are happy, but when our buckets are empty, we feel sad and lonely. We learned that we fill one another’s buckets by doing and saying kind things to each other.
Every day, each student described one thing he or she did to fill someone else’s bucket that day. To represent the happiness caused by the kind words and deeds, students received a glittery puff in his or her bucket. Check out the photos of our buckets and all of the kindness we’ve shared this week!
Tallmadge Community Learning Center
Another week down and we continue to progress. As we add students, we keep “tweaking” the system to provide the most efficient services possible.
Research shows that a good way to increase students’ success on achievement testing is to improve their vocabulary. To that end, we have instituted a “word of the day.” We receive a different word by email each day. During snack, we introduce that word and see if any of the students can give that word’s definition. After the word’s meaning is known, we then try to spell it and use it in a sentence. The students have seemed to enjoy this challenge and hopefully, we are increasing their working vocabulary every day. If any parent wants to take advantage of the free daily email, the address is www.drgoodword.com.
We had a really great Fun Friday. In addition to playing outside and free time in the computer lab, Miss Ashly came by for art. Our art project for the week was Aborigine art from Australia. Mrs. Draper did an excellent job of conceiving the project and finishing it on Friday, while Mrs. Andres did a terrific job all week of implementing Ashly’s vision.
West After School Center
On Thursday, we opened the doors of the West After School Center to the staff of West Elementary and the parents of our students here at WASC. We were excited to show off the activities going on at our Center. We filled the air with the aroma of popcorn and gave everyone a tour of the building including our science area which exhibited our experiments using kernels of corn. Our parents watched closely for the “Dancing Popcorn” then participated in our games (Candy Land and Concentration) using the high frequency words as the games’ cards. Mrs. Warner, from Cedar Heights, involved the parents in games teaching math techniques. Our goal for this Open House was to make learning fun, simple, and inexpensive.
General Sherman Community Learning Center
Thomas Ewing Community Learning Center
Both junior
high afterschool programs have been working diligently and the students
are now proficient at checking their progress books. Progress book is
a tool that the Lancaster City Schools use so that students and parents
can track progress in each subject through accessing student grades
online. Teachers use progress book to record grades, note missing
assignments, and post information. This is a great tool for the
afterschool program in helping the students learn how to manage
homework, improve study habits, and keep up with any missing
assignments.
Mr. Dorion visited General Sherman last week for gym and will be at
Thomas Ewing this week. He is teaching the students the basics of
frisbee golf. All seem to be actively engaged and eager to learn. We
are ready for Mr. Dorion to set the course up.
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
