WEST AFTER SCHOOL CENTER
NEWS & OPINION

October 2009

Our mission is to provide opportunities that enrich the educational, social, and cultural experiences of students and families in our community.

620 Garfield Avenue, Lancaster, OH  43130      

740-653-5678  --  740-653-2402 FAX

Email:  pyoung@westafterschoolcenter.org

Visit us at www.westafterschoolcenter.org

Annual Rally for Afterschool This Month

             On October 22, the eleventh annual national rally for afterschool, Lights On Afterschool, will bring students, parents, educators, afterschool program directors, and community and business leaders together to show support for afterschool programs. This year’s event will also kick-off the 11th anniversary of 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the chief federal funding stream for afterschool programs.

Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool 2009 will include some 7,500 events scheduled in October throughout the nation and at military bases around the world. At these events, a million Americans will urge leaders to support the afterschool programs that keep children safe, inspire them to learn and help working families. More than 14 million children have no place to go after the school day ends.

Lights On Afterschool rallies give youth a chance to showcase the skills they learn and talents they develop at their afterschool programs, and to send the message that millions of kids need afterschool programs. "We are so pleased to showcase the wonderful talents of afterschool students by using a poster designed by one of them for Lights On Afterschool this year," said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. "On October 22, all across the country, we will send the message that Americans want to keep the lights on for children - and we'll do it in an energy-conscious way. Supporting afterschool programs and conserving energy both help ensure a better future for our youth.”

The West After School Center’s celebration of Lights On After School will utilize our community media resources—radio and television, to develop a multi-tiered communication effort to showcase our after-school programs.

Source:  AfterSchool Alliance:  www.afterschoolalliance.org

Dr. Paul G. Young

Executive Director

Mrs. Chris Kuttler

Office Manager

Mrs. Julie Bibler

WASC Site  Administrator

Mr. Moses Garcia

Cedar CLC Site Administrator

Mrs. Nan Rowe

East CLC Site Administrator

Mrs. Michele Ritchlin

Tallmadge CLC Site Administrator

Contact People—Leaders for our Four Afterschool Programs

The West After School Center (serving West Elementary School)

Julie Bibler—Site Administrator—740-653-5678 —jbibler@westafterschoolcenter.org

Ashley Fiore, Asst Director

The East Community Leanring Center (serving East Elementary School)

Nan Rowe—Site Administrator—740-687-7197 — nrowe@westafterschoolcenter.org

Robin McBroom — Asst Director

The Cedar Community Learning Center—(serving Cedar Heights Elem. School)

Moses Garcia, Site Director—740-438-8524 — mgarcia@cedarclc.org

Della Winters, Student & Family Coordinator

The Tallmadge Community Learning Center—(serving Tallmadge Elem. School)

Michele Ritchlin, Site Director—740-475-9229 —mritchlin@westafterschoolcenter.org

Natalie Lindsay—Student and Family Coordinator

New Beginnings    
 

A new school year is now six weeks underway. Our collaborative work with school principals, their teaching staffs, and parents are quickly filling our afterschool school programs. The beginning of a school year, much like the beginning of the year each January, is a time of hope, planning, goal setting, and anticipation of exciting times ahead. So as we embark on another new school year, let’s reflect and plan ahead with the end in mind.

What is the “end in mind”? For our students, the ultimate goal (and the original impetus for forming the West After School Center) must be to graduate from high school. That goal implies a mastery not only of basic skills, but much more. The life lessons that all children need, such as hard work, perseverance, teamwork, are residuals of participation in sports, the arts, clubs, and many other extra-curricular activities. They are integral components of that end goal. With proper coaching, learning in various out-of-school time contexts can have a lasting impact in children’s lives and greatly enhance the quality of their achievements on the path toward graduation.

When is the end of the learning day? It’s no longer when the final school bell sounds. Instead, that bell now signifies when extra-curricular and after-school activities begin and life lessons are taught and reinforced, albeit for many, in settings and experiences that adults might view as play.  But all kids need (and must be provided) these opportunities. After-school programs are an essential part of the comprehensive extended learning opportunities that all communities must provide for their children. Learning never stops. And we must always be developing opportunities for young learners, with the end in mind, that support their diverse needs.

As the beginning of the new school year moves closer and closer to the beginning of 2010, let’s resolve to find musical instruments so our young learners can join band, help them enroll in soccer, 4-H, scouts, clubs, or get them involved in other forms of apprenticeships and mentoring programs where life lessons are stressed. Most importantly, let’s assure that when the final school bell sounds, that no child goes home to an empty house, and that all children are provided opportunities to extend their learning experiences in a safe and structured environment where new beginnings provide access to the paths toward success.

5 Easy Ways to Prevent the Spread of Germs

1. Wash Your Hands

2. Cover Your Cough

3. Stay Home When Sick

4. Don't Share Cups and Straws

5. Get a Seasonal Flu Shot

West After School Center Is One of Four Star-Rated Before and After Childcare and Preschool Programs in Fairfield County.

If you’ve seen the banner displayed in front of the WASC and wondered what it meant, it is our proud display of accomplishment and commitment to excellence. Both the efforts to attain and the rewards that accompany the Star Rating were shared by the Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Head Start and the WASC. Our goal now is to achieve two-stars at the WASC this year—and one for the Cedar Community Learning Center, with our other after-school centers entering the SUTQ process soon. To learn more, CLICK HERE.  

MEAL PROGRAMS

at the WASC

Busy parents can take advantage of the availability of supper at the WASC, Cedar Heights, East, and Tallmadge, Monday-Friday, throughout the year.  The snacks we serve are free, and the supper  program (5:30-6:00 pm) is open to any child in our programs or others that would sign up for supper, based on qualification requirements similar to the school lunch program. The WASC is a sponsor of after school meals for the centers serving children at East, West, Cedar Heights, and Tallmadge Schools.

Watch our Television Show on  the LSN

Channels 6 or 9 digital - Time Warner Cable

New episodes air at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.  Look for our "Farm Show" playing in October.