February newsletter

In our commitment to making our program as available as possible, we continue to provide financial assistance for families. If you need information, please contact Adriana Guereque at aguereque@k12.somerville.ma.us. You can also contact the Site Director at your child's school.

Thank you for all your support to Community Schools – being with your children makes us all happy!

Counselor's Corner

While we practice kindness every day, we observe Random Acts of Kindness Day on February 17th as a meaningful reminder that small actions can make a big difference in people’s lives. This year’s theme focuses on celebrating kindness in our communities by emphasizing that “Together, we can make the world a better place, one act at a time.” Celebrating Kindness Day encourages people to find everyday ways to show generosity and empathy in a world that can always use more compassion. Research shows that kindness strengthens our brains, boosts our well-being and hopefulness, and amplifies our connections to each other. At Community Schools, we recognize that showing and sharing kindness reinforces our positive social norms, strengthens our sense of belonging, and has a big impact on us all. Being kind isn’t just nice, it is powerful!

Stay kind, everyone 😀

Albert F. Argenziano

Site Director: Elizabeth Bell

Assistant Site Director; Brianna Arevalo

Ileana Perlera, Etta Resnick, Ana Cortez, Sana Kazemi, Gianna Bottiglio, Jennalyse Charles, Brandy Ellis, Shruti Sood, Zaita Antonio, Sophia Ortega, JAred Perovic,

andrea cardoza

Happy February Argenziano families!! We are already halfway through Session 2, and February break is next week. This session is flying by! The students are having fun in their clubs and getting outside as much as possible, even with the cold weather and snow-filled playground. Let’s check out what each grade level is up to...

K-2nd grade (Mr. P, Ms. Sana, Ms. Etta, Ms. Zaita):

Hello families! We hope everyone is enjoying the snowy winter season. We’re off to a great start in Session 2 clubs, and the children are loving the activities. In Make It Move It, students build with LEGO, wooden, and foam blocks, and create art projects that they can bring to life, such as puppets with colorful backgrounds. In Snowflake Squad, students explore winter-themed crafts each week, creating snowmen, snowflakes, and other fun designs. We are so proud of their creativity and excitement!

Pre-K/K (Ms. Shruti):

This past month, the Pre-K students and I took advantage of all of the snow by doing snow-related activities! We made sparkly snowflakes using pipe cleaners and beads, we made snowmen using snowballs with the letters of our names, and rescued toy animals from icebergs using spoons and warm water. We also celebrated Valentine’s Day by learning about what it means to be kind and making cards for those we love in our lives.

3rd-5th (Ms. Ana & Ms. Ileana):

Our students have been enjoying a variety of engaging after-school clubs and popular ones from outside providers, including Soccer, Girls Inc, Buildwave, Parkour, and Danger Wizards—offering creativity, movement, teamwork, and fun for everyone!

In Peaceful Painting, students get to relax and express creativity through various painting techniques on different surfaces, accompanied by peaceful music. Here in the Crafty Kids club, students get the chance to create their favorite crafts. This week, students got to create a sunset using paint.

Parents/Guardians:

With the colder temperatures, please ensure your children have warm jackets, etc., and label all outdoor clothing and belongings. Items without a name/label will be placed in lost and found.

Arthur D. Healey School

Site Director: Amanda Oppman

Assistant Site Director: Alexander Walters

Nicholas Triant, Suri Gonzalez, Christopher Thompson, Samuel Macmillan, Delmis Aviles, Rafael Santos,

Miriam Borges, Ryan Ribeiro-Bisetti, Maria Lima Da SIlva, ALEXA RYAN,

The kids at the Healey have been having a great time at the Afterschool Program this February. At the end of January, Ms. O left on maternity leave, and I'm happy to report that she just had a healthy and happy baby girl named Georgia! We are all glad for her and look forward to her first visit back sometime in March!

We are wrapping up Session 2's clubs, and will be starting new clubs in March. We've had a great session with a lot of fun activities. All ages have loved our outside providers this session, which were Spanish is Fun and Farrington Nature. Ms. Esther is the best, and Spanish is Fun is always full of fun things to do, and sometimes, to eat! While it's been pretty cold outside the last month and so we've been inside a lot, the kids always love Farrington Nature. I saw some owl pellets being dissected a few weeks ago, and the kids having a blase in the gym with Ms. Marcela last week...

The sun will be staying out longer, our clocks will go forward with daylight savings time and we'll be able to be outside later, and the weather will slowly get better as we head into spring soon! I'm writing this on Friday, February 13th, so I hope you enjoy or have enjoyed your child's February vacation time off. We look forward to a great March and the beginning of the spring!

Our teachers have also taught some wonderful clubs this session. The little kids have really enjoyed creating great Perler bead projects, doing puzzles, playing dodgeball, making arts and crafts, and playing jeopardy with Ms. Maria, and playing all different types of sports from around the world, learning to draw (from a true master by the way), and playing board games with Mr. Mac. The older kids go to too many different activities to count, but they've especially loved Story to Screen and Collage club with Ms. Alexa, Chess Club and Power Hour with Rafael, and Michelangelo Magic and Painting the Globe with Mr. T.

Benjamin G. Brown School

Site Director: Kelsey Kent

Assistant Site Director: Justin Penezic

Ashley Marks, Jessica Alvarenga Lazo, Marie Cheney, Grace Barton,

El Ark, Jesus Castro, Ryleigh Martell, Vijayalaxmi, COLE THOMPSON, Madeleine LUCEY

Happy February, everyone! I hope everyone has been staying safe and warm! There are a few things that we wanted to highlight that have taken place at the Brown within the last month!

On Wednesday, January 28th after the snow storm, grades 3-5 made the trip to Powderhouse park to enjoy the first part of the half-day sledding! The kids had a great time enjoying the snow and even got an appearance from special guest Mr. Ames!

We hope that everyone enjoyed February break time with their friends and family and had a chance to recharge their batteries.

Some of the highlighted clubs taking place during this time include: Pokemon Trainers with Mr. Cole, Creative Collaboration with Ms. Ashley, Movement with Ms. Marie and Karaoke club with Ms. G.

It has been a pleasure working with your children, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support their learning, creativity, and growth beyond the school day. Your involvement and support help make our program successful!

East Somerville Community School

Site Director: Yolanda Andrade

Assistant Site Director: ali tammaro

Raymond Corsini Joanne Simon, Sonia Barahona, Mario Quiroz, Sharon Castellon, Ashley Castro, Michael Chiaravalloti, Jaime Albayeros, Taylin Smith, Olivia Oliveira, Devin Andrade, Bryan Rodriguez, Luzmila Magana, Bryan Rodriguez, Kayla Lopez, Virgilio Garcia, Jessy Munos-Palacios, Emily Posada, Angie Montealegre

Happy February, East Families! There are so many wonderful things that make February a special month. Known as the month of love and friendship, February gave us the perfect opportunity to encourage kindness, appreciation, and strong connections within our community, families, and school. Throughout the month, students have been learning about different ways to help others and were encouraged to show kindness and respect to everyone. We also focused on the importance of saying thank you, please, and I am sorry, understanding that an apology is not just words, but a commitment to making better choices moving forward.

Students participated in a variety of engaging, hands-on activities. Through STEM projects, they built tall structures using connecting blocks and large LEGOs, with some towers nearly as tall as the students themselves. Creativity also shined through art and club activities, including finger painting, working with clay and Play-Doh, and other guided art projects that strengthened imagination, fine motor skills, and problem-solving abilities.

In addition, students strengthened academic skills through reading, writing, puzzles, and interactive learning experiences. Hands-on activities exploring the five senses encouraged thoughtful discussion and curiosity. Throughout the month, students continued to build responsibility, confidence, and independence by following directions, completing daily activities, and staying engaged in afterschool programming.

Michael E. Capuano Early Childhood Center

Site Director: Michael Horowitz

Assistant Site Director: Sarthak Khamal

Bryan Convey, Ana Treska, Neelam Sehil, Mei Idri, Joao Detoledo, Mamata Chalise, Latifa Mortady, Devin Baxter, Fanta Diawara, Rute Zephyr, Gabriela Miranda

The month of February is flying by. February Vacation shortens the shortest month. At the Capuano, classes have been doing activities centered around Groundhog Day, Chinese New Year, Winter animals, On the Farm, and Friendship.

Classes have read books like “It’s Groundhog Day” by Steven Kroll, “This Next New Year” by Janet S Wong, “Mama’s Little Bears” by Nancy Tafuri, “Baby Farm Animals” by Garth Williams, and “Best, Best Friends” by Margaret Chodos-Irving. Projects related to the readings have included groundhog puppets, farm animals on a plate, cow puppets, penguin puppets, penguin collages, Farm animal masks, and friendship drawings. We also had lots of discussions about friendship, what it means to be a good friend, what it means to be kind, and how to solve problems with your friends.

The children play and have fun too. The Kindergarten class has been spending time outside in the snow and having sensory play with slime. This year, with the cold weather and the snow, we are spending lots of time in the gym, sometimes playing with a parachute, but also playing games like duck-duck-goose, four corners, fishy-fishy cross my ocean, and red light–green light. Aside from being fun, these games are packed with learning. Duck, duck, goose is a social game. Four corners and red light-green light teach how to be quiet and teach other elements of body control, as well as leadership skills.

February is passing by. Before we blink, it will be Spring! Hooray!

John F. Kennedy Elementary School

Site Director: Allison Pelletier

Assistant Site Director: Kelly Lopez

Nicole Tolbert, Savannah Paul, Maureen Nichols,

Liliam Borges, Christmary Orellana, Mary Lou Hodgdon, Laura Modhal, Silvana Dinka, Christopher Montejo, DAMARIS MENDEZ, JENISSA AYBAR

❤️We are excited to welcome back Jenissa, our second‑grade lead teacher, and to introduce Eleanor Scoville, our new 3rd–6th grade lead teacher. Our older students have also been taking advantage of the snowy weather, enjoying outdoor play in a safe and supervised environment. It is hard to believe we are already approaching the end of February. We want to extend a heartfelt thank‑you to you and your children for being so flexible throughout the start of 2026. With staffing updates, team members on leave, and others out sick, we have had to adjust our schedule at times. This has meant a bit more choice time and slightly less individualized club time than usual. Our staff will be returning soon, and we look forward to moving back toward our full lineup of high‑quality clubs.

Please keep an eye out for emails from Ms. Alison regarding April Vacation Camp registration, School Year 2026–2027 After School Registration, and Session 3 club sign‑ups.

Session 3 begins on Monday, March 23rd, 2026, and we will also be returning to outdoor dismissal at that time.

Our Pre‑K students have been learning all about the Winter Olympics. They have explored different events, talked about athletes, and created fun crafts inspired by the games. It has been a wonderful way for them to learn about winter sports while practicing creativity and fine motor skills.

All of our students have also joined in making Valentine’s crafts to decorate the school cafeteria, adding a festive and cheerful touch for everyone to enjoy.

Winter Hill Community Innovation School

Site Director: Diana Posada

Assistant Site Director: Maria Henriquez

Tanty Koita, Nehemie Simon, Luz Janampa, Roxana Alfaro, Alaa boutkhurst, Ruolx Dorvilier, Olivia coleman, nancy nimako, aryanna peart, olivia prophete

Hi Afterschool Families!

February has certainly made its presence known! Between the steady snowfall and surprise flurries, it feels like we’ve practically earned honorary snow-plow licenses. While the snow piles up outside, our program has been full of warmth, laughter, and nonstop energy indoors.

We are officially midway through our session, which means we are also halfway through clubs! It’s been wonderful seeing students grow more confident, build new skills, and dive deeper into their interests. Whether they’re creating, competing, building, performing, or collaborating, this midpoint is always a great time to reflect on how much progress they’ve already made. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the second half

Our February Vacation Camp was packed with fun, exciting activities and memorable field trips. From hands-on projects and active games to exploring new places beyond our city, students stayed engaged, curious, and full of smiles all week long. The energy, enthusiasm, and teamwork they brought each day made it such a success. We love being able to provide these special experiences that mix learning, adventure, and pure fun.

As we head toward March (and hopefully slightly less snow!), we’re looking forward to finishing this session strong. Thank you for trusting us with your children each afternoon — it’s a joy to watch them learn, grow, and laugh together every day.

Here’s to warmer days ahead… but just in case, we’re keeping our boots handy!

West Somerville Neighborhood School

Site Director: Joshua Leibovitz

Assistant Site Director: Seana Read

Jane Fabiano, Darly Pierre, Gianna Amari, Joseph Amari, Rodrigo Rodriguez, Katherine Yanes, Henry Duarte, Teodor Todorov, Valerie Perez

Welcome to the west!

Our Afterschool program has been full of creativity, teamwork, and adventure! Mr. Teddy and Mr. Henry’s club has taken students into the exciting world of Dungeons & Dragons, where imagination leads the way, and everyone becomes a hero in their own story. Along with epic quests and

character creation, Mr. Henry keeps the energy high with action-packed games like Gaga Ball and even a real-life version of Mario Party that has everyone laughing and competing in friendly challenges. Meanwhile, Ms. Riley’s photography class continues to inspire our young artists as they

learn about posing, lighting, and the beauty of black-and-white captures. Students are discovering how to tell powerful stories through their photos while building confidence behind the camera. There is truly something for everyone, and we love seeing our students shine in so many different

ways!

Reminders for Families

Please see our WSNS Afterschool class on the TalkingPoints for Families app for the quickest updates. Email Josh or Seana if you have any questions about the app.
As the weather cools, please remember to send your child with a warm jacket for outdoor play, we’ll be spending as much time outside as possible.

Pack extra clothes for younger children in case of accidents or emergencies.
Afterschool does not have its own Lost and Found. We use the Lost and Found located outside the main office. Please be sure to check it regularly!

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PROGRAM

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