March newsletter
Rosanna Paribello, OST Director
Adriana Guereque, OST Assistant Director
Gina Miranda, Student Services Coordinator
Dana Gordon, Clinical Consultant
Embedded Files
Parent Resources
Important Dates
April 21 to 24 Vacation Program for Registered Students
Registrations for the Adventure Summer Program open from March 31 to April 3
Financial Aid Assistance Information
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
On March 2, schools across the country came together to celebrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Day, recognizing that education is about so much more than academics. SEL Day emphasizes how education is also about helping students build the skills that allow them to connect with others, understand themselves, and grow into confident, compassionate members of their communities. This year’s theme, “Skills for Community, Skills for Career,” highlights how social-emotional learning shapes students’ futures both inside and outside the classroom. Through SEL, students practice empathy, strengthen resilience, collaborate with peers, and develop the self-awareness and decision-making skills that support success in school, careers, and life. At Community Schools, we see these moments every day—students working together, supporting one another, and learning how to navigate challenges with confidence. We’re proud to celebrate SEL and to continue nurturing these essential skills across our sites so every student has the tools they need to thrive and make a positive impact in their communities.
Albert F. Argenziano
Albert F. Argenziano
Site Director: Elizabeth Bell
Assistant Site Director; Brianna Arevalo
Ileana Perlera, Etta Resnick, Ana Cortez, Sana Kazemi, Gianna Bottiglio, Brandy Ellis, Shruti Sood, Zaita Antonio, Sophia Ortega, JAred Perovic,
andrea cardoza, LEILA MCLAREN
Happy March Argenziano families!! Session 2 is coming to an end, and we will be starting Session 3 clubs next week! We had lots of fun and learned new skills this session, but are looking forward to the warmer spring weather and diving into new clubs. We would also like to give a warm welcome to our new behavior specialist, Ms. Leila! Ms. Leila will be helping support different clubs and groups, as well as leading two Session 3 clubs herself! Let’s check out what each grade level is up to.
*Parents/Guardians: With the warmer temperatures approaching, it can still be a bit chilly out. Please ensure your children have warm jackets, sweatshirts, etc., and label all outdoor clothing and belongings. Items without a name/label will be placed in lost and found.
Thanks so much for your donations and support!
Pre-K/K (Ms. Shruti):
Happy March! The students have been enjoying playing in the snow, and with the back-to-back 70° days melting all the snow, they have also enjoyed being able to run around in the playground again! This past month, we have been learning about all types of animals — in the land, the sky, and the sea. We’ve made masks of animals you’d find in a safari, learned accordion folding to make jellyfish tentacles, and folded origami butterflies. We also explored outer space by making our own constellations and designing planets for our very own solar systems! Hopefully, the weather continues to get better so we can spend more time outdoors!
K-2nd grade (Mr. P, Ms. Sana, Ms. Zaita, Ms. Etta):
This week in Lego Engineering Club, students tackled a zipline challenge, designing a vehicle to traverse a string between two points. This project was not easy because building a trolley or a cable car required careful balance. On the first try, nobody's cable car could slide down the string. Everyone had fun testing their design and returned to the Lego bin to think up a new solution with a wheel on an axle.
3rd-5th (Ms. Ana, Ms. Ileana & Ms. Andrea):
In Gym Games, students have been keeping busy by playing various team games, including Football, Baseball, Soccer, and Basketball! Between these games, students have played minigames including "score a goalie", "World Cup", "Thunder", and "knock-out.” One of their favorite games lately is knock-out, which is an individual competition between students. They line up at the foul line, and the first person takes a shot. If they get the basketball in the basket, they go back in line, but if they miss, the person who is next gets to take a shot to try to get it in to “knock” them out. So if the second person gets it in the basket before the person ahead of them does, then that person is out. However, the knock-out games are usually quick, so they are able to get back in the next round. It is a fun competition! They are learning to work together as a team and take losses with grace. So they are not only working on teamwork skills but also practicing good sportsmanship!
Arthur D. Healey School
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 during March!
Last week was our last week of session 2 clubs (March 16-20) and we will be starting new clubs this week! We've had a great session and really enjoyed our teacher's club! Both the younger kids and the older kids 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. The kids love Ms. Marcela, especially when they are playing nature themed games with her in the gym! Unfortunately, we will no longer have Spanish is Fun club for session 3, but we will be keeping Farrington Nature club! Instead of Spanish is Fun, we will be adding Parkour club, so the kids can jump around and get a lot of exercise while building their physical skills outside. Both of these clubs are geared to be outside, and this is perfect for the springtime!
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. We look forward to some more great clubs with our teachers this session!
Our clocks have gone forward with daylight savings time and we're starting to stay outside later with the light and better weather, and we are now out of winter and into the spring! We look forward to a great session 3!
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. We look forward to some more great clubs with our teachers this session!
Our clocks have gone forward with daylight savings time and we're starting to stay outside later with the light and better weather, and we are now out of winter and into the spring! We look forward to a great session 3!
Benjamin G. Brown School
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
As Club Grids were sent out earlier this month, we look forward to Session III with a multitude of clubs for selection, with a return of many outdoor clubs and student council clubs led by the older kids, for the younger students being offered almost every day throughout the week!
We’ve received an update on the Young Artists: Monster Madness Contest! Many of our after-school students received a copy of the book series that featured their creation, with the book cover image being from one of our own, Alex Rakestraw! A copy of the book series with the featured creations has been added to the Brown School library!
We are excited for upcoming spring activities, warmer weather (Hopefully!), and end-of-year celebrations in the coming months!
As we wrap up another busy month of learning, we would like to thank all of our families for your continued support, encouragement, and partnership. Your involvement makes a meaningful difference in the success of our students and the strength of our school community. We truly appreciate everything you do to support learning at home and help our students grow each day. We look forward to a wonderful spring together!
East Somerville Community School
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 Spring, East families! It finally feels like we are out of Winter and moving into the sunshine and good weather. We are all looking forward to spending more time outside in the fresh air, hoping for not too much rain this season!
We have had a fantastic March in Afterschool. We wrapped up session two on the 20th, and in celebration of finishing a great session, we were honored to have a dance performance by our All-Star Adventures club. The students worked so hard over the last three months, and we were so happy they wanted to share their dance routine with us all! Some other notable activities from this session were kite making with the kindergarten class, Origami creations in the Fold and Build club, and custom Pokemon art!
With the beginning of session three, we have started a new set of clubs! Some exciting club topics include Face Mask Club, Gym Club, and Snack and Chat for our younger grades, and Karaoke Club, Action Figure Building, and Soccer Club for the older grades. Additionally, we welcomed back some outside providers for this session: Spanish is Fun, Parkour, Science Club for Girls, Buildwave, and Farrington Nature! The students have had a fantastic time so far, and we are looking forward to what the rest of the school year has to hold and what they’ll learn and create in that time!
Michael E. Capuano Early Childhood Center
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
March is a month of change. The length of the day is increasing at the fastest rate of the entire year. Daylight savings starts at the same time that it is light later, adding to the feeling of change. The weather is also getting warmer, but it is very changeable. At the Capuano, classes have been doing activities centered around Daylight Savings, Frogs, Spring, Dinosaurs, and Nutrition. Classes have been doing lots of reading and activities. They have read a diverse selection of books like “Telling Time with Big Mama Cat” by Dan Harper, “From Frog to Tadpole” by Wendy Pfeffer, “Sammy and the Dinosaurs” by Bernard Most, “The Three Little Pigs” by Steven Kellogg, and “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak, a true classic. Projects related to the readings have included a day and night sorting, coloring, cutting and pasting activities, a frog life cycle project, nutrition plates, and “My Plate” food categorizing.
The children play and have fun-time too – children build fantasy toys with our manipulatives during choice time at the beginning and end of the day, and classes are getting outside more and more frequently.
March is passing by. By the time you read this, Spring will be here!
John F. Kennedy Elementary School
John F. Kennedy Elementary School
Site Director: Allison Pelletier
Assistant Site Director: Kelly Lopez
Nicole Tolbert, Savannah Paul, Maureen Nichols,
Liliam Borges, Mary Lou Hodgdon, Silvana Dinka, Christopher Montejo, DAMARIS MENDEZ, JENISSA AYBAR
This month, Pre‑K celebrated Dr. Seuss Week with some of his classic stories, including The Lorax, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, and Fox in Socks. Each day, we created themed art projects inspired by the books we read. We also shifted into some Saint Patrick’s Day fun. Children made festive necklaces using shamrocks and pasta beads dyed green. We wrapped up the week by reading books that helped us learn about the meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day, both in the United States and in Ireland!
Our after‑school students have been busy, creative, and full of energy across all of our clubs. In Drama Club, students created props, wrote short plays, and performed a lively Super Bowl–themed skit. Music Club has been buzzing with imagination as students built instruments from recycled materials and wrote original songs with support from Mr. Christopher and his guitar. Gym Class Heroes kept everyone active with soccer, scramble, and football, while Board Game Club brought lots of laughter through Connect 4 Frenzy and Apples to Apples. In the Drawing Club, students practiced figure drawing and explored new art projects with focus and enthusiasm. Girls Inc. students have also been thriving with their college leaders, enjoying dancing, singing, crafting, and confidence‑building activities. Crochet Club members learned basic stitches while creating chain flowers, scarves, headbands, and pom‑poms, practicing patience and creativity along the way. Trivia Club was a hit, with students answering age‑appropriate questions in subjects like history, biology, math, geography, and animals, strengthening memory skills and enjoying friendly competition between older and younger groups. Sign Language Club continued to grow, with students learning signs for days of the week, numbers, animals, flowers, and colors, even reading and signing quotes by recognizing letters. In Math Mania, students explored math through games and hands-on activities, building problem‑solving skills and discovering just how fun and exciting math can be.
Winter Hill Community Innovation School
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
March has been an exciting and transitional month in our afterschool program! We wrapped up our second session of clubs and celebrated all the creativity, teamwork, and growth our students have shown. A big highlight was our “Spanish is Fun” club, which ended their session with a festive celebration where students learned how to make their very own tacos—such a fun (and delicious!) way to showcase what they’ve learned.
Across the program, students have been highly engaged in a variety of activities, especially art projects, where their creativity has truly been shining. It’s been wonderful to see so many students actively participating, trying new things, and enjoying their time together.
We were also lucky enough to get a couple of beautiful weather days this month, and we made sure to take full advantage by heading outside for fresh air, games, and lots of movement.
As we look ahead, we’re excited to kick off a brand new session of clubs, bringing new opportunities for students to explore interests, build skills, and continue having fun with their peers. We can’t wait to see what this next session brings!
West Somerville Neighborhood School
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
It finally feels like winter has packed up and moved on, and spring is beginning to make its appearance! As the weather warms up, we’re excited to spend more time outside enjoying the playground, fresh air, and longer afternoons of sunshine. After a cozy winter filled with great indoor activities, the students are more than ready to stretch their legs and play outside again.
High Seas Explorers set sail with Mr. Joseph for a lesson in junior cartography, where students designed their own treasure maps. Each map leads to hidden treasure somewhere in their homes—though parents may want to keep an eye on their closets, toy bins, and cookie jars. Little Lens Photography Club transformed the classroom into a mini photo studio by designing and creating their own backdrops. With cameras in hand, students had a blast striking poses, snapping photos, and capturing memories. Spy Kids took on a top-secret mission with Mr. Rodrigo: protect a priceless diamond! Using recycled materials, each super spy engineered a high-security structure. Dungeons & Dragons with Mr. Teddy has our heroes deep in an epic adventure as they prepare to infiltrate the lair of the infamous Strahd Von Zarovich. Will they prevail over the evil lord and restore peace in the kingdom of Vallaki? The adventure continues in Session 3!.
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.
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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