Happy Holidays!
Rosanna Paribello, Director
Main Office, 167 Holland St. Rm 132- Somerville, MA Adriana Guereque, Assistant Director
Phone: 617 625-6600 x 6970 Fax 617 629-5512 Gina Miranda, Student Services Coordinator
Dana Gordon, Clinical Coordinator
Winter Break
December 22 to January 3rd (Early release Friday, December 22 no afterschool programming)
Afterschool Registrations for School Year 2024-2025
All grades register on March 19 to 28 starting at 9:30 AM
Registrations for February and April Vacation Week Programs (Just for students enrolled in the program)
February: Opens on January 9-12
April: Opens on March 5-8
Parent Resources
Please remember to read the updated Parent Handbook 2023-2024 for new tuition policies and rates.
Use this link to access the Parent Information Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1A-8IXov-vrimaWSVQTOjLTcSQDGEoyRh?usp=sharing
You can pay your child’s afterschool tuition online at: https://www.ezchildtrack.com/parent2/ParentLogin.aspx?c=esp&FromTab=Y
You can also pay by check to the afterschool coordinator or through your personal online bank.
In our commitment to making our program as available as possible, we continue providing 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 in your student school. Thank you for all your support to Community Schools – being with your children makes us all happy!
Counselor’s Corner
Dana Gordon
Happy holidays everyone! The season can be a joyous time to celebrate connections and embrace the goodwill of our communities. We also recognize that the hustle and bustle of this time of year can be challenging and overstimulating. Amid the holiday rush, please remember to take some time for yourselves and be mindful of you and your family’s needs for self-care. Seek support if you need it and lend a helping hand to others you see could use one. We hope the holiday season brings peace and happiness to you and your loved ones and we look forward to welcoming your kiddos back for an exciting and fun 2024!
Albert F. Argenziano
Site Director; Elizabeth Bell
Assistant Site Director; Brianna Arevalo
Sresha Pradhan, Anabella Pena, Makaila Witham, Yasmin Almeida, Ileana Perlera , Etta Resnick, Ana Cortez, Keala Arciero, Sana Kazemi, Gianna Bottiglio, Bryan Rodriguez, Chandler Timoleon
Happy December Argenziano families!! It is officially the winter season, and we are embracing the cold weather all bundled up. We are wrapping up Session 1 and excited for Session 2 clubs which start in the new year. We are also looking forward to spending time with family & friends over the upcoming winter break. We hope you all have a nice holiday break and look forward to seeing you back in the new year! Let’s check out what each grade level is up to.
*Parents/Guardians: With the chilly temperatures, please ensure your children have warm jackets, gloves, hats, etc. Also some of our clubs this session are still in need of toilet paper/paper towel rolls, packing peanuts/foam, and small cardboard boxes. Thanks so much for your donations and support!!
Pre-K (Ms. Keala):
Aloha Ohana’s, Our pre-k friends enjoyed participating in stem activities and teamed up to make marble runs together. They also learned about Winter, Hawaii, and Social-Emotional development, they enjoyed the snowflake and Polar bear art activities. The following activity will be kindness and relationships. Happy New Year. Best Regards,
Keala
K-2nd grade (Ms. Sana, Mx. Ileana, Ms. Ana, & Mr. C):
Mx. Ileana- Books and Crafts club combines two of the kid's favorite activities: reading and making crafts. Students begin the club by being read aloud to one of their favorite children's books such as Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham or If You Give a Mouse a Muffin and get the chance to create a craft centered around the book that was read. Students enjoy making predictions or sharing out their favorite part of a book when being read out loud and getting to make a craft related to the book such as making their own green eggs and ham or creating their paper mouse and muffin.
3rd-5th (Ms. Etta):
Group Four had a great first session! Even though it’s getting colder and darker, the kids take advantage of all the outside time they can get and finished off the first session of clubs with a lot of cool and exciting activities.
In the last session of DEIlab the students used their creativity and design skills to make “battle bots.” The battle bots were made with legos and special lego motors, and then students battled them. The battle bot that survived won and the one that was broken would lose the match. Those students would rebuild and rework it to be stronger and more effective.
In Designing DIY this month, we made fidget spinners that turned out really cute, and the last project was stress balls. Each stress ball was made using two balloons, water, and glitter. We filled the inner balloon with water and glitter and then put it in the second balloon. When squeezed, the inner balloon squishes out of the end of the outer balloon a bit. It was chaotic fun and the final stress balls were a big hit!
We finished off PokeWorld with a Pokemon Battle in real life! The students had a lot of fun planning and creating their Pokemon and acting out the battle in one-on-one duels. It was challenging and fun!.
We wished Strong Women Strong Girls would never end but the last day was fun and relaxed with students making SWSG themed posters.
Group Four is looking forward to a winter break and new adventures in 2024.
Arthur D. Healey School
Site Director: Amanda Oppman
Assistant Site Director: Alexander Walters
Nicholas Triant, Suri Gonzalez, Christopher Thompson,
Aidsa Rivera, Ishaya Williams, Jaqueline Medrano, Johana Maldonado, Ludwing Perez
Hello, families, and a happy holiday season to you all!
December wrapped up our first club session, and we had some wonderful activities for the first part of our year. Students moved around and got physical activities in soccer, parkour, and beast mode. We used creative influences in Art in Spanish, changemakers, Comic Club, the Joy of Painting, Art with Fruit, and many more of our art-based clubs. Students got to use friendship skills during their choice time with students from all age groups, and it has been wonderful to see the start of many great play groups forming during this time. 2023 is coming to an end, and our staff cannot wait to welcome students back in 2024!
Miss Suri:
This month students focused on the letters L, H, and U to make some pretty fun crafts. We explored the Sahara with lions and flew around like ladybugs. We decorated our own fall leaves and turned the letter H into horses. We got to practice fashion by designing our own hats and using our hands to make handprints. U was a huge hit because who doesn’t love unicorns? Rainbow is a top favorite color in PreK and we loved getting to decorate our very own rainbow unicorns, each one very special. Our kiddos practiced their friendship skills as we welcomed a new friend to our group this month and many of our PreK friends have taken a huge interest in being the teacher’s assistant! Each week we have a new friend practice being the assistant and they help friends make safe choices when we are in line, eating snacks and playing together. There are definitely some future teachers in this group of friends!
Mr.T:
The Joy of Painting: As this club session comes to a close, students in “The Joy of Painting” have broadened their knowledge of both painting and drawing. I am extremely pleased with the behavior of students throughout the year thus far and how well they handled the materials. I could tell that students greatly enjoyed coming to the club each Monday and giving their best effort!
Art with Fruit: Art that you can eat? What’s better than that? It has been an absolute pleasure to see my students grow so passionate about crafting their edible designs and become excited about eating healthy foods. Over the course of the session, we have been able to discuss in great detail why it is important to eat healthily, as well as the vitamins that the fruits we use contain.
Lego Engineers: This year, students in “Lego Engineers” have gotten to use a wide variety of Legos/batteries to build their own designs. They have worked together as a team to share materials respectfully and combine their strengths to get the most out of their Lego creations.
Mr.Walters:
Beast Mode: We have mostly moved inside due to the early sunset and cold temperatures, but we have had a blast playing some great games in the gym. Basketballs have begun to come out as it’s almost the season, soccer is a mainstay, and one of our new favorite competitive games, close-range bowling pin dodgeball, has proven to be a hit (no pun intended) amongst the beasts.
All About Autumn: As the weather gets colder, we have moved mostly inside to do a variety of arts and crafts. Students won Pokémon cards playing Thanksgiving Bingo, and we look forward to checking out our trees during our final club meeting. (We each chose a tree at the beginning of the fall and checked how it changed by mid-fall and will now see how it has changed by the end of fall.) The fall is almost over, and winter is coming!
Miss Annie:
Changemakers: We are wrapping up our jewelry projects and preparing for the end-of-session sale. Students added the finishing touches to beaded bracelets, earrings, and “phone charms,” short beaded strands that clip onto a phone case. They have had particular fun making earrings, and many have gotten very creative by making “mismatch” earrings and various silver and gold beaded drop earrings and hoops. Watch for our end-of-session sale, where we will donate all proceeds to the Animal Rescue League of Boston!
Graphic novels: As the session ends, so too are our graphic novels. Some students who finished have been making stand-alone short comics. Those working on longer novels add color to their comic panels, while others create the title pages for their projects. Students in this club have created graphic novels packed with action, starring original characters, and filled with illustrations that are just as expressive as their dialogue. To finish the session, we will learn how to bind our books!
Outdoor club: To finish the session, we have been trying to get outside as much as possible. Even though it has been getting dark earlier, we have made creative adaptations of hide and seek and other playground games where the cover of darkness can be used to players’ advantage. We have also been going on neighborhood walks timed with the sunset, which has been an excellent opportunity for local sightseeing! These walks also incorporate games that work on listening skills and teamwork, which are important when exploring the outdoors. Students also learned ways to play outside during the winter without any special equipment and brainstormed activities they could do with family and friends outdoors once the snow comes.
Benjamin G. Brown School
Site Director: Kelsey Kent
Assistant Site Director: Tamica Connor
Ashley Marks, Will Whelan, Marie Cheney, Katherina Dinka, Grace Barton,
Kasey Hoebermann, Stephanie Idelfonso, Kelliann Marks, Karen Oppman
Happy December, After-School Families! It’s the most wonderful time of the year and we’re having some fun in our program as we wait for the holidays to arrive. First session clubs are almost concluded, here are some of the highlights from the fall:
Our K-2 littles have had a blast this past fall. Working, learning, and growing together with their peers and teachers. Students have truly explored art and creativity this session! From “Design” where students are tasked to embark on new, imaginary storytelling through art and creativity to fall-themed crafts in “Artsy Craftsy” to the different colors of the Galaxy! Brown School has led a big focus on our students' SEL learning, and our littles have put a lot of effort into the lessons they’ve been taught and skills they were able to add to their toolbox. “Small Problems, Big Problems” have made a difference in our students' autonomy and problem-solving skills! We’re seeing students become more reflective, identify the “problem” and make appropriate choices on their own. We hope to continue to see progress in our students as the year goes on!
Session II Clubs are approaching! Here are some clubs that K-2 can expect in the coming weeks… Jedi Masters, Winter Wonderland, Design, Yoga Adventure!, Riddle Me This, and Kids in Nutrition.
Kindergarten, First and second-grade classrooms are looking for special guest readers! If you’re interested in being a guest reader, you can email Ms. Ashley at: amarks@k12.somerville.ma.us
Our 3-5 bigs have embarked on many journeys this fall! From discovering the various fantasy worlds and embarking on epic quests in Danger Wizard’s Dungeons and Dragons Club, completing a whole school Floor is Lava game with Mr. Will, “road-tripping” through the USA with Ms. Emma, and trial and error science experiments in Witches & Wizards. So many stories and experiences gained this fall and we have a feeling Session II will be another exciting session for clubs!
Session II Clubs are approaching! Here’s what to expect in the next coming weeks… 3-5 Clubs: Metro Rock, Famous Artists, Wintivities, Video Game Crafts, Anime Club, Story Games, Superheroes, Adventure Crew, and Strong Women Strong Girls!
Brown School wishes all our afterschool friends and families the most wonderful winter holiday!
East Somerville Community School
Site Director: Yolanda Andrade
Assistant Site Director: Diana Posada
Raymond Corsini, Janice Pousland, Joanne Simon, Sonia Barahona, Mario Quiroz, Sarah McClelland. Estefani Medrano, Tashmeer Michel, Daniel Louis, Deni Matias Martin, Ashley Castro, Olivia Oliveira, Destiny Andrade
December has arrived! As always, the afterschool calendar at the East is filled with many activities, attending to El Sistema concert as special guests, and our own special warmly sweet family celebration, and then there is the excitement of the holidays that go along with that. In the midst of all of that, we expect that we will continue enjoying clubs activities, learning, and having tons of fun in afterschool.
All our students have just completed a month of learning about gratitude by planning activities with our afterschool teachers for all students to consider things for which we are grateful. We witnessed loads of gratitude and ended the month by making gratitude wreaths, Gingerbread cookies, and many more arts and crafts projects which they hung on the windows and doors of the school office and around the school. Thanks to our teachers, students, and families for a wonderful month.
We are in the final week of Session One of ESCS, and students are very much looking forward to the holidays and winter break. Enrichment clubs are ending on a great note, students will continue with the winter-related activities, and we look forward to the beginning of our next session on January 3rd. Our clubs will range from old standards like Danger Wizzard, Metro Rock, NE Soccer, AstroKids, Intro to Computers, and while incorporating new activities like Engineering in High Tech, Whiffle Ball, Movement for Us, and more. HUGE THANKS to all of our amazing afterschool teachers, our club providers who bring positive energy each and every day to serve our students, and everyone in the main office who helps make the afterschool program here at ESCS A GREAT ONE.
We want to thank all the parents of our program for your support. Our school is characterized by students who take their learning seriously work hard, and also enjoy their work as a community in afterschool. When we have problems, we are always able to work together to find resolutions. That is not to be taken for granted. We appreciate the opportunity to work with parents to address problem areas, so thank you.
As we look forward to the rest of this month, we know it will be busy, and maybe stressful, for most families. We hope that December can be a month of learning, and celebration and that the preparations leading up to the Holidays can be filled with joy for everyone in the East Somerville Community Afterschool Program.
We wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year!
REMINDERS
Please ensure to join our ESCS Afterschool class on the REMIND.COM APP, if you haven’t. It is the fastest way to get updates on sudden weather changes and news.
With the change of weather, we would like to stress the importance of students wearing the appropriate outerwear. Our goal is to have students go outside everyday if weather permits. Students must wear a winter jacket, gloves, scarves, hat, snow boots etc.
Michael E. Capuano Early Childhood Center
Site Director: Micheal Horowitz
Assistant Site Director: Sarthak Khamal
Bryan Convey, Ana Treska, Neelam Sehil, Mei Idris, Jaqueline Gaffney, Alaa Bautkhourst, Joao Detoledo, Ana Taveira
Greetings and Happy Holidays!
The holiday break is right around the corner and the after-school students at the Capuano are showing their excitement for it. We have been going to the gym more this month as the weather has been colder, but when it is warmer than usual and the sun is shining, we still try to get some fresh air outside. Aside from playing, here at the Capuano, we have been doing puzzles, coloring, and reading books about the month’s themes.
Some of our themes in December have been transportation and holidays. Teachers have been reading books like Bus Route to Boston, by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, and New Year’s Day Parade by Harriet Ziefert. After reading these books, the students made their own traffic lights and airplanes with either cut-out paper or Legos. As for the holiday themes, we have been making gingerbreads and coloring things related to our themes, like a snowman or holiday lights. Some of our students have also been making bracelets with beads as gifts for their family members.
The staff at the Capuano school would like to wish families a happy holiday. We hope everyone bundles up for the holidays and enjoys the upcoming break with their family members. We plan on finishing the year strong at the Capuano while also looking forward to seeing what the new year brings us when it is time for school again in 2024.
John F. Kennedy Elementary School
Site Director: Allison Gills
Assistant Site Director: Emmaline Lipka
Kelly Lopez, Nicole Tolbert, Ethan Hallet, Savannah Paul, Maureen Nichols,
Emma Oppman, Mary Lou Hodgdon
Hello everyone! It is so hard to believe December is almost over and we are so close to 2024! Below is a reminder about next week- with no After School on Friday, December 22nd! And then our newsletter 🙂 Enjoy reading about what we have been up to in after school.
Our 3-5th grade group has been involved in a lot of great club projects this month. We've learned new games in gym class heroes, continued honing our skills in magic gathering tournaments, and built balloon-powered cars, cardboard boats, paper bridges, and more in engineering. In Escape Room Club students have continued solving riddles earning prizes, and making creative new builds in Lego club.
The girls in the Disney club have been having an absolute blast. We decided to get crafty and make headbands that represent their favorite princesses. It was such a fun activity!
Over in the game world, the students have been collaborating and enjoying themselves with various activities. They've been building with Legos, playing table tennis, and getting creative with coloring. It's been a great way for them to bond and have a good time.
In the Art from the Heart class, the students have been exploring paper Mache. Using materials like flour, water, and newspaper, they've been creating unique objects. It's so inspiring to see their imagination come to life through this medium.
I've been teaching studio arts, and the students have been doing some incredible work. They've been experimenting with paper mache items and painting them afterward. It's truly amazing to witness their creativity and talent shine through.
The origami club has been an absolute hit. The students have been learning so much about the art of folding paper and creating objects. This week, we had a recap of all the things we've learned over the months, from lotus flowers and boxes to bunnies and bats. They've come such a long way, and I'm so proud of their progress and enthusiasm for origami.
We are nearing the end of session one, which is sad, but fun to look back at all the fun we had these first few months! Craft and chat ended the year making cardboard houses, slime and beaded friendship bracelets. The k-2 craft and chat group had a special day where we learned about the artist Corita Kent and made collages inspired by her work. It was great to see how interested the students were with her! Art Historians learned about artist Laurel Burch and created cats inspired by her paintings. We also got to chat about all the artists we learned about this session and discuss our favorites.
Laura’s groups learned about an asteroid with Ms. Nicole, made marble runs with beads, planned for a show, and enjoyed some relaxing games. Fun!
Lego Club - In Lego club students have had to use their creative skills and they got to build a robot and have free build for their last Lego club of this session.
Board games- students have gotten to play and learn all different board games/ puzzles, such as chess/checkers, bingo, connect 4, Jenga, sorry, headbandz, they also played a dog man board game.
Random fun- Students have gotten to make creative things out of perler beads and they get to have free play for the last day of random fun this session where they can pick what they want to do for the hour.
Ms. Savannah has been doing a training through an outside organization on utilizing calm corners in the classroom. Thanks to a generous grant from the training organization, we’ve been able to purchase items to spruce up our classroom’s calm corner and utilize our training. Some of the items we’ve added to our corner include bean bags, fidget toys, books on mindfulness, and other calming activities. Calming corners provide a space for students who are feeling sad, frustrated, etc. to take a break and manage their emotions while still being included in the classroom. Our pre-k friends are very excited about this and we’ve given them turns to get to know the center and learn how to utilize it. We’re so excited to have this new and improved space for pre-k to benefit from!
We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a restful break. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back in 2024. Session 2 is going to be so much fun! See you all on Wednesday, January 3rd 🙂
Winter Hill Community Innovation School
Site Director: Deijah Euvrard
Assistant Site Director: Daniela Garcia
Latifa Mortady, Nathalya Castillo, Rue Romero, Tanty Koita, Rosa Palma, Teddy O'Brien , Mariah Jones, Maria Henriquez, Ariana Melendez, Leonardo Fuentes, Seline Pierre, Nehemie Simon
Hello Families!
As this session’s clubs have come to an end everyone is excited for what in store next session. They’ve gotten the chance to look over their new clubs for the new year and are buzzing with joy.
We want to take the time to thank everyone who attended our Holiday Party and participated in the potluck. We appreciate all the support, you all made the party so warm and loving! We are looking forward to the new year and the fun changes it may bring!🎉
Pre-K/Kindergarten
PreK and Kindergarten have been grasping techniques for gratitude and thankfulness with Ms.Latifa. This topic and lesson plan have modeled great behavior and manners for the little ones. Through arts and crafts, games, stories, and free time kiddos are using their manners and insight due to this lesson. The kiddos have been encouraged to learn about their emotions through the ‘Wheel of Emotions’ and have spent some much-needed time letting their sillies out in the gym!
Grades 1st-2nd
These friends have been learning all about kindness and simple ways they can show they care. The group has been working very hard earning their stickers and tickets, and doing a great job being positive/supportive of those who didn’t quite make it. The ones that participate in Space Club have worked on learning their astronauts and moon facts. As always DEILAB is a fan fave, students made complicated mazes that even stumped the staff. Pokemon club got to put their skills to the ultimate test with a series of Pokemon training exercises, where students got to earn Poke badges by winning.
Grades 3rd-6th
Our been taking the time to learn about friendship and ways to be a good friend to not only students but to their teachers as well. Parkour and Danger Wizards have been packed brain stimulating quests and well as physical challenges. After reading the group has been thoroughly enjoying some free time with board games and lots and lots and lots of drawing. As a festive crafts the kids got to create some snowflakes and be imaginative with the colors.
Important Reminders!:
● Cold Weather is here, Please remember jackets, hats, and mittens! Students will unfortunately not be able to participate in outdoor play without the proper winter clothes.
● Please Label your student(s) water bottles and coats.
● Remind App- If you have not, please be sure to join our remind app for any updates and the best form of communication during program hours. Link: https://www.remind.com/join/hfg87kh
West Somerville Neighborhood School
Site Director: Joshua Leibovitz
Assistant Site Director: Seana Read
Jane Fabiano, Darly Pierre, Gianna Amari, Rodrigo Rodriguez, Joseph Amari, Katherine Yanes, Riley Williams, Henry Duarte, Teodor Todorov, Frank Leone
Hello Families!
Welcome to our December Newsletter!
Hello Families and friends! With a snap of a finger the year is ending and a new beginning is starting for us all. We hope everyone has been having an amazing time as we begin to end the year. We are just 4 months into afterschool and our friends have been loving every minute of it. I just want to thank everyone for their support with Afterschool, and for making this year an amazing year. As you know We are about to head into our new session for clubs and it will be a breathtaking session. Introducing new clubs such as Magic the Gathering, Rising Stars, Folklore Explorers, and so many more. We are all looking forward to next year and the start of our new session.
Now entering the stage we have our youngest but strongest friends give a round of applause to our Pre-K friends! Our friends have been having an amazing experience with our teachers. Our reading skills have been improving so much that we started to even read chapter books. With special guests from our older students visiting their classroom to do a popcorn reading with our friends. When we aren't reading then Ms. Jane always has an activity for us to do. On occasion Ms. Jane brings us to the PreK room to get our groove on. Learning how to do the tha Cha Cha, Cabbage Patch, and if we are feeling risky we might even do a little Macarena. When our students are reading or practicing their dance moves, then they are either outside having fun or having fun playing kickball with Mr. Rodrigo. So Far PreK are undefeated and ready to face the RedSox in the new year to come.
Give a warm welcome to our future famous celebrity, it's our K-2 friends. Our friends have been enjoying afterschool so much that we even welcomed someone new to the team. Joining our 1st-2nd team, let's give a round of applause to Frank Leone. Our students have been getting to know Frank and making sure he has been having a blast getting to know everyone and seeing how much fun we have at afterschool. Our students have been developing new skills in CinemaKidz such as video editing, producing their own soundtracks, and even working closely with Miles Morales to save the world. Our friends are super excited to broadcast their new movie in theaters coming this spring. Make sure to join us for our red carpet-debut. I even heard Beyonce and Taylor Swift will be giving our award. When we aren't producing our next superhero movie then we are developing our skills with our mentors. Our older friends have been teaching new skills to our friends such as, braiding hair, how to play Magic the gathering, improving their line work in drawing, or even learning a new dance routine. It was an amazing experience to witness as our community comes together and helps each other out. I do believe it is time for Mr. Josh hang his tap shoes, his knees do not work the same as they used to when he was young!
The 3rd-6th grade has been having a ton of fun in clubs, and are also enjoying focused quiet time to get their reading and homework done before they go home to relax for the day. When we’re not kicking back with our noses in a good book, we’re bouncing balls off the walls in Dynamic Dribblers, where we try our hand at sports like soccer, volleyball, basketball, and kickball. Another great outlet for our boundless energy has been Olympus Coliseum, where friendly competition is the inspiration behind activities like time trial obstacle courses and home run derbies. Veggie Circus and Hollywood are two of our club offerings that have a performance element, and students are having a blast showcasing their hard work and practice in front of their peers! Even with the shortened daylight hours, we’re still finding time to bundle up and go outside to let the fresh air energize us. We’re looking forward to a restful break, so grab your hot cocoa and blankets, find a cozy place to relax and we’ll see everyone in the New Year!
REMINDERS
-Please make sure to join our WSNS Afterschool class on the REMIND APP. Please email me for the code! It is the fastest way to get updates on sudden weather changes and news.
-With the change of weather, make sure to pack warm apparel (Gloves, jackets, hats, etc.)!
-Packing extra clothes for our younger friends in case of an emergency
Thank you!