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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
November 7 no school. Election Day
Registrations October 3 to 6 at 9:30 AM
Filed trip TBD
For registered students only
Early release Wednesday:
October 4
October 25
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,
Hi everyone and welcome back to another exciting year with Community Schools! We are excited to have your kiddos with us and look forward to cultivating safe and emotionally supportive environments where they can thrive and feel connected. Our goal at each of our sites is to foster cultures that are filled with warmth and encouragement so that your children enjoy their time with each other and their activities. We believe this engagement promotes and benefits their mental and physical health as well as their social-emotional learning and growth. Thank you for sharing them with us on this journey and please reach out to your teachers and directors with any questions!
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
Welcome back to After-school Argenziano families!! We are excited to see former students again as well as welcome new students & families this school year! It is almost time for the fall season and cooler weather but we are enjoying the warm weather outside as much as we can. Clubs have just started and so far they are going well and the kids are having fun! Some examples of clubs include arts & crafts, engineering, several dance/movement clubs, lego building and Pokeworld. Our Pre-K friends were excited to kick off the new school year with some fun & creative activities and icebreakers to get to know each other.
*Parents/Guardians: Some of our clubs this session are in need of toilet paper/paper towel rolls, packing peanuts (styrofoam), and small cardboard boxes. Thanks so much for your donations and support!!
Arthur D. Healey School
Site Director: Amanda Oppman
Assistant Site Director: Alexander Walters
Nicholas Triant, Suri Gonzalez, Christopher Thompson,
Aidsa Rivera, Prya Plein
Hello Healey after-school families!
We were so excited to welcome back students for the 2023-2024 school year. We have many returning faces and a good amount of new faces this year. September started off our year with a wonderful start. Students enjoyed the curriculum planned by their classroom teachers for the first few days of school until our club session began. Now that clubs are underway, the children are hard at work learning, exploring, and growing in their selected clubs. Read below to meet our teachers and hear more about the awesome activities students have been enjoying this month!
Room 107:
Hello I am Miss Suri! This is my 4th year as the PreK teacher at Healey. I work as an intern during the day in Mrs. Gomes class and love working with the children. My favorite things to do with the students are art projects and story time. We have been learning all the rules of our classroom this month at after-school. We have also been learning all about feelings and what do to when we feel certain feelings, like sadness or anger. We engineered robots, headphones and so many cars for our half-day STEAM challenge. Our friends have already earned so many stickers for their kind and safe choices, we are so proud! Stay tuned for more of the fun activities students will be doing this year
Room 207:
Hello families! My name is Nick Triant, but my first and second grade students call me Mr. T! I am so excited to be back at the Healey School in my 4th year. In my spare time, I enjoy playing basketball, going to concerts, and spending time with friends and family. I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan and I never miss any of their games. I look forward to getting to work with you all and your children throughout the school year!
Lego Engineering: What a great start to "Lego Engineering" club! Mr. T gave students 4 different types of Legos to use in week 1 to make their own designs. Looking ahead, our little engineers will get the chance to use motors to make Battlebots, cars, and more of their own creations.
Art with Fruit: "Art with Fruit" began with a bang! In week 1, students got to use grapes, strawberries, - and of course chocolate chips- to make their own snake. Mr. T was very pleased with how well the students listened and followed directions (and also surprised with how much fruit they ate!). We will continue to make different animal creations and then get to enjoy them!
The Joy of Painting: In "The Joy of Painting", students have been introduced to Bob Ross and several of the materials we will be using throughout this session. Moving forward, students can look forward to coming into a calm, relaxing space each Monday while learning how to paint new landscapes every week
Hello, My name is Chris Thomson I am the assistant teacher for first and second grade. I will be helping run classroom 207 and assisting with clubs here. It is my 4th year at the Healey and I am so excited to get to know the students this year.
All About Fall:
All About Fall is a club designed to celebrate what I consider to be the best season here in New England. The days get cooler and we can really enjoy being outside, the beautiful foliage appears, and we get to take some nature walks and talk about our favorite fall foods and holidays. Let's enjoy the season!
Beast Mode:
Do you want to go beast mode? No... do you NEED to go beast mode?? I look forward to playing some great fall sports with the After School kids, like flag football, soccer, and classic outdoor games we all remember from our childhoods like capture the flag. Let's put that new turf field to good use!
A few reminders for families:
Please be sure to check your balances regularly on EZChildtrack. Dismissal is between 5:00-5:30 daily, please be sure you are on time. The best way to stay in touch with after-school staff is by connecting through our Remind class. We have an active amazon wishlist if you would like to make a donation to our program. We are so excited to have the opportunity to work with your children this year and can not wait to continue sharing all our adventures with you each month!
Room 208:
Hello! My name is Alex Walters and I am the new Assistant Site Director for After School at the Healey. This is my second year at the Healey, but my fourth year teaching in Somerville for the After School program. I love the program and consider myself lucky to be part of a fun and important part of their day. (Sure, math and reading is great, but what about making new friends, getting some exercise and letting off some steam outside?!) I am excited to see all the kids and families I met last
year and I am looking forward to a great year in After School this year!
Room 203:
Hi, I’m Miss Annie and I am the lead teacher for our 5th and 6th graders! I graduated from Tufts University this past May and I spent a lot of time volunteering at the Healey while there, so I am so excited to finally be joining the After School program as a teacher this year. I love animals, playing sports, and doing crafts!
This session I am teaching 3 clubs: Change Makers, Graphic Novels, and Outdoors Club. In Change Makers, students will be learning how they can make a change in their community and be advocates for what they care about every day. We will be making jewelry that will be sold at a small sale for friends, families, and teachers, and the proceeds will be donated to a charity of the students’ choice: a local animal shelter! In Graphic Novels club, students are writing and illustrating their own hero’s journey with characters of their design. Finally, in Outdoors Club, each week we will be taking advantage of the wonderful natural spaces around us and learning how to engage with nature even when you’re living in the city. For our first class we did a neighborhood scavenger hunt. Check out photos below of riddle clues we found throughout the Healey neighborhood!
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
We’re back with a soaking wet bang! Afterschool has kicked off and we’re nearly a whole week into clubs. This year we have a new team member! Ms. Phillips has joined the Brown School afterschool team as the new Assistant Site Director! Whoohoo! She will be teaching a bunch of fun clubs including Perlers and Move in Harmony! Give her a big afterschool welcome when you see her on the blacktop.
We had a blast during our first big week in afterschool. We managed to pull off a waterplay day with all the kiddos on a pretty hot and sticky day. The kiddos love the new blacktop. It has all the charm of the old blacktop without the cracks! We danced and listened to some awesome tunes while staying cool. We did have to hold off for a bit to let a thunderstorm roll past us. Nothing too major.
As we sink into our new clubs I want to highlight some of the fresh new clubs this year. Danger Wizard is one of our new outside providers. It’s for our older kids, but I’m sure some of our younger kids could get on board with this game. Dungeons and Dragons are here at Brown School and our older kiddos have started their campaign! They are loving it. Typically a campaign can last several hours, but our kiddos are doing their best to get through their adventures within an hour each week.
Next up we have Groundworks Somerville! They’re taking our kiddos to the garden learning about the fun things we see in nature. If they’re lucky they’ll plant a few things that should pop up in the spring. We’re very excited to have this outdoor garden club. The kids were a little disappointed they didn’t see any worms on their first day, but Leah, the teacher, assured them
they will come across many worms in the future!
East Somerville Community School
Site Direcor: 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
We hope this newsletter finds you well and filled with excitement as we commence a new school year together. We look forward to another great year here at the ESCS Afterschool Program. During our first month together we went over rules, our schedule and begun our exciting clubs!
This year afterschool also has an amazing team with Ms. Sonia and Ms. Janice being the PreK and K teacher, Mr. Mario being the 1st grade teacher, Ms. Joanne being the 2nd grade teacher, Mr. Daniel being the 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Ray and Ms. Ashley being the 4th-7th grade teacher, and Ms. Sarah as our amazing Door Monitor. Additionally, we have amazing SHS students come and work with us. This year we are lucky to have Ms. Estefani, Ms. Tashmeer, Ms. Olivia, Mr. Deni, and Ms. Destiny. Please always feel free to say hello to us!
As the start of the school year is always exciting for all, many of our clubs this month are focused on getting to know each other and learning all about what afterschool has to offer. In Ms. Janice’s ‘All About Me’ club, students have begun to have conversations about each student’s identity and characteristics that make them their own person. Paper Building with Mr. Mario has gotten started with learning about basic folding and methods of how to make the best paper airplane! As we all know as well, we are lucky to have outside providers which come to the East and teach a club for our students. One of these that are offered is Parkour which is able to come to the East and teach our students all the skills and tricks of Parkour. Another exciting and new outside provider is Buildwave which focuses on building things with Legos and as the levels progress, the challenge to build gets harder!
Our older students have been focusing on being able to help out our PreK – 2nd grade students while also being able to have fun with exciting clubs such as Pokémon Art Creation, A+ STEM Club and many more. They also enjoy from some team building activities outside on the playground in order to begin creating a community with each other to get to know and make new friends in the building!
As always, it is never a dull moment in the ESCS Afterschool Program and everyone is having so much fun! We are thrilled to be back and running on all fronts.
Michael E. Capuano Early Childhood Center
Site Director: Micheal Horowitz
Assistant Site Director: Stephanie Guevara
Bryan Convey, Ana Treska, Neelam Sehil, Mei Idris, Jaqueline Gaffney, Alaa Bautkhourst, Joao Detoledo, Ana Taveira
At the Capuano School, afterschool is starting off a brand-new year with joy, happiness, and welcoming thoughts! We are welcoming all the new Pre-School students. We are welcoming back all the Kindergarten students. We welcome all the Winter Hill Community Innovation School students and their teachers. We would also like to say, “Welcome!” to all of the parents.
We have some new and returning teachers. We would like to introduce Ms. Stephanie Guevara the new Capuano afterschool Assistant OST Director. We would also like to welcome back Ms. Ana Taveira after she took a few years away from afterschool.
The beginning of both Pre-School and Kindergarten are times of a lot of change. There is a lot to learn. In Pre-K, we are learning to line up, wash our hands, be good friends, share toys and we are learning to have some independence. In Kindergarten, the school work really kicks in. There’s much less play and it can be a bit of a shock for children.
We are settling into our new routines and finding our footing. We have a new system here at the Capuano. Pre-K classes come to afterschool and play. Then, the Kindergarten students come and we all have snack in the cafeteria. After snack, WHCIS@Capuano and Capuano K afterschool go to their rooms for an activity and choice time followed by recess and dismissal. After snack, Capuano Pre-K classes go to recess followed by an activity in their rooms, choice time and then dismissal. All the kiddos are having fun doing art, social emotional activities, moving their bodies, and playing!
The themes for activities have been Welcome, All About Me, and Friendship. For one example activity, a teacher read Squirrel and Bear are Friends and then children drew pictures of themselves with a friend. Another class read I Like Me, and then children used a template to draw themselves.
At the Capuano School afterschool is off to a roaring start. We are looking forward to a fun year!
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
Hi Everyone!
Welcome back to another great year in After School!
We have been having a great time getting back into the groove, seeing old friends, and meeting new ones. It is nice to be getting into the groove now that session 1 has started and clubs are slowly getting underway. Students are really enjoying our new club offerings as well.
Our youngest friends in pre-k and kindergarten are getting used to the new, big school- learning routines, making new friends, and learning their teachers’ names. Students in pre-k have been doing some fun name activities, friendship, self- portraits, and beginning of the year routine.
Our older students have started their clubs and have really enjoyed getting back into the groove and routine of club time. Gym Class Heroes club has expressed interest in Kickball. It is great to see all the students in different grades come together to play a game- cooperating and cheering each other on. Origami club is enjoying learning the true art of folding and how to make really neat creations like frogs, cranes, and hearts.
Students in Dark Sky and the Hidden Universe are learning all about the galaxy. Ms. Laura has created an almost planetarium-like experience for children with a projector on the ceiling and black ou curtains to really see the different space and atmosphere configurations. Ms. Silvana’s artist club used small figures to create a drawing/story from what they saw and students have been so engaged in this club.
Students in second grade have really been enjoying their new routine too. As they get older and develop more responsibilities, we also want to instill that in them a bit in after school. This is why we have them read even though they don’t have homework for about 20 or so minutes before they head outside to play or move to free play in their after school room. It has been so neat to see these children grow over the years!
Thank you for all your continued support of our program and all the wonderful Amazon Wish List Donations. We truly appreciate it and it has made the beginning of our year go that much more smoothly. As always, if you have any questions please let Ms. Alison know. Also please join our Remind.com class app at this link: https://www.remind.com/join/f7ae3gb
Winter Hill Community Innovation School
Site Director: Deijah Euvrard
Assistant Site Director: Daniela Garcia
Latifa Mortady, Veronica Garza, Tanty Koita, Rosa Palma, Teddy O'Brien , Rue Ferrufino, Cheli Mandelker, Mariah Jones, Ariana Melendez, Leonardo Fuentes, Selne Pierre, Nehemie Simon
Hello Families!
As we start the school year we are ecstatic for the upcoming clubs, activities, events and holidays! Students and staff of afterschool have taken this time to learn each other's names and build strong, healthy relationships and friendships. Through all the changes to routine, site, and new learning environments children have continued to adapt and persevere through it all. Kiddos are continuously growing and learning in a play based environment.
Reminder
● This is a perfect opportunity to double check if you have the Remind App! Again, this is the best way to get in contact with us for many things, especially with what's going on at the moment.
Link to Join: https://www.remind.com/join/whcis23-24
● Please label your child's clothing, backpack, etc. as items are often lost or left behind. Lost or forgotten items can be found at the schools lost and found.
Pre-k/ Kindergarten
Welcome To School theme for the beginning of the school year to help students develop a positive self-image and feel confident and comfortable in the classroom by learning to care for books, recognize letter sounds and simple rhymes, trace the letters in their first names,self portrait crown and more fun and learning activities
2nd Grade
Our second grade scholars have been dabbling in the arts of architecture and painting. Channeling inner creativity and expressing feelings through works of water colors, acrylic paints and markers. Our magnettile and hidden message challenges through our kiddos for a loop but they were quickly able to think outside of the box and put their minds together to figure out how to build certain structures and how to find hidden messages. Our second graders are constantly growing, learning and staying curious for adventure and activity.
1st Grade
Our first grade friends have been working hard on learning their new schedule. We’ve spent lots of time doing kindness/friendship activities and getting used to our new space. The group shared different ways they are good friends while creating puzzle pieces with self portraits and kind words. Since starting clubs they’ve enjoyed various activities in the gym and got to explore the outdoor space. They’ve also gotten to try their hand at pokemon training, which we’re all very excited about!
3rd-6th Grade
Kiddos have been rowdy and ready for clubs and activities. Our 3rd-6th graders are developing their after school routine and doing more activities that involve problem solving and critical thinking. Along with this, children are encouraged to build strong relationships with teachers and other students. This year our 3-6th graders will be leading by example and working on becoming the best versions of themselves.
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
Hello Families!
Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!
Hello Families & Friends, we hope your school year has been off to a fantastic start! The first few weeks have been tremendous seeing returning faces and new faces in our afterschool. It has been wonderful seeing everyone again and hearing all about their exciting summer. I must say the start to this year has been incredible. We are excited to be back at Afterschool and are looking forward to an awesome year.
Now introducing our new faces, let us give a big round of applause to our Pre-K friends. Our friends have been adjusting to being in school and Afterschool for the first time! Ms. Jane, Ms. Darly, & Mr. Rodrigo have been working hard to make our youngest friends feel comfortable and safe in their new environment. They have enjoyed hanging out with their teachers, especially when it comes to their weekly Show and Tell, and do not forget about their daily Yoga lessons. After a long day of school, our youngest friends love to unwind and sit together for their daily read aloud. If we aren’t reading, then we are creating the tallest building using our legos or teaching Chef Ramsey how to make playdough pizza with pineapple. Make sure to catch us on next week's episode of Masterchef Juniors!
Let's give a big shout out to our K-2nd grade friends. Since the first week of Afterschool our friends have been extremely excited to be in afterschool and ready to begin clubs. With session one starting, our friends have started their clubs with full energy, having fun getting to know their club providers & exploring the different options being offered this session. Our friends are experiencing a variety of learning, ranging from Gardening club, producing their next movie in Cinema Kidz, discovering their inner talent in Hollywood club with our very own Ms. Gianna teaching the club. Our friends in Buildwave started with building popular cars using Lego engines, creating their next dance routine for Beyonce’s next tour in Just Dance with Mr. Henry, or becoming the next Picasso in Gallery Guardians. Our friends have been having a blast with their friends and discovering new clubs that they are interested in. Our students have really been getting in the groove of afterschool, and never want to leave.
