Fall 2013 The After School Programs

It's been a while since I posted here but we have been pretty busy since school began.  First off, I can't believe it is already November!  I believe the last time I posted here it was 85 degrees outside, and now....brrrrrr... it's chilly out!  We are just heating up here at the After-school Programs at Gregory, Hazel, Washington, and Pleasantdale.

Since we began on September 9th, we have added various special activities and have invited very special visitors.   This is all on top of our basic programming staples which include; homework time (Power Hour), board games, gym activities, sport competitions, and arts & crafts.

As you can see, we were privileged to have the West Orange Fire Department AND West Orange Police Department visit to discuss various safety topics! In acknowledgement of Spanish Heritage month we asked West Orange's "Arts For Kids" to come and run special Latin music/dance workshops.   We are also working with a couple of members of Americorp, and together, we are coordinating community service projects.  Their first project was to plant over 150 flower blubs at Pleasantdale Elementary School and Gregory Elementary School.

Special Thanks to our wonderful associates and friends for helping our programs flourish;
Michele Thompson at Gregory Elementary School, Joanne Pollara at Pleasantdale, Ed Acevedo at Hazel Elementary, and Marie DeMaio at Washington School.

Coming Up:
Thanksgiving Activities and Parties
Late Fall Talent Shows
Holiday Parties
Magic Shows with Great Scott
Robotics with Minds In Motion
Basketball Site vs. Site Competition in March

Summer 2013

 

While the West Orange After School Programs take a break, the West Orange Community House and Boys & Girls Club keeps on movin' with the Summer Camp. Our camp has filled up to maximum capacity with a long waiting list.  The camp boasts generous hours from 7:30am to 6pm, weekly trips, pool trips, and many many daily activities.  The kids are having a blast and we still have the rest of the summer to keep on playing!

While the kids are playing, parents have already begun inquiring about our before and after school programs for the 2013-14 school year.  Registration will be fully available on July 15th online.   Again, we will be running the programs at Gregory, Hazel, Washington, Pleasantdale, and Mount Pleasant!  We will also be at the Edison and Liberty Middle Schools.  For further information, you'll have to visit our website at http://www.bgcwo.org.

We ran some excellent programs in the 2012-13 school year, and the upcoming year will be no different.  We are even talking about adding a few additional enrichment activities to each site to enhance the experience for our members.  If you have any questions and would like to talk to us, give us a call at the West Orange Community House at 973-736-1282 x19.  See you soon!

DJ Dance Parties in The After-School Programs

Held at the Washington, Gregory, Hazel, and Pleasantdale Elementary Schools

Youth Program Supervisor, John Peterson facilitates a DJ Dance Party every year for each after-school program.  Recognizing the need for our children to get and stay healthy, he turns fitness into FUN!

He brings his DJ Speaker,  iPad DJ'ing gear, and this year invited DJ (and program specialist from Washington School) Jean Marc Chery.   The theme of this year's visit was a balloon theme.  The kids had a blast relaying and popping the balloons.

Once the balloons were popped, MC Peterson and DJ Jean Marc Chery led group dances including the Cha Cha Slide, Chicken Dance, The YMCA, and more.  Our staff, school faculty, and even the parents couldn't resist the urge to Shake It Up!  Next time, we'll plan on formally inviting parents and staff to join in on the fitness and fun!

BGCA's Million Members, Million Hours

BGCA's (The Boys & Girls Club of America) Year of Service initiatives provide Club members with opportunities to engage in service, practice leadership skills and effect change in Clubs and communities. For the past few years, our Year of Service initiatives have been limited to seven signature service events. In 2013, the BGCA is introducing year-round opportunities for members to engage in service – no matter what day of the year it is.

The overarching goal for our Movement is for one million members to give one million hours of service – a goal that can be stated as simply as "Million Members, Million Hours." This goal can easily be achieved if you consider that in any given year, all members can give at least one hour of their time.

To help Clubs engage all members in at least one hour of service, BGCA has created new "One Member, One Hour" Activities. These are activities that can easily be conducted throughout the Club, reinforcing the idea that character, leadership and service can be taught across Club programming, not just in small-group settings or programs as has historically been the case.

Our program in West Orange has pledged 200 hours.  Each child will have an opportunity to serve by writing letters to the members of our Armed Forces!  BGCA offers many other ideas to participate in the Million Member, Million Hour initiative and we look forward to adding more hours after the completion of this volunteer project on May 7th.  

May 13th UPDATE: 

Here are some letters from the kids to our troops!

Black History Month Performers

Thank you Arts For Kids Inc. for coming into our after-school programs last Friday!   Our children learned about African American Heritage by participating in a variety of musical and lyrical activities.  See more below!



Pleasantdale Enrichment in The Program

Not sure if you are aware but the Pleasantdale After-School program operates above and beyond your typical after school program.   Many generic after-school programs operate more as glorified babysitting services.   They may offer board games, free play, and assistance with homework , but we offer much more than that for your children.  The West Orange Community House and Boys & Girls Club is proud that our staff has broken the mold of the after-school program paradigm and has shifted it into an safe and enriching environment, and this program at no extra cost!

Do you know what we have been doing in the program recently?  Besides our standard games, art,  and sport activities we run our own Enrichment Activity Classes!   On Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:45pm to 4:45pm the kids participate in our Special Arts & Class Enrichment Class with Mrs. Niki Seibert (Certified Art Teacher).  On Mondays  from 4:00pm to 5:00pm the kids participate in out FUN FOODS enrichment class with Katlyn Brennan (Program Supervisor).  Wednesdays are Board Game Tournament Days, and Wednesdays and Fridays, the children alternate throughout the program in Our ALL SPORTS Enrichment class with Mr. Paul Kirsch (certified Phys Ed. Teacher in West Orange)!  For more about the schedule , visit the website at www.bgcwo.org.

If you haven’t noticed, we have also had monthly pizza parties and fun visitors, like Great Scott the Magician!  We have also and still plan on having anti-drugs and bullying workshops,  Art Contests, DJ Dance Aerobic Parties,  Robotics sessions, and so much more this year!    Like I said before, this is not your typical after-school program, it’s an After-School Experience! 

Master-Piece

January 18th was our first inter-site Art Gallery/Contest-- "Master-Piece"!  Each site and almost every child was immersed in some type of art project. Using modeling clay, cardboard, craft sticks, all kind of paper, glueing, and coloring supplies, the kids created some fantastic pieces!    Washington School , Hazel School, Pleasantdale, and Gregory School all delivered with some great work, however there could only be one piece of art chosen as the "Master-Piece".
 The Winner Is!! 

Piece name:  Turtle on The Bongos

Artists: Kianna Rodriguez and Risa Kampel  

 Here are some pictures of our students working in their "Medium". 

Mid Winter Update

What's Going On - Activities
After a long winter's nap, we are back and shakin in the after school programs!  This is the time of year where we really begin to feel cabin fever creeping up on us. To battle this mid-winter inconvenience, our staff is continuously planning fun and engaging activities for our members.

Arts and crafts projects, "Fun Foods" enrichment sessions, Aerobic/Fitness Sessions, board game tournaments, and sports competitions are some of the many weekly activities keeping our kids busy!

What's Going On - Educationally 

While our parents appreciate their children having fun, they also appreciate when their children complete their homework in the Power Hour program. The Power Hour program continues lay a strong foundation in our program.   Before the students are eligible to participate in any daily activity or enrichment session, they must complete their homework to the best of their abilities!  Let me also mention that PSE&G helped sponsor our Power Hour program in the 2012 school year., and we are very thankful for that!

Honorary Mentions

The West Orange Community House and Boys & Girls Club has been honored with a few outstanding schools/organizations who have been volunteering at a few of our sites.  The Montclair Kimberly Academy student volunteers join the Washington School Program weekly to assist the students with homework, daily activities, and sports tournaments.  The other organization is the National Council of Jewish Women who has provided top notch volunteers to our Gregory School Program(see below).

MORE PICS of the Programs!! Dancing, Fun Foods, Youth Of The Month, Pizza Parties!