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After School Programs

After School Elementary Tutoring
                         
  This past year, the after-school tutoring program has grown stronger in its commitment to reading through the "Links to Literacy" program. In the past, students have gained as much as a grade level with the program. This year,  Adobe Acres, Eugene field, Hawthorne, and Mountain View Elementary Schools utilized the program during their after-school tutoring. Students received lessons focused on comprehension, phonics, fluency, and work study.

  There are six elementary school Title I tutoring sites throughout the city, each site staffed by certified APS teachers and Educational Assistants with support from the Title I Homeless Project staff. Volunteers from the community and some high school students also serve at several of the sites, so the staff-to-student ratio is kept high. The program provides snacks and a hot meal is provided by neighborhood restaurants and paid for with money from grants written by the program.

  This fall, links to Literacy will continue to be a crucial component of our tutoring program and will be used in conjunction with computerized math programs. Our goal is to help students maintain good academic standing while their families are in transition, rather than "just help with homework."


     After School Program for Middle School Students

  It was another successful year for Title I Students in the after-school programs at Kennedy, McKinley, and Van Buren Middle Schools. Over 130 students enrolled in these programs through the course of the 2009-2010 school year. Career exploration is the focus of the middle school  program.

  Students rapidly learn that coming to the program is their job- they receive a small stipend based on their attendance and participation at the end of their eighth grade year, which can be used for help with high school expenses. Students participate in activities that encourage positive skills, learning about their strengths and weaknesses, while learning to work with others. Career interest inventories, discussions with mentoring adults, and activities such as attending the School-to-World Career Fair help students learn about themselves and envision themselves as an adult in a career that is the right fit.

  Students also work in small groups and get homework help. SuccessMaker, an individualized computer program, is another component that helps students brush up on their reading and math skills.

  Students end the year with a big dinner bash complete with certificates, and they look forward to the June program.

                             High School Programs

  Difficulties suffered by homeless children can take a great toll on their academic success; fatigue can destroy concentration, hopelessness can destroy initiative, and anger can cause bad behavior (First and Oakley, 1993). In response to the McKinney-Vento Act and Amendments, which mandated removal of barriers to homeless children's access, the APS Title I Homeless Project created special programs for students to help them succeed academically, and to offer them access to social services and a safe and stress free environment to grow in.

 During our 2009-2010 school year programs, APS high and charter schools are served by resource teachers and outreach personnel. Four high schools also established after-school enrichment programs, offering students additional opportunities to explore and learn aspects of media and financial literacy, as well as the arts, math and science. These programs are successful due to the hard work and dedication of teachers and staff at Del Norte, Manzano, West Mesa, and Valley High Schools. Field trips expand students' knowledge of the world, while collaborative games build team work and trust. Tutoring builds self-esteem by strengthening student' academics, and yoga and dance lessons rounded out instructional goals of helping students build strong minds and bodies. A total of 1,104 high school students took part in these programs.

 A new and exceptional gardening project was piloted at Highland High School where participating students met during the lunch hour to learn aspects of gardening, including ground preparation, soil culture, and landscape architecture, culminating in a fully productive garden of edible greens and a colorful bloom of flowers.