WNESU After-School Programs
December 12, 2023
WNESU AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS - Partners with Main Street Arts
This winter, Windham Northeast Supervisory Union After-School Programs (ASP) is excited to announce its continued partnership with Main Street Arts (MSA.) After successfully piloting an MSA after-school drama program during the 2022-2023 school year at Saxtons River Elementary School and Westminster Center School, WNESU and Trish Roberts from MSA will continue the collaboration this year by offering an after-school drama program for students at Central Elementary School and Saxtons River Elementary School from November to January.
Since the beginning of November, Trish Roberts, with the support of the After-School Program staff and a few local teens, has been working with over 20 after-school program students on Mondays at SRES and on Wednesdays at CES. During these sessions, the students have learned about theatre warm-ups for their voices and bodies and have engaged in ensemble-building theatre games, character-building techniques, and acting exercises. Additionally, all students have been participating in rehearsals for the final performance scheduled for the end of the session in January. Both WNESU After-School Programs will be staging an original adaptation of the classical Norwegian folktale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
On the first day of each program, Trish, using the art of oral storytelling, told the students the story, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Throughout the rehearsal process, Trish asks the students for their input about staging, character development, and plot. The students play an active role in choosing and developing their characters and verbally creating their lines. In essence, the ASP students are rewriting their own original adaptation of this folktale. Therefore, the final product at each school will be unique to that particular group.
In addition to rehearsing once a week with Trish, the ASP students also work with Mr. Palmisano (CES and SRES Art teacher), one afternoon a week, to design and create the set for this play. Being involved in every aspect of the production, the students are developing their social awareness and relationship skills through creative collaboration. This process-oriented program and student-generated performance allow the students an opportunity to improve communication skills, build self-confidence, and work on cooperation.
Both schools will have two final performances: one for their peers and teachers and one for their families. The final performances for the Saxtons River Elementary School After-School Program will take place on Monday, January 22nd and the final performances for Central Elementary School will take place on Wednesday, January 24th.
Later this winter, Trish Roberts will offer this after-school drama program again to WNESU ASP students at Bellows Fall Middle School and Westminster Center School in February and March. The final performance dates for Westminster Center School will be Tuesday, March 26th, and the final performance for Bellows Falls Middle School on Thursday, March 28th.
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Trish Roberts has been engaging children and teens in theatrical endeavors for over twenty years. She has directed preschoolers and elementary-aged children both for after-school and homeschool programs, including literature-based drama programs, and has staged several full-length productions at the high-school level. She holds a BA from Middlebury College and a CT teaching certificate in both French and Theatre, has a Master’s Degree in English Literature from Trinity College, and is the founder and director of Wildbrook Forest Theatre, a nature-based theatre project in Westminster, VT. She is thrilled to be offering the imagination-building work of theatre through the Main Street Arts After-School Drama program.
Main Street Arts ASP Drama Club
Main Street Arts ASP Drama Club
Main Street Arts ASP Drama Club
WNESU AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS - Partners with The Nature Museum at Grafton
Dear WNESU families,
The Nature Museum at Grafton partners with local elementary schools to provide high-quality, environmental education to students throughout the region. We’re thrilled to work with K-4 WNESU After-School Programs (ASP) students once again for the 23-24’ school year at Saxtons River Elementary School (SRES) and Central Elementary School(CES!) The goal of our after-school programming is to connect students to their natural environment through play, discovery, and exploration in different ways.
Throughout the 6-week session of After-School Programs this fall, we encouraged learning through a variety of intentional, hands-on, and creative strategies and topics that included fairy house building, wildflower crown making, games, pumpkin dissections, and more to learn about the natural world. Following our annual Fairy House Festival in September, we brought the magic to your schools with fairy house-building activities for a fun introduction to our natural space in the schoolyard, and to develop an appreciation for the small wonders in nature. An exciting new teaching activity we engaged students with was crafting flower crowns. This teaching approach blended art, problem-solving, and hands-on investigation of local flower species. ASP students and educators discussed the forms and functions of native wildflowers, followed the next week by using the dried flowers from our crowns to talk about seeds and their dispersal methods. ASP students played games like “keep away” with milkweed fluff to explore how seeds are transported through wind and experimented with a variety of museum seed specimens to discover how seeds are aided in their dispersal by other environmental factors like fire, water, animals, and people.
Central Elementary School ASP students dove into a guided pumpkin dissection, which tied together the life cycle of fruit-producing flowering plants. Not to mention, this dissection activity was a great way to practice teamwork and investigatory skills. ASP students counted approximately 2,000 seeds among the group!
Saxtons River Elementary School ASP students took a closer look at how different animals disperse seeds and rely on them as an important food resource, like turkeys. This led to an active game that demonstrated how animal populations change over time based on their environment and resources!
The response to our programs has been wonderful. The ASP students are excited to engage in hands-on learning, connect their in-classroom learning with our after-school activities, and have fun while learning! We’re already looking toward spring and continuing to provide creative and experiential learning opportunities for CES and SRES After-School Programs students. Visit our website to learn more about The Nature Museum’s work and other programming opportunities:
Stay wild and curious out there,
Jay DeGregorio, Director of Education, & Sam McGonigle, Environmental Educator
The Nature Museum at Grafton with our ASP students
The Nature Museum at Grafton ASP Club
The Nature Museum at Grafton with our ASP students
BFMS After-School Programs Update
BFMS ASP students are well into the start of the second session of ASP at BFMS. BFMS ASP is offering at least two club options Monday through Thursday and is almost full every day. On Fridays, BFMS ASP is only offering one club option of Perler Beads, which is always hit and it is full with a waiting list!
Starting later in December BFMS ASP is looking forward to Kegan Illingworth joining us for a mini 4-week dance club. BFMS ASP won a free Destination Imagination club entrance and ASP students will start exploring that within the next month.
BFMS ASP would like to thank River Valley Tech Center in Springfield, VT for inviting our 6th-8th grade ASP students to participate in their Cooking Club, Safe Sitter course, or Robotics course. The kids had so much fun!
As the cold weather settles in, we would like to ask that BFMS ASP students who walk home come prepared with proper clothing and a flashlight.
Questions? Please reach out to your
BFMS ASP Site Coordinator: Sierra Patterson
WORK Cell Phone: 802 -376-9082
BFMS After-School Programs
BFMS After-School Programs
BFMS After-School Programs
CES After-School Programs Update
The second of CES ASP session is well underway! CES ASP students have had a great time with Main Street Arts preparing for a performance we are excited to share with our families and peers in January. ASP students have also been working with the CES Art Teacher Mr. P and creating the set for this performance. ASP Students have created some imaginative structures during our Recycled Fun club and are learning basketball skills during Active Games. ASP Students love games and during our Game Club, they have enjoyed card and board games together. CES ASP students are excited and enjoying their range of activities during Session 2!
Questions? Please reach out to your
CES ASP Co-Site Coordinators: Heather Murphy-Hicks or Tammie Chapin
WORK Cell Phone: 802-376-9845
CES After-School Programs
CES After-School Programs
CES ASP and Main Street Arts
SRES After-School Programs Update
Session two has been in full swing at the Saxtons River Elementary School After-School Programs. SRES ASP students continue to enjoy the Magic Tree House series during read-aloud time. Our ASP students are learning to become leaders and role models by volunteering to be the daily "ASP Assistant." ASP Assistant rolw is when ASP students can help the adult Club Leaders with reading aloud and other activities throughout the afternoon.
SRES ASP Drama Club is busy with working Trish Roberts from Main Street Arts. ASP students are learning their parts for a play they will be performing for the community on Wednesday, January 22, 2024. Additionally, SRES ASP students in Art Club with Mr. P are having an amazing time bringing their set design to life for the Drama Club's play.
During Wacky Wednesday Club SRES ASP students are learning a variety of activities, such as making holiday swags for their family's home, disguising turkeys, and enjoying other crafts.
SRES ASP students in the Cooking Club have been learning about kitchen safety. They are excited to make oatmeal energy balls, sweet potato muffins, lip balm, and salt dough ornaments.
SRES ASP students continue to enjoy board games, Legos and crafts on Fridays during Choice Club.
Questions? Please reach out to your
SRES ASP Site Coordinator: Tina White
WORK Cell Phone: 802-376-6209
SRES After-School Programs
SRES After-School Programs
SRES After-School Programs
WCS After-School Programs Update
WCS After-School Students have been having a blast in Cooking Club! One of our favorite activities was making snowman pies!
WCS ASP Academic Clubs began at the end of November. ASP students have been working hard in tutoring on Mondays and Wednesdays. WCS ASP students are happy to be engaged in their reading and homework. WCS ASP students are also really enjoying the variety of academic games.
Questions? Please reach out to your
WCS ASP Site Coordinator: Kim Budzik
WORK Cell Phone: 802-376-6278
WCS After-School Programs
WCS After-School Programs
WCS After-School Programs
WNESU AFTER- SCHOOL PROGRAMS ARE CLOSED ON:
Please note that we do not offer ASP during in-service days, some holidays, and school breaks.
UPCOMING DATES TO NOTE THAT WE DON' T HAVE ASP:
Wednesday, Dec. 13
Friday, Dec. 22
Monday, Dec. 25 - Friday, Dec. 29
Monday, Jan. 1
*Please note: CES ASP will not be open on Friday, Dec. 15th
*Please note: BFMS ASP will not be open on Thursday, Dec 21st.
WNESU ASP Questions?
If you have any questions about ASP, please reach out to me.
Sarah Doran
Director of After-School and Summer Programs
Windham Northeast Supervisory Union
(802) 376 9270 (work cell)