After-School programs...a day in the life

Yesterday our Americorps representative came by to check in our members. As I toured her around, I had to quickly grab the Flip to capture some great moments. Check out what the youth in our programs are doing...



...and then feel free to contact us for a tour! :)

A Quote to Remember!

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you."- B.B. King

Posted by: Rachel Embry :-)

"Deep in the Heart of Texas"

At the Roseland Library we have Map Monday’s where we read about different places in the world. To start off we read about our great state of Texas! The students read about Texas, researched facts about Texas, created a book about Texas and also recorded a video singing “Deep in the Heart of Texas”. Every week we will read about another place and do fun activities so that the students can remember the information.
By: Katrina Hobbs

Welcome back fall 2010 the Mid- teen boys. I'm Paula Perkins and I'm currently working with boys from 3rd to 8th grade this year. I'm looking forward to teach and learn from the mid-teen boys this year. The Mid-teen boys are currently working on a project using Lego blocks. The boys are constructing a model of Roseland Community. This project will be great for the mid-teen boys, it will help them to be able to embrace their community while excelling their team building skills.

Using Math Everywhere I Go

In the After School Academy, the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade class have been focusing on developing faster math skills. Each day there is a new fun activity for them to engage in to enhance their math skills such as math bingo, math race, and timed math puzzles. We as a class have been discovering the importance of having fast math skills and how we use these skills in everyday life. Many still use their fingers to do math problems and some feels it slows them down when taking timed math tests in school. The daily math reinforcement has been very effective among the students because they have begun to compete with one another to become the math king and queen for the week. I have encouraged them to assit their parents in daily math activities within their home even if it is as simple as adding the total while grocery shopping.

Clarissa(3rd, 4th, and 5th grade teacher)

Fun with the kids!

This fall i think its going to be wonderful.I love when some of the kids come in from school they greet me in then they ask me can i help them with their homework.I loved when me and grade 3-5 had played the adding math game they all liked the game they all had a happy smile on their face.




Lakeitha Haskins

The Keen Mind of a Teen!

This is the start of a new school year for Teen University. To start off, we asked the teens for any ideas or suggentions that come out of their young minds. They bombarded me with ideas that really caught my attention! They planned a "Teen U Kick Off!" during the first week, inviting all the teens from the Roseland community to visit Teen U in the form of a mixer. It was a success, and we have new teens for the year. Another plan was to fundraise by holding a basketball tournament in the Roseland Recreational Center. But the ideas that really stuck out to me were the suggestion of visiting Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and coming up with "reasonable" rules to reinforce in Teen University (which surprised me that they were so involved in making them).

The teens are very creative and full of ideas, and I am glad we are here, so we can make these ideas come true, and, with our help, encourage them to think like this on their way through high school and upon admission in college.

-Dranoel Wilson

Teen Univeristy - Hitting the Books!

Welcome back Teen U! *Channeling my inner Nina Simone* - "It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life and I'm feeling good!" First I would like to take a moment and thank all of the returning Teens for such an enthusiastic welcome. I would also like to thank the new Teens who have joined us. 2010 is coming to an end but we're just getting started! During the first two weeks I asked the Teens to name some things they needed. I heard "Jobs", so job leads were provided. I heard "a Physics tutor", and yes, a Physics tutor arrived the very next week. From the start you have seen that Teen U is still committed!

Judging from this year's enrollment, and one Teen showing up for tutoring on crutches, I can see that the Teens are committed too! Teen university can be whatever YOU make it. I've got your back 100%. Let's show 'em how we do it Teen U!

Ninah ;-)

Learning the seasons Grades k-1st at roseland asa

We have been learning about the different seasons. So just recently,we got a scarecrow. We made a paper tree and colored the leaves fall colors. We hung the leaves from the ceiling, as if the leaves were falling from the sky. As for the scarecrow we had him sitting in a tree swing. For the winter we are going to make the room look snowy. For the spring make it look lively and for summer make the room look like a beach. Check back later for snapshots. POSTED BY JAMES MESHELL

Getting Ready!

After brainstorming and thinking of a project, the 1st and 2nd graders at the After School Academy have found a huge interest in creating something that everyone would be able to enjoy. We decided that we would design and build a boat for our classroom. However, it won’t be made out of wood, but the kids have thought of other creative ideas into making a boat where it is acceptable for a classroom. After researching and learning about the many aspects of a boat this past week, they are ready to being their journey on a major project.


Shaina

Volunteering at the Roseland Library/Bookstore

I am very excited to be a part of all the great things going on in the Roseland community by volunteering with Ms. Katrina in the Roseland Library/Bookstore this year. As a school librarian and former reading teacher, I know how important it is that kids have access to books (and lots of them!) in order to improve literacy at all levels. Therefore it is really exciting to have a place in the community where kids, parents, and families can come to read, enjoy, and even buy books.

Ms. Katrina did a great job last year of building rapport with a lot of kids and has made the library a welcoming place to visit! Ms. Katrina also has a lot of creative ideas on how to get the kids more engaged with reading and literacy. For example, she is doing "Map Mondays" in which they will focus on exploring different places on the map around the world. The first week's focus was "Texas" so the kids read books about the state of Texas, learned songs like "Deep in the Heart of Texas" and created a book about Texas (shaped like Texas) as well as a Texas flag. Katrina already has other neat ideas in the works that hopefully you'll be reading more about in the weeks to come.

I'm also looking forward to doing a book club with the MTU boys on Thursdays. We will be reading the spinetingling and interactive novel called Skeleton Creek. Katrina and I will also be doing a girls' book club on Wednesdays in which we will be reading Money Hungry by Sharon Flake.

One thing I have learned as a teacher and librarian is that most kids start out by just thinking they don't like reading. But I have discovered that almost all kids are voracious readers when they are connected to just the right book! I look forward to seeing these "aha!" moments over and over this year!

By: Rachel Embry