What Winter Means to Me :-)

National Novel Writing Month (November)

 All of the kids worked really hard on their novel workbooks and stories during the month of November.  They had really creative story lines and characters. Congratulations to:

Justin

Desiree

Katlyn

Adrianna

and

Madison

for not only completing their workbooks, but writing out their entire stories!

Awesome Job!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Family Night at the Club!

Please join us for

Family Night!

We will be making holiday ornaments and cards from 4:30 to 6:00 on Wednesday, December 4th.  Everyone is invited--parents, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents . . . you get the idea! :-)

You can stop in for a few minutes or the entire time.  We'd love to meet you!

The kids are hard at work making invitations.  :-)

Tutoring available!

We are excited to offer one to one tutoring sessions! We have wonderful volunteers coming from Colby College to work with the kids during eight week sessions, and spots are limited! Please contact Melissa at mcormier@alfondyouthcenter.org if you are interested or have any questions :)

P.S.  Our tutoring is free :-)

Splatter Paint!

We were all inspired by the famous artwork done by Jackson Pollock and decided to create our own splatter painting! It got a little messy but we had lots of fun and now have a big painting hanging on the wall. 

Happy Halloween! Yesterday was our fun Halloween party. We dressed up in our costumes and had a blast. 

Our Garden

Wow!  It's been a long time since I've updated the blog.  We've been pretty busy here.  :-)

Here's an update on the fantastic work the kids have done with the garden:

Doing the hard work of getting the beds in and filling them with garden soil:

Adding plants and planting seeds:

Our first tiny pepper-the kids are so excited :-)

If you look really closely you'll see a tiny, tiny tomato:

Brain Gain!

We are running a pilot program here at the North End this summer to combat summer learning loss among kids.  Our program will keep kids thinking and having fun while being educational at the same time.  If you are reading this, it is likely that you received a flyer :-), so you know the basics of the program.

In addition to the activities and themes on the flyer, food and nutrition will play a large part in what we do.  When kids are adjusting recipes, they don't even think of it as math!  We'll make our own lunches of course, but we'll also make bread, ice cream, have food tastings, and maybe try some mystery fruits and vegetables.

It's going to be a great summer, and I encourage you to call if  you have any questions.  We are limited to 10 kids, and we don't know what the response will be, so if you are interested, the sooner you call or write, the more likely it will be that we have a spot for your child (or children).

I can be reached via email at mcormier@alfondyouthcenter.org, or by phone at 873-5686.

NELC Garden!

Thanks to the New England Grassroots Environment Fund we have been awarded a grant to start several square foot garden beds here at the BGC North End Learning Center!  This is an exciting opportunity to involve kids in learning about science and nutrition, responsibility, and hopefully economics all while having fun.

We are planning what to grow, and hope to get started in the next couple of weeks.  When we told the kids we got the grant and asked them what they would like to plant, the very first comment was "healthy snacks" -- YAY!  We're off to a great start.

Kids with Cameras Culture & Tradition Winners 6-9 years old

 First Place: MaKayla

Second Place (tie): Chad

 Second Place (tie): Grant

  Third Place: Jose    

YAY!!!  You all did an amazing job!  Congratulations.  :-)

Money Matters Session #3 5/16

In our second session we covered needs vs. wants, and how to spend our money wisely.

Our third session is called The Power of Budgeting, and we'll be talking about creating a budget, and then we'll practice by making prom budgets.

Our pizza was much better this time!

Remember, even if you missed the first sessions, you can still jump in anytime!

We're Open & Money Matters!

We are finally, finally open!  We've had several kids start coming on a regular basis -- but kids, bring your homework!

Also, our Money Matters program, for kids 12-18, starts tonight, Thursday, at 6:15.  Please just come over and come on in! We'll be talking about money goals and having pizza.  It will be more fun than it sounds. ;-)  If it's not, you don't have to come back for the next session, but you probably will. :-)

Money Matters Program

We are starting our new Money Matters program.  Once a week at 6:15 (yes, pm!) we'll get together for about an hour to eat pizza and talk about money!  Some of what the kids will learn includes:

• how to manage a checking account
• create a budget
• save and invest
• start small businesses
• save for college

You can learn more about the program at Money Matters

Plus . . . we'll eat pizza.  :-)

To sign up, email me at mcormier@alfondyouthcenter.org or stop by.

Is this how your child sees math?

We are here to help, offering free homework assistance and tutoring Monday through Friday, along with a bunch of other fun stuff to help your kids excel in school.  Stop by or email and let us tell you about all the things we offer!

Email me at: mcormier@alfondyouthcenter.org

Thanks for all the photos!

We received so many fantastic photos for this year's Kids With Cameras contest that we wish every single photo could have been given first place.  Unfortunately we couldn't do that, so while not every photo is technically a winning photo, every child who submitted a photo is certainly a winner and will get to take part in the exhibition.

A sneak peek at one of the winning photos:

The winners will be announced soon, but right now we are focused on getting the local winners to the regional contest in CT.

Once all the releases are signed and the photos are off to the next round of judging, all the photos will be posted here so we can share them with all of you.

Thank you and CONGRATULATIONS! to all of the kids who participated, and GOOD LUCK! to all of our local winners who are moving on to the regional contest.

Maine Poetry Express

This isn't a BGC program, but for those of you who might want to write a poem for the "What Moves Me" category in Kids With Cameras, well, here's another place you might want to submit it.  :-)

About Maine Poetry Express:

Maine Poetry Express Waterville will take place on Thursday, April 4, 6p-8p at the Hathaway Creative Center. Maine Poet Laureate Wes McNair will be present to honor and celebrate poetry of our community. Poets of all ages are invited to submit poems for possible inclusion in the event. We are currently recruiting poetry submissions! The deadline is 5p, Friday, March 15, 2013. Most folks will be submitting poetry electronically (instructions below and attached), however, folks CAN drop off print copies of entries at the Waterville Public Library Information Desk.

Maine Poetry Express Waterville Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/430394733708512/

Flyer on Waterville Public Library web site: http://www.watervillelibrary.org/content/1361312734rfp_mainepoetryexpress_2013.pdf

REQUEST FOR POETS!

GREATER WATERVILLE AREA POETS WANTED!

Maine Poetry Express is coming to Waterville, ME!

Thursday, April 4, 2013 :: 6p – 8p

Hathaway Creative Center

10 Water Street

Waterville, ME 04901

Submit 1 – 3 poems in one of these categories:

· Elementary School  –  3 winners chosen

· Middle/High School  –  3 winners chosen

· College  –  4 winners chosen

· Adult  –  2 winners chosen

¬ Poems will be judged anonymously.

¬ Winners will read their poems at the Poetry Express event on April 4.

¬ Time limit: 3 minutes per poet.

¬ Poems should be age appropriate – this is a family event.

¬ Classroom/teacher submittals welcomed.

Submit poems electronically:

Please include your name, phone number, email, mailing address and category.

· Pat Burdick, Colby College Special Collections

 Patricia.Burdick@colby.edu

· Gary Socquet, Waterville Public Library

  gsocquet@watervillelibrary.org

Or, drop off hard copies at the Waterville Public Library!

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 5:00p, Friday, March 15, 2013

______________________________________________________________________________

Kids with Cameras!

It's time for Kids with Cameras again!

What is it?

Kids between 6-18 years old enter the best photos they've taken into our local photo contest, and the local winners are sent on to a regional contest, and then the regional winners get sent on to the national contest.  Over the past few years, several of the Waterville area submissions have earned national honors!

How do I participate?

All you need to do to participate is submit your favorite photos; you can take them now, or they can be your favorites from the past year.  You will submit them in one of four categories (see the Kids with Cameras tab at the top of the page), and then they will be judged in those four categories and by age group.  Photos must be printed to 8x10, and you must keep the photo negative or a digital version on a cd just in case your photo is selected for the regional contest.

What do I get for participating?

First, you get the fun of taking pictures and selecting your best to submit.  All of the participants will get a certificate, and you will get to see your photos professionally matted and displayed in an art exhibit.  Winning photographers will be recognized, and the teen national winners will earn an all expenses paid celebration trip!

Please see the Kids with Cameras tab at the top of the page for more details on the categories.

For more information, please contact Melissa at mcormier@alfondyouthcenter.org.

Tutoring Deadline!!!!

The deadline for signing up for the free SES tutoring is Monday, January 14th!  If you would like to take advantage of this--and you should!-- please print out the appropriate form and send it back in with your child on Monday.  If your child is eligible for free or reduced lunch he or she qualifies for free math or reading tutoring.

We will contact you closer to the beginning of tutoring to discuss the details, but your child can go to the North End Learning Center on Hillside Ave, or the AYC on North St.  An after school snack will be provided, and transportation to tutoring will also be available.  You will need to pick your child up by 5:30 (NELC) or 6:00 (AYC).

The Alfond Center and the NELC work with One on One Tutoring, so if you would like your child to be tutored with us, just print out the form and fill in your child's information.  Unfortunately I can only upload images to blogspot, so you may need to right click and save the image in order to print out the forms  :-(

For George J. Mitchell students:

For Albert S. Hall students: