/2010 West Point Schools Calendar

SAS Spring/Summer Lunch Menus

Technology Center
Youth Technology Labs are located in the Youth Center building 500 and School-age Services building 693. Each lab is equipped with 15 high speed Internet accessible computers for educational and entertainment purposes. We offer training, classes, and workshops in multi-media through digital photography, movie making, digital music and web design. There are two new Boys and Girls Club of America programs offered in both centers - RoboTech and ClayTech. These programs not only incorporate learning the steps involved in understanding these state of the art studies, but also guide students in the development of their own works of art. 

Each lab is currently being refreshed but will remain open during the time, with few interruptions. Some of the upcoming features will be a state of the art telescope, upgraded video editing capabilities, Anime production software and flat screen monitors. 

ClayTech. Claymation is a form of stop-motion animation that uses clay characters and props. This fun, hands-on introduction to animation will teach you to create storyboards, build characters, and film and edit your own movie. Even if you’ve never made a video, you can create your own claymation movie.

RoboTech. Robotics may seem difficult, but the most important thing to know about the RoboTech program is that it's easy, fun and anyone can do it! You can build and program your own robot using the simple steps of this program and a Lego Mindstorms kit.

The Club Tech Digital Arts Festivals are back! This year's theme is "The Nature of Design." Club members are asked to explore nature’s beauty to find what photographers, film makers, musicians and designers borrow from the natural world to create their art.
     Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) - School Age Services (SAS) partnerships with the BGCA; the mission of the BGCA is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and influence. BGCA is a safe place to learn and grow – all while having fun. This is truly the positive place for children.
SAS incorporates the following BGCA activities into the program:


  Culture of Character - This Club meets once a week and is based upon the book, The Virtues Project Educator’s Guide by Linda Kavelin Popov. The Virtues Project was honored by the United Nations during the International Year of the Family as a model global program for all cultures, and was featured on the Oprah Show as a method for teaching children to “do the right thing.” This guide offers a wealth of character awakening activities and ideas.


    Power Hour (Homework Assistance) - Power Hour occurs daily and is an educational enhancement program that helps with homework and finishing assignments and tutoring to gain proficiency in specific areas such as math or language arts. Power Hour is designed to raise the academic proficiency of club members ages 6 to12. We offer homework assistance daily throughout the day and keep many of the West Point School’s text books on hand.


       Triple Play - These Club programs help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress, appreciation for the environment, and social and interpersonal skills. Triple Play, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and Kraft Foods Inc., is a dynamic wellness program currently offered in BGCA that demonstrates how eating right, keeping fit, and forming positive relationships add up to a healthy lifestyle. The goal of the Triple Play program is to improve club members’ knowledge of healthy habits; increase the number of hours per day they participate in physical activities; and strengthen their ability to interact positively with others and engage in positive relationships.
Program components include:
• Healthy Habits Nutrition Curriculum  • Daily Challenges  • Sports Clubs  • Triple Play Games  • Social Recreation


   Sports & Fitness Instruction - A qualified fitness instructor provides Sports & Fitness instruction at SAS three times a week. The Sports & Fitness programs focus on fair play, teamwork, and inclusiveness. Sports, fitness, and health options are one of the four service areas; we also include BGCA activities as part of the sports & fitness curriculum. Children participate in recreation activities that will enrich their lives, and teach them important life skills through sports & fitness activities. Sports offer a great opportunity to teach values and foster self-esteem. All Sports & Fitness instruction is overseen by Child, Youth & School Services (CYSS) Sports & Fitness Director Brian Szeli.


  Sports Club – The Sports Club is for children who are interested in having fun and learning basic sports, skills, and games. This club emphasizes cooperation, teamwork, and sportsmanship. All skill and fitness levels are included and activities are geared towards the interests of the children.


    Healthy Habits - Designed for ages 6 to 15, the program aims to incorporate healthy living and active learning in every part of the club experience, Healthy Habits, which is also the “Mind” component of Triple Play: A Game for the Mind, Body and Soul, emphasizes good nutrition, regular physical activity, and improving overall well-being.


  4-H began around the beginning of the 20th century through the efforts of youth-oriented people in several areas of the United States. The “learning by doing” model came from the desire to make the education provided by public schools more available and relevant to youth living in rural parts of the country. In recent years the program has further emphasized its devotion to life skills development in youth, and does so through 4-H’s traditional hands-on learning approach. 4-H helps children to do better in school, learn to help others, and feel more capable and responsible. In settings like clubs, camps, after-school programs, and trips, the 4-H Youth Development program helps youth reach their fullest potential. Members have opportunities to connect to Cornell University, learn through hands-on activities, lead, be inspired, inspire others, and so much more.
SAS incorporates 4-H into the curriculum on a weekly basis. 4-H and Clover-buds each meet once a week. All of the youth and staff are registered 4-H members. Some of the many projects that we are working on this year include creating rockets, clocks, string art, gardening, and community service. Both long term and short term activities are included in the syllabus.

Cooking Club - SAS Cooking Club offers a unique program that teaches kids about cooking, kitchen safety, and nutrition. The club utilizes recipes brought in from home and includes ingredients from around the world. The club provides a quality fun kitchen experience for youth grades 1-5 with adult supervision.

  Journalism Club (Includes Newspaper, Photography, & Video) - The SAS Journalism Club meets once a week on Fridays. The children conduct interviews, write about current events, and take photos and videos of all the activities at SAS. This club puts out a newspaper on a monthly basis that is posted on the SAS FMWR website and is also available at the SAS front desk. 



Dramatic Play - Dramatic Play permits children to fit the reality of the world into their own interests and knowledge. During Dramatic Play, children are given the opportunity to use their imagination, to imitate, and to pretend to be someone or something else. It stimulates all areas of a child's growth and can in turn affect the child's success in school. Dramatic play has also been shown to enable children to be more flexible in new situations. Pretending allows children to transform real life, changing things from how they really are to how the child perceives them to be. The Dramatic Play room at SAS is equipped with a multitude of equipment. Children have access to building blocks, Lego pieces, dress-up clothes, a play kitchen, karaoke, music, and much more.

Multi-Purpose Room - This action packed room includes, but is not limited to, fitness videos, Wii Sports, Rock Band, Dance Dance Revolution, indoor bowling, and table-top games (pool, air hockey, and foosball). This area allows children to use their large motor skills on inclement weather days.

Quiet Area - The Quiet Area offers math, science, games, reading and writing opportunities in an environment that makes learning fun. This room is often used for 4-H, and other projects such as documenting the metamorphosis of caterpillars to butterflies, creating a biosphere habitat, growing a root-view, and building volcanoes.

Art - SAS offers art with the goal of enriching a child's knowledge of art while exploring a wide variety of materials. Children are encouraged to express themselves, emphasizing creativity and experimentation through age-appropriate projects, themes, and skills. A range of supplies and techniques are explored, including watercolor, tempera, mixed media, clay and acrylic paints, charcoal, and pencils. SAS incorporates a Scrapbooking Club into the art curriculum. SAS also includes several BGCA programs throughout the year. SAS participates in the annual BGCA National Fine Arts Exhibit. This competition encourages creativity through a variety of media. The art show is made up of local, regional, and national exhibits. The youths’ artwork will be on display at building 500. Pieces will be judged locally and the winning artwork will be sent to be judged on a national level.


Parent Involvement- Parent Advisory Board (PAB)-

Dear Patrons:

The PAB provides parents along with Child, Youth & School Services (CYSS) staff a chance to discuss current issues and disseminate information to the to the community. The board consists of CYSS employees and parents of the children who attend our program. At this time, CYSS is seeking a SAS representative. The board meets at 12:00 on the second Thursday of every month. As a member of the PAB, your role would include attending monthly meetings and volunteer periodically at SAS. The volunteer work could involve: helping with bulletin boards, chaperoning on trips, planning special events, encouraging volunteer assistance via bulletins, and explaining the program to other patrons. The meetings take place at the Child Development Center (CDC)/building 1207. Parents who participate earn credits for attending the meetings and for volunteer work; one credit is received for each meeting attended. When a total of five credits are earned, you receive 10% off of your monthly bill. If you would like to join the PAB or require additional information, please contact Lisa Watson at 845-938-0086 or Lisa.Watson@usma.edu.

Sincerely,
Lisa Watson

Lisa Watson
School Age Services Director
Child, Youth & School Services Division

Patron Participation- If your child is attending SAS and you don’t have the time to commit to the PAB the program could still benefit from your involvement. If there is a special skill or talent that you would like to share such as cooking, sports, dance… Or if you would like to volunteer to lead an activity such as 4-H or go on a field trip please feel free to contact us for further information: Lisa Watson at 845-938-0086 or Lisa.Watson@usma.edu.