How do I know if my child was accepted into the program?
A letter of acceptance will go home with your child and will inform you of their start date. Students will be accepted based on the order in which their application was received, on the recommendation of school day staff, and on the students' need for additional academic support.
Where can I tell my child to report to the After School Program at the end of their school day?
SAMS: All students should report to the Cafeteria after the last bell.
MCSS: All MCSS students will go out onto the playground and wait until they are called in for an afternoon snack.
North El: All N. El students will be called down to board the shuttle bus to go to Bloomfield Elementary.
BES: All BES students will be dismissed to the gym/cafeteria at the end of the day.
What are the drop-off locations for the buses?
Please refer to the 'Bus Drop Off Points' link on the left.
It is important to talk with your child about following bus rules when riding the after-school bus. Riding the after-school bus is a privilege and students that aren’t able to follow bus rules will no longer be able to ride and parents will be required to provide transportation for continued participation in the program.
What do I do if I need to change my child’s drop-off location later in the year?
You can call the program director to make changes to your child’s drop-off location or to add them to the bus drop-off schedule.
Can I pick my child up after the program? If so, what time?
Yes, you can pick up your child after programming at 4:30. Unless there is an extenuating circumstance, such as an appointment, your child is expected to stay until the 4:30 dismissal time.
If you regularly pick up your child from the program and need your child to take the bus home, please email or call your child’s site coordinator and inform them of the need so that they can let the bus garage know.
If your child normally takes the bus home and you are planning to pick your child up, please notify your child’s site coordinator by no later than 3:30 p.m.
How will I know if there is a cancellation?
If school has been dismissed early or if there is a storm day, there will be NO After School Program. As for any other regular day and a cancellation needs to be made, a swift alert will be sent out. Please refer to the monthly Calendar tab on the left. (If there is no school, there is no After-School Program.)
How do I communicate with the staff any questions or concerns?
Please email your child’s site coordinator or the program director with any questions or concerns.
What if my child takes medications or uses an inhaler or EpiPen?
Please note that we will not be responsible for medication storage or administering medications. The R.E.A.C.H. After School Program will not have a nurse on staff and therefore, we will not have access to the school health center, nor to your child’s medication, inhaler or EpiPen that is kept at your child’s school. For all medical emergency situations, our staff will call 911 for medical treatment. For all other non-medical emergencies i.e. scrapes and bruises, a trained staff member will administer first aid. If you have a concern about your child and how we can best support them, please contact the Program Director for further discussion.
What does a typical afternoon look like?
Each site will differ slightly as our site coordinators will design programming to best match the age group served at each site, however, these are the basic components of each program site.
- A healthy super snack provided by the Child Nutrition Program
- Homework Club - Your child’s teacher can sign them up for extra tutoring time to have extra teacher support in an area that your child might be struggling in that week.
- Physical activity - This will vary greatly from free play on the playground to structured time such as weekly yoga/mindfulness club, outdoor club, trail walks, participating on our challenge course, to team building cooperative activities.
- Educational and Cultural Enrichment Activities - These will vary greatly as well, however, site coordinators will work with classroom teachers on bringing out learning objectives from each grade and creating project-based, hands-on activities or weekly clubs to further enrich your child’s learning!
When does the after-school program run?
The after-school program will run starting September 18th and will run until June 13th. We will be open Monday through Thursday from 2:30-4:30 on days that your child has a full day of school. We will not operate the after-school program on holidays, school vacation days, early release days, or snow days. Our end date will be determined by school cancellations, however, at this point, it is scheduled to end on June 13th.
What if my child can’t attend every day?
We encourage our students to participate every day but understand that that is not always possible. If you know that your child will not be able to attend certain days please let your child’s site coordinator know. We do require your child to regularly attend at least 2 days a week so that they can get the most out of our program. If your child plays sports and there will be an extended time period that they will not be able to regularly attend, please let our site coordinators know. All SAMS club participants need to sign up for at least two days of clubs. Robotics and theater meet two days a week, all other clubs meet one day a week.
How can Parents/Guardians become involved?
Parents are always welcome to become volunteers for the program. If you would like to volunteer time to your child’s program, please contact the Program Director for a volunteer application. Parents will also be able to participate once a month with our after school programs during Parent Night. We will send notes home inviting you to these events each month. Attending these events will be a great way to keep informed about our program, learn fun and new activities to do with your child at home, and to also participate in parent groups that will be hosted by our community partners!
What your child will need to have to be successful in the after-school program:
- An enthusiasm for learning, lots of energy and a willingness to participate!
- Closed-toe shoes, preferably sneakers.
- Weather-appropriate clothing, especially as the weather gets colder
Please reach out to the program director if you need assistance with providing these items for your child’s participation.
Will my child be going on any field trips?
From time to time, your child’s after-school program may go to a different location other than their center site. When you signed your child up for the program, you signed permission for them to go on field trips. If your child’s program is scheduled to go on a field trip outside of Skowhegan, then we will send a separate field trip form home with further information and for you to sign. There will be times that your child may ride a bus or walk to a location in town to participate in a planned activity and those will be mentioned in our monthly calendars.
Is there a way for me to know what my child has been doing in the after-school program?
Each month, R.E.A.C.H. After School Program will send home a newsletter detailing the exciting activities and events that your child has been able to participate in. The newsletter will include our next month’s calendar.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact:
Dawn Fickett
Program Director
R.E.A.C.H. After School Program
155 Academy Cir., Skowhegan, ME 04976
21st Century Community Learning Center
Office: (207) 474-3339 ext. 2254
Cell: (207) 431-1920
Relationships Education Aspirations Community Health