Maine’s Positive Story of the Day ~ Cape Cod Hill Community School, New Sharon ~
Cape Cod Hill Community School began implementing programs, activities and building community relationships during the late spring of 2023 and did a full implementation during the 2023-24 school year. We have been very fortunate to be the recipient of a Community School grant from the Department of Education again this year to continue to build upon the initiatives we started a year ago as well as establish some new programs and outreach opportunities for our students and families throughout the 2024-25 school year. We are working very closely with our new district home and school liaison as well as our First 10 grant coordinator to make even deeper connections with our families and the community.
We are very excited to be able to offer Before Care and After Care programs for our students and families each school day. We partner with several outside health agencies to be able to offer dental clinics, SNAP Ed classes, Gardening Classes, and Behavior Health services. Adult Ed classes have been held at the school on a monthly basis with the hopes this year to expand upon topics and classes we will be offering.
We have created a Food, Clothing, and Book pantry easily accessible to all families. We are fortunate to partner with a local food pantry service on a monthly basis to offer fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as canned goods and various non perishable items, and many toiletry items. Our clothing closet offers items from infant & toddler sizes through middle school. The books are arranged by level from our smallest “exploring” readers right up through middle school and beyond.
This fall and throughout the school year we are excited to offer several different after school clubs and activities for our students. These include: “Fit Girls”, “Stem Club”, “Children’s Musical Theater”, “Play Group”, and a variety of intramural sports opportunities. In conjunction with our First 10 grant we will be offering several “Play & Learn” groups for our youngest learners and their families as well as littles not yet enrolled in pre-school.
We have been fortunate to be able to offer a summer enrichment program the past two summers during the month of July. Each week had a different theme loaded with multiple opportunities for hands-on, interactive lessons. The program ended with a culminating celebration of all the fun learning that took place over the previous weeks.
This fall and throughout the school year we are excited to offer several different after school clubs and activities for our students. These include: “Fit Girls”, “Stem Club”, “Children’s Musical Theater”, “Play Group”, and a variety of intramural sports opportunities. In conjunction with our First 10 grant we will be offering several “Play & Learn” groups for our youngest learners and their families as well as littles not yet enrolled in pre-school.
We have been fortunate to be able to offer a summer enrichment program the past two summers during the month of July. Each week had a different theme loaded with multiple opportunities for hands-on, interactive lessons. The program ended with a culminating celebration of all the fun learning that took place over the previous weeks.
Finally, one of our bigger projects being envisioned for this year is the creation of a Community Center in our school called “The Bobcat Den” in which families and community members can access technology and other resources depending on needs and circumstances. This area offers our home-school families a place to relax while students are attending classes, informational brochures regarding resources for families, and easy access to our First 10 Grant Coordinator.
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