Powerful Parenting Celebrates Another Successful Series
Carla Gonsalves and her son, Eli, participate in this spring's Powerful Parenting workshop series.
Carla Gonsalves and her son Eli, participants in this Spring's Powerful Parenting workshop series.

"Powerful Parenting has transformed the way in which I communicate with my children. The workshop activities and discussions helped me to better understand my children and how to address each and every one of their needs without the battles and struggles that were once commonplace in our household. I'm so thrilled to have completed the course."
— Carla Gonsalves, Powerful Parenting graduate

Powerful Parenting, East End House's parenting technique workshop series for parents of children ages 0-4, graduated its spring class in May. Twenty-seven parents spent nine weeks learning strategies to develop a strong foundation for future learning in their children. The overall goal of Powerful Parenting is to increase parents' confidence, provide them with an ongoing support network of other parents and professionals at East End House, and give them concrete tools and strategies they can use to improve their interactions with their children for years to come. Preliminary survey results show that immediately following the course, 96 percent of parents have more confidence in their parenting abilities and 95 percent report strategies they learned have helped them become a better parent.

Stay tuned for the dates of the next Powerful Parenting series! For more information, please check out the FAQ sheet here.

Learning to Read with East End House's School Age Program
Sara Mann, School Age Program Group Leader, leads students in a directed reading.
Sara Mann, School Age Program Group Leader, leads students in a directed reading.

Studies have shown that literacy obtainment is one of the most important academic milestones of a student's career. East End House is committed to promoting literacy in at-risk children during pre-school and elementary school to close the achievement gap. The School Age Program has developed several new initiatives to engage children in kindergarten through 5th grade in new texts that excite their imagination. This spring, the School Age Program is holding a "Book Club" class for its youngest students. The class features a weekly book reading, arts and craft activity, and discussion. Sara Mann, a School Age Program Group Leader, is leading the class with new skills learned in a "Literacy Comes Alive; Teaching Literacy in Afterschools" training facilitated by ReadBoston. The training teaches afterschool teachers how to be more intentional during read aloud sessions. Reading becomes an even bigger focus during Summer Fun, where staff members work diligently to prevent summer learning loss. With a different literacy activity each day, including reading buddies, dramatic presentations, read aloud, and individual reading, Summer Fun promotes a love of reading in every child.

Spend the Summer with East End House

"Two-thirds of the ninth grade achievement gap can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities during the elementary school years."
— Alexander et al. 2007

Did you know students who take advantage of summer opportunities can start the next school year up to three months ahead of their peers? Children who don't take advantage of the summer can actually lose learning gains from the year before. Make the most of your child's summer, and sign up for one of East End House's summer programs!

Summer Fun (grades K-5) has openings on a week-by-week basis. Please contact Neal Waters at [email protected] or (617) 876-4444, for more information or to enroll. You can also check out the brochure.

The YO! Summer Program (grades 6-8) is enrolling Cambridge students for a full-time program at no cost. Contact Caitlin McCormick at [email protected] or (617)876-4444 for information or to enroll. You can also check out the brochure.

Beyond Superman: What Afterschool Programs and their Partners Contribute to STEM Education
A student from East End House's Middle School Program explains a science project to two members of the Cambridge School Committee at the STEM roundtable.
A student from East End House's Middle School Program explains a science project to two members of the Cambridge School Committee at the STEM roundtable.

On May 2nd, East End House's signature program, GENASAS (Generating and Evaluating New Adventures in Science After School), along with key partners, gathered caretakers and professionals in out-of-school time education and informal science learning to discuss what we can do beyond the school day to ensure a better future for our youth. The panel took place at the Broad Institute. Participants discussed what works in science education nationally and locally, and how afterschool programs, businesses, and schools can partner to improve achievement and engagement for all children. Check out notes from the roundtable here.

GENASAS in Action: Cambridge Science Festival Carnival!

Middle School Program students and staff strike a pose at this year's Science Festival Carnival.

Children and youth from East End House's School Age and Middle School Programs presented science projects at the Cambridge Science Festival Carnival this May. Our kindergarten-5th graders presented "Blubber Gloves," an experiment from their afterschool oceanography class. Children demonstrated how blubber works as insulation by putting their hands into cold water wrapped in mayonnaise-filled bags. They also brought a string measured to be the length of a blue whale, which stretched easily across the Carnival floor. The Middle School Program presented "Alien Operation," a game built by students that teaches about human diseases and electrical circuits. The Carnival lasted for four hours and our table had over 300 visitors.


A School Age Program student demonstrates the "Blubber Gloves" experiment at the Cambridge Science Festival Carnival.
Eighth Annual Cooking for a Cause is a Huge Success!
Celebrated chefs Dante deMagistris, Ken Oringer, and Jody Adams cook up a special auction item at this year's Cooking for a Cause.
Celebrated chefs Dante deMagistris, Ken Oringer, and Jody Adams cook up a special auction item at this year's Cooking for a Cause.

On April 1st, over 700 guests enjoyed amazing food and drink in the beautiful Plaza Ballroom of the Seaport Hotel during East End House's 8th Annual Cooking for a Cause. Culinary Chair Tony Maws of Craigie on Main and Wine Chair Bill Russell of Westport Rivers Winery were among the 41 chefs, bartenders and vendors who donated their time, products and talent to make this year's event the best yet. The evening featured delicious food and fabulous drinks, a moving testimonial about what East End House has meant to their family by Marie and Gamaliel Pinto, as well as an exciting live auction hosted by TV Diner's Billy Costa. Cooking for a Cause plays a vital role in sustaining and expanding the programs and services East End House offers to the community. Thank you to all the sponsors, volunteers and supporters who helped to make Cooking for a Cause a huge success!

Mark your calendars: next year's Cooking for a Cause will take place on March 30th, 2012.

newsletter_16Save the Dates

Annual Summer Block Party
8/17/2011
6:30PM-8:30PM

Join us for a BBQ, ice cream sundaes, games, face painting, balloon animals, live music, a moonbounce and more! All community members are welcome. Hope to see you there! For more information please call (617) 876-4444.

Weekly Playgroups
Every Tuesday
10:00AM-11:30AM

Bring your 0-5 year old for a fun morning of games, puzzles, and more. No need to sign-up, just drop by. Playgroups are a great way for parents and children to socialize. When weather permits, playgroups will take place in the East End House back garden. Snack is provided. For more information contact Camille Imbimbo-Platt at 617-876-4444 or [email protected].

Join the Sunrise
Senior Activities Program!

Every Monday & Wednesday
10:30AM-12:00PM

The Sunrise Senior Activities Program is open to all seniors. Under the direction of the new Director of Community Programs, Matt Brown, the group has lots of diverse and rich experiences planned for the summer months. Examples include musical performances, painting, museum trips, and shopping and lunch excursions. The Walking Club takes place on the same days from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. No need to sign up, just stop by! For more information, please contact Matt Brown at [email protected] or (617) 876-4444.

Crime Prevention Meeting
10/5/2011
6:30PM

Come meet your local police officers and neighbors at East End House. Sergeants Ford and Frammartino will share information about recent crimes and crime prevention efforts. Strategies and trends will be discussed.

Mark your calendars!
Ninth Annual Cooking for a Cause

3/30/2012

newsletter_19Volunteer &
Mentoring News

Mentor A Middle-Schooler
The East End House Mentoring Program is looking for volunteers to serve as mentors for youth in our Middle School After School Program. Contact Taryn at (617) 876-4444 or [email protected] for more information. You can also check out the Mentoring FAQ Sheet.

newsletter_32

East End House is looking for dedicated staff to fill a variety of positions. Check out the job descriptions below. If you have the skills and passion, send your resume and cover letter to [email protected].

AmeriCorps VISTA Will Help East End House Develop High School Programming

The Corporation for National Community Service has awarded East End House an AmeriCorps VISTA position to help research, design, and implement services for high school students. With some of the Middle School Program's students graduating from the program this year, there is an urgent need for the development of high school services. The AmeriCorps VISTA service member will help East End House identify the greatest needs of our students as they move into high school, map resources around the city of Cambridge, and design programs to best serve our youth. The VISTA award is a three-year position to help build agency capacity.

The AmeriCorps VISTA program consists of nearly 7,000 men and women across the country dedicating a year or more of service to fight poverty and make a positive impact on their communities. If you have any further questions or would like to apply for the AmeriCorps VISTA position, please contact Caitlin McCormick at [email protected].

Biogen Idec Foundation Continues To Fund Transformational Science Education Program

The East End House will receive continued support from the Biogen Idec Foundation's Transformational Grants in Science Education program to expand its GENASAS (Generating and Evaluating New Adventures in Science After School) program, which teaches young people to think, question, hypothesize, test and observe like scientists. The grant will help to nearly double the size of the program and begin to develop high school and career readiness programs. In all, the grant will fund participation by 125 students from Cambridge public schools. Low-income students represent more than 65 percent of those enrolled in East End House programs. In 2008, the East End House received a three year Transformational Grant for the GENASAS program.

"Because of the support of the Biogen Idec Foundation, we've seen some amazing changes in our youth: a boy with severe learning disabilities who excels among his peers in digital music composition; a girl who comes out of her shy shell to teach younger children about urban wildlife; a boy who is just learning English and is programming robots for the International Space Station. The Biogen Idec Foundation has helped to make all this possible and we are very grateful for their continued support in growing the scientists of the future."
— Michael Delia, President and Chief Executive Officer of East End House

Child Care Classrooms Ready for Learning

This winter, the East End House Toddler Program was awarded a furnishing and equipment grant through the Children's Investment Fund. The new equipment supports the teacher's efforts to plan an intentional curriculum with goals, teach routines to help set the tone for the day, and expand learning opportunities for the children. East End House is currently revising the curriculum in the Child Care Program to be more aligned with cutting edge research in the field. With this grant, the classroom space was completely redesigned to include a library/quiet area, active play area, messy area, sensory area and dramatic play area that will incorporate daily opportunities to meet the needs of all developmental domains.

Congratulations to Cooking For a Cause Culinary Chair Tony Maws!
Middle schoolers having fun at the Block Party
Tony Maws, pictured with his son Charlie, gives a tour of Craigie on Main restaurant to students from East End House's Middle School Program.

In early May, Craigie on Main's Tony Maws won the prestigious James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Northeast Award. Deemed the "Oscars of the food world" by Time magazine, the James Beard Foundation Awards are the country's most coveted honor for chefs; food and beverage professionals; broadcast media, journalists, and authors working on food; and restaurant architects and designers. A big congrats to Tony from the East End House!

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For more information about East End House, please visit our web site at www.eastendhouse.org.