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ACLAMO Family Centers Newsletter
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Providing our community with the services and skills for success
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APRIL 20131
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 | | Future architect, Daniella proudly displays her high-rise! |
From The Executive Director:
What do Dinosaurs, Dalis, and SpongeBobs have in common? They represent a month of diverse and dynamic educational programming at ACLAMO.Thanks to the help of area professionals, we are able to teach some difficult concepts in a fun, interactive manner. Maybe that's why our Family literacy program is still rated 2nd in the entire state of Pennsylvania!
Such results don't come easily. They require planning and they require funding. That's why we want to remind you that in a few weeks, ACLAMO will hold its 5th annual Faces of Hope benefit. On Thursday, May 9th from 8 until 9 AM we will have fabulous breakfast event at a local country club.
This gathering will be a celebration of our programs with highlights from our families, Mexican and Flamenco dancing, and inspirational testimonials. We will have many prominent politicians, businesses, and civic leaders present.
Our Faces of Hope is an invitation only event, so if you are interested in attending, please email us at: juang@aclamo.org or call us 610 235-7294. This year promises to be fun and inspiring. For more information Click Here.
Thank you!
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DINOSAURS COME TO ACLAMO
When volunteer Science, Technology, Engineering and Math presenter Rohit Dasgupta proposed that he would talk to ACLAMO students about the physical properties of polymers, there were some doubters on the staff who wondered how he would keep the attention of the children in ACLAMO´s after school program. A quick glance at the children´s faces in the photograph below, shows that Rohit is a born educator!
Using a combination of magically disappearing water and tiny dinosaurs, Rohit transformed the children into eager young scientists.
 | | Keyla and Greyce enter data. |
After hearing an explanation of
the expansive and contracting properties of polymers as demonstrated through the three-day experiment, the children divided into pairs and each team received one small plastic dinosaur. They carefully measured each dinosaur and entering their findings in workbooks, the teams placed them in a small plastic bag adding water. These were then carefully stored by teacher, Marla Benssy.
The following day after school, each team took their prehistoric specimens out of the bags and measured them for growth. Similarly, the dinosaurs were then carefully stored outside the bag until the last day of the experiment, when they were
again measured and the workbooks completed. The children marveled at the changing properties of their creations and learned a simple but valuable lesson on the effects of elements like wateron polymers.
Through this and other experiments, we want to show our future scientists how exciting chemistry can be. Rohit has promised to return,next time with Robotics!
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Wells Fargo Supports ACLAMO
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Juan Gonzalez is joined by Linda Maldonado, ACLAMO´s Director of Early Childhood Education, and Vince Luizzi, Wells Fargo´s Greater Philadelphia and Delaware Regional President.
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At a recent event, Juan Gonzalez, Wells Fargo Bank´s District Manager for Western Montgomery County presented ACLAMO with a $1,000 check, representing a grant given as part of the bank´s Community Partners program.
ACLAMO appreciates the confidence Wells Fargo has in our programs and in the tangible way the bank has expressed its support.
Collaboration with community minded businesses, such as Wells Fargo, is a key part of ACLAMO´s success.
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PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH HIGH SCHOOL HELPS WELCOME SPRING
Plymouth Whitemarsh Spanish teacher Richard Madel and the students in the Spanish Club were key players in providing toys to low income children of Norristown in December. They contributed 300 toys to the effort and helped at the distribution.
 | | Lizbeth holds still while Sierra paints. |
But they didn´t stop there. With the coming of warmer April weather, they organized a giant "Welcome to Spring" party for 39 ACLAMO children. From the moment the children filed off the school bus at the high school at noon until their 3:00 p.m. departure, they were enthusiastically entertained by Rich Madel, 10 members of the Spanish Club and one Plymouth Whitemarsh parent.
The children were divided into small groups, which moved throughout the party among seven craft stations, enjoying spin art, face painting, candy bingo, pin the petal on the flower, egg dying, cookie decorating (and sampling), and picture frame decorating. The children also went outside for a somewhat belated Easter egg hunt, after which they joined the Plymouth Whitemarsh students in romping across the spacious lawns around the high school.
 | | Kaiser shows his egg´s crazy face to his brother Keijy. |
ACLAMO values highly its partnerships with public and private schools, colleges, and universities. Dedicated friends in these institutions provide our Latino families with important encouragement, expertise, and positive role models in education.
¨What kind of school is this? ¨one boy asked. He was told that it is a high school. "Pretty cool," was the response.
Indeed it is!
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ANALYZE THIS!
ACLAMO students finished their homework quickly and then crowded into a classroom where they were greeted with a row of paintings by artists like Dali, Cezanne, Renoir, and Picasso - and a portrait of Frida Kahlo, whose characteristic features one child was able to identify, "Instead of two, she has one long eyebrow"!
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Children respond to Suzanne´s questions.
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As presenter Suzanne Marinell began, it was clear that she knew how to interest children. She asked members of her young audience to take turns selecting two paintings which seemed to go together.
It took some courage, but the first child cautiously moved forward to point out two paintings. After congratulating the girl on her selection, Suzanne asked why the paintings seemed to go together.
Using the child´s reasoning and then having other children make selections, Suzanne led the group through a fascinating discussion of the use of light, colors, subjects, and other aspects of painting which kept the children spellbound for 30 minutes.
This was the second time Suzanne has presented art in the ACLAMO program. She is a member of the Colonial Chapter of "Art Goes to School", an organization of 52 local chapters all within the Delaware Valley area. The mission of the group is to make art come alive for children.
Suzanne certainly is accomplishing that mission at ACLAMO!
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Personal Profile: Elvira Zuazo-Legido
"It´s SpongeBob!" a boy squealed in delight as he caught sight of the yellow character entering the preschool classroom at ACLAMO. And for the rest of the visit, it was hard to get him to stop talking about how much he loved SpongeBob!
But the visit really wasn´t about SpongeBob. Dr. Elvira Zuazo-Legido brought the puppet to help bring home to the children important messages about relating to one another and about the good and bad treatment they may receive from the adults around them. The children shared the things which made them feel good and feel bad. Then they took turns making SpongeBob feel happy by hugging him, but also telling SpongeBob "Stop", when they didn´t like what he was doing. When the entire class practiced shouting "Stop", it was so loud that the puppet may actually have heard them!
Following her time with the children, Dr. Zuazo-Legido spent time in the class for the mothers, explaining the lessons she had been sharing with the children and suggesting what parents could do at home to reinforce what the kids learned.
Elvira first came to ACLAMO when she was writing the dissertation for a doctorate in school psychology. As part of her work, she completed a five-year study of the performance of ACLAMO children compared with a group of ESL children in elementary school who may or may not have participated in pre-school. In addition to reaching the conclusion that ACLAMO children outperformed the others by significant margins, she became committed to the ACLAMO program and has been working with our children and parents ever since. Along with her work with children's safety, Elvira is now in the process of replicating her initial study for a more comprehensive ten-year period.
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ACLAMO celebrates its 36th year of providing economic, educational, health and cultural opportunities for low-income residents of Norristown and Pottstown, especially those of Spanish language heritage.
ACLAMO stands for Accíon Comunal Latinoamericana de Montgomery County, or Latin American Action of Montgomery County. ACLAMO is derived from the Spanish word "aclamar," which means "to acclaim."
ACLAMO Family Centers ACLAMO Family Centers
512 W. Marshall Street 515 Walnut Street
Norristown, PA 19401 Pottstown, PA 19464
610-277-2570 610-970-2134
aclamo.org
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