Afterschool Program

MISSION STATEMENT

It is our mission to enhance students’ abilities to succeed in college, leadership, and life by providing students and families opportunities to explore their passions, become better prepared for college, and engage intellectually and socially on a level that is unable to be reached during the regular school day.

WHAT IS ASES?

In addition to opening our campuses very early in the morning, PUC Schools is proud to offer our students the opportunity to participate in our comprehensive after school programs. The After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program is the result of the 2002 voter-approved initiative, Proposition 49. This proposition amended California Education Code (EC) 8482 to expand and rename the former Before and After School Learning and Safe Neighborhood Partnerships Program. The ASES Program funds the establishment of local after school education and enrichment programs. These programs are created through partnerships between schools and local community resources to provide literacy, academic enrichment and safe constructive alternatives for students in kindergarten through eighth grade (K-8). Funding is designed to: (1) maintain existing before and after school program funding; and (2) provide eligibility to all elementary and middle schools that submit quality applications throughout California. PUC Schools has adopted the ASES acronym to represent it’s after school program at all its participating schools.

ELIGIBILITY

The PUC ASES Afterschool Program is available to any and all kindergarten through eighth grade students who are currently enrolled in one of the PUC Schools. There is no cost to attend the ASES Afterschool Program. For information on enrollment, contact the site coordinator at your school site.

If we:

1. Align after school curriculum and instruction with the regular school day focus standards.
2. Provide on-going professional development on standard based instruction, student data, disguise learning and youth development.
3. Continuously recruit and hire staff members with diverse talents and experience.
4. Work in partnership with parents and community members.

And

1. Provide students a safe, healthy and attractive learning environment.

Then we can:

1. Develop a student focused after school program that meets the diverse academic and social needs of all students.
2. Provide additional opportunities for content standard mastery for far below basic, below basic
   and basic students.
3. Expose our students to possible career occupations at an early age.

PROGRAM ELEMENTS

The ASES Grant requires that all grantees provide a program that is aligned with, and not be a repeat of, the content of the regular school day and other extended learning opportunities in a safe physical and emotional environment. Each school has an after school program that is built customized to the interests of the students and staff of each school. However, all schools have the following elements in common:

1. Academic Enrichment: In addition to receiving tutorial opportunities by PUC classroom teachers, students who are enrolled in the PUC ASES Program also receive supplemental instruction in one or more of the core academic subjects (reading/language arts, mathematics, history and social studies, or science). Each lesson is designed to reinforce previously introduced skills.
2. Physical Activity: Students are involved in regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes. Activities are based on the California Physical Education Framework and the California Physical Education Standards. The goals of this component reflect the three goals set forth in the California Physical Education Framework, which are:
   Goal 1: Movement Skills and Movement Knowledge (Exercise)
   Goal 2: Self-Image and Personal Development (Feeling Better About Oneself)
   Goal 3: Social Development (Learning to Work Together)
3. Homework Assistance: Students will have an opportunity to start/complete assigned homework in accordance with PUC grade level guidelines on appropriate homework time increments. Students are placed in groups of no more than 20 students. The after school program does not guarantee that all homework will be completed.

LEARNING IN AFTERSCHOOL & SUMMER (LIAS) ASES PROGRAM AT PUC SCHOOLS

1. Learning that is Active: Learning and memory recall of new knowledge is strengthened through seeing, hearing, touching, and doing. Afterschool & Summer program activities should involve young people in doing activities that allow them to be physically active, stimulate their innate curiosity, and that are hands on and project based.
2. Learning that is Collaborative: Afterschool & summer programs should help young people build team skills that include listening to others, supporting group learning goals, and resolving difference and conflict. Collaboration learning happens when learners engage in a common take where each individual depends on and is accountable to each other.
3. Learning that is Meaningful: Learning is meaningful when students have some ownership over the learning topic, the means to access their own progress, and when the learning is relevant to their own interest, experiences, and the real world in which they live. Community and cultural relevance is important to all students.
4. Learning that Supports Mastery: If students are to learn the importance and joy of mastery, they need the opportunity to learn and practice a full sequence of skills that will allow them to be really good at something . Afterschool & summer activities should be explicitly sequenced and
   designed to promote the layering of new skills.
5. Learning that Expands Horizons: Afterschool & summer programs should provide learning opportunities that take students beyond their current experiences and expand their horizons. Students will commit to uplift their communities through activities that embedded in the Afterschool and Summer programs (PUC Commitment 3).

We are updating our goals as part of our continuous quality improvement process.