Hello Winter!
We had our first snow day today but it had been snowing on previous days as well, to the delight of our One Planet after school students. Of course, it takes longer for us to take all these impatient adventurers outside as we have to go over the check list of hats, gloves, etc. In the early days of cold and snow, there are always runs to the classrooms for forgotten said items or to the nurse's office to borrow some.

Once we are outside, the glee is contagious! We all smile remembering our own childhood days of sledding, snowman building, snow eating, no matter what adults tell us, and not minding snow all over us, unless it goes down our backs. And so we teachers gladly participate in the fun:)

This has been a nice start to our Session II offering some new exciting and enriching programs, such as:

• International drumming with our music teacher Holly Mugford
• Tinkering with Robert Eddy
• Outdoor class/cooking with Amy Braun
• and our ongoing popular Spanish Fiesta with Marcela Carroll

We had a field trip in November and another one last Friday. The first one was at the Head over Heels gymnastics place in Rutland and as expected, children enjoyed all that tumble, rope swinging, trampoline jumping and balance beams and went home tired but all that exercise was good for them!

Last Friday was a very busy day as we first went bowling to Randolph, always popular place with kids. They all asked for no bumpers and did very well. We were all glad that pizza was included in the program as soon after we came back to Rochester, the little ones (grade preK-2) performed at the Pierce Hall as part of the annual Starry Night. Even after such a busy day, they sang and danced beautifully! They all looked very festive and happy! 

Happy Holidays from One Planet!

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween.
Rochester afterschool kids talked about their costumes and parties for weeks prior to the day! It was fun to see their excitement. They even made their own "one day" costumes one rainy day when we decided to do arts and crafts, using our own materials and kids' imagination. Check this out:

And while the weather is still nice, we spend at least 20 minutes outside, more on Fridays when we go to the skate park to ride our new scooters - we got a couple of new ones recently. This has been a favorite outside activity lately. Once winter comes and the skate park will become ice skating rink we are going to offer ice skating session. We did it two winters ago and all the children loved it! We provide ice skates so it makes it much easier for parents. We will also go sledding.

On Friday, October 28th, the whole staff from Rochester and other sites attended an all day Afterschool Conference at Stoweflake. It offered many informative, hands-on workshops with lots of ideas and solutions we will be able to apply in our program.

Starting November 1st, Ryan Veilleux is joining our staff as a full time head teacher. He has been working as a substitute for Rochester School for about 3 years with the last year working full time as a para educator in the first grade classroom. He is a great addition to our program and we are happy to have him. The kids are really excited!

another week at One Planet

We were fortunate to have had nice weather all last week which allowed us to have our after school children play outside every day, something that they always ask for. It allows them to unwind after a long day and reap the benefits of fresh healthy Vermont air while admiring the beauty of this fall's magnificent foliage.
The students never cease to enjoy playing at the playground and the newest fun and learning activity is playing basketball, a lot of times with their "older friends". Over the last couple of weeks, they learnt a lot of valuable basketball moves but what they like most is to be able to interact with high school students, one of the great benefits of a small school.

While inside, we continue offering the students great programs. They have lots of educational fun during Spanish, learning songs, dances and making pinatas - they helped make those used during the Fall Celebration Day! Mrs. Carroll sure keeps them hopping - they come back ready for some quiet activities like playing legos, games, reading and doing crafts.

Yoga is another way to help our children unwind and relax. They have learned quite a few poses by now! They have also been helping using herbs to make healthy teas and bath salts. I am pretty sure their parents like the samples the children (and teachers) take home. I sure did!

During art, the children have been painting rocks, which will be displayed around school, joining the others that are already adorn

ing our pathways.

Minds in Motion, using STEM elements, is another favorite as it once again takes the children outside to explore our beautiful nature and all it has to offer.

Fridays are the days we all look forward to and here at One Planet, we listen to children's choices of programming. Most of the time they vote for scooter riding and when it's get cold and wet, I have some ideas to present, Polish cooking being one of them - I am pretty sure the children will like kneading the dough for pierogi:)

I need to mention here that One Planet offers healthy snacks (we are on the same food plan as the other sites, all fresh ordered weekly by Sally in Bethel).

All in all, things are going great!

Click here for the schedule.

Rochester One Planet Afterschoool program offers interesting and exciting activities for children who would like to participate in something fun and educational after school hours. It is open to all children K-5, both to all who sign up for a whole session and to those who would like to drop in any given day as long as we have their permission/medical records on file.

We try to offer as much outside time as possible and this is what our schedule normally looks:
2:45 - we meet at the end of the Elementary School hallway, by the library
3-3:30 - outside play/sports, weather permitting
3:30-4 - nutritious snack and homework
4-5 - enrichment program (Session I description below)
5-5:30 - choice time: legos, transformers, board games, coloring, reading, crafts

Session I Enrichment Program schedule:
Monday - Feel Better with Yoga and Herbs: Alexis Houston explores benefits of a basic and consistent yoga routine each week highlighting one pose that compliments the herbal tonic we will prepare. As each week progresses students will work on our Healing with Herbs books, identifying each herb, drawing it and listing its properties.

Tuesday - Spanish Fiesta: In this exciting new class students will explore the culture, traditions, language and art of the Spanish culture. Activities will include games, dancing, physical activity, cooking and more.

Wednesday - Minds in Motion: Shawn Lenihan returns to after school this fall with STEM focused class that gets kid learning and connecting with nature. Students will spend lots of time outside exploring our fields, forests and the creatures of Vermont and the critters that live there.

Thursday - Fall into Artworks: Using fall as a focus, students can create art based on natural inspirations. Leaves, autumn colors, wood that is beginning to appear again, all can be utilized. Activity will include ceramics, drawing, painting and forming creations with natural materials.

Friday - Student/Staff Led Programming: One Planet strives to make sure that we provide choice and listen to student voice. Therefore we feel it is important to provide a day a week, when possible to provide the students room to explore other areas where they have an interest or a passion. Whether individually or as a group students get to do some programming their way!

Please contact Jola Labejsza, Site Coordinator at jlabejsza@wrvsu.org, calling 767-3161 x 3149 or stopping by the One Planet room (visitors are always welcome!) to learn about our fee policy and procedure.