Free Summer REACH program offered at OMCS

The following is the tenth in a series of Odessa File columns from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County relating to ongoing CCE educational activities and offerings.

By Melinda Brewster,
O-M REACH Program Coordinator

There is never a dull moment when kids come to the Summer REACH program. Five schools (Odessa-Montour, Watkins Glen, Spencer-Van Etten, Waverly Middle and Waverly Elementary) in the OMCS 21st Century Community Learning Center Consortium will be offering free summer programs, similar to the format that they provide during the school year’s after-school programs, through the concerted partnerships with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Schuyler and Chemung Counties.

Here at OMCS we will be offering a five-week Summer REACH program from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays from July 8th-August 9th, followed by the local joint municipality’s four-week O-M Summer Rec program on Mondays through Fridays from 1-4:30 p.m. July 15th-August 9th, located in the Hanlon Elementary School. Families who live in the school district can choose to separately enroll their kids in just one or both free programs. The Summer REACH program services students going into 3rd through 8th grades, while the Summer Rec program services students coming out of kindergarten through 6th grade. Busing is available for REACH only.

Food Bank of the Southern Tier offers a free breakfast from 9:00-9:30 a.m. and lunch from 12:15-1:00 p.m. for the families participating and the community in the Hanlon cafeteria. During the four-week overlap, the Kids’ Farmers Market will also be offering free produce on Wednesdays from 12 noon-1:00 p.m. by the Triple Door Entrance in front of the auditorium.

This summer’s REACH program, called COOL Kids, is focused on Citizenship. Students will explore how to help their family, community and planet through service projects while focusing on a different basic element of life each week: Earth, Water, Air, Fire and the 5th Element -- the Family/Friends Support System. REACH kids rotate through three fun project-based hands-on learning classes: ELA/Math Enrichment, STEM Enrichment and Adventure Based Learning Fitness.

Some of our projects will be on Drones, Rockets, Robotics, NASA, Cooking, Gardening, Drama Production, Wood Burning, and Clay Sculpting. Each week will end in a Field Trip or Friday Fun Day with opportunities for parent/family involvement and engagement.

Our goal at O-M REACH is to cultivate Responsible, Empowered, Aspiring, Centered, Healthy kids by reaching out to the whole family. If you would like information about any of the consortium’s summer or after-school REACH programs, please feel free to contact Melinda Brewster by email at mb2547@cornell.edu or by texting to (607) 333-5965.

Photo in text: Melinda Brewster (Photo provided)

*****

For the first column in this series, click here.
For the second column in this series, click here.
For the third column in this series, click here.
For the fourth column in this series, click here.
For the fifth column in this series, click here.
For the sixth column in this series, click here.
For the seventh column in this series, click here.
For the eighth column in this series, click here.
For the ninth column in this series, click here.

*****