NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE OF WORCESTER
Summer Program to be Inaugurated in Fitchburg
St. Paul Catholic Schools Consortium to collaborate with Fitchburg State College and
Boys and Girls Club
June 14, 2007, Worcester, MA – This summer, students who are residents of the Leominster, Fitchburg and Garner area will have a new option to spend their summer time. The St. Paul Catholic Schools Consortium is calling all kids entering grade 5 – 8 who love to play and want to learn something at the same time! Want to pretend you’re a detective? Throw a pass at the Patriots training camp? Try your hand at inventing the next coolest gadget? The St. Paul Catholic Schools Consortium is now accepting registrations for its six-week Math & Science Summer Enrichment Program to be held at Fitchburg State College. The Six weekly sessions will run from July 9 Through August 17 and the program is being run in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of North Central Massachusetts.
Each week will include field trips, computer labs, daily recreation including swimming and games, as well as the ongoing mentoring by certified and passionate teachers in small classes. Themes for each week include: Inventions, Astronomy, Living Organisms, Ecosystems, Detective Super Sleuth, and Consumer Math.
“The kids who sign up for this program are in for exciting times this summer,” according to Julianne Morin, director of the St. Paul Catholic Schools Consortium Summer Program. “We have planned so many activities and fun intertwined with a creative learning environment that I am sure they will feel the summer will come to an end all too quickly.”
The program fee is $100 per week. Students can sign up for one or more weeks or all six week-long sessions. The fee includes daily lunch and snacks and a weekly field trip. Tuition assistance is available for qualified applicants. For example, students who qualify for free or reduced lunch during the year can enroll at no charge. Students from the Gardner area will be shuttled to the program by bus from Sacred Heart School.
Built on the Massachusetts Math and Science Frameworks, this program is designed to challenge both advanced students and those who are having difficulty achieving Math and Science proficiency.
Funding to assist the program comes, in part, from a grant from the Department of Education for $26,358 and another grant from the National Catholic Education Association for $15,000, both of which were highly competitive grants. Additionally, the program is particularly grateful to Fitchburg State College for classroom, computer lab, gymnasium, and pool facilities and to the Boys and Girls Club of North Worcester County which will coordinate and provide afternoon recreational activities for program participants. This will include field trips to the beach and to the New England Patriots Training Camp.
According to Stephen Perla, Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Worcester, “reviewers who evaluated the grant proposals as well as the college and club officials recognized that this is a tremendous opportunity for these children to get a lot out of their summer break. Access to learning, fun, and socialization during the summer is critical for healthy children, regardless of their economic situation at home, and is possible thanks to these financial resources and in-kind donations.”
Registration forms can be downloaded from the Diocesan website at www.worcesterdiocese.org or by calling a parish school in the Consortium or by calling the Catholic Schools Office at 508-929-4317.