Windham Public Schools

“Last school year, I had a 5th grade student in my After School Program who was struggling a bit with reading,” says Desiree Parciak, Sweeney School’s Before & After School Site Coordinator. “In an effort to make this student comfortable attending a reading group with younger students, we invited her to be the role model of the group – sort of like a teacher’s helper. This arrangement increased the student’s self-esteem drastically. She quickly exceled academically in Mrs. Malan’s tutoring group, as well as socio-emotionally and behaviorally. Soon, she was confidently reading books like Dr. Seuss ‘Bartholomew and the Oobleck’ to all After School students.”

United Way directly funds Windham Public Schools’ Before & After School Programs, which allows our certified staff to provide more than 350 students in our district with tutoring and extra-curricular activities. “Thanks to United Way, our programs also allow students to gain valuable hands-on experiences. After reading the Oobleck book, students practiced their math and reading skills by carefully following directions and measuring materials to make their own gooey slime,” Ms. Parciak adds. “We all had tons of fun with this science lab, and everyone was very proud of their creations.”

-Windham Public Schools