By Robb Schrimshaw | Grants Manager
Dear Friends:
The past few months have been a very active time for NAAF’s education staff as the District celebrated everything from Spring break to graduation, with a bunch of other fun stuff in between! The After School Program completed the transition from only providing program services to youth in GuVo, to now serving youth across the west end of the Nation, specifically the Districts of Hikiwan and Pisinemo, through the collaboration it kicked-off at the beginning of the year with San Simon School.
The program’s current enrollment stands at 25 students and is only expected to grow from there. To help promote the program NAAF implemented the “lial program” as a way for students to earn prizes for characteristics such as good behavior, being kind, being a good helper, etc. Each token the student earns has a characteristic on it to indicate why they earned the reward they did, in turn, students can trade in their rewards for small prizes/incentives or save them up for even bigger rewards.
As always, the After School Program’s weekly schedule consists of lessons that help promote STEM learning, teaching O’odham I:mig and prevention activities that focus on the students’ physical and mental well-being. For example, during this reporting period students built structures using blocks, straws and magnetic tiles, as well as made bottle/balloon rockets and mixed household items together to get a volcanic reaction. For the District’s littlest learners, programming continued at both learning sites with 10 students attending in GuVo and 10 attending through the Al Jek Recreation Center in the Ali Chugk community, as well as 1 additional learner participating remotely.
The highlight of this reporting period had to be the program hosting the 1st Annual Mini Rodeo at the Al Jek Recreation Center in Ali Chugk. The event played host to some special VIP guests as the reigning Tohono O'odham Nation Rodeo Queen and her 1st Attendant assisted in teaching the little ones about the Nations long and proud rodeo history. The event was a huge success and was a genuine joy for all who participated! A close second to the mini rodeo was the District’s young ones taking part in an event designed to celebrate the Month of the Young Child hosted by the Tohono O'odham Nation’s Head Start and Child Care Programs in the Nation’s capital city of Sells, Arizona. Held in April, the kiddos had such an awesome day with their friends enjoying festivities that included games, smiling faces, gifts and making memories that will be cherished for a long time to come.
In May, the year wound down with the program’s little ones celebrating culture and heritage week by making hasañ hats and hasañ silhouettes, before the focus turned toward “graduation.” As such, while sometimes all good things must come to an end, it does not always have to be a sad occasion as this year staff worked with the parents of eight “graduating” students who would be moving on to join their new peers in the After School Program in the fall of 2024. Weekly meetings were held over the previous two months to plan for a memorable event that culminated in a beautiful celebration for the District’s amazing Ce:Ce:m A’al who completed the early ed program! A wholehearted thank you goes out to all the partners, teachers, and parents who contributed to another successful year!
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By Robb Schrimshaw | Grants Manager
By Robb Schrimshaw | Grants Manager
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