After School Teacher, Wilson Community School

Posted by on September 03, 2012

AFTER-SCHOOL TEACHER @ Wilson Community School

Posted on: August 15, 2012

Posted by: Netter Center for Community Partnerships – University of Pennsylvania

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Wilson Community School

Wilson Community School is a partnership between Alexander Wilson Elementary School of the School District of Philadelphia and the University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) program operated by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania. Wilson Community School (WCS) staff is responsible for developing and coordinating all out-of-school-time (OST) programming at Alexander Wilson Elementary, including the After-School Program, Structured Recess Program, and the Summer Program. WCS has secured significant support from Public Health Management Corporation for its programming, and also works closely with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Now in its fifth year, WCS has quickly developed into a dynamic community school that provides quality programs which address the academic and social needs and interests of the scholars and families that we serve, and which is intricately integrated into Wilson Elementary School and the surrounding community.

The success of Wilson Community School lies in its commitment to living up to its name – to create a space where children, youth, and adults can come together in the spirit of community to explore what can be achieved and what is possible through education, service, and a sense of common purpose – and thus to truly become an institution made of, for, and by the community it serves. The program’s director and coordinators serve as liaisons between the school, the community, and out-of-school-time programs in a variety of ways, including: serving on the school’s Leadership Team and its subcommittees (Climate, Curriculum & Instruction, and Organizational Management); meeting with school-day faculty, administrators, and Penn partners to discuss the academic, social, and behavioral development of students; assisting in the development of school-wide initiatives, including the upkeep of the school garden and the implementation of the school-wide Positive Behavior Support Initiative; coordinating the various partners that work within the school, including Community School Student Partnerships, the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative, the University of the Sciences, and other organizations and individuals; and engaging parents and family members via the Community Advisory Board (comprised of WCS staff and parents/family/community members), individual family conferences, regular family meetings, parent workshops, and special events. WCS staff is comprised of community members, parents, students from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of the Sciences, and school-day faculty. WCS programming focuses not only on developing the academic and social skills of our scholars, but also on developing a sense of community and service amongst all who serve within or are served by WCS. Like its scholars, Wilson Community School is young and has much to offer. Like our scholars, our future is bright, with no limits on what we can achieve together.

http://www.idealist.org/view/job/35Hg32tM8Tpw4/