Published in the February 11, 2016 edition
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Enrollments in before school and after school programs continue to increase, Wakefield Academy Director Jeffrey Boyd told the School Committee this week. He provided a general overview of and status report on Wakefield Academy, which offers before and after school enrichment activities and experiences “to help promote children’s physical, intellectual, emotional and social growth.”
Boyd said that before school programs are offered at all elementary schools and the Doyle Early Childhood Center. The programs start at 7 a.m. and run until the start of the school day. Students do not have to be registered at Wakefield Academy to attend before school programs.
After school programs are offered at all elementary schools, the Doyle and the Galvin Middle School, Boyd said. Those programs start immediately after school and run until 6 p.m. (5:30 at the Doyle). Students do have to be registered to participate in after school programs.
Boyd told the School Committee that activities at the before and after school programs include homework support, athletics, arts and crafts, study time, playground/gym time and computer lab time. These programs are staffed by adults employed by the Wakefield Public Schools as well as high school students for additional support, Boyd noted.
He added that Wakefield Academy’s enrichment program has expanded from last year. He explained that a major reason for that expansion has been a partnership with the Wakefield Recreation Department. The Recreation Department has been able to offer several of its programs through Wakefield Academy. By partnering with the Recreation Department, Boyd said, Wakefield Academy has been able to offer students such programs as archery, fencing, karate and babysitting certification.
In addition, more Wakefield Public School (WPS) staff are running programs at their schools through Wakefield Academy than in years past.
At the elementary schools, these programs include drama, science, sports, dance, art, coding, yoga, robotics, cultural exploration, literature study and environmental study.
At the Galvin, WPS staff members are offering programs in homework support, intramural sports, strength training and conditioning, chess, TV media, art, cake decorating and cultural exploration.
Boyd noted that Wakefield Academy in the past has had limited involvement at the high school. But this year, Boyd said, Wakefield Academy has launched several extracurricular clubs for students interested in engineering, fashion, archery and gardening as well as clubs for students interested in languages such as Italian and Spanish. The Academy has also funded a “mindfulness” program, Boyd said, run by two WMHS teachers to help students develop strategies to cope with anxiety, regulate emotions, improve focus and reduce stress.
Boyd also told the School Committee about planned Wakefield Academy programs for school vacation weeks and for summer break.
Boyd reviewed the crisis protocols that he has developed for each school’s extended day programs. He said that those protocols are currently being reviewed by each school’s crisis team.
Boyd said that as a leader of the district-wide Crisis Team, he has been attempting to address a need for better communications systems at each school, especially outside of the regular school day. He said that once regular school staff leaves for the day, it can often be difficult for parents to reach someone in the after school program that their child is attending.
He said that a previous effort to address this issue via school-issued cell phones fell short due to variations among carriers in coverage and signal reception at different schools. Boyd said that his current effort to develop a better system is still in its early stages as he does assessments at each school building. Once that is done, Boyd said that he would form a task force of administrators and work with the district’s IT departments and Wakefield Police to implement a communication system that ensures the safety of all students.
School Committee members had praise for the job Boyd has done with Wakefield Academy since his appointment as director.
“You have taken Wakefield Academy to another level in a very short time,” Thomas Markham said.
