<![CDATA[Prodigal Son Foundation - Blog]]>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:28:42 -0700EditMySite<![CDATA[August 07th, 2019]]>Wed, 07 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.psfnow.org/blog/plan-a-trip-and-begin-an-adventure<![CDATA[Community Learning Center’s Parent Handbook]]>Mon, 11 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.psfnow.org/blog/community-learning-centers-parent-handbookThe Prodigal Son Foundation Community Learning Center’s Parent Handbook 

This handbook is designed to give parents and guardians a helpful insight into the After School Program offered by the Prodigal Son Foundation.  It includes detailed information about After School Program activities, procedures, and policies. Please read this handbook carefully and keep it in a safe place for easy reference during the school year.

The After School Program strives to provide an atmosphere where students can enjoy, grow, and learn. The staff always welcomes suggestions and ideas that will help us to make your student’s time at the After School Program beneficial and rewarding. We encourage you to share your thoughts and ideas with us at anytime.
Many thanks go to the Nathaniel Alexander Elementary School for their ongoing commitment to the After School Program and for housing the Program, to the staff of the After School Program for their energy and the outstanding job they do with the students each and every day, and to the parents and guardians of the students in the After School Program for their continued support and encouragement. The students benefit greatly from the many special qualities contributed to the After School Program by so many wonderful and caring people!

We are committed to strengthening the community and developing productive leaders, for the future by empowering, educating, and engaging students and families.

Best regards,

Leroy L. Wray
Leroy Wray, President

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION

For concerns about your student, questions about schedules, policies, staffing, a change of pickup information, or a pickup delay, please call

Jaime Lisi  – 704-724-7641- jaimelisi@outlook.com
Nicole Nederlk – 585 746-5897, Nicole.nederlk@cms.k12.nc.us
Lowen Wray – 704-996-4447, lwray357@yahoo.com

Follow us on twitter @ ProdigalSon and @PSFnow
Facebook @ Prodigal Son Foundation

THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

The purpose of the program is to establish 21st Century Community Learning Center programs that provide students with academic enrichment opportunities along with activities designed to complement the students’ regular academic program. 21st Century Community Learning Center offers families of participating students educational development opportunities. The center provides a range of high-quality services to support student learning and development.

The After School Program is located at the Nathaniel Alexander Elementary School and has been in operation for seven years.

Our outstanding staff is comprised of certified elementary school teachers, college students, and assistants.  During the year, the Program also works with independent artisans and educational services. Background checks are performed on all staff members and vendors employed by the Program.

The After School Program serves more than 65 students per day. Our operating policy for the After School Program maintains a maximum staff/student ratio of one to fifteen in each program.

Parents with students enrolled in the After School Program, and who have a background check on file at the After School Program, are welcome to visit us at any time. Prospective parents may visit the Program by contacting the Program Director to schedule an appointment.

ADMISSION PROCEDURES

Once a student is admitted to the After School Program, that student will be given priority placement in the following year’s After School Program.  Once registration has opened to the public, families who have not returned a registration form are no longer given priority placement in the Program for the following year.

SCHEDULE OF OPERATION

On regular school days, the After School Program operates from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.  Monday – Thursday. Parents are required to pick up their student from the program site only between 5:30pm -6:00pm. Early and late pick up will affect student attendance and/or the ability to remain in the After School Program. 

No School Day

The Program operates on the Charlotte Mecklenburg School schedule and is not open if Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools are closed for half day professional developments, snow, observed holiday, or religious holiday. The After School Program will be closed whenever Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools are dismissed early due to inclement weather or whenever there is an unexpected event that impacts the safe use of our site.

In order to ensure the safety of your student, please be sure to send a written note to your student’s teacher detailing the days that your student will be attending the After School Program. This will help us to ensure that each student arrives safely at the After School Program on the days he or she is scheduled to attend.

Evening pickup is at the bus lot of the Nathaniel Alexander Elementary school.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

The safety of each student is paramount to the staff of the After School Program. If a student will not be attending the After School Program as scheduled, it is essential that the student’s parents send an email or text message to Jaime Lisi or Nicole Nederlk to report the student’s absence from the Program. To avoid miscommunication, please be sure to report the absence.

Check-in Procedures

When a student who is scheduled to attend the After School Program does not arrive, and the Program has not received an absence call from the student’s parents, we will institute an immediate search.

An unexcused absence will initiate the following actions:
  • The school will be called to see if the student was absent or dismissed from
  • The home will be called.
  • The parents will be called at work.

Parents Responsibilities: 
  • Check and sign student’s homework folders daily
  • Read with your students daily
  • Communicate with school teachers and tutors and weekly basics
  • Attend 4 parent hall meetings.
  • Volunteer throughout the year at the after school program or the student’s school.

Student Responsibilities
  • Attend 80% of the program from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • Follow directions the first time they are given.
  • Respect the rights and property of others.
  • Use appropriate and safe movement.

PROGRAMMING

The After School Program strives to meet each student’s need for physical and intellectual activities through a carefully designed schedule of educational, enrichment, and recreational programs. Throughout the school year, students are offered a variety of activities.

Homework Policy

The After School Program focus is enrichment and literacy instruction. Completion of homework is not a focus and will not occur everyday.  During our homework time staff members are available to supervise the homework area and to assist the students with their work, however, a student who needs individual help with his or her homework must ask. Because of the number of students who require assistance during homework time, the staff members are unable to check each student’s homework for accuracy or provide the type of one-on-one homework help that is available from a private tutor. Although we encourage the all students to do their homework when it is assigned, using the time set aside to complete homework is the responsibility of the student.

Snacks/ Dinner

Juice and snacks are provided for our students. If your student has any food allergies, dietary restrictions, or prefers different or additional food, please feel free to send a snack to school with your student.

Health and Fitness 

Students who attend the After School Program can expect to spend a minimum of 20 minutes of physical fitness during the day. Outdoor play will be cancelled due to precipitation, icy ground conditions, temperatures below 20 degrees, or excessive wind or heat.

Telephone Use by Students

The staff will be happy to convey messages to students when necessary but it is not possible students to make or receive telephone calls at the After School Program. Parents are welcome to call the After School Program at any time to speak to the Director or Instructional Coordinator about questions or concerns regarding their student.

Accidents or Acute Illness

In the event of an accident or acute illness, every effort will be made to notify the student’s parents and physician prior to treatment. If a situation requires immediate attention, 911 will be called and the student will be transported to the hospital by ambulance.

Clothing Requirements

Students can expect to play outside year-round. Warm clothing, hats, gloves, and waterproof boots are necessary for the winter months.

BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT POLICY

Students and staff of the After School Program are asked to treat each other with respect, tolerance, kindness, and consideration. The rules and behavior expectations utilized by the After School Program will be explained to the student clearly and reinforced in a consistent manner.

Students will be given reminders and redirection in order to encourage positive behavior. A student who is unkind verbally will be asked to apologize. A student who uses supplies or equipment inappropriately will be restricted from using the supplies or equipment for a short period of time. Any activities where participants purposely exclude another student will not be allowed.

When a student is disruptive or needs time to regain self-control, he or she will be removed from the group. Time out periods will last approximately three to five minutes and will not exceed fifteen minutes. After a time out, the teacher and student will discuss behavior options before the student returns to the group.

Under no circumstances will a student be subjected to neglect, physical punishment, verbal abuse, or denial of restroom facilities. Parents will be notified if a student exhibits unusual emotional or physical behavior that threatens the wellbeing of the student or others in the After School Program.

If a student has specific behavior issues, every effort will be made to implement a behavior management program consistent with efforts being made at the student’s home and school. If a student’s behavior indicates that the Program is not able to meet his or her needs, the Program Director will contact the student’s parents to arrange a meeting. A parent or staff member may also request a meeting. With the parent’s permission, school staff, and other professionals providing services to the student may be asked to attend the meeting.

Within ten days of the meeting, in keeping with the conclusions of the meeting, an action plan will be developed that establishes reasonable, attainable objectives for the student. A copy of the plan will be given to the staff and to the student’s parents. A log will be kept of the student’s progress.

If the Program Director feels the Program cannot accommodate the needs of the student, or if the objectives established for the student are not met, the Program reserves the right to terminate the student’s participation in the Program with two weeks notices.

Any student who does not accept the physical boundaries of the Program, or exhibits behavior that threatens his or her wellbeing, or the wellbeing of others, is subject to dismissal without notice. Any inappropriate behavior by a parent, including verbal abuse of a student or staff member, or confrontations with staff members in the presence of a student, is grounds for termination of the family’s participation in the After School Program without notice. A suspension or termination decision may be appealed by contacting the President.

COMMUNICATION

The After School Program maintains an open door policy. Please feel free to direct questions or concerns related to any facet of the After School Program to the Program Director at any time.

Any questions regarding policies, staffing, activities, or a student’s participation in the Program may be directed to the Program Director.

In a concern involving a staff member arises; please speak directly to the staff member involved. If the matter cannot be resolved directly with the staff member, the Program Director and Instructional Coordinator will meet with the staff member and arrange a meeting with the staff member and parent to discuss and resolve the concern.

The first priority of the staff is to focus as much attention as possible on the student. In order to meet the needs of the student and the staff during Program hours, we ask that parents limit their conversation with After School Program staff members to subjects involving their student. The Instructional Coordinator or Program Director are available to answer all other questions that arise. Please feel free to call us at any time.
]]><![CDATA[Boys Read Better When There Are More Girls in Class, Study Finds]]>Tue, 14 Nov 2017 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.psfnow.org/blog/boys-read-better-when-there-are-more-girls-in-class-study-finds​Having more girl classmates may help boys and girls alike boost their reading skills, according to a new study in the Journal of School Effectiveness and School Improvement.

Finds http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2017/11/boys_read_better_when_there_ar.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2-rm&M=58274248&U=2545718 via @educationweek]]><![CDATA[Parent Teacher Conference Time!]]>Sun, 08 Oct 2017 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.psfnow.org/blog/parent-teacher-conference-time​This month’s post is from the Marshall Memos

(Originally titled “Parent-Teacher Conferences: Outdated or Underutilized?”)

“For some parents, teacher conferences are more like speed dating than substance,” says Sarah McKibben in this article in Education Update. Attendance at these conferences declines steadily as students move through the grades, from 89 percent in primary grades to 57 percent in high school according to one study, and many parents don’t believe they’re worth the trip. McKibben reports on some ideas for improvement:
  • Rebrand. A more inviting name for these perennial meetings is “progress conferences.” This is more positive and doesn’t seem to exclude foster parents and guardians.
  • Build relationships and trust up front. Home visits, frequent e-mailing or texting, and partnering around academic issues build the groundwork for face-to-face conferences.
  • Finesse the childcare issue. “To pay a babysitter to watch your three younger siblings so a parent can attend a conference is not going to happen,” says Ohio high-school teacher Allison Ricket. She invites parents to bring along other children and provides crayons and paper in an area at the back of her classroom where they can entertain themselves during conferences.
  • Accommodate. Some parents need an interpreter (children shouldn’t be asked to translate) and support with disabilities.
  • Change the dynamic. It makes a difference if a teacher sits side by side with family members and doesn’t hold a clipboard or pad of paper; open hands suggest an open mind.
  • Clarify learning outcomes. Surprisingly, only 7 percent of parents in a National Parent Teacher Association survey in K-8 schools said they were informed of grade-level curriculum expectations in conferences. One idea from the Flamboyan Foundation (called Academic Parent-Teacher Teams) is convening parents to talk as a group about curriculum expectations and teaching ideas three times a year, with parents following their children’s individual progress folders. Parents then have a single one-on-one parent conference once a year.
  • Involve students. Progress conferences are much more helpful when students are at the table reporting on their progress, challenges, and goals. Advisory group meetings focus on preparing students to lead parent conferences and lobby their parents to attend.
  • Listen. “Parents usually come in having an idea of what they want to talk about, so I like to be open and ready for whatever they need,” says Ricket. Although she has students’ grades and portfolios on hand, she lets parents go first and is careful to empathize with any concerns they have.
“Parent-Teacher Conferences: Outdated or Underutilized?” by Sarah McKibben in Education Update, September 2016 (Vol. 58, #9, p. 1, 4-5), available for purchase at http://bit.ly/2cjKtu4
]]><![CDATA[“The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways.”]]>Sat, 29 Jul 2017 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.psfnow.org/blog/the-kids-who-need-the-most-love-will-ask-for-it-in-the-most-unloving-ways​“The kids who need the most love will ask for it in the most unloving ways.” old proverb.

When Teaching Gets Tough, by Allen N. Mendler discusses how important it is that we are all fully present— physically, emotionally, and behaviorally, and tuning out distractions unrelated to our work so that we are aware of what our students and parents are saying, thinking, and feeling.  Great teachers have passion for the work of teaching and learning.  We can see our colleagues who have the passion for the work of teaching and learning based on their students’ performance, work, actions, and behavior.  Yes, the Prodigal Son Foundation has students with vast challenges that involve learning gaps, mental, social, and economic deficiencies.  However, our staff members love what they do every day so that their knowledge and energy comes from their heart and soul that our students and parents can make the connections with each adult that they come in contact with.]]>