The School News Nationwide Extended School Day/Violence Prevention program in P.S. 56 will continue working towards the goals articulated in the first year of our program: enhancing our student's physical, intellectual, emotional and social growth, while promoting conflict resolution, multi-cultural awareness and critical thinking. We are assisting over 250 students from the school and surrounding community compile outcomes aligned with those goals by providing a comprehensive program which includes academic, athletic, and artistic activities integrated within a structure of ethical behavior and social responsibility.

The 250 students are placed into three groups based on grade: K - 3; 3 - 5; and 6-10. Each of these groups rotates through three different activities components daily: Academics, which includes homework help, remedial support in reading, writing and math, and computer assisted instruction; Media, which promotes virtually all facets of literacy through a multidisciplinary approach featuring student production of newspapers and video productions of their own works, including plays, TV shows, prose and poetry; and Recreation, which includes athletics and games. Students also engage in Conflict Resolution activities, which will take the place of one Recreation session per week. As the term progresses, many of the participants will become peer mediators and conflict resolution trainers to their, peers,. thus giving them leadership and community empowerment experience along with fundamental conflict resolution skills.

 

Program design and evaluation is performed in collaboration with the school's administration and we regularly seek feedback and input from our student's parents and guardians. Perhaps most noteworthy, our staffs interactions with the students are always predicated on helping the student's become productive, constructive members of society, capable of responsible, independent, ethical thought and action.

 

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