Tharptown hosts summer program
The Tharptown Elementary School T.R.A.C.K.S program is offering a full slate of activities and camps for parents who are looking for fun and educational summer events for their children.
The “T.R.A.C.K.S 2011 Extreme Makeover: Building a Better Me” will take place May 31 through Aug. 5. The T.R.A.C.K.S program is offered from 6 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday, but the camps will be held from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. Children ages five through 12 can come full time, part time or can just attend the individual camps, and all children are welcome to attend, not just children who attend TES.
Cynthia Scott, who serves as the TES T.R.A.C.K.S site coordinator, said parents should really consider taking advantage of this opportunity for their children.
“The summer program is offered as a way to provide child care and as an enrichment program,” Scott said. “Parents who work want to be able to have their children in an environment where they can play and learn, and even parents who are at home like for their kids to do things that are productive on their summer break, and that’s what we offer.”
The theme of “Building a Better Me” is something Scott came up with as a way to build on the healthy living habits the children in the T.R.A.C.K.S program have been learning throughout the year.
Weekly camps will focus on a range of areas like physical fitness, hobby and crafts, gardening, music and arts, and manners and etiquette.
“The camps focus on helping the students be well-rounded and a better person in many different areas,” Scott said. “A lot of these students don’t have art or music classes and when exposed to it, they find out it’s something they enjoy doing.”
Scott said people with expertise in the given field featured during a weekly camp will come in to help teach the children basic skills. She said Lowe’s was even going to sponsor a Build and Grow Kids Clinic where the children would be able to do two crafts.
“It going to be something fun and productive for the kids to do,” Scott said. “It will get them out from in front of the TV and will help them learn things they might not have known before.”
Scott added the program will also be educational. A staff of highly qualified teachers and aids would help the children each day with activities that focus on math, reading and computer skills.
“Kids sometimes forget what they’ve learned during the school year when they’re out for summer break,” Scott said. “This gives them a way to retain that information through the summer so they’ll be better students in the fall.”
Scott said several field trips would also be planned throughout the summer to Cypress Cove, Overton Farms and an outing to the movies.
The deadline to register for the summer program in May 27. For more information about the program, contact Cynthia Scott at 256-332-3404 or 256-332-1360 ext. 7071.
