By: Courtney

6/1/05

After Care is a great program for I.H.M. parents and students. After Care is a place where kids can stay until their parents can pick them up after work. Mrs. Duve is in charge of After Care and she has other teachers or helpers that come in a couple days every week. After Care is in the All-Purpose Room on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday after school. Your child(ren) can come to After Care for a small fee everyday or you can pay on a monthly basis. If you have more than one child, a family discount is given. The children at After Care have a lot of fun because they take annual field trips every school year. Places they have visited are Newberry Park, P.J.’s Dairy Delight, and Rocco’s Pizza. The After Care program celebrates normal holidays with parties as well as special days such as, “make your own sundae” day and the after care “winter picnic.”

Here is what a day at After Care is like. First, the students go down to All-Purpose Room after they are dismissed. They sit in the center of the room and attendance is taken. After attendance is taken, the students have a restroom break. During this time, students can change into play clothes if they brought them from home. Then it is time to pray and eat a snack, provided by Mrs. Duve. After snack it is homework time. The students who have homework are taken to one of the nearby classrooms to work on their homework. If a student needs help with something, they can ask the teacher who is supervising the classroom. When students are finished with their homework, they can go back to the All-Purpose Room and play. There are many things to do at After Care. You can go to the craft table to make a holiday craft. You can play checkers, Jenga, dominoes, Tic-Tac-Toe, and many more board games. You can draw, color, or make your own craft. You can play dolls or read a book. You can play dress-up and you can even play Nintendo. There are very many fun things to do and they are enjoyed by everyone of all ages. During the afternoon, students are picked up by their parents or guardians. The last students are picked up around 6:00 P.M. (when After Care closes for the day.)

Sometimes there are special days when the order of things is changed around. For example, every Friday, the students get an ice cream treat and watch a movie (rated PG.) Other times when the weather is nice, Mrs. Duve takes the students outside to play on the playground. On Tuesdays, the students at After Care have the opportunity to attend Junior Legion of Mary. It is held in the McIntyre Room from 2:30-3:30 P.M. At Junior Legion of Mary, the students learn how to pray the rosary while they make rosaries for the hospitalized or elderly people. These are just a few examples of extra things to do at After Care.

All in all, the I.H.M. students love after care and Mrs. Duve. They always come back to have more fun and sometimes they don’t want to leave when their parents come to pick them up. They also make many great friends at After Care, students and teachers.