Happy Fall Y'all!
Welcome back! We'd like to start by saying thanks for sticking it out with us through this first season of the new school year! As it starts to cool down and get darker sooner, we are still hard at work, planning awesome things for our families! We are up to an average of 47 students per day, and continuously growing. New programs and new partnerships are underway!
The 18th Annual Brownwood Bike Rally was a major success, and in our opinion, one of the best ones yet!
Although we went back and forth creating contingency plans due to the incoming hurricane, we were able to hold the event as planned! The weather was beautiful and we were so happy to see so many smiling kids in bright, yellow t-shirts. This year, EAKC had the largest amount of kids present, and "BPA Runs" showed up and showed out. If you missed it, you missed a great rally. Other than bike races, all attendees had the opportunity to help paint a new mural and become part of East Atlanta Kids Club history. There was a Kids Fun Zone, supported by The East Atlanta Parents Network, two bounce houses, a Bike Rodeo, BMX demonstrations by TK from Village Skate Park, mural installations and live painting demonstrations by artists with Off the Tracks, food prepared by MikChan's and 8 Legged Scales dropped by with a large snake for our families to play with and learn about. Thanks so much to our sponsors, volunteers, and attendees for helping our team to make this the best Brownwood Bike Rally to date! Also, did anybody spot Mr. Troy? He's coming back in a limited capacity for the time being to work with and guide our members! :)
As you may know, we have 13 young ladies participating in our first season of Girls on the Run at East Atlanta Kids Club, and so far, they're loving it.
Coaches Alyssa, Jordan, Allison and Jaci are doing a great job leading our team and making sure they feel loved and supported. Our community team was selected by GOTR to receive special SWAG, so each of our girls received a new pair of sneakers and leggings. On Thursday, November 10, 2022, the girls will participate in a practice 5k race to showcase what they've been training for. In just a few weeks, the girls have really opened up and gotten comfortable with the idea of being on a strong team and increasing physical activity. We are looking for family support and volunteers to encourage our girls from start to finish! These awesome ladies will also participate in Girls on the Run Atlanta's 5K Celebration on Saturday, December 3, 2022. If you would also like to register to run to support a great cause, you can do so here. A parent survey was sent out to caregivers to help us plan further for the events. Please check your emails and respond at your earliest convenience.
This Fall, we are excited to welcome back and introduce several new program partners.
Scicovery, a group of dedicated undergraduate students who create free lesson plans and PowerPoints with engaging STEM experiments or demonstrations for kids will be returning in the near future. Our students have enjoyed visits from Scicovery in the past, and they are anxious to spend every Thursday with us, this season. We are also in the works of creating a music production course for our 4th - 7th graders, and looking into offering specialized art classes for our youngest scholars. Lastly, we will also be focusing on the upkeep of our community garden and we will soon begin to ask for our kiddos to come with a change of clothes for our garden days!
PRESENT PALOOZA IS BACK, for its second year!
Last year we were thrilled to offer the opportunity for our Kids Club members, their families, and our entire community to "shop" through thousands of items, free of cost for the holidays. This year, we're doing it again, but bigger and better! With more kids and more families to support and to celebrate, we want to make sure that this year's event is up to par. We will have more details in the near future, but save the dates, December 14-16, 2022!
East Atlanta Kids Club follows the Atlanta Public Schools calendar.
We'd like to make sure that our families know about our upcoming closures for the next few months. We will be CLOSED on Tuesday, November 8, for Election Day, the week of November 21-25, for Thanksgiving Break, and the weeks of December 19- January 3, for Semester Break. Please make sure you make arrangements prior to. Ask us about break camp alternatives!
We'd like to shout out Midtown High School for spearheading a new volunteer program specifically for students to come and volunteer at the East Atlanta Kids Club!
We have worked with a number of diligent volunteers over the years, but the generosity of some really makes our team smile! We're excited that this group of high school students is passionate about our work and about our students, so please welcome them wholeheartedly as you begin to see their faces. We will be making time slots available in the coming weeks for family and community members to join in on the fun.
It's never too early to start thinking about college!
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., is hosting it's 17th Annual Virtual College Fair on Saturday, November 12, 2022, at 10:00am. You can register to sign up for free and start looking at the world of advanced education. Your children will thank you in the future for encouraging them and inspiring their young minds, NOW! To register, please click here!
Lastly, here at EAKC, we are in the works of creating a program called Family Cafes.
This program will work to support family members and care givers in fulfilling their needs and figuring out ways to further support our students. We will release a survey soon to determine who is interested and what topics would be best suited for our families. We're excited to offer important and informational workshops, opportunities for professional growth and fun nights for family members and friends to help build and tighten our EAKC community!
Until next time, be safe, have fun and hit us up when you need to. We're here for you! Best, EAKC Staff
Credits:
Photos courtesy of East Atlanta Kids Club