Students getting expanded learning time

When Inwood resident Sondra Orellana came to the U.S. from her native Guatemala in January of 1990 at 19, she wanted a better life for herself.
A housekeeper for 25 years, Orellana is helping to provide a better life not only for her four kids, but as head of the Five Towns Community Center-based Hispanic Association she is assisting many other families in Cedarhurst, Inwood and Lawrence.
When Lawrence Superintendent Gary Schall told Orellana that the school district received federal grant money that could be used to fund an after-school academic help and cultural program, she was ecstatic.
“There are so many problems, first our English is not really very good so we can’t help our kids with their schoolwork and we got a poor education in the beginning [of our lives],” Orellana said, speaking for the parents she knows. “We had our first meeting on Aug. 26 and more than 125 families showed up.”
The two-hour program got underway in the Number Two, Four and Five elementary schools and the middle school on Jan. 30 and will run through May 15. The students remain in their respective schools.
On Mondays, the first hour is homework help and the second hour is an academic workshop. On Wednesdays, homework assistance is provided in the first 60 minutes and in the second there are Spanish, Italian, Hebrew culture and multicultural programs. On Thursdays there is academic assistance combined with recreation.
During the academic portion, Lawrence teachers and school aides provide the help and volunteers from the community provide the cultural programming. “Due to the Common Core standards we need to address academic with extended instruction,” Schall said. The $80,000 grant covers the cost of teachers and transportation for the 225 students.