Program Description
Lincoln Elementary School
The Lincoln Elementary Bright Futures Program is dedicated to helping students and families explore and learn new talents; grow socially, emotionally, and academically, and most importantly have fun. Our program runs for three hours per day Monday through Thursday throughout the school year, and during our 6-week summer camp. If you would like more information about how you can get involved with our program, please contact the site coordinator, Sara Bliss, at (734) 389-3372 or sbliss1@emich.edu.
Our caring and nurturing staff is committed to providing the best environment possible to our students. Our staff includes Sara Bliss (Site Coordinator), Ciara Cox (Assistant Site Coordinator), LaToya Colts (Program Teacher), and Blake Odum (Program Teacher), Rachel Holden (Program Teacher) and Sierra Farmer (Program Teacher. Each Program Teacher is either currently enrolled, or has a degree, in a child development-related field.
Monday through Thursday at 3:40pm, about 50 second through fifth grade students begin the program with a community circle. We follow up with a snack, recess, and game time. Students usually choose whether they would like to go outside to the playground, or stay indoors where we have music playing and tons of games to play in the gym.
After we play, the focus shifts to academics. Our staff teachers are assigned designated rooms to assist with homework by grade level. Students with no homework have an outstanding selection of books to listen to or read from the book cart, as well as hands-on academic station activities that range from puppetry to geometry.
Following academics, we have club time. Club time is by far the most exciting part of our Bright Futures day. Our students love the clubs! The clubs change every eight to ten weeks. The children in Leadership Club brainstorm and identify a variety of clubs that they would like to see in Bright Futures. These options, like cooking, karate, jewelry, basketball, pottery, tennis, poetry, and hip hop to name a few, are presented to the entire group. Every Bright Futures student then votes on his or her top club options. The results of this vote become the club offerings for the following session. Students enroll in one of three of the club offerings each day and remain in that club for the remainder of the 10-week session.
Once per week, every child participates in Tribes, which is a youth development club that teaches about goals, respect, community and teamwork through creative activities. At the end of each school year, the Bright Futures 5th graders participate in the 5th Grade Transitions Club. This club helps them get ready for the wonderful world of middle school, lockers, peer pressure, hygiene, and being you.
After clubs each day we reconvene with the larger group in our community circle. We then discuss our day’s activities; each student has the opportunity to discuss what they liked or anything that they wanted to change next time. After our community circle it is time to clean up. Once everything is put away the children play in the gym until they are picked up by an authorized person aged sixteen or older. No child is allowed to walk home alone. Pick up time is between 6:15pm and 6:40pm.
Bright Futures is also dedicated to promoting family-oriented activities to the Lincoln community. Each club session is finished with a Family Night celebration. All members of our Bright Futures families are encouraged to attend Family Nights where we do fun, family activities, showcase our students’ achievements in their previous clubs, and enjoy a meal together. We also offer Family Math and Family Writing workshops for our participants. These hands-on, game-based workshops encourage family collaboration in learning and applying basic academic skills.