Summer Reading Camp
by Barb Tokarz 8/12/2024
Summer Reading Camp was held the week of July 8-12 with 28 children attending from the Pottsville and St. Clair Area School Districts, Gillingham, and Child Development. The children enjoyed exploring our theme of The Environment, and the activities associated with it. Our visiting experts provided the children with fun hands-on experiences, as they learned about planting, trees, and keeping the earth clean. A special thanks to Jane Cruize from the Master Gardeners, Joe Orlowsky from the Shade Tree Commission, and Porcupine Pat from the Schuylkill Conservation District
for their time and for presenting excellent programs for the children. We also enjoyed a visit from Bishop Kevin this year. He spent the morning with us as we learned about recycling and saving the earth.
The children especially enjoyed our trip to the Pottsville School District’s Planetarium, presented by Adrien Portland, as they explored the night sky, constellations and planets. The Reading Camp concluded with a parent lunch and presentation by Red Creek Wildlife Rescue and their amazing animals. Each child received a backpack stuffed with books and school supplies so they could begin school with the materials that they needed for a successful school year.
Summer Reading Camp 2025 will take place on July 14-18. Our theme will be exploring Schuylkill County.
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Summer Reading Camp News
by Barb Tokarz 6/12/2024
Plans are progressing for Summer Reading camp which will be held the week of July 8-12. Our “kick off to camp” started with a successful family game night on May 8 in the parish hall. This event gave the children an opportunity to meet the teachers and the children they will be attending camp with while having a fun evening with games and pizza. Parents completed camp applications and participated in an interactive workshop on preparing economical and nutritious snacks presented by the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office while their children enjoyed the games.
We have some exciting activities planned this year for camp to help enhance the children’s reading experiences. In addition to our classroom activities that are based on our theme, The Environment, we will have visiting experts stop in to share their experience with the children. Our schedule is as follows:
Monday- The children will learn about plants and flowers from the Master Gardeners.
Tuesday- We will learn about the sky by visiting the Pottsville School District’s Planetarium.
Wednesday- Joe Orlosky of the Pottsville Shade Tree Commission will help the children learn about trees.
Thursday-Emily Cantor from the Schuylkill Conservation District will help the children learn about recycling and keeping the earth clean.
Friday- Red Creek Wildlife Center will come to our parent luncheon with their rehabilitated animals.
Since our field trip to the planetarium will involve transporting the children by bus, if any parishioner would be willing to accompany us on that trip to lend a helping hand, we would be most grateful. Please see Lea or Barb if you are able to help. In addition, we will host a special visitor on Wednesday; Bishop Kevin and Sandy Millen plan to visit to participate in some of our camp activities.
The staff of Summer Reading Camp would like to express our appreciation to our parishioners who participated in our demonstration cooking dinner and our Lunches for Learners and Books for Young Readers Programs. These contributions have helped defray camp expenses and make a wide range of activities available for our campers. If you are still interested in contributing, a donation of $4.00 would buy lunch for one child for a day; a donation of $20.00 would enable us to purchase lunch for one child for a week. A donation of $20.00 to our Books for Young Readers would purchase a Scholastic Summer Activity Pack for one child. The Summer Reading Camp teachers truly appreciate all of the support the parishioners provide for us- financial, volunteer help with camp set up, prepping activities, and many prayers that make this camp possible.
Game Night Photos below.
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A special meeting of the parents and students of the 2024 Reading Camp will be held on May 8th at 6:00 PM in the parish hall for an evening of fun and learning!
🍕 🎳 We'll start with a delicious dinner, followed by engaging games and activities for the children.
🍓 Meanwhile, parents can enjoy a nutrition presentation by Kim Woodford from the PSU Extension office, focusing on nutritious snacks like strawberry s'mores and personal pizzas.
🏆 Plus, there will be prizes and books for the kids who attend!
📞 Don't miss out—RSVP at 570-691-5113 to secure your family's spot. See you there!
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Summer Reading Camp
by Barb Tokarz 1/31/24
We are in the process of planning for Summer Reading Camp which will take place this year from July 8-12 from 8:30-12:30 in the church’s undercroft. Our theme this year will be The Environment and each day we will be exploring different aspects of the environment. One day will be dedicated to each of the following topics: trees, the sky and space, flowers and plants, wildlife, and care of the environment.
In addition to the fun reading activities that will take place every day, we will be having some exciting visitors and a field trip. We are working with the Pottsville School District to plan a visit to their newly refurbished planetarium. Visitors from the Master Gardeners and the Conservation District will help the children learn about trees, plants, and caring for the environment. Our grand finale will be the parent luncheon where Red Creek Wildlife Rescue will visit with their rescue animals and help the children learn about protecting our wildlife.
In addition, the Schuylkill County Cooperative Extension Office will present a parent workshop at our Family Game Night on May 8 about healthy snacking. Parents will have the opportunity to learn how to prepare healthy and economical snacks and sample them as well, while their children enjoy some games and activities. The Extension Office will return during camp to help the children prepare blueberry spinach smoothies and learn about better food choices.
We are thankful to our parish members who have continued to support us over the years by volunteering at camp and donating to our Lunches for Learners and Books for Young Readers Program. If you would like to help support camp this year, please consider volunteering to spend a couple of hours helping out in the classroom or coming on our field trip with us. In addition, consider attending our Demonstration Cooking Dinner on March 24; profits go to support camp. (See enclosed flier) or donating to our lunch and book programs. It will cost us approximately $4,000 to run camp this year. We have always been able to support camp through grants and fundraising efforts so none of the money has to come out of the church’s budget. We have received a grant from the Benevolent Association of Pottsville for $800.00 for our 2024 camp and are applying for three additional grants. Please keep us in your prayers as we begin our sixth season of Summer Reading Camp.
NOTE: This information appeared in our Church Newsletter, the Topics in the March/April edition.
Summer Reading Camp News
by Barb Tokarz 10/17/23
Many thanks to all of our parishioners who have supported Summer Reading Camp with donations of their time, books, and financial resources. We had a successful camp and served 28 children from pre-k to grade 3 who enjoyed learning about Sports. The highlights of the camp were the visits from local collegiate athletes and Screwball, the mascot of the Reading Phils.
We are beginning the planning process for Summer Reading Camp 2024 which is scheduled for July 8-12, 2024. This year, our theme will be the Environment, and we will explore water, the sky, plants, animals, and the weather and how they impact our lives and the world we live in. We are planning for some special guests and a field trip so stay tuned for news about our activities.
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Summer Reading Camp News
by Barb Tokarz 6/25/23
Preparations for Summer Reading Camp are in full swing as we prepare for the week of July 10-14. This year, we have 30 children registered from the Pottsville and St. Clair School Districts and Gillingham. We have 6 parishioners volunteering to help with various aspects of camp as well as 2 members of North Parish, 2 members of the Presbyterian Church, and 2 community members, making this an ecumenical ministry.
In keeping with our Sports theme, visits from student-athletes are scheduled as well as a visit from a football coach, and a band director. The values of practice, perseverance, and good sportsmanship will be stressed in these visits and will give the children a chance to gain some insight into the sports they watch and enjoy. On the final day of camp, Screwball, the mascot from the Reading Phils is scheduled to visit. In addition, the children will obtain library cards and will visit the library to learn all about what it has to offer. On the final day of camp, we will host a parent workshop and luncheon, which is an interesting and exciting finale for camp.
None of this would be possible without the support of our very generous parishioners. The staff of Summer Reading Camp appreciates all of your time, talent, and financial support that makes this camp possible.
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Summer Reading Camp News
by Barb Tokarz
Plans are underway for Summer Reading Camp which will be held on July 10-14 from 8:30-12:30 in the undercroft. The theme for camp this year is Sports and our reading activities will be based on that theme. Student-athletes and coaches will visit with the children to discuss their sport and the positive aspects of participation- practice, persistence, being a team player, and good sportsmanship. On our final day of camp, we will have a visit from Screwball, the mascot from the Reading Phils.
As a prelude to camp, we will be hosting a family game night on May 10 in the parish hall. This provides parents/guardians and the children with a chance to meet the staff and have any questions answered about our program. Applications for camp will be available during game night which makes the process of completing and collecting applications much easier. Our game night last year was a huge success and was a great way to introduce the camp program to the children and helps them to be more comfortable about attending.
Many parishioners have asked how they can help with camp. We will have a large preschool group this year, and will have to split it into two classes, so extra teachers are always needed. Donations are always welcome for our Lunches for Learners Program, where you can sponsor one lunch for a child for $4.00 per day or a week of lunches for $20.00. At the end of camp, we give the children a Scholastic Activity Pack, since many of the children do not have books in their homes. These activity packs cost $30.00 per student and any donations to underwrite the cost of these books would be gratefully appreciated. The staff of Summer Reading Camp thanks you for your support and prayers which are the keys to our success.
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Summer Reading Camp News
by Barb Tokarz
Summer Reading Camp will be held this summer during the week of July 10-14 from 8:30-12:30 in the undercroft. Children who are struggling with pre-reading and reading skills from Pre-K (entering kindergarten in the fall) to grade 3 are the target group for this program. The theme for this year’s camp is Sports. We are excited that the mascot for the Reading Phillies will visit the children on the last day of camp. In addition, we are planning visits with coaches from the local school districts who will help reinforce the importance of good sportsmanship, team work, and practice to the children. In addition to their daily activities, the children will also have the opportunity to visit the library to obtain library cards and learn what it has to offer.
It would not be possible to operate camp with the support of our generous parishioners and grantors from the community. We are grateful to the following grantors who have supported our camp: The Benevolent Association of Pottsville, the Snayburger Foundation, and anonymous donors from the community who have been consistent and generous supporters over the years.
We will once again be offering breakfast and lunch and will be asking for any support that you might be willing to provide through our Lunches for Learners program. Last year, we were able to provide lunch for $3.00 a day; however, as we all know, food prices have increased and we anticipate lunches being in the $4.00 a day range. Any support that you would be able to offer would be appreciated. Only $20.00 a week would feed one child.
Please take a day to come visit us at camp and if you have children or grandchildren who would like to come when our mascot visits, please let us know and we can arrange that. We also are always in need of help in the classrooms and with preparing materials for the program. Please let Barb Tokarz or Lea Bortner know if you can assist us in any way or if you would like additional information.
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Summer Reading Camp News
Winter 2023
by Barb Tokarz
It is time to begin to think about Summer Reading Camp, which will be held the week of July 11-15 from 8:30-12:30 in the undercroft at Trinity. Children who attended Pre-K Counts or Head Start and will be entering kindergarten in the fall are eligible for camp. Children from Kindergarten- grade 3 who attend the Pottsville and St. Clair Area School Districts and are struggling readers are also our target group.
Additional Information about camp will be available mid-February by contacting Barb Tokarz at bpt9@comcast.net or by speaking to the reading specialist at your child’s school. We are planning a Family Game night in early spring so the parents and children can meet the teachers, enjoy some pizza, and have a fun night together. The staff of Summer Reading Camp is looking forward to another amazing summer with our campers.
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Highlights from Family Game Night 2022
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Summer Reading Camp 2022
by Barbara Tokarz
The teachers from the Summer Reading Camp would like to thank you for your support of this very worthwhile outreach. Your financial support and prayers were so important to our success. We served 18 children from pre-k to grade 4 and all enjoyed camp and our visiting dogs. We were fortunate to have two dogs visit our camp to hang out with the children so they could practice their skills while reading to the dogs. Our visits from the accelerant sniffing dog, the K-9 unit, and the guide dog enhanced the children's experiences. The children were thrilled with the books they took home each night and the book pack that they received at the end of camp, which were made possible by your generous donations to Books for Readers.
The last day of camp featured a parent workshop and lunch which were well attended. The workshop featured ‘make and take’ items that the parents could use at home to help their children practice reading skills. The parents/grandparents were truly appreciative of having the opportunity to have their children enrolled in camp.
Your contributions to Lunches for Learners were so important. With the rising cost of groceries, it was very apparent that the meals that we offered were essential for many of the children. Some children asked for third helpings of cereal at breakfast and the lunches seemed to disappear.
The teachers met last week to begin to plan for 2023's camp. It will be held the week of July 10-14 and our camp theme will be sports. Please come to visit and or help and you will find that you will feel blessed for helping with this rewarding ministry.
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