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Family Connection of Easton, Inc. is a catalyst for change within schools, families, and the community.Through a team approach that includes families, the Easton Area School District, and communityorganizations, we improve academic performance, the quality of life, and the strength of our community.Family Connection of Easton, Inc., c/o Cheston Elementary School, 723 Coal Street, Easton, PA 18042.Phone: (610) 829-5819 ext. 35075. Email: familyconnection18042@yahoo.com. Visit us online:www.eastonsd.org/fc.
   F  a  m   i   l  y
CONNECTION
Creating a Compassionate Community Where All Children and Families Have the Opportunity to Achieve Academic and Personal Success
Summer is Here!
Summer is a time for students and families to enjoy the beautifulweather as well as special quality time together. It is natural tofeel relieved that the demands of school have (momentarily)relaxed and to forget about maintaining and building academicskills. Summer provides an excellent opportunity for children toexperience self-directed and family-initiated learning at home andin the community. This year, we published our first annual guide tosummer programs to share ideas and information with familiesabout learning over the summer. This guide reminds us thatlearning never stops and that families have the wisdom anddevotion needed for children to learn.
Jessica 
 Jessica R. DreistadtExecutive Director 
Table of Contents:
CCLC staff at LafayetteCollege
2Fun day at the YMCA
3Insurance sign-up nights
3Walk for a HealthyCommunity
4
Summer 2008
Some of the winners from our 10th Anniversary Student Art Contest enjoy the exhibit and activities
 
Family Connectionof Easton, Inc.
Our Programs for School Success:
Family Supportat elementary schools in the EastonArea School District builds family-school-community partnerships toensure that families have theinformation and support needed to beeffective and engaged members of theschool community.Parents Who Careis a family bonding and wellnessprogram that builds on families’strengths, develops positive parentingskills, and promotes fun familyactivities.Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP)is an early childhood educationprogram that prepares children andfamilies for school success throughweekly home visits over a two-year period.21st Century Community LearningCenter (CCLC)is an afterschool academic enrichmentprogram that prepares students atCheston Elementary School to meetstate academic standards throughhands-on learning activities andindividualized attention.All programs are offered at no cost tofamilies.
Professional Development Partnerships with the Easton AreaEducation Association
Through a generous grant from the Easton Area Education Association CommunityImpact Fund of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, Family Connection held aretreat for student staff from Cheston Elementary School’s CCLC afterschool programand student staff from a similar program in the Bangor Area School District atLafayette College on Saturday April 12
th
. CCLC provides a training opportunity andjob experience for high school and college students who are interested in pursuingteaching careers. At the retreat, Family Connection’s student staff met severalteachers, including Don Shinton from Cheston Elementary School, and learned abouttheir real life experiences in college and in the classroom. There were also severalteam building activities and self-reflection exercises. The student staff remarked thatthey felt focused, energized, and inspired as a result of participating in this retreat.The Easton Area Education Association and Family Connection sponsored a trip to the74th Annual Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's Conference on Saturday,March 29
th
. Forty-four teachers and one associate director from Easton Area SchoolDistrict attended along with four Family Connection employees attended. There wereover 100 workshops to choose from including nonfiction, math, establishing bookclubs, conferring with students, teaching higher level strategies, differentiatinginstruction, and school leadership. Participants attended the conference from 9:00 amto 3:00 pm before exploring the Big Apple from 3:00 pm to 8:00 when we allboarded our bus to return to Easton.
THANK YOU
to the Easton Area EducationAssociation for supporting professionaldevelopment opportunities for theteachers of today and tomorrow!to all of our partners who helped tomake our 10th Anniversary StudentArt Show a success: the Easton AreaSchool District, State Theatre Center for the Performing Arts, ArtsCommunity of Easton, Banana Factory,Crayola, First Star Bank, and MCSIndustries.
21st Century Community Learning Center staff at Lafayette CollegeFamily Connection staff Cathy Ziegenfuss, FredaFries, Jill Summerill-Fretz,and Jessica R. Dreistadt visitthe Teachers College campusin New York.
 
Our Staff 
 Jessica R. Dreistadt
Executive Director 610-829-5819 ext. 35075dreistadtj@eastonsd.org
Tiffany L. Theadford
Finance and Administration Coordinator 610-829-5819 ext. 35074theadfordt@eastonsd.org
Lisa Bedoya
Family Support Coordinator Parents Who Care Coordinator 610-250-2551 ext. 24006bedoyal@eastonsd.org
Cheri Albertson
Family Support SpecialistCheston Elementary Schools610-250-2542 ext. 20004albertsonc@eastonsd.org
Wende Fazio
Family Support SpecialistPalmer, March, Tracy, and Forks ElementarySchools610-250-2521 ext. 23024faziow@eastonsd.org
Cathy Ziegenfuss
Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP)Coordinator 610-250-2542 ext. 20018ziegenfuc@eastonsd.org
Rubenia MaganaMarci NunezMargie Pearsall
PCHP Family Literacy Specialists
 Jill Summerill-Fretz
CCLC Program Coordinator 610-250-2542 ext. 20023sfj@eastonsd.org
Diane BrotzmanSandy Le
CCLC Program Assistants
Freda Fries
Educational Consultant
Family Connection News
Student Art Show
Our 10th Anniversary Student ArtShow was a success! Over 400 peopleattended the exhibit and participated inchildren’s craft activities. We extend our congratulations to the thirty winners inthe art contest. Their artwork is ondisplay at the State Theatre Gallerythrough May 22.
Fun Day at the YMCA
Our CCLC students enjoyed a funday at the Family YMCA of Easton,Phillipsburg, and Vicinity on April 12.The students enjoyed swimming, crafts,and time in the gym. We thank the YMCA for providing many fun andinteresting programs, including yoga,dance, and boxing, for our CCLCstudents over the past school year.
Recycle for Kids
Family Connection collects used cellphones as well as ink jet and laser printer cartridges. All items are recycledand proceeds benefit school-basedprograms for children and families. Call Jessica R. Dreistadt at (610) 829-5819ext. 35075 to schedule a pick-up.
Insurance Sign-Up Nights
Family Connection held insurancesign-up nights at Paxinosa and ChestonElementary Schools to help uninsuredchildren and families get covered. Thankyou to Two Rivers Health and WellnessFoundation, the Northampton CountyAssistance Office, St. Luke’s Health andHospital Network, Highmark Blue Shield,and Capital Blue Cross for making theseevents possible.
Family Connectionof Easton, Inc.
Board of Directors
Lynn KutchPresidentPat Hunter Vice PresidentPastor David NewmanSecretary Jacob W. RugglesTreasurer  Julie A. Bator Val BowmanElyse CostelloLisa Curry Joseph EvanowskiDiane Evanowski Josie GallowayDavid Hightower Caroline JosephFrank KutchDee LohmanTracy PiazzaGreg Shoemaker CCLC students enjoying the pool at the Family YMCA
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