Written by: Jessica Aparicio - RASP Director Assistant
2020, a number that significantly defined the year for students across the world.
The 2019-20 school year for the Regional After School Program (RASP) began as it always has, laughing students excited to see their friends again, free time at recess, proactive education thanks to our awesome partners at Mindworks, and yummy snacks like goldfish and apples. As the pandemic hit, everything changed.
After the school’s closure in March of 2020, we missed our RASP students dearly. To stay connected and in touch with students, we gave them some fun projects to keep their minds busy. From March 30th to May 9th, the school leads and office staff recorded virtual lessons and uploaded them on our parent Facebook group: RASP Parent Communication. Some lessons included: how to make play dough, walking water science experiment, paper origami, and Q-tip art. In April, we held a virtual art drawing contest; the assignment was to draw a picture of the first thing students wanted to do once quarantine finished. The winners were featured in the Dickinson Press, holding their basket full of goodies.
At the end of May, the decision was made to open RASP during the summer. This would be the district's first time seeing what a school-like system would look like after the pandemic and serve as a future example of how to follow guidelines. Although it wasn’t easy, we had to think outside of the box to make the program flow while following guidelines to make it a fun and safe environment for students and staff. Though challenging, the office staff were eager to give some ‘normalcy’ back to our students and get the 65% education curriculum while also getting that much-needed socialization.
The previous year the office went to BOOST- the largest afterschool networking training in the nation. That is where assistant director Jessica Aparicio learned about the program called “Procare.” The program has truly been amazing and made communication between parents, the office, and staff the best it has ever been. With this new program, parents can register online, communicate with messages, access newsletters, and check-in.
Our RASP program has been an example for many; in fact, schools in and around Dickinson reached out to seek advice and guidance on how to run their own programs while following guidelines. We were happy to share the in’s and out’s of running a safe and productive program.
When the Dickinson Public Schools began school in the hybrid model this fall, All-day RASP was created for parents that needed a place for their students to attend while on their off days. In this program, students had help with their online homework, lunch, recess, and fun activities led by our team. RASP was the only afterschool program in North Dakota to offer such a program, something we are very proud of.
This past year was challenging for everyone. RASP has continued to be a resource for our families throughout that time, running four successful programs giving students a safe place they could rely on.