“In the middle of difficulty lies an opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
Kids On Track has continued to keep a close eye on the requirements for programming. Please see below for any program updates or changes:
Shift Youth Summer
Currently running events Mon-Thurs
Active Families
Running Mon-Thurs each week and two Saturdays a month!
L.I.T.E. Program
Running throughout the summer in a modified format
Garage Sale: Sept 12, 2020
Family Connect (formerly Family Fun Night): Launching Sept. 19, 2020
Now is the perfect time to follow us on social media!
We do contests, announcements, and keep you informed about what’s going on at KOT!
KOT Social Media:
Shift Youth Social Media:
Looking Forward
We are hard at work creatively adjusting programs for the fall. Here’s what you can expect:
Family Fun Night- Rebranding to Family Connect!
Family Fun Night is getting an upgrade! The program will now be known as Family Connect and we are so excited to bring you a high energy, meaningful, and impactful evening each month.
What’s Changing: Since we cannot serve food or have nursery care at this time, this event will now be a family event! Parents and children will stay together in the program, learning and laughing as the team brings different relevant character education topics to life through puppets, skits, and stories. Though the Parent Cafe will not be meeting during the program, we are working towards putting down-loadable activity resources on our website to support the character education at home. This is new territory for Kids On Track and we are bravely going into this new format with excitement. Check out more information including safety precautions on the Family Connect page.
Character Clubs
Character Clubs have traditionally been in the after school time right in the schools. We are anticipating that this will not be possible this year so we have begun to explore alternative ideas. If you would like to provide feedback for these decisions, please CLICK HERE. Though we are unsure what this program will look like this fall, rest assured that we are working toward a solution that will work for parents and kids alike. Keep checking the Character Club page for updates.
Shift Youth
Shift Youth will continue the Friday night program this fall, taking into consideration all the new guidances and the mask bylaw. We are also going to be creating mini groups throughout the week. The youth team is busy planning activities that are creative ways of having recreational fun while keeping safe. Check out the Shift Youth page for more information or to sign up.
Active Families
The Active Families program expanded significantly this summer, and we hope to continue this growth through the fall. Active Families will continue with two Saturday activities a month getting families active together in a safe way. Have an idea for a program? Send us a message to activefamilies@kidsontrack.org. Click HERE to see the fall Active Families calendar.
Family Celebrations
For the time being, we have suspended our Family Celebrations for this fall (Picnic, Thanksgiving Dinner, Christmas Show). We will continue with a Family Connect night in those months, however, so make sure to check those dates on our calendar! We will re-evaluate this program for 2021.
Volunteering with Kids On Track isn’t just giving KOT support- it’s a community where you belong!
Check out some opportunities below
BUS DRIVERS: Do you have your bus license and your S Endorsement? We need you!
OFFICE FACELIFT: Do you have great painting skills? Can you cut in like nobody’s business? Have some extra time on your hands? We are giving the office a facelift!
Contact Franc at 780-481-2942 or franc@kidsontrack.org
After many false starts, the garage sale is a go!
Do you have the URGE to PURGE? Donate items!
You can help KOT by donating your gently used items to our garage sale. Call Andy at 587-594-7125 to arrange a drop off time
Someone’s TRASH could be your TREASURE! Come out to the KOT Garage Sale!
Date: September 12, 2020
Time: 9:00 am—3:30 pm
Where: 15641-96 Ave (People Church parking lot)
If it rains, all items will move inside
Want to volunteer for a shift?
We need all sorts of help this day from people to price items in the days before the garage sale to people helping usher and answer questions.
Contact Franc at 780-481-2942 ext.5 or franc@kidsontrack.org
We will follow guidelines for garage sales set out by the Government of Alberta.
We encourage all attendees to wear a mask where they are not able to social distance from others.
Sanitation stations will be available.
Please use this checklist before dropping off items or attending the garage sale: COVID-19 Alberta Health Daily Checklist
Kid: Can you divide 100 by 3?
Parent: Not evenly.
Kid: How about ‘odd’-enly?
Buttercup’s Corner:
There are 9 fruits of the Spirit mentioned in the Bible: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Ready to get real? I have yet to have a day when all nine fruits are being displayed in my life. I have a running joke around KOT that seven out of nine isn’t bad. I’m, of course, being a little silly when I say that, but the more I have thought about those fruits, the more I realize they are not suggestions. They are the description of what SHOULD be coming out of my life. There are some fruits that come more naturally to me, and some I really need to work on, with God’s help, because they don’t come naturally to me.
I’ve been thinking about the fruit of kindness. I can have a sharp tongue, quick to come up with a snippy come back or sarcastic reply. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it can sting. How do I know? Because I hear my own comments coming out of the mouths of my children! Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes, it makes me take deep mommy breaths so I don’t lose my cool.
With so many parents under pressure to decide how they will navigate their children’s schooling in the fall, I am reminded to be kind. There is a meme floating around that is a great reminder for all of us in the practice of kindness.
Let’s practice:
“Oh, you’ve decided to homeschool your kids? That must have been a difficult decision. I’m sure you are doing what is best for your family!”
“Oh, you’re sending your kids back to school? That must have been a difficult decision. I’m sure you are doing what’s best for your family.”
At the end of the day, speaking kindness to people will not only make an inroad for building community with that person, but it also softens your own heart. When we put aside our zinger of a comeback and speak in kindness instead, we are showing someone how God speaks to us. Let’s take the time to be kind.
Active Families: Berries and Bush Pies
The challenges of COVID-19 have been
extensive for families and programs alike. This summer, one of Kids On Track’s goals was to equip families to get out and get active together in a safe and fun way. We structured our Active Families program to empower families to learn some great activity skills so they could replicate these activities on their own. What was normally just one Saturday between July and August has transformed into four days a week (Monday- Thursday) and two Saturdays a month. What an amazing way for families to get active together and create some positive memories of this summer.
A favorite event this summer was the Saskatoon berry picking day in Hawrelak park where families learned what berries to pick and how to use them in recipes. The families then baked some delicious “bush pies” over a fire with the picked berries. For many families, this was a new skill, one that they can now do with their own families. Sustainability of food and creative utilization of what our own city has to offer were themes that were explored. Global Edmonton made a point to come out and do a small human interest piece on the event. You can watch that piece here (Skip to 7:50 for the Kids On Track segment). This event inspired one Kids On Track family to go out berry picking on their own. They reported that they were able to pick and then process 12 mini jars of raspberry jam for their family! Way to go!
Kids On Track is looking forward to our fall programming. With creativity and resiliency, we will continue offering active and meaningful programs in the West Edmonton for families. Haven’t gotten out to an event this summer yet? There’s still time! Contact us at 780-481-2942 or www.kidsontrack.org
This event was made possible through the generosity of Parks People/Amis des Parcs, TD Canada, and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. Our families thank you!
