First Aid squad visits students

NEWTON — Irving Kinney, a member of the Newton First Aid Squad, recently visited the Project Launch Newton afterschool program to teach students about basic first aid. Children asked Kinney questions about traumatic situations involving everything from sick pets to broken bones.

Outreach to the community is an important component of the squad’s charter, Kinney said, and introducing children to the ambulance early in their life helps to allay fears about riding in it if they are ever injured in the future.

Project Launch Newton is a free afterschool enrichment program for students in grades fourth through eighth in the Merriam Avenue and Halsted Middle Schools.

Children receive homework help and a healthy snack, and then participate in a variety of activities centered on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) themes. Physical activities and other topics are incorporated into the curriculum.

Throughout the year, students will create their own STEM City following the renowned MicroSociety curriculum, conduct a TREPS marketplace, and learn from volunteer mentors about careers, nutrition, personal safety and other topics.

Project Launch Newton is funded with federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Title IV, Part B, 21 Century Community Learning Center (21 CCLC) grant funds through a grant agreement with the New Jersey Department of Education.

For information about the afterschool enrichment program call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500 or visit the program’s website at www.projectlaunchnewton.org.