John 23 Educational Center Updates

August 2026

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August Spark Highlights

☀️ Summer Spark: Learning, Growing & Making Memories

📚 Learning

🧠 Life Skills

🎉 Summer Fun

During August, Summer Spark provided students with engaging opportunities to strengthen academic skills while developing important life skills. Students explored grammar and communication, biology and genetics, fractions and measurement, decision-making, reading comprehension, and gravity through hands-on activities, challenges, and games.

Guest speakers introduced students to healthcare careers and shared a powerful personal story about overcoming challenges, encouraging students to think about perseverance, financial literacy, service, and their own future goals.

Students also practiced teamwork, sportsmanship, healthy habits, problem-solving, and cooking skills while participating in interactive activities such as scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, Minute-to-Win-It challenges, and the Fraction Bakery Challenge.

The month concluded with reflection, outdoor activities, and an ice cream celebration as students looked back on their Summer Spark experience and the skills they gained throughout the summer.

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📚 Summer Spark Book Club: Building a Love of Reading

This summer, John 23 Educational Center piloted a small-group Book Club designed to help students develop a genuine love of reading while strengthening literacy skills and broadening their perspectives. A handpicked group of rising 4th–12th grade students gathered for 12 sessions centered around Front Desk by Kelly Yang, combining read-alouds, meaningful discussions, snacks, and creative activities such as dioramas depicting favorite scenes from the book.

The small-group format created a welcoming environment where students could share ideas, connect the story to their own experiences, and engage with peers without the pressure of homework or reading aloud. Staff and volunteers intentionally prepared discussion questions and hands-on activities to deepen comprehension, encourage critical thinking, and make reading fun. The pilot provided students with purposeful opportunities to strengthen literacy and life skills while building positive associations with reading, community, and learning.

We have a NEW HOME—and we can’t wait to show it off! 🎉🏠

Please join us for the John 23 Educational Center Open House on Thursday, September 17, from 5:00–7:00 PM at our new location:

📍 2100 W. High Street, Racine, WI

✂️ Ribbon Cutting at 5:00 PM!

Come celebrate this exciting new chapter with us! Tour our new space, meet our team, see where Racine students will learn and grow, and enjoy an evening of community, conversation, and celebration. 💙📚✨

🎁 Help Us Fill Our New Home!

Moving into a new space comes with a lot of needs! We’ve created a registry of items that will help make our new Center welcoming, functional, and ready for our students.

Want to help? You can purchase an item from our registry or make a monetary donation to support our new location and programs.

🔗 Registry & Giving: Registry Link

📱 You can also scan the QR code on the invitation to learn more and give!

🚗 Parking

Street parking is available. There is also a school parking lot just past our location on the right that guests may use.

We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate our new space and the next chapter of John 23 Educational Center! 🎉Come see the new Center. Meet the people behind the mission. Celebrate the students we serve.

We can’t wait to see you on September 17! 💙

YOU Can Make A

Positive Impact

YOU can invest in the future of our students at John 23 Educational Center. Your generosity helps us offer academic support, enrichment activities, meals, and a caring community where every child feels seen and supported. Together, we can open doors to brighter futures.

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Volunteer With Us Because YOU Can Make A Difference

The Parent Connection

Information & Updates from your Program Manager; Julie Kamphaus

Here are a few important reminders and updates:

Welcome to September! We are excited for a new school year at John 23 Educational Center. Please note that per the attached calendar, the center opens on Monday, September 21st, and our new hours for the 2026-2027 school year are 2:30-6:00pm. If you haven't signed your child up for our 2026-2027 Afterschool Program, you can find the registration link in our linktree.

Keep Voting for John 23!

Please continue voting once every day through September 9 for John 23 Educational Center in the Best of Racine County contest. Set a reminder on your phone or calendar so you don’t forget!

VOTE HERE EVERY DAY

Important Safety Update – Pickup Photos Required

The safety of our students is our top priority. As part of our updated pickup procedures, every parent/guardian and every other person authorized to pick up your child must have a photo on file with John 23. This helps our staff safely identify authorized adults before releasing a student.

Please make sure you have provided us with a current photo of yourself AND each person you have authorized for pickup. This is a required safety measure that will help us keep dismissal safe and secure for every child.

Afterschool program

*New hours & location

First Day for Students: September 21st 2026.

M-TH 2:30-6:00

2100 W High Street Racine

The mission of John 23 Educational Center is to empower students for lifelong success both in and out of the classroom.

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