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Melbourne Pal
at Carver Park

Recent History
After extensive refurbishment, Melbourne PAL at  Carver Park (for locals, the "rec center") has re-opened.  The renovations were started on 5 December 2007 and completed at the beginning of May 2008.  The center has officially been open since 2 June 2008.

In the refurbishment, the old inoperable restrooms on the east end of the building were removed and relocated to the north side of the facility.  It is planned that the space in the building formerly utilized for the old rest rooms be converted into a meeting and/or "quiet study" area with a half-wall and glassed-in partition.  See more photos here.

Marthenia Jones has transferred from the Grant Street Community Center to assume the Directorship of Melbourne PAL at Carver Park--she has worked hard to re-open a state-of-the-art recreational community center.  Please help us welcome her.

Hours of Operation
The facility is open during the school year after school each day from 2:00 to 8:00 PM.  Please note that the facility is dedicated to homework, study time, and reading during the first few hours of operation.  Melbourne PAL at Carver Park is open to the members of the local community and the public at large.

Activities

• Formal Tutoring
  
  A formal tutoring program has been established and is available on Tuesday and Thursday's between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 PM.  The tutoring program makes snacks available at no cost, but enrollment is required and we need to know of any medical history or dietary needs. The program is available at no cost.  Please see Ms. Tudy to have your child enrolled.

• Homework Help
  
  Ms. Tudy and other community volunteers are always available to help the kids with their homework, projects, and computer work on a daily basis.
  
  Additional volunteers are always welcome!

• Computer Lab
  
  We currently have a fully operational computer lab consisting of the office computer and four fully operational computers on the floor equipped with Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows XP Professional.  The computers are configured with Norton/Symantec anti-virus and software firewalls along with dual hardware firewalls to keep your children safe while browsing online.  We are more than happy to help your child out with their computer-related homework and projects.  The facility is also equipped with a monochrome laser printer so that you child has the ability to print their work.
  
  We currently have 4 computers on the floor for use by your children with a 5th needing to be brought online as soon as we can come up with enough RAM--your donations of computers and/or equipment are welcome!

• Wireless Area Network
  
  The Carver Park facility is equipped with 2 wireless area networks.  The first and primary network is encrypted and is dedicated for use by the facility's infrastructure.  There is a second unencrypted network for use by the community and visitors who might bring in their laptop computers.  This network does not provide access to local assets, but does provide access to the Internet at no cost to you (the hardware firewall and DNS server do not permit access to websites that might be considered inappropriate for the children).
  
  If you need to make use of the wireless-enabled laser printer or have other printing needs, or we have inappropriately blocked access to one of your current favorite websites based on content-filtering, please see Ms. Tudy.
  
  Purchase your coffee at the drive-through close by, and use our WAN for free.

• Edline
  
  Parents, did you know that you can access your children's daily report card from our facility?  You can with the assistance of your child's school and our computer lab.  These are provided through  www.edline.net.  A sample report is provided here.  We will help you to get setup with Edline (it requires a username and password and registration with your child's school's guidance counselors but 100% participation is encouraged, and again, we will help you through the process and you can use our computers on a priority basis just by walking in the facility).

• Physical Education
  
  Melbourne PAL at Carver Park does not have a formal Physical Education program.  The facility is, of course, however, on the grounds of the Carver Park Recreation Area and equipped with football, baseball, and basketball facilities, along with a playground and pavilion.  Your children are welcome to use the co-located facilities after homework hours and before dark while the appropriate level of supervision is available.
  
  Again, we are always looking for volunteers to help us out at the facility with respect to supervision and physical educational activities.

• Snacks
  
  Melbourne PAL at Carver Park does not make snacks available to your children on a formal basis.  The kids know that they are almost always generally available through donations from the community and our sponsors and through the pockets of some of our volunteers.  Your child must be registered with the facility in order to receive snacks before and after homework and tutoring and Melbourne PAL must be aware of any health care issues.
  
  Again, your donations and those of the business community are more than readily accepted.

Melbourne PAL at Carver Park Sponsors

Melbourne PAL at Carver Park is lucky enough to have a few dedicated sponsors from the local business community.  Please vote with your dollars and/or let them know that we appreciate their support.

You can see our sponsors here, but our local supporters are featured here.