Westbrook After School: PTA-Sponsored After-School Activities
September to December 2011
This is a brief guide to the after-school activities planned by the Westbrook PTA for the fall 2011 term. Please contact the listed parent coordinator for further information.
This information may be subject to change due to heavy demand or under-enrollment, instructor schedule changes, etc. Please look for separate updated information regarding each of these offerings.
Many of these offerings will be repeated in the spring term.
All students participating in after school activities must complete the Westbrook
PTA Code of Conduct form. Scholarship information is available upon request from Ms. Barbara Kahn in the Main Office. For general information or to propose new activities, please contact PTA co-presidents Karen Thornton and Cathy Stocker.
Kids' Studio Art - Taught by Kristina Valencia
In this class students will work will work with many different art medium – watercolor, drawing, collage – combining and experimenting to create fabulous works!
When: Wednesdays, 3:05 - 4:15 PM for 8 weeks
Dates: Oct 5th, Oct 12th, Oct 19th, Oct 26th, Nov 2nd, Nov 9th, Nov 16th, Nov 30th
Room: Room 27
Grades: K - 5th Graders
Cost: $246 for 8 weeks (all supplies are included)
Number of students: minimum 6, maximum 12
For more information contact Orly Isaacson
Introduction to Traditional Fiber Arts:
This class offers students a fun and creative introduction to several traditional fiber arts. Students get an introduction to knitting, crocheting, needlepoint and sewing. They will learn about different fibers and their processing, as well as the tools and resources available to create one of a kind artwork and gifts.
When: Tuesdays, 3:05 - 4:15 PM for 8 weeks
Dates: Sept 27th, Oct 4th, Oct 11th, Oct 18th, Oct 25th, Nov 1st, Nov 8th, Nov 15th
Room: Room 27
Grades: 1st-5th Cost: $190 (all supplies are included as well as a healthy snack).
Number of students: minimum 6, maximum 12.
For more information contact Orly Isaacson
Westbrook Chess Club
We teach the rules to beginners and strategy to advanced players. Mr. Will Eager, a teacher at the U.S. Chess Center, will be our head instructor. His philosophy places a low priority on winning. Instead, the club focuses on improving one's skills. Good sportsmanship is the key to having fun.
Day and Time: Fridays from 3:05 - 4:30
Classroom: Media Center
Cost: $130
Dates: 15 weeks beginning on September 30 (no class on 11/11 or 11/25)
Age restriction - grades 2 - 5 (The chess center is strict on this)
For more information contact: Bob Scribner
Li Ives, a parent at Westbrook and a native Chinese speaker from Taiwan, will offer an after school program designed to expose students in a fun and stimulating environment to the Chinese language and culture through Chinese arts, calligraphy games and food. The program is available to all grades (K - 5). The Chinese curriculum includes several different aspects of the Chinese culture including the language, arts and food.
Day & Time: Fridays from 3:05 – 4:05 pm from September 30 – January 27
Location: Room 8
Cost: $270
For more information contact: Li Ives (instructor)
Eco-Defenders is a parent-led after-school environment and nature club for 3rd & 4th graders. It is an activity-based club and we go outside for most meetings. We meet once a month on various topics and learn the actions we can do to really make a difference locally. Some of the topics are invasive species, trash & recycling, water quality, wildlife in winter, tree, bird & poison ivy ID, etc. Students are encouraged to also be student leaders through opportunities to help with school-wide environmental activities (recycling drives, Earth Week activities, Trash Free Lunch, etc.).
Location: Media Center
Day & Time: First Monday of every month
Fee: $20
Contact: Register with Mikel Moore
Mad Science is a fun, hands-on science program open to Kindergarten – 2nd grades.
Time: 3:05 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.
Classroom: Room 18
Dates (three separate sessions):
Tuesdays 10/11/11 to 11/29/11
Wednesdays 10/12/11 to 12/7/11
Thursdays 10/13/11 to 12/15/11
Cost: $112
Registration is open! Register directly via the Mad Science website (http://register.madscience.org/dc/)
For more information contact: Julie Coe
Come sing and dance to the music of your favorite Disney musicals! The dates for our first session are below. Each of our two sessions will culminate in a performance for friends and family. We will offer 25 spots each session for kids in 2nd through 5th grade. We also need some parent volunteers to join us during Glee Club. For those of you who love to sing, I think that this will be really fun. We may even let the parents sing a little at our performance! (The second 10-week session will start in March.)
Our instructor is Holly Shockey and she was highly recommended by our own Gianne McNeil (the Westbrook music teacher and a Westbrook parent). For the last 15 years, Holly has been a soloist with the US Army Band. She has performed as the lone vocal soloist representing the United States at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. She sings in major events locally and has performed at the White House. Holly is not only a great performer, though. She is a vocal teacher and works with the incredible Notebusters program at Janney. (Take a look at their site at: www.notebusters.org) We are so excited that we were able to convince her to come to Westbrook.
Dates/Times:The Glee Club meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:10 to 4:10 for 10 sessions.
Monday group starts 11/7.
Wednesday group starts 11/16.
Location: Both groups meet in Gianne McNeil's portable (portable #5).
Registration: Pay4SchoolStuffOnline.com
Cost: Monday session is $85. Wednesday session is $162. (Price is determined based on number of students who sign up.)
For more information, contact: Cathy Stocker
This introduction to computer keyboarding class is offered by our very own Ms. Kim O’Connell (3rd grade). The class is open to students in grades 3 – 5. No previous experience is required and the teaching material is tailored to each student’s individual experience level.
Dates/Times: Wednesdays
Location: Media Center
Registration: http://Pay4SchoolStuffOnline.com
Cost: $66.50
For more information, contact: Ellen Crupi
Lego Club – Coming in January 2012!!
Snack Attack - open to kindergartners and 1st graders. We plan to offer 2 sections, each section of which can accommodate up to 6 kids. We expect to offer the program on Wednesdays and/or Thursday for 7- 8 weeks in January and February. The cost will be between $50 and $75.
Adventures with Robots - For the older kids, we are partnering with a group called Adventures with Robots. We have currently arranged to offer one class for 2nd and 3rd graders and one class for 4th and 5th graders. We can open each of these sections to 12 kids. These classes are currently scheduled for Wednesdays will also start in January. The cost will be around $110.
Look for registration info for both Lego activities in December.
This year we're offering three levels of French: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Here are the details, plus everything you need to know about how to enroll. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 23.
The class schedule is:
Beginner French: Friday, 8:00-8:45 am
Intermediate French: Tuesday & Thursday, 8:05-8:35 am
Advanced French: Monday & Wednesday, 8:05-8:35 am
French classes begin the week of Oct. 3, and run until mid-May. (If you are unsure about which French class to select for your child, please contact Janet Gaffney to discuss class offerings and placement.)
The cost for the year is $315.
* French classes are open to students in all grades, including Kindergarten students.
* Need-based scholarships are available. Please contact a member of the Foreign Language Committee if you need assistance. All inquiries and grants are kept confidential.
Classes will fill quickly, so please register promptly at www.pay4schoolstuffonline.com.
For more information, please contact: Janet Gaffney
Spanish
Spanish is offered before school by FLES, an exciting language and culture program providing quality language instruction for children in Kindergarten - 5th grade. The program is designed with young language learners in mind. Games, songs, roleplay, story–telling and hands–on activities make lessons interactive, lively and fun. The teachers, who are native speakers, bring the FLES classroom to life as they introduce children to the traditions and customs of their own country. The classes are offered at four different levels:
INTRO: kindergartners and first graders
BEGINNING: 2nd-5th graders
INTERMEDIATE:2nd-5th graders
ADVANCED:2nd-5th graders
Registration occurs in the fall only and is online at www.fles.org
Cost: $260 for the year (about 20-22 sessions). Each session is at least 45 minutes long.