CLASSES
The Extended day activities are planned to provide engaging and enjoyable programming for Midtown West children who require child care after school. Some are returning favorites while others are new to our program. It is our goal to expand the program and to vary the class selection with a range of activities, allowing children to follow existing interests as well as to explore new areas of discovery.
We try to balance the program with academic, artistic and physical activities while also complementing the school day program the children have at Midtown West. Many of the teachers are MTW staff members, further connecting the two programs as children spend time with cherished teachers. Through this consistency children experience a smooth transition at the end of their school day. Children have the opportunity to experience varied activities while having fun in a stress free Environment. The focus is to have fun more than to master high level skills.
Remember: At the end of the year they will not be experts in a given field. They will have a stronger understanding and appreciation for the subjects they studied rather than a master level skill.
- When choosing classes - please choose carefully - There will be NO activity changes until the 2nd semester. Please note the grade level cut off where specified.
- Remember that young children require free, unstructured play during their day.
- Classes will be filled on a "1st come - 1st served" basis.
- We recommend that 1st and 2nd graders have one (1) structured activity each day and one (1) unstructured activity such as Free Play or Yard.
- Be sure to give a 1st and 2nd preference for each session in case 1st choice classes are closed out.
- We have a two (2) semester schedule so please note that there will be NO CHANGES until the 2nd semester. Choose your child's activities carefully.
- There will be NO schedule changes unless it involves a day change caused by the parent's work schedules (adding days only.)
- Requests to add a day must be submitted on a day change form with a $15 change fee by the 15th of the month and will go into effect by the 1st of the following month.
- There will be no dropping the number of days your child attends until the 2nd semester
- Note that occasionally, a child's behavior is inappropriate for a specific class and Extended Day will move the child into a different, more appropriate activity.
- When scheduled activities are cancelled due to a teacher's illness or a professional development workshop, children will be sent to other scheduled activities such as yard or free play.
NOTE: Classes scheduled at 3:30 on Mondays are subject to occasional cancellations due to MTW professional development, and, or staff meetings.
ARTS & CRAFTS/MAKE & TAKE Grades 1-5
Children will have the opportunity to explore a variety of mediums while strengthening their fine motor skills and creating fun and imaginative pieces of art.
BEADWORK Grades 1-5
Children will love creating their own beadwork making simple, fun and age appropriate projects.
BALLET Grades 1-5
This class is an introduction to ballet, the language of dance. Children will explore movement and begin to learn names and specific movements. Children are exposed to the structure of a ballet class in a way that is both fun and developmentally appropriate. Children learn the importance of warming up, cooling down and performing, as they will develop more challenging and sophisticated movements in the “classical dance vocabulary.” Dancers should wear tights, leotards and ballet slippers.
BASEBALL Grades 1-5
Children will practice the basic skills as they learn to play the game in a fun environment.
BASKETBALL Grades 3-5
Children will learn basic basketball skills and have fun learning to play the game.
BUILDING – BLOCKS & LEGOS Grades 1-2
Kids strengthen fine and gross motor skills, spatial awareness, symbolic representation and eye-hand coordination, doing what they love to do – building!
CHESS - ADVANCED Grades 1-5
Children must demonstrate a strong understanding and ability for this program. This class is for players looking to improve their game through a deeper understanding of tactics, openings, endgame positions and over-all play. This will be a very focused and disciplined activity. Your child must continue showing a genuine interest in learning the game at this level. Inappropriate behavior that disrupts the class will result in a child being moved into a different activity.
CHESS – BEGINNER Grade 1-5
This class is for players new to the game. They will develop an understanding of tactics, openings, endgame positions and over-all play. This will be a very focused and disciplined activity. Your child must continue showing a genuine interest in learning the game at this level. Inappropriate behavior that disrupts the class will result in a child being moved into a different activity.
COMPUTER Grades 1-5
The Internet poses a unique challenge for both parents and teachers. There are two top priorities for both - keeping children safe and encouraging student achievement. The MTW after school computer program crafts a balance between safe and smart Internet game usage. Students are encouraged to explore appropriately and follow specific usage rules. It is important for parents to realize that children have worked hard all day in school and are ready to unwind, socialize and have fun with technology. They are engaged in the games and are gaining a solid foundation of basic electronic skills while their imaginations are ignited. E-learning games are meant to complement teaching, not take the place of quality curriculum instruction.
Research has shown that e-games for K-5 children can help improve school performance. Appropriately used and with guidance, games are tools for the development of higher thinking skills. Educational guru, Howard Gardner, has suggested that students have multiple intelligences. Computer games provide a context that connects kids to all of these intelligences- from literacy to the arts while honoring the unique modalities of each. As they progress to more difficult game levels, students create self-pacing strategies and try to achieve their personal best. Not only do they increase their cognitive skills, they increase their confidence and feel heightened self-esteem in an atmosphere that is not competitive. When they play and enjoy computer games at MTW after school, our kids are learning Electronic Literacy – active learning that will prepare them for the challenges of the future.
COOKING Grades 1-5
The children learn how to make simple and delicious meals that they can make at home and share with their families. It is a time for them to work cooperatively both in preparing the dishes and cleaning up. During the sessions the children learn to make everything from cakes to pasta dishes to yummy finger foods. Everyone shares in the responsibility and the fun in preparing each dish. They learn how to use a variety of kitchen and baking tools, including the blender, oven, measuring cups and spoons. The children read the recipes, measure out the ingredients, blend, mix, chop and most importantly eat what they make.
CROSS STITCH Grades 2-5
Learn sewing and graphing skills all at once! Students will learn how to do “cross-stitch,” making bookmarks and other types of fun take-home projects.
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY Grades 3-5
Get acquainted with the use of digital photography. We will work on taking photographs and videos, downloading them into the computer and modifying them on the computer. The work will be used and displayed in a variety of ways allowing children to explore their creativity while enhancing their technology skills.
DODGE BALL Grades 3-5
An organized, supervised game of dodge ball should be fun for all!
DRAMA - CHILDREN’S THEATER Grades 1-5
Children will work on scripts from different genres. They will construct simple sets and perform for their parents during Extended Day.
DRAWING – CREATURE DESIGN Grades 3-5
Learn to draw your favorite cartoon characters or create new creatures from your imagination. With the use of simple shapes and different shading techniques, bring anything from monsters, oddities or bizarre creatures to life.
FREE PLAY Grades 1-3
It is through play that young children recreate the world. Their “play” is their work and their mission is to organize their experiences using tools like paint, paper, blocks, legos, etc., in order to make sense of their environment. This important “playtime” becomes the building blocks for their literacy learning.
GARAGE BAND Grades 3-5
This music technology class is designed for elementary school children using the Apple music software program Garage Band for mac or Sony Acid-Pro for pc. Students will learn how to create,
compose and record their own music. The computer program virtual keyboard can be used to create their own melodies with added sounds/music loops from the program. The emphasis is on having fun while stimulating creativity and experimentation using interactive tools. Children¹s eagerness to use the computer will make using this program an engaging and fun activity. No previous music education background necessary.
HOMEWORK HELP Grades 2-5
Working families everywhere struggle with the balance of home life and school responsibilities; The families of Midtown West are no different. But our families have an advantage - they are part of a community that keeps working together towards success for our children. As the older grades begin to have long term homework projects, more involved assignments that take several sittings to finish and often require skills and concept review that are not always clear to parents, this class can help families set up a successful homework schedule.
Children will be able to use math manipulatives from the classrooms when needed. They can type reports if necessary or work on editing drafts that have been prepared at home, as well as using the computer for research. Teachers are prepared for the range of curriculum tasks that the children may bring and can connect back to the homeroom teacher when necessary. Children are to come with a piece of homework already chosen by the family. Parents are still expected to sign off on the homework before it is returned to the child’s teacher and to speak to that teacher when there are problems or questions.
During homework time, the children are provided with a quiet place to work on their homework individually, or with a partner. When needed, the head and/or assistant teacher also assist them in their work. In the classrooms, the children are provided with any materials needed to complete their assignments. The children are expected to come to this class knowing what parts of their homework need to be accomplished. This class is not meant to be a tutorial, but rather a way to build your child’s independence around homework.
Level Homework Schedule (tentative) HW Packets Distributed Returned:
2nd Grade – Kay & Yolene Tuesday-Monday
3rd Grade – Seth & Molly Tuesday-Monday
4th Grade – Jeremy Monday-Friday
4th Grade – David Daily-Daily
5th Grade – Ted Monday-Monday
5th Grade – Kristin Daily-Daily
Ana Tuesda- Monday
Audrey Daily-Daily
Note: Homework Help scheduled on Mondays at 3:30 is subject to occasional cancellation due to MTW professional development, and, or staff meetings.
JAZZ-HIPHOP Grades 1-5
Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of a dance class. This includes warm-up, movement and a cool down. This class is a combination of both jazz dance and hip-hop movement. Students should wear comfortable clothing that allows for unhindered movement as well as jazz shoes (no street shoes in the dance studio). Dancers should wear loose fitting, comfortable clothing that is easy to move in and gym or jazz shoes.
KARATE Grades 1-5
Children will learn the discipline skills of Karate…This will be a demanding physical activity requiring focus and discipline. Children must be able to manage their physical spontaneity. Children may purchase a Karate Gi at the beginning of the class. Check in the ED office for forms.
KINDERGARTEN ACTIVITIES Grade K
Kindergarten children will stay together during the 1st semester engaged in a variety of developmentally appropriate activities designed to strengthen their social/emotional growth as well as their fine and gross motor skills. A warm and nurturing environment will be created to facilitate their transition into the after school program. Children will check in at 3:00 and go directly to the yard to play while the older children have their snack in the cafeteria. As the older children go to their activities, the Kindergarten kids will move inside to have their snack. When snack is finished the children will spend the remainder of the afternoon enjoying various activities such as story time, arts and crafts, blocks, cooking, play dough, water table, dramatic play, music, movement and free choice.
KNITTING Grades 3-5
Children strengthen fine motor skills and hand eye coordination while having fun – learning to knit simple patterns, knot moving into purl… This will be basic knitting for those who can already knit and those who would like to learn the basics.
LEGOS ROBOTICS for Beginners & Advanced Grades 3-5
Experience the exciting world of robotics and develop a new and exciting hobby. This program provides the basics of mechanical engineering to design a variety of working robots and their accessories.
MATH GAMES Grade 1
Using our bodies and manipulatives to explore early mathematical concepts in a fun and energetic way. Let’s jump, jive and count!
MIDORI & FRIENDS - GUITAR Grades 3-5
The Midori & Friends Adventures in Making Music Guitar Program offers students the opportunity to learn how to play the guitar! These classes are taught by a Midori & Friends Guitar Teaching Artist who is a professional musician and teacher in the NYC area. Students learn in group classes, alongside a Midtown West classroom teacher. Guitar students will learn core musical concepts such as melody, pitch and rhythm, while they acquire the skills necessary to play the guitar and have fun! They will also experiment with many genres of music including; classical, jazz, popular and world music. Semester or year-end recitals performed for family, friends and community members will showcase what the guitar students have learned!
Schedule: Students must enroll for both the Monday and Friday guitar class to be considered for the program. Guitars will be supplied.
MERENGUE DANCING Grades 1-5
This type of music was originated in the Dominican Republic around the 1920's by Ñico Lora. The rhythm was promoted by Rafael Trujillo, the dictator from the 1930 to 1961, and became the country’s national music and dance style, while in the United States it was popularized by Angel Viloria and his band Conjunto Típico Cibaeño. It was during the Trujillo era that the popular merengue song "Compadre Pedro Juan", by Luis Alberti, became an international hit. This class will cover the diverse movements, steps and that this colorful and rich folkloric music style possesses. Aside from this, the children will also be introduced to the Spanish vocabulary that intertwines with the music. School clothing is appropriate.
MODERN DANCE Grades 1-5
Modern dance has been an exciting and enriching experience for many children with a variety of dance backgrounds. Students with some previous dance experience become more knowledgeable with regard to the requirements of a dance class: clothing, warm-up, technique and performance. Dancers should wear dance clothes or loose fitting, comfortable clothing for easy movement. The class often combines aspects of ballet, modern and jazz in a way that allows for the broadest range of exposure to various dance disciplines. This class has performed in many dance venues, including the Midtown West Concerts, Midtown West Assembly programs and the “Boot Dance” performances.
PLAYWRITING/PLAYMAKING Grades 3-5
Playmaking/Playwriting puts students in touch with the realities of creating a play and introduces a step by step approach to creating a proper play. By the end of the class they will have a full length play with fleshed out characters and story lines with plots and sub plots.
SCIENCE Grades 1-3
Children will investigate science concepts using hands on equipment to understand such things as differences and similarities between matter – solid, liquid and gas; and, what and why certain matters float. We’ll study different groups of living things, i.e., insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. We will also study the impact of the environment on animals today. Projects will be the culminating activity for each investigation.
SIGN LANGUAGE Grades 1-3
The Sign Language class is designed to teach the children basic communication skills to converse with the deaf community. These skills will include conversation role playing using signs that have been taught and children will be able to meet and converse with a deaf guest during the semester.
SOCCER Grades 1-5
Coaches from Downtown United Soccer will teach our children the basic skills as they learn to play the game in a fun environment. Children should always wear gym shoes and loose fitting clothing for easy movement.
STORY THEATRE Grades 1-2
Story theatre introduces the meaning of story and character through acting. The class starts out with a theatre game to get the children focused, ready to truly listen and truly respond. Then we move on to the story. After its read we end with picking out the conflict of the story and act it out, making the moral of the story very clear through everyone very different improvised portrayal of the conflict.
STRATEGY GAMES Grades 3-5
Students will be involved in games that help students improve their problem-solving and high-order thinking skills. Various materials will be used in this class such as card, board and interactive games.
SUPERMARKET SCIENCE Grades 1-2
Kids learn to question, explore and develop scientific thinking skills through fascinating experiments using everyday items.
TENNIS Grades 1-5
Children will learn the basic skills of tennis and have fun learning and playing the game. Children should always wear gym shoes and loose fitting clothing for easy movement.
TAP Grades 1-5
Beginners: The beginner class is for children, ages 6-8, with little or no previous tapping experience. The class is intended to introduce the young tap dancer to a variety of basic tap elements, such as the parts of the foot used for tapping and the basic sounds that can be made – tap, shuffle, flap and stamp. Students apply these movements rhythmically to music to create patterns that will ultimately become a dance routine.
Intermediate & Advanced: The advanced group of tappers are children who have at least one
year of tap training. These children are ready to study more complicated application.
Dancers should wear dance clothes or loose fitting comfortable clothing for easy movement and
tap shoes. (Ext. Day has a supply of recycled tap shoes so you can check with the ED office.)
TUMBLING Grades 1-5
During a tumbling session students are introduced to the rudiments of tumbling which includes proper warm-ups and strength building exercises. Students learn how to fall safely and quickly move on to more advanced skills that include cartwheels, handstands, round-offs, front handsprings, back handsprings and dive rolls. Proper use of the mini-trampoline is introduced mid-session. Tumbling sessions conclude with a cool-down and stretching. Tumbling is a prerequisite for more advanced gymnastics that will be offered in the spring semester. Children should wear loose fitting clothing for easy movement and gym shoes.
WORD PROCESSING & PUBLISHING Grades 3-5
Students will work on their typing skills using various software and online tools. Students will learn various ways to present their work using different fonts, borders, sizes, templates, and layouts.
YARD Grades 1-5
Children will have unstructured play time on the playground while strengthening their social and gross motor skills.
12-WEEK SPECIAL FEE CLASSES
An extra fee (in addition to the regular monthly tuition) will be charged for these classes. Some scholarships are available for these classes - pick-up a scholarship form from the Extended Day office.
SWIMJIM Grades 1-5
The teachers of SwimJim are the most recognized swimming instructors in New York. We have developed an ordered, methodical approach to teaching swimming skills and to cultivate water competency. We believe the success with which our students navigate in the water proves the program’s effectiveness. The most important aspect of our teaching process is our disciplined but loving dedication to getting children in and comfortable with the water. We are thoughtful and observant of children’s behavioral and developmental patterns and will respond to their fears and concerns with love, humor and discipline. This will guide them through the necessary steps to become independent, competent swimmers. This firm, loving approach is the hallmark of SwimJim, Inc. All the members of the SwimJim team are committed to the highest level of excellence in everything we do.
Special Fee = $300 per 12 week session. Paid in full at registration
