After School Clubs
CLUBS UPDATE - APRIL 24, 2020 - As we move into the second month of virtual learning, PTA has been working hard to lay the groundwork for a smooth transition back to school, and to wrap up spring business that was abruptly cut short. Part of this effort has been related to our popular after-school clubs program, which had 3 classes left in Session 3 that we were not able to hold. We’ve been in touch with our vendors and teacher providers, and want to update involved families on how we’re handling this change. We hope that by offering several options for families, they can enjoy the value of the clubs even though Session 3 was cut short. Please read on if you have a child (or children) who participated in Clubs this spring; these options are for those who participated in FEE-BASED (not free) clubs during Session 3:
For all fee-based clubs (Tennis, Advanced Chess, Hip Hop Dance, Beginner Chess, Young Chefs, Tinker Time, & Science Seed), we are sadly unable to refund the fees families paid to us – the logistical load of issuing hundreds of checks to clubs participants is simply beyond our capacity and likely would violate the terms of our bank account, which limits number of checks we can write over a certain period.
If you HAVE NOT YET PAID, we ask that you simply pay for the 5 weeks that your child(ren) participated in the club. Fees vary so please reach out to us if you have any questions about costs. The fees are also listed in the clubs registration section of the PTA website. Payments will be accepted via Venmo www.venmo.com/PTA-Jefferson-Houston.com, or you can mail a check, made out to Jefferson-Houston PTA, to:
Jefferson-Houston PTA
If you HAVE PAID, there are several options available, as well as some virtual offerings from our vendors, these are described below.
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DONATE your overpayment to the PTA’s Clubs Budget to help support Clubs scholarships for families in need. If you are able to do this, no response or action is needed, and thank you for your generous support! We are happy to issue you a receipt for your donation for use in tax preparation, just email us if you would like one!
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APPLY the overpayment as a credit to the next session of Clubs, meaning your child(ren) will have a discounted session the next time they enroll in clubs, equivalent to the 3 weeks’ worth of Session 3 clubs that had to be cancelled. To do this, please email pta.jeffersonhouston@gmail.com to provide your child’s name and what club(s) they are seeking credit for.
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PARTICIPATE in virtual offerings from the vendors identified below, which they have arranged to take the place of the 3 missed clubs classes. Contact information is provided within the descriptions below.
VIRTUAL / MAKE-UP OPTIONS FOR CLUBS
Beginners and Advanced Chess:
Our awesome Chess Champion Mr. Ruble is offering an online chess tournament or individual virtual instruction sessions for our Session 3 enrollees. The next “Quarantine Chess Tournament” is scheduled for 2 pm on May 16, and will take 3-4 hours. Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 finishers in each division. Another option is to receive individual instruction from Mr. Ruble for up to 3 hours. He has provided this virtual service to many of his Alexandria students since school closure, and has a working process in place. Please let PTA know if you’d like your child to participate in either of these options by emailing pta.jeffersonhouston@gmail.com.
Tinker Time:
Grab a few vouchers for UpCycle’s popular Tinker Time, where you can explore and create in UpCycle’s studio with their unique collection of materials. At this time UpCycle is closed, but when they re-open the sessions are offered Wednesdays 3:30-5:30 pm and Saturdays from 10-noon.
Email pta.jeffersonhouston@gmail.com for more information on how to receive these vouchers.
Hip Hop Dance:
Participate in Hip Hop Fortnite edition via Zoom! The last 3 dance classes will continue virtually.
Message In Motion will provide live interactive classes through Zoom for the remainder of our hip hop session! For those of you who are not familiar with Zoom, we are excited for this opportunity as the students will be able to see each other on their screens during the class, have the opportunity to engage with each other, as well as have the chance to get active and continue building on what we have already learned! Zoom can be downloaded for free and used via a cell cell phone, laptop, or tablet.
The class will be held Wednesdays 2:55-3:55 pm on 4/29, 5/6, and 5/13.
*Don’t worry, if you miss your regular class time, all classes will be available to watch again! An emailed link to the recorded class can be sent upon request.
Email pta.jeffersonhouston@gmail.com for Zoom meeting credentials and more information.
2019-2020 Session 3 After School Clubs Info:
No Thursday Clubs on 2/13 (early release)
No Tuesday Clubs on 3/3 (Election Day)
Tuesday
Movement and Dance (1st-3rd) - Free
TGA Tennis (2nd - 5th) - $84
Poetry Club (5th-8th) - Free
Advanced Chess (K-8th) - $70
Poetry Club (5th-8th) - Free
Builders Club* (6th-8th) - Free
Wednesday
Shake, Rattle, and Roll (K - 3rd) - Free
Yoga (K - 2nd) - $80
Beginning Acting (K - 2nd) - FREE
Studio Art (3rd-5th) - Free
Hip Hop Dance (1st-5th) - $88
Street Law (6th-8th) - Free
Thursday
Beginner Chess (K - 8th) - $70
UpCycle Tinker Time** (K - 5th) - $70
Science Seed (K-2nd) - $70
Comic Book Design (3rd-8th) - Free
Young Chefs (3rd-5th) - $56
Builders Club* (6th-8th) - Free
* Builders Club meets twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays; No Tuesday Clubs on 3/3 (Election Day)
** UpCycle Tinker Time will be held at the Durant Center.
PTA After School Clubs (2:45 pm - 3:45 pm)
~ Clubs will NOT meet on early dismissal days
~ All clubs are subject to change if the minimum student participation is not met
~ Payments are NOT due until notification slips are received by families
~ Please fill out one form per student (siblings need to have separate forms)
~ If a Club selection conflicts with a student’s tutoring, the student will not be enrolled in the Club without an accompanying letter, signed by student’s guardian, authorizing the student to miss tutoring in favor of the Club
Payment
~ Confirmation slips notifying families of club placements will be sent home with students the week of 2/3.
~ Please do not pay registration fees until you receive confirmation slip(s)
~ If your child does not receive confirmation or you have registration questions, please email
~ Make checks payable to Jefferson-Houston PTA; or via Venmo:
Paper registration and information forms are available for printing.
Club Descriptions
Advanced Chess (K-8th) - Bring your chess game to the next level under the supervision of Coach Ruble.
Tuesday: Grades K-8, maximum 10 students
Beginner Chess (K-8th)- Learn about the amazing game of chess under the long-standing leadership of Coach Ruble. Participants will learn about the chess pieces and rules of the game as well as good sportsmanship.
Thursday: Grades K-8, maximum 20 students
Beginning Acting (K-2nd) - Journey to the depths of your imaginations and see what’s possible using music, movement, and creative drama while also exploring the world of theatre and how it is made! Play and create your own story and characters and have a wild adventure!
Wednesday: Grades K-2, maximum 15 students
Builders Club (6th-8th) - The Kiwanis Builders Club is a student leadership & community service group with the goal of impacting local, national, & global communities. In this club we will analyze issues facing our communities and then develop and implement solutions to those problems. Last year we hosted a Wacky Socks Fundraiser which raised over $500 for amputees around the world. In fact, our fundraiser was so successful that we were able to give someone a free prosthetic leg. If this type of work excites you then the Builders Club is for you.
Tuesday: Maximum 20 students
Comic Book Design (3rd-8th) - Comic Book Design Club is a club for students interested in learning the basics of creating comics. Students will practice drawing, inking, and adding color to create their own comic book compositions.
Thursdays: Grades 3rd-8th, maximum 15 students
Hip Hop Dance (1st-5th) - Explore hip hop technique including breaking, popping, and locking, freezes, and more. This high energy class is based on commercial/street style; with emphasis on choreography, collaboration, and developing style and rhythm. Additional focus on movement vocabulary, strengthening and conditioning, and personal expression
Wednesday: Grades K-2, maximum 15 students
Movement and Dance (1st-3rd) - Gain a greater level of physical fitness while exploring creativity through movement. Active exercise increases self-awareness, strength, balance, flexibility and coordination. Group interaction develops cooperative skills and is fun. Use your imagination and see what happens.
Tuesday: Grades 1-3, maximum 12 student
Poetry Club - According to the dictionary, poetry is nothing more than metrical writing. However, poetry is much more than that; it is a genre with styles ranging from the prose of Emily Dickinson to the bars of Kendrick Lamar and J-Cole. Through this club we will examine the different styles and rhythms of poetry by analyzing the works of some of history's greatest poets. Then we will take the knowledge we gain from studying the greats of the past to develop, write, and possibly perform our own poems.
Tuesday: Maximum 20 Students
Science Seed - The Science Seed™ covers a variety of science topics in fun, interactive and age-appropriate ways. Our goal is for students to understand the breadth of science, and therefore each session contains lessons from different disciplines. We also introduce students to the fact that scientists are also notetakers, data recorders, writers and authors by creating a journal of the session…a memento they will bring home on the last day of class.
Thursday: Maximum 16 Students
Street Law (6th-8th) - Learn about law, the legal system & our constitutional democracy! Students will be empowered by learning about their rights & responsibilities and how to become participatory citizens. The course will foster interactive participation to study topics such as human rights, court systems, conflict resolution, Police procedure and community resources.
Wednesdays: Maximum 16 Students
Studio Art (3rd-5th) - Explore artistic themes and get advanced instruction from our awesome Ms. Flores!
Wednesday: Maximum 12 students
TGA Tennis (2nd-5th) - USTA offers a Youth Tennis Player Pathway to help introduce families to tennis. Coaches lead students through station-based drills and games that develop the fundamental skills of grip, forehand, backhand, volley, and serve. Students also participate in STEAM labs that allow them to explore academic concepts like gravity, force, and spin through the game. TGA provides all equipment.
Tuesday: Grades 2-5, maximum 10 students
UpCycle Tinker Time (K-5th) - Rethink your notion of waste & use cast-offs from our community as creative art materials! Explore UpCycle’s collection of materials, experiment with a variety of arts media, & create your own thing.
Thursday: Grades K-5, maximum 20 students
Yoga (K-2nd) - Yoga helps kids confront the challenges of stress and obesity by increasing self-awareness, concentration levels and physical activity. Led by Breathing Space, participants will learn basic yoga poses, build strength, and have a great time!
Wednesday: Grades K-2, maximum 12 students
Young Chefs (3rd-5th) - The 4-H Young Chef’s Club teaches students about food preparation, food and kitchen safety, food science, meal planning, and nutrition. Learn about food and nutrition with hands-on recipe preparation and menu planning!
Thursdays: Grades 3-5, maximum 8 students
Clubs Not Offered This Session:
Basketball (3rd-5th) - This program is designed to enhance kids’ overall fitness while improving their fundamentals, knowledge, and cohesive awareness of basketball. The instruction has an emphasis on team building, recreational games that instill sportsmanship, personal discipline, work ethic and trust to build camaraderie. The goal of the Timez10 program is to use team-building activities that improve social skills, self-esteem, morals and overall basketball fundamental skills, while encouraging a safe and fun atmosphere.
Thursday: Grades 3-5, maximum 20 student
Entrepreneurs Club (4th-8th) - If you like “Shark Tank,” this club is for you! Students select a business idea, learn to develop a business plan and make a “pitch” presentation on the last day. Students also role-play as CEOs for leading companies (Apple, Under Armour, Amazon, Tesla, Coke) and work in groups to make strategic recommendations to address real business issues. Students enhance their problem-solving skills, develop business savvy and cultivate a strategic mindset as futureWednesday: Grades 4-8, maximum 16 students
Money Matters (K-3rd) - This innovative class on financial literacy lays the foundation for healthy financial habits early in life, empowering students with the mindset to start making sound financial decisions and develop into responsible global citizens. Role-playing and fun activities keep students engaged. Topics include: • Currencies of the world • Budgeting 101 (earning, spending, saving, investing) • Prices and bartering • Checks and bank accounts • Credit cards and debit cards • Taxes • Career day: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Tuesday: Maximum 12 students
Sports Debate Club (5th-8th) - Do you like sports? Do you like your friends? Do you like arguing? Do you like arguing about sports with your friends? If so, then this is the club for you. In JH's sports debate club we will answer age old questions, like who is the greatest basketball player of all time. However, we will not simply be sitting in a room and shouting at each other that Michael Jordan (Go Heels!) is better than LeBron James. Instead we will develop well-crafted arguments using elements of statistical analysis, healthy debate, and the writing process. Come on by if you can handle the heat!
Wednesday: Maximum 20 students