Before/After School Programming at Whittier

In addition to our curricular programs, Whittier students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of enrichment opportunities. Some of these programs are before school or after school, some are on weekends, and a few occur during the school day. Please be aware that some of the programs listed below are fee-based and independent of the District. However, we want parents to be aware that they are offered at or near our Whittier Campus.

Since programs are usually not scheduled until fall, please check for notices in your student’s Friday Folder or check the linked web-sites for current offerings. Also, look for a District mailing of other educational, social and sporting offerings in September.

Whittier Programs:
Homework Club
Whittier Historians
Handbell Choir
Student Council
Vocal Choir
Jump Rope for Heart
Crochet Club
Girls at the Museum Exploring Science -- G.A.M.E.S.
Chess Club
English as a Second Language for Parents

Fee Based After-School Options At or Near Whittier:
YMCA of Boulder Valley at Whittier
KinderCare for Kindergarteners
Jumpstart with Art
University of Colorado, Science Discovery
Elementary Spanish
Heart and Hands Clay Workshops
“Abracadoodle," An Art Education Class

Whittier Programs:

Homework Club
Whittier offers assistance to 3rd through 5th grade students who have a strong desire to complete their schoolwork or to go beyond. The Homework Club is limited to 30 students. University of Colorado Education Students tutor Whittier students in small groups or one-on-one every Tuesday and Thursday, for one hour after school. CU students work under the supervision of a Whittier teacher. The school provides bus transportation after the club to assigned Whittier school bus stops. The Homework Club is a joint venture between the school, the University of Colorado, and the Whittier PTA. Look for sign up sheets in the Friday folder, or come leave your name at the office.

Whittier Historians
Eight students in fourth grade are selected to be in the Whittier Historians Club each year. Students learn about Whittier and Boulder’s history through the tutelage of Polly McDonald, Whittier’s retired Head Secretary and History buff. Weekly meetings are held during lunchtime. Students learn to give tours of our school by learning Whittier history and facts and take approximately ten fieldtrips to learn about other historic buildings in Boulder and the Whittier neighborhood. One of the visits is to the Carnegie Library, where students are taught how to research history. Interviewing former Whittier students, staff, & parents is always an exciting time for Historians. If interested, please leave your name for Polly at the Whittier Office.

Hand Bell Choir
Fifth grade students apply their knowledge of music as they learn to play Whittier’s three octave hand bells. The Whittier hand bell choir has practice once a week. Interested in joining? Just ask our Music Teacher, Marcia Jordan.

Student Council
Student Council is for students, grades 2-5, who have big hearts and like to think big! It also is a group for early-risers (since we meet before school. We focus on leadership skills, and we do various projects which might enhance the lives of people at Whittier, in Boulder and in the world. All of the projects are student-selected and organized. We also have a lot of fun. Sometimes we play games and have treats. Regular attendance is great but if a child has to miss a meeting, it is OK! Any student (grades 2-5) is welcome to attend. This year our Student Council “teachers” are John LeClair and Wendy Stokes.

Vocal Choir
Love to sing? Then this is for you! Fourth and fifth grade students rehearse weekly and perform at a variety of school and community events. Students need to have some familiarity with musical notation and be able to read music. Interested in joining? Just ask our Music Teacher, Marcia Jordan.

Jump Rope for Heart
This activity is open to students in grades 1-5. Students gain physical stamina, develop a healthy lifestyle, and raise money and awareness for cardio-vascular fitness. Amy Hancock our Physical Education teacher will lead the way. Training is held twice a week for a number of weeks before the final Jump for Heart competition. This is a winter/early spring activity; please check your Friday Folder for dates and times after the Winter Break.

Crochet Club
Slipstitch, single crochet, double crochet, front loop, back loop, what does it mean? Do you want to learn how to crochet? Come join the crochet club and you will learn how to use the crochet hook. This club typically meets once a week during lunch. Parents, if you have extra yarn, the crochet club could always use some extra.

Girls at the Museum Exploring Science -- G.A.M.E.S.
This was a grant-funded program at Whittier in 2004/2005. Check to see if Whittier will be selected again in the 2005/06 year. Every Wednesday for a period of 7 weeks a group of 4th and 5th grade Whittier girls go to the Museum of Natural History at CU after school to meet Women in Science. Under the guidance of the Whittier staff, students hop on the bus to the University and spend hours exploring natural history, anthropology, archeology and exploring various careers in science. Have your goggles and magnifying glass ready, these girls are ready to inquire! The program is sponsored by the Talented and Gifted program and by the University of Colorado.

Chess Club
Whittier’s former principal, Rick Christie, was an avid chess player who initiated the Friday lunch chess club and chess tournaments. In the Spring of 2004, 300 elementary age students gathered at Whittier for a Saturday tournament. Whittier has two-foot high chess pieces and an outdoor chessboard for children to play chess during recess and lunch. The PTA will look to resurrecting this program in the Fall of 2005 with the support of parent volunteers.Check out the page devoted to the chess club on the Whittier website.

English as a Second Language for Parents
We have classes for parents too! Need a little help practicing your English? Find a comfortable environment working with a teacher. Check for details at the Whittier Office.

Fee Based After-School Options at Whittier:

YMCA of Boulder Valley at Whittier
The YMCA provides before/after school care and programming at Whittier. The YMCA opens at 7:00 AM and after-school care is available until 6 PM. Summer and no-school day programs are also offered on-site. The transition is seamless from school to the Y, with an after-school snack and fun programming. This service is available on a sliding fee scale. Information and registration forms are available in the Whittier office or by going to the YMCA site. You may contact Scott van de Noord at (303) 443-4474 x 365 or got to the YMCA website for more details. For those parents who may need occasional after school care check out the YMCA Drop-In program.

K-Care (Kindergarten-Care)
The BVSD Kindergarten program at Whittier is a half-day session, five day a week, either in the morning or afternoon. K-Care offers extended kindergarten time for parents who wish to have their child attend school for the full day. K-Care is located within our school and kindergarten-aged children may enroll in for the half of the school day that they are not attending kindergarten. This is a fee based program, but fees are available on a sliding scale, if needed. Students who attend K-Care usually go to lunch with the other school kids. All transitions are supervised. K-Care teachers are highly qualified and collaborate with the kindergarten teacher to support kindergarten skills and concepts being covered in the classroom. Information and registration forms are available in the Whittier office.Also, get more information at the Boulder Valley School District K-Care Website.

Jumpstart with Art
This parent-run, PTA sponsored program is in its second year at Whittier. Jumpstart Art was initiated by a parent who decided that there should be more to do on wintry Saturday mornings than cartoons. Each of the three Saturday mornings (sometime in December, January and February at the Whittier campus) feature a variety of visual and performance art activities. Jumpstart with Art allows students to sample Hip Hop Dance, Clay, African Mask Making, amongst other offerings. There is a minimal fee associated with this program and scholarships through PTA are always available. Classes are designed for children aged 5 (going into Kindergarten the coming school year) thru grade 5. Check for notices in the Greenleaf in November-February.

University of Colorado, Science Discovery
Science Discovery has been holding classes at Whittier after school and during the summer. There are fees associated with these classes but scholarship assistance can be requested thru the school for Whittier students. Student participation is open to non-Whittier students also. Check out class offerings at the CU Science Discovery Website or check your Friday folder or the Greenleaf for notices.Sample of classes offered in 2004/2005 were:

Elephants, Their Babies & Friends: Magnificent, intelligent and wise are some of the words that are used when describing an elephant. Using puppets, art, movement, dance, imagination, books, creativity, and music, we'll learn about the majestic elephant, their babies and other jungle friends. Enthusiasm, laughter, play and fun describe this class. Won't you join us?

Super Cool Science: Freezing, smashing, and amazing are just a few of the words that describe this fun class. Each week we'll conduct a variety of science experiments using such "cool" materials as liquid nitrogen and dry ice. Wait until you see what happens to the most common of things when they are super cooled. You'll also have fun creating floating bubbles, burping water, glowing lights, screaming spoons and much, much more in this one-of-a-kind "super cool science" class.

Extreme Animals: Explore the fascinating and sometimes mysterious world of some of the most extreme animals on Earth. Learn about some of the smallest, tallest, fiercest, deadliest, weirdest members of the animal kingdom. Dancing fish, scorpion-eating centipedes, spitting snakes, and other strange animals will be part of this awesome class.

Elementary Spanish
The Elementary Spanish Program (ESP) offers children’s Spanish classes in Boulder and surrounding area schools. E.S.P., independent of Boulder Valley School District, focuses specifically on teaching Spanish to young children.
* The Elementary Spanish Program offers enrichment classes after school at Whittier.
* The E.S.P. registration period begins ends September 15th for the 2005-06 school year.
* Spanish classes meet for 45 minutes, twice weekly during two 10-week terms.
* Open to grades K-5

Please check out more information at the Elementary Spanish Program website for particulars on class time and costs.

Heart and Hands Clay Works
Former Whittier parent, Susan Allman, opened her own Heart and Hands Clay Studio within walking distance of Whittier. Susan shares her love of clay by offering after school clay workshops. Susan picks up the students at Whittier and together walk as a group to her studio for a program of clay shaping, glazing and creativity. Contact Heart and Hands at www.heartandhands.com for more information on program time, cost and other arrangements.

"Abracadoodle," An Art Education Class
“Abracadoodle”, art education class at Whittier, Fridays 3-4pm for Grades 1-5. DATES: November 4 – December 16 (no class on November 11 & 25). COST:$82. TO REGISTER: call BVSD/Lifelong Learning Program at 303-499-1125 x222. Five lessons will explore the artistic styles and concepts of works by Georgia O’Keefe, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Paul Cezanne, and Elisabeth Estivalet. Students create their own works which will result in framed compositions.