Click here to see all Winter 2019 ETC offerings at a glance!
MONDAYS
(January 14, 28, February 4, 11, 25, March 4)
PLEASE NOTE: MONDAY classes will meet for six weeks
ADVENTURES IN 3D PRINTING - CANCELLED
Bring your ideas to life with Adventures in 3D Printing! Using TinkerCad and Sketchup as our platforms, students will take their design ideas from thought to reality and gain an understanding of design, scale, graphing, and 3D printing in the process.
Diana MacKenzie, Lower School Art Teacher
Grades K - 3
- increase self-control
- improve attentiveness and focus in a classroom environment
- increase self-respect and empathy for others
Classes will offer a balance between structured learning, creative expression and nourishment of imagination. We will practice mindful movement, stretching, breathing techniques, a weekly age-appropriate lesson, and group meditation. All 5th and 6th graders are welcome to participate.
As a practitioner and teacher, Colleen Avis earned her certification from The Chopra Center, world leader in health and well-being of body, mind and spirit. Her approach to teaching is practical and heart-based and she considers it a privilege to share mindfulness tools with children allowing them to explore greater empathy, perception and emotional control.
TUESDAYS
(January 15, 22, 29, February 5, 12, 19, 26, March 5)
CHESS
Learn chess fundamentals in this fun, playful class! The first 10–15 minutes per session are spent on instruction, using the chess demonstration board and selected online materials. For the rest of the session, we’ll play friendly matches and/or more competitive ladder matches, while the instructor spot teaches and plays "teaching games". Topics covered: rules of chess, nomenclature, openings, middle game/end game strategies and tactics, and chess history and culture.
Mark Ryan, Summer Programs and ETC Chess Instructor
Grades K – 8
Crazy Coding Kids
Looking for a little fun with robots? Crazy Coding Kids focuses on coding challenges relating to a different theme each week. From Star Wars, to Wonder Woman, Legos and more these STEM based problem solving challenges will help the students build a stronger understanding of coding different languages and creating apps using computer science.
Grades 1 - 2
$200
FENCING
Have you or your child watched Star Wars or the Summer Olympics? Ever wonder about the fencing you saw? This class is the perfect way to enter the exciting world of fencing! The Fencing Sports Academy pairs a friendly, encouraging environment with the expertise of professional coaches.
Grades 2 - 6
$225
Minecraft Engineering using lego®
Bring Minecraft to life using tens of thousands of LEGO® parts! Build engineer-designed projects such as a motorized Creeper, a portal to the Nether, and a moving Minecart! Create your favorite Minecraft objects with the guidance of an experienced Play-Well instructor. Whether you are new to Minecraft and LEGO® materials or a seasoned veteran, you'll be hooked on the endless creative possibilities.
Grades K - 3
Pottery Around the World
Create beautiful projects inspired by different cultures and artists from around the world! From Russian nesting dolls to ceramic Chinese dragons, students will craft and glaze their own clay creations, as they travel the world one masterpiece at a time. Taught by accomplished artists/teachers, the projects are cultural, creative and fun, and are designed with both beginning and experienced students in mind.
Grades K - 3
$250
Grade 6
$250
WEDNESDAYS
(January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13, 20, 27, March 6)
BULLS & BEARS: STOCK MARKET GAME
Come and learn how investors make (and lose) money in the stock market and how you can start investing successfully at a young age! In this hands-on class, students use a cool stock trading simulation tool with real-time market data to select a $10,000 stock portfolio and analyze performance over time, “learning by doing.” Smart investing will help you meet long-term financial goals. Make your money work hard for you! Topics include:
• Stocks and bonds
• Understanding stock price graphs
• Stock indices around the world
• Risk, return and diversification
• Case study on IPOs: SNAP, Facebook, Twitter
• “Buy low, sell high”
• Mutual funds
• “Cool finance math” (e.g., rate of return)
A solid foundation for successful future investors!
Grades 4 - 6
$250
Debate Club
Students will learn about public speaking and discourse through debate. Participants in this class are expected to prepare and debate using evidence that is provided and evidence they produce through their research. Students are expected to compete at least once during the course assuming that Potomac Debate program can schedule an age appropriate tournament. Students will receive instruction from the Varsity coaching staff as well as current Varsity students in the Upper School competitive program.
Grades 6 - 8
$250
Yoga for Kids
Build strength, flexibility, balance, and stamina with Yoga for Kids! Each week, children will incorporate yoga postures as they play, move, stretch, breathe and relax. In addition to balancing like trees and stretching like dogs, children will create, tell, and listen to yoga-inspired stories. Students should wear comfortable clothes that they can move and stretch in. They can bring their own mats or use mats provided by ETC. Gay Brock, the instructor, has been practicing yoga for 20 years and is a 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher and has earned a YoKid certification. Gay also teaches yoga in the Upper School.
Gay Brock, K-8 Health Coordinator
Grades K - 3
7TH & 8TH GRADE VEX IQ ROBOTICS
The VEX IQ platform gives the students a solid stepping stone between the former First Lego League Robotics in the Middle School to VEX Robotics in the Upper School. By incorporating advanced concepts into an accessible package, the system also naturally encourages teamwork, problem solving, and leadership. Working with the VEX IQ platform gives the students a foundation in engineering design and programming at the Intermediate School level that directly translates to VEX Robotics in the Upper School. The VEX IQ platform has a very robust programming environment, allowing students to utilize up to 12 sensors and motors. This platform is also supported by a free powerful computer aided drawing program (CAD), designed specifically as an introduction to CAD. The students going through the VEX IQ robotics platform will leave the Intermediate School with a strong understanding of engineering and design concepts. The name of this year’s VEX IQ challenge is “Next Level.” Click here for more information about VEX IQ Team Challenge.
Greg Mueller, Intermediate School Science Teacher
Shing Wai Koo, Lower School Teaching Fellow
Grades 7 - 8
THURSDAYS
(January 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 21, 28, March 7)
DESTINATION IMAGINATION: ENGINEERING
Let your ideas flow! Join the Destination Imagination (DI) team and experience the creative process! The Destination Imagination program (www.destinationimagination.org) is a FUN, hands-on system of learning that fosters students’ creativity, courage and curiosity through open-ended challenges in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), fine arts and service learning. Our DI participants will learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem solving process.
Like Math Olympiad or Odyssey of the Mind, this program requires a commitment to the collaborative and inventive spirit of this three-month experience. Students will have the opportunity to showcase their challenge solutions at the local tournament in March. Details on the competition date and location to be announced. The competition is an all-day event in which students present their solutions to two challenges, watch other participants, and engage in other fun activities throughout the day. Parents are encouraged to attend this Saturday competition.
Jenni Ashley, Grades 6-12 Academic Technologist
Grades 4 - 6
harry potter coding
Learn to code with the interactive Harry Potter Kano coding wand, a wand that responds to your movements! Connect code blocks, see the JavaScript, and learn about loops, logic and variables. Wave your coding wand and instantly see the effects of your code on screen. Make fire flow, pumpkins grow, feathers fly, goblets multiply, paint pictures, compose music, and more!
Grades 3 - 5
$200
MY FIRST COCOA STAND
Come learn how to make yummy hot cocoa and how to earn money selling it! A hot cocoa stand is a great way to introduce our youngest entrepreneurs to the world of business and it’s fun! This class empowers kids with an entrepreneurial mindset for their “business,” drawing from such disciplines as marketing, finance and strategy, in a supporting environment fostering teamwork. From designing marketing flyers to estimating profits to experimenting with recipes, young students will have fun while engaging in enriching, multi-disciplinary activities with a lasting developmental impact.
Grades K - 3
$250
SATURDAYS
February 2, 9, 23, March 2
The program will consist of four one-hour sessions, with no more than 20 players per session. These clinics will be offered to kids in grades K-4 and are open to Potomac and non-Potomac students so bring your friends!