ELEMENTARY HIGHLIGHTS
After-School Programs Help Students Thrive
E
ach of the four elementary schools in the Fox
Chapel Area School District offers an after-
school program. These valuable programs aren’t
only engaging and enriching – they’re fun, too!
In many cases, these programs are coordinated and staffed by
members of each school’s PTO.
“We can’t thank our PTO enough for undertaking this huge
task every year,” said Kerr Elementary principal Paul Noro,
Ed.D. “After School @Kerr not only supplements what our
students learn in the classroom, it also provides wonderful
opportunities for socialization and for students to be active.”
Here’s a closer look at all four after-school programs.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Fairview Elementary
Great
Expectations
is a five-week
program that
starts around
the beginning
of February.
About
one‑third of
Fairview’s
350 students participate in the enrichment activities, according
to Jill Chiu, president of the Fairview PTO. Sessions run
on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Among the most
popular classes during the current school year were “Kids in
the Kitchen,” “Harry Potter Potions,” and “Exploring the
Great Outdoors.”
MAGNIFICENT MONDAYS
Hartwood Elementary
Magnificent
Mondays,
sponsored by
the Hartwood
PTO,
provides
a diverse
selection of
classes and
workshops
during a six-
week period
beginning
in January. Sign-ups are held in December. This school year,
there were 11 different activities to choose from, including
“Painting Like Van Gogh,” “3D Printing,” and “Peace, Love,
and Yoga.”
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FOX CHAPEL AREA
AFTER SCHOOL @KERR
Kerr Elementary
The Kerr
PTO
coordinates
After School
@Kerr, which
also takes
place during
the winter.
A PTO
committee
recruits
teachers and
community
professionals
to participate,
and organizes
at least 10 options to make sure there’s activities that appeal to
every student. This year, students could pick from computer
programming, sewing pillow pets, science, martial arts,
cupcake decorating, basketball, gymnastics, yoga, and magic.
About 100 students participated in After School @Kerr this
school year.
O’HARA FOXES CLUB
O’Hara Elementary
O’Hara
Elementary’s
after-school
program,
O’Hara Foxes
Club, takes
place during
the spring.
Classes
typically
are five or
six weeks.
This school
year, O’Hara students chose between “Chess Club,” “Spanish
Globetrotters,” “Kid Yogis PLAY,” “Story Explorers,” “Art
Explorations Arty Party!,” and “Lab Ratz Science Club.”
There is a fee for some of the classes, and financial assistance may be
available.