FOX C HAP E L ARE A SC HOOL N E WS
Mrs. Francis says that in addition to the learning sessions for preschoolers
and their families, the Creativity and Literacy Program will provide
literacy development and parent education. Additionally, she will continue
to work with local preschools to ensure that children make a smooth
transition to the district’s elementary school program. The Creativity and
Literacy Program is sponsored by the school district, and partial funding
was provided by a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and
Mathematics) grant offered through the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and
funded by the Benedum and Grable foundations.
A five-year-old boy pressed an orange connected
to a computer to capture his various facial
expressions in the photo booth center.
Megan Amster, mother of three-year-old Levi, said of the Creativity and
Literacy Program, “Exposure to different types of different educational
activities is just beneficial for their overall growth – socially, academically,
and emotionally.” She added, “It’s amazing to have something like this right
in your own backyard.”
For more information about the Fox Chapel Area School District Creativity
and Literacy Program, please contact Mrs. Francis at 412/696-1400, or at
[email protected].
A popular learning activity, children created
different paths with pipes to make the ping pong
ball travel from the top of the wall to the bottom of
the wall.
A mother observed as her preschoolers and their toddler sibling
explored the shapes on the light table.
Fox Chapel Area
The Creativity and Literacy Program
has three sessions scheduled for this
school year that run for six weeks
and families can choose from six
one-hour class times each week.
One class session per week is
scheduled during the evening
at Volunteers of America’s All of
Us Care in Sharpsburg. The first
session began on December 3. In
the first classes children and their
caregivers have been exploring textures
in depth, according to Mrs. Francis.
Each class includes creative exploration
and play. The second and third sessions will run
from February 4-March 13, and March 25-May 8. Classes are free, but
registration is required.
Children discovered that if they held the alligator clip, they could
touch different fruits to create sounds on the computer.
Fox Chapel Area | Winter 2013 | icmags.com 11