JWP After-School Enrichment Programs
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The closing school bell rings at Jackson Walnut Park Schools, yet children eagerly race off to another classroom or campus building for more learning and great excitement. The extraordinary JWP after-school opportunities offered daily until as late as 6:00 p.m. by Kids’ Corner and After-School Activities engage students’ curiosity and enhance their developmental and social skills while providing a safe and stimulating environment for children ages three through Grade 6.
After-School Activities has three seasonal sessions. “Children connect with each other, learn more about themselves, and develop skills that built character and life-long learning,” says Director Nicole Girouard.
The JWP Activities winter session is in full swing. More than 120 students are enrolled in 34 different age-appropriate programs. There are five different art programs, three different cooking-themed programs, and two different engineering offerings. Children engage in athletics that include tennis, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, fitness and obstacle, high-energy games, karate, and rock climbing at an off-campus site.
Students learn what it takes to be a public speaker, a seamstress, a clown, or a writer. They attempt something new such as digital animation, chess, the guitar, or yoga. They assume the role of a dancer, a Mandarin interpreter, or a “mad-scientist” in a chemistry lab.
When the Activities programs end at approximately 4:00 p.m., students may stay at Jackson Walnut Park until 6:00 p.m. joining Kids’ Club activities or the Homework Club.
The facilities in the new Student Center on the schools’ Newton campus opened a wealth of opportunities for expanding the after-school offerings this year. In addition to the Student Center, classrooms in Jackson Elementary and Walnut Park Montessori and campus fields are settings for the many diverse programs offered by both Kids’ Corner, directed by Neal O’Brien PP’WPM, ’07, and After-School Activities.
