Lower School Now Offers STEAM After-school Classes!
The fun in Science Technology Engineering Art and Math (STEAM) Lab classes doesn’t have to end when the bell rings! With the resounding popularity of STEAM Lab this year, the Lower School has expanded its after-school program to include more STEAM classes for students to explore at the end of their day.
St. Andrew’s has partnered with LevelUp Village, an organization specializing in Global STEAM enrichment, to offer three classes this fall: Global Storybook Engineering, Global VidCode, and Global Video Game Designers. What makes these classes “global”? Students are sharing their ideas with a partner class from a developing country, allowing students to build global relationships as they develop new skills together. Learn more about these classes below:
Global Storybook Engineering (Pied Piper)
Grades 1-2
Mondays: 3:45-4:30
Students rescue “story book” heroes by building Spaghetti towers using noodles and marshmallows, boats, bots and more! They create a video powered show and share with a new friend from somewhere else in the world. Like all Level Up Village classes, when students take this class, the class is donated to a student in another country living at or below $2/day. Participants connect many times over the session to share the results of their design challenges with one another.
Global VidCode
Grades 4-6
Thursdays: 3:45-4:45
During the Vidcode course, students learn JavaScript, the "language of the web," and use it to build and manipulate their own creative video projects. From shooting video to creating intricate video effects, Vidcode students become media masters who build computer literacy alongside the development of interactive music videos, stop motion animations, and documentary projects. At the end of the course they will have completed an "Intro to JavaScript" course, created a social awareness piece with their Global Partner student and acquired advanced filmmaking skills to boot!
Global Video Game Designers
Grades 3-4
Fridays: 3:45-4:30
Don't just play the game, MAKE the game! Students learn how to make games that use the video camera sensor and drawings, how to “remix” what others have done and how to hack. They learn "Scratch" (designed by the brilliant folks at MIT) and work with a partner student at a Level Up Village global partner program.
If you’re a St. Andrew’s parent interested in these after-school classes for your student, you can register by contacting our after-school program director Aimee Zivin (azivin@sasaustin.org). Registration for these classes closes on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
