Extracurricular Enrichment @ ECCS

For all the speed readers, multitaskers, and mental jugglers, here's three key points that I don't want anyone to miss!

1. The intention of this newsletter is to gauge interest and to determine which options below to offer. No guarantees just yet!
2. PLEASE complete the Google Form if you student might be interested in any of the offerings below. Nothing is set in stone--I just want to be sure that you are included on future communications as more details emerge.
3. Many of you know me as the AIG teacher for grades 4-8, but these options are truly meant to be open to ALL interested students. Even if your student hasn't met me yet, please feel free to join! Please feel free to share this newsletter with other Evergreen families to get the word out!

Hello, Evergreen families! I hope that the 2025-26 school year is off to a great start for your students! For those who I have not yet met, my name is Michaela Rogers, and I am the AIG teacher for grades 4-8. This year, I am excited to be offering some extracurricular enrichment opportunities that are open to any and all interested students. Before getting started on logistical details, I am hoping to gauge interest to determine what to offer, when to offer it, and what format it should take. In other words, it's unlikely that all of these options would be offered at once, so your input lets me know which offerings to prioritize. If you've got a bookworm, a puzzler, a budding mathematician, an outside-the-box thinker, or a curious kiddo, take a look to see if anything below might be of interest!

Be sure to complete the Google Form at the bottom of this newsletter to indicate student interest and to sign up for updates.

From the NCSLMA website, "Battle of the Books began as a program for middle school students, grades 6-8. The program has expanded to include the elementary and high school levels. Students at participating schools read books from a list established by the state Battle of the Books committees and then compete in quiz-bowl-style tournaments to test their knowledge of these books."

The book lists often include a variety of amazing titles, and many of my students have found some of their favorites through their participation in Battle of the Books! Students can access the texts in whatever format works best for them, whether it's reading independently, sharing the book with a family member, or listening to an audiobook. They often enjoy swapping books and making recommendations to fellow bookworms as they work their way through the book lists.

The goal of Battle of the Books at both the elementary and middle school levels is ultimately to compete against other schools in the region. Students should be prepared to commit to reading at least 8 books from the list associated with their gradeband by April. Depending on when students start reading, this shakes out to 1 or 2 books each month (and remember--audiobooks count!). We will also practice as a team so that students get familiar with the style of the questions and how to answer them. We usually alternate between traditional "battles" and other fun ways of reviewing (such as Blookets, which were a favorite last year!).

Book Club is meant to be a flexible, casual, and fun opportunity for kids to get excited about good books! It's super simple--each month, I pick a book and announce it via newsletter. Then, at the end of the month, we meet up and do a fun activity related to the book. Students and families can decide which months to attend, which they communicate with a digital RSVP. This is a great, lower-commitment alternative to Battle of the Books. It's also great for kids who may need help finding a book that will help them fall in love with reading! Kids can read the book on their own, have a family member read to them, or listen to an audio version of the book--whatever works best for them!

Book Club is about as low-stress as possible. Though the activities are related to the book, kids need not be master readers to participate and engage with each other. The goal is just to promote enjoyment of books and a culture of reading. Last year, on a particularly rainy day, we had a book-themed snack and spent the first part of our meeting chatting about our favorite characters, the biggest "twists," and the warm, fuzzy feeling at the end of the story. As one of the kiddos put it, "We're basically just sitting here eating snacks and talking about books... which are my TWO FAVORITE THINGS!" Add in a team building challenge, an art project, or the movie adaptation of a book, and you've got the whole idea!

Since Book Club is meant to be flexible, families must RSVP each month that a student plans to participate. The goal is for students to read (or listen to) the book prior to coming to Book Club so that they can share in the excitement of the story when the group gets together, but there is no consequence (other than spoilers!) if a kiddo doesn't quite finish in time. As long as kids make a good effort, I'm flexible.

From the MOEMS website, Math Olympiad is "one of the most influential and fun-filled math competition programs in the United States and throughout the world. More than 120,000 students from every start and 39 additional countries participate each year. The objectives of MOEMS are to teach multiple strategies for out-of-the-box problem solving, develop mathematical flexibility in solving those problems, and foster mathematical creativity and ingenuity."

Math Olympiad problems typically require kids to think critically and creatively about math concepts. Students who are always looking for a puzzle, a challenge, or a new perspective will be hooked. I have selected this program for our elementary-grade learners because it prompts them to think deeply and conceptually as opposed to just pushing them "ahead" as quickly as possible.

Math Olympiad does have a competitive component, with a total of five "Olympiads" in the months of November through March. Students compete in these Olympiads by completing problem sets at school, which I score and submit by the end of the administration window. Students may earn recognition for their performance if they meet certain thresholds, but there's no obvious "last place" (great for kids who are still building confidence). There is also the possibility of traveling to a regional Math Olympiad for a different style of competition experience, depending on interest and scheduling logistics.

From the MathCOUNTS website, "The Competition Series has 4 levels of live, in-person math competitions - school, chapter, state and national. Each level of competition is comprised of 4 rounds - Sprint, Target, Team and Countdown Round. Altogether the rounds are designed to take about 3 hours to complete. Usually, beginning in the fall, students work with their coaches to prepare for the competition, using resources provided by MATHCOUNTS. Then, competitions begin in the winter and run through the spring."

MathCOUNTS problems really push students to think deeply and critically about math concepts. There are often a variety of ways to approach problems, which gets kids talking and collaborating. Students tend to find the problems challenging in a way that is motivating--especially for those who love math or logic puzzles.

As described above, students will have the opportunity to compete both at Evergreen and in at least one local competition. We will have practices leading up to the competition so that they can become familiar with the kinds of problems and the different rounds of the competition. Students should be ready to engage with concepts and questions that really make them think (and which may require a healthy dose of perseverance!).

We don't know yet! What I do know is that we have an AMAZING Environmental Education teacher in Joele, and we have been throwing around some ideas to better reach our STEM-interested Evergreeners. Right now, our goal is to gauge interest in an additional STEM offering. We don't know if this would be a club, an elective, a flex-time offering, or something else, but we are hoping to get a sense of numbers and grade levels to do some planning down the road. Hopefully, student/family interest will help us decide what to offer and how to offer it!