Extra Curricular Descriptions

Bookworm

Bookworm is unique to Elizabeth Haddon School. Your child writes and illustrates a story and we’ll create a hardcover book for our school library for students to check out and enjoy. Their book stays in circulation until the end of their 5th grade year. For the past several years we’ve published an average of 80 books! Some highlights:

  • Students in all grades can participate.
  • Mr. Bissinger hand delivers each completed book to the student
  • Authors have their biography displayed on the Bookworm mural wall
  • Authors are invited to a special Bookworm assembly in June

 

Battle of the Books

Want to be a more avid reader? Well, Battle of the Books is a reading motivation program! The goals of the program are: to encourage reading for pleasure; to broaden reading interest; and to recognize students who enjoy reading. Students in grades 3 through 5 form teams of four to six to read books over a period of months, discuss them, quiz each other on the contents, and then compete on teams to correctly answer questions based on the books. Meetings occur starting in January. The questions used all begin with, “In what book…,” so the answer will always be a title and an author. The statewide program involves a cooperative effort by many individuals and New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL). It is popular with students and has provides new opportunities for academic competition. Battle of the Books has proven itself to be effective in stimulating interest in reading.

 

Elementary Band

Elementary Band begins in the 4th grade and students may choose from flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone or percussion. Group band classes meet once per cycle during the school day. Students perform throughout the year at school and elementary level concerts. Instrumentalists participate in Band Buddies, a partnership with our middle and high school instrumentalists, playing at high school football games and local Memorial Day parades.

 

Elementary Orchestra

The Elementary Orchestra Program offers instruction in violin, viola, and cello to 3rd-5th grade students.  Orchestra students meet once per week and perform in various concerts throughout the year. Group band classes meet once per cycle during the school day. Students perform throughout the year at school community meetings and elementary level concerts.

 

Participation in the Elementary Instrumental Music Program builds foundational skills for future music education and promotes self-confidence, teamwork, school engagement, and overall higher academic achievement.

 

Girls on the Run

This club is girls in grades 3 thru 5 and runs for 10 weeks in the fall meeting twice per week. Girls on the Run is a transformational learning program for girls that teaches life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.

 

Peer Mediation

Peer Mediation is a process used to help students resolve their conflicts in a safe and healthy way. It gives students an opportunity to sit face to face with each other, express their feelings, understand the other person’s point of view, and come up with win-win solutions to a problem.  The goal is to work cooperatively and reach an agreement they are both comfortable with rather than placing blame on either party. Children in grades 2-5 are able to participate in mediation. All fourth graders are given the opportunity to be trained as mediators.

 

Robotics Club

This after school club is run by Robotech Inc., an organization that runs STEAM based clubs in our area. This club is open 1st-3rd grade students and runs for 6 weeks. We offer a Level 1 and Level 2 class. Each meeting is 90 minutes. The program consists of students working collaboratively to build LEGO models featuring working motors and sensors; pro-gram their models; and explore a series of cross-curricular, theme-based activities while developing their skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as well as language, literacy, and social studies. Each session allows students to construct and program a new Lego machine growing in complexity each week.

 

Safety Patrol

Safety patrol is a group of 5th grade school leaders who assist with recess supervision and lunch setup. Interested students will complete an application in their classroom. This program instills a sense of responsibility in the student safety patrols in their efforts to help their fellow classmates and the community. Safety patrol runs from September to June.

 

Science Olympiad

The Science Olympiad is an academic competition where teams compete in events relating to science, engineering, and technology. Competitions take place at the school and in the region with area schools. Any fourth or fifth grader who has an interest in science and the ability to think creatively should consider participating in our Elizabeth Haddon Science Olympiad Program.  Being able to work collaboratively with others is crucial! You do not need to have any special knowledge or expertise, but you do need to be willing to become a self-learner so that you can become an expert in at least two science events. Some events include Barge Building, Straw Egg Drop, Water Rockets, Calculator Contest, and Mystery Powders. Practices begin after school in the winter, with the school competition taking place in on a Saturday in the spring.

 

STEM/3-D Printing Club

This club is is open to 14 students and runs for 8 weeks meeting for an hour each week. Activities in this club include using the 3-D printer to create designs as part of an international education workshop called The City X Project, which is designed to teach elementary students how to creatively think and problem solve using 3-D design and printing. Students are presented with the following problem from the City X curriculum: Humans have just landed on an alien planet, and they’ve staked out an area for their first city, City X. But building a new city is difficult work, and they’re beginning to identify some challenges relating to health, safety, communication, transportation, and more—problems that they need help to solve. Now the Citizens of City X are sending transmissions back to Earth, describing the challenges they’re facing. It’s up to the young designers and innovators of Earth to invent solutions to these problems and help create a thriving City X. Following this introduction, each student randomly selects a citizen card, which presents a situational problem requiring the use of their imagination and the 3-D printer to design a solution to their citizen’s problem. Using Tinkercad software, student “inventors” design and print their inventions. Throughout this project students learn the design process and develop critical thinking skills.

 

Student Council
The Student Council is an elected group of student officers in grades 4 and 5 who sponsor service-oriented projects, contribute to the improvement of the school, promotes school pride, spirit, and morale. Representatives organize and participate in a variety of activities that benefit charity organizations and community outreach programs and plan special school events. Student Council runs from October to June.

 

Talent Show

This Lizzy tradition is run by our PTA and is open to any student in grades 3-5. Practices begin in January with the show taking place at HMHS in March. Each year there’s a new theme with our most recent one being “America!” Students can sing, dance, play an instrument, perform magic tricks, do karate, be an MC, or showcase any special talent.

 

Wee Deliver

Wee Deliver is our school’s school wide postage system where students and faculty can write letters to friends and teachers. Letters are then put in classroom mailboxes by students. This program encourages students to communicate and grow as writers.