Enrichment Program

Calling all runners! After last year’s successful inaugural season, we are looking forward to starting a new cross-country season at PJS. The PJS cross-country team will train and compete with other independent schools at several cross-country meets in the area this Fall. Practices will be held Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays after school throughout the Fall. Meets will be held in October, and we will probably join the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in Princeton again this year. The team will be open to all children in Grades 4 - 6. Take time to talk it through with your child before signing up. The rewards of competing and being a member of a team are great, but training three days a week is obviously a big commitment. Focus Friday practices will be held from 12:00-12:45

PLEASE NOTE: Cross Country will begin the week of September 11th.

Scheduling Note: Students in Cross Country are allowed to miss one practice a week if they would like to participate in either Jam On! OR the Fall Play. Unfortunately, students cannot participate in all three programs due to the training necessary for Cross Country. 

Brand new for the 2023-2024 school year! “Jam On!” Students get to bring their favorite instrument to play, or try guitars, keyboards, and drums and other instruments while rehearsing Pop, Rock, Blues, and Jazz Songs. They will also jam and improvise on popular chord progressions and song forms. 

Beginners through intermediate levels are welcome!

Scheduling Note: Due to the overlap, students participating in the Fall Play AND Cross Country CANNOT participate in Jam On. Students in Cross Country may only miss one practice a week.

We have spirit, yes we do! We have spirit, how about you?

Are YOU ready? Learn group cheers, chants, and dances! At the end of the session, the cheerleaders will record a performance to be shared virtually with the PJS community.  $25 has been added to the cost of the program for the purchase of pompoms. Pompoms will be delivered to the students to use during class and to keep upon completion of the session. (Please note, if you have already done Cheer with Ms. Jannell and still have your pompoms, you do not need to purchase another pair) 3 min 8 max

Exploring Mindfulness with Ms. Gorrie: It has been proven that mindfulness practices help support children with improved concentration, mental clarity, better sleep, self-control, emotional intelligence and the ability to relate to others and one's self with kindness, acceptance, and compassion. In this fun-filled, afterschool class, students will learn about mindfulness through practiced breathing, yoga exploration, art and music, and enjoying natural, outdoor surroundings. 6 max

PJS is excited to announce our first Fall Play! Our students will perform "Kid Frankenstein," a spooky and funny take on Mary Shelley's classic story!

Auditions will be held after school on September 12 & 13th. The cast will be announced on September 14th. The first rehearsal is Tuesday, September 19th.  We will be working together to perform the show, create the set, and put together costumes. We highly encourage participation throughout this process from every student, as working together to bring a play to life is a rich and rewarding experience. 

Scheduling Note: Due to the overlap, students participating in the Jam On! AND Cross Country cannot participate in the Fall Play. Students in Cross Country may only miss one practice a week. 

This class will be taught by International Chess Master Farai Mandizha. All kids will be evaluated in their first class. Students will learn the basic chess principles like how to move the pieces, check & checkmate, stalemate, castling, promotion and many more. They will also learn the openings, middegame, engames tactics and strategies. Each student will receive individual recommendations for further study. Every class will include a lesson part and a supervised play. Materials: Chess sets and clocks will be provided

Benefits of Chess: Chess helps develop critical thinking skills, planning ahead, and thinking before acting. Children learn to see patterns, solve problems and become more deliberate. In chess, winning and losing allows children to understand how to handle healthy competition and to learn that having an opponent is OK.

Meet the Teacher: Our chess instructor has immense experience in teaching curriculum and after-school programs for years and will be able to give the right guidance to this budding chess community. International Master Farai Mandizha is an internationally renowned chess player, coach, and a 4 time Chess Olympian

Coach Farai is working towards building our first PJS Chess team!

Our young chefs will make tons of tasty, easy, kid-friendly snacks!  We will learn how to follow recipes and take the recipes home to share with our families each week. Join us this session for this fun and engaging class! The price includes a materials fee. 8 max

PJS’s Odyssey of the Mind Program is back once again for the 2023-2024 school year. We had teams make it all the way to World Finals the past two years and we’re excited to jump into this creative process once again! This letter aims to provide you with some information about the program. We are excited to be offering this program to students grades 3rd-6th! 

As described by the Odyssey of the Mind Association, “Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem-solving competition for students of all ages. Kids select a problem, create a solution, and then bring their solution to competition against other teams in their age category. Students work in teams of up to seven members under the guidance of a coach.

Students interested in participating need to be willing to work on these problems from mid-September through potentially the World Finals in June (big goal). Some of this work will happen during our practices, while some must be worked on at home. We will start with practices once a week and increase to two to three practices per week as we move closer to the competition. They should be willing to make a long-term commitment as their teammates are counting on them. 

For more information or questions, please contact Mr. Floyd at zfloyd@princetonjuniorschool.org

PLEASE NOTE: Odyssey of the Mind will not begin until the week of September 25th

Miss Box believes that dance movement is so important for children, especially of the younger ages, as it helps build each child’s self-confidence while developing their memorization skills.  This club will give each child an opportunity to have fun through dancing while keeping active and learning new skills with friends! 

The PJS Student Council will continue their essential work and big decisions for our school.  Some items on our agenda are: planning a meaningful service project and organizing events for our entire school community.  Please email Ms. Clark a letter explaining why you would like to be a member of Student Council and what you plan on adding to the committee. (sclark@princetonjuniorschool.org) Max 10 (6th Graders are given priority for this program).