TJ’s Summer Discovery Academy classes offer a wide range of summer enrichment opportunities – including ACT Prep – for children in grades Pre-K through 12. The Academy is open to students from all schools in the 4-States area.
Thomas Jefferson offers a full-featured Summer Discovery Program open to all students in the community, from Pre-K through grade 12. TJ’s established summer program includes workshops, classes, and exploratory camps. Included are our Lower School performing arts program, weights and conditioning, robotics, programming, ACT preparation courses, foreign language camps, a Middle School study skills course, and much more.
Young Scholars Academy (9 a.m. – Noon) – Curious 3- and 4-year-old children are invited to immerse themselves in a week of discovery. Students will engage in games and playful activities that introduce them to early literacy and numeracy skills. Each week will present a new theme, and students will make friends and find joy in learning in this academically enriching program.
Studio Art Academy – Grades K-2 (1 – 4 p.m.) – Open to all students entering grades K-2 in the fall. Students will create works of art in various media, using a variety of techniques, while exploring different artists ( Pollock, Koons, Warhol, Thiebaud, Haring) and what inspires them each day. They will have their own masterpieces to take home and display with pride.
Kids College Academy (9 a.m. – Noon) – Children ages 5 and 6 will engage in an academically enriching program designed to promote Kindergarten and 1st grade readiness skills. Through engaging activities and weekly themes, students will explore reading, writing, science, math, and much more. This program is designed for students with a love of learning who are ready to have fun and make new friends.
Young Scholars Academy (9 a.m. – Noon) – Curious 3- and 4-year old children are invited to immerse themselves in a week of discovery. Students will engage in games and playful activities that introduce them to early literacy and numeracy skills. Each week will present a new theme, and students will make friends and find joy in learning in this academically enriching program.
Magic School Bus Science Lab – Grades K-2 (1 – 4 p.m.) – Young students will transform into scientists as they participate in some wild rides on the mythical Magic School Bus. Join your friends – and make new friends – on a different science adventure each day. Curious students will enjoy these fun-filled STEM activities designed to teach scientific concepts while engaging in a full laboratory experience.
Kids College Academy (9 a.m. – Noon) – Children ages 5 and 6 will engage in an academically enriching program designed to promote Kindergarten and 1st grade readiness skills. Through engaging activities and weekly themes, students will explore reading, writing, science, math, and much more. This program is designed for students with a love of learning who are ready to have fun and make new friends.
Chinese Language and Culture – Grades K-2 (1 – 4 p.m.) – Students will spend a week immersed in Chinese language and culture. From learning to speak simple phrases to writing Chinese characters, students will have the opportunity to engage in a new language that will broaden their world view. Through games, activities, and songs, students will leave the class with an appreciation for Chinese culture.
Reading Extravaganza – Grades 1 and 2 (9 a.m. – Noon) – Students will dive into a world of literature, exploring various themes, characters, and storylines. Whether the goal is enhancing reading skills and expanding vocabulary, or simply joining other students who share a love of reading to explore new books, this class is certain to provide enrichment and summer fun for everyone.
Lego Lab – Grades 1 and 2 (1 p.m. – 4 p.m.) – Students will explore engineering and architectural concepts through the creation of their very own Lego structures. Time will be allotted for individual skill building, group challenges, and creative free time. From the most basic structures to intricate designs, student will learn first-hand the basic concepts of engineering as seen in the buildings the students see in the world around them.
Studio Art Academy – Grades K – 2 (1 – 4 p.m.) – Open to all students entering grades K-2 in the fall. Students will create works of art in various media, using a variety of techniques, to learn the principles of design and the elements of art. They will have their own masterpieces to take home and display with pride.
Spanish Language and Culture – Grades 3-5 (9 a.m. – Noon) – Students will spend a week immersed in Spanish language and culture. From learning simple phrases, to engaging in full conversations, students will expand their confidence and fluency in the Spanish language. To round out the experience, students will sample traditional food and practice customs as they learn the language and geography of Spanish-speaking countries.
STEM Immersion – Grades 3-5 (9 a.m. – Noon) – Immerse yourself in the world of STEM. In this course, students will explore the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math through hands-on projects designed to teach 21st century concepts, critical thinking, and problem solving. Students will create, build, and improve upon designs that are applicable to real-world challenges, as well as sharpen their math and critical thinking skills along the way.
Math Camp – Grades 3-5 (1 p.m. – 4 p.m.) – Students with a love of numbers and math will enjoy this program that will allow them to take their numeracy skills even further. Through engaging games, activities, puzzles, and friendly competitions, students will enhance their problem solving abilities and test new capacities in mathematics, including concepts and skills in algebra, geometry, and statistics.
Math Camp – Grades 1 and 2 (9 a.m. – Noon) – Calling all young mathematicians! Students with a love of numbers and math will enjoy this program that will allow them to take their numeracy skills even further. Through engaging games, activities, puzzles, and friendly competitions, students will enhance their problem solving abilities and test new capacities in mathematics.
Magic School Bus Science Lab – Grades K-2 (1 – 4 p.m.) – Young students will transform into scientists as they participate in some wild rides on the mythical Magic School Bus. Join your friends – and make new friends – on a different science adventure each day. Curious students will enjoy these fun-filled STEM activities designed to teach scientific concepts while engaging in a full laboratory experience.
STEM Immersion – Grades 1 and 2 (1 p.m. – 4 p.m.) – Immerse yourself in the world of STEM. In this course, students will explore the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math through hands-on projects designed to teach 21st century concepts, critical thinking, and problem solving. Students will create, build, and improve upon designs that are applicable to real-world challenges, as well as sharpen their math and critical thinking skills along the way.
Applied Programming – Robotics – Grades 3-5 (9 a.m. – Noon) –Learn about science and technology by building real-world models and programming them to automatically carry out your commands. You will build, program, and test complex robots, and develop your real-world troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. This robotics course is an excellent way to develop math, engineering, programming, and motor skills while building exciting, complex machines. Plan, program, and test your robot, and use ultrasonic, light, sound, and touch sensors to program the robots to interact with their environment. (Limited to 16 students).
Showtime Musical – Grades 2 – 6 (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) –Lights! Camera! Action! Prepare for this summer’s musical. Young thespians will ready themselves with musical rehearsals, stage-blocking, and choreography. Participants must commit to dress rehearsal from 9-10 a.m., and the public performance at 5 p.m. on Sat., July 24. There is a 30-actor limit.
Kids College Academy (9 a.m. – Noon) –Children ages 5 and 6 will engage in an academically enriching program designed to promote Kindergarten and 1st grade readiness skills. Through engaging activities and weekly themes, students will explore reading, writing, science, math, and much more. This program is designed for students with a love of learning who are ready to have fun and make new friends.
Chinese Language and Culture – Grades K-2 (1 – 4 p.m.) – Students will spend a week immersed in Chinese language and culture. From learning to speak simple phrases to writing Chinese characters, students will have the opportunity to engage in a new language that will broaden their world view. Through games, activities, and songs, students will leave the class with an appreciation for Chinese culture.
Chinese Language and Culture – Grades 3-5 (9 a.m. –Noon) – Students will spend a week immersed in Chinese language and culture. From learning to speak simple phrases to writing Chinese characters, students will have the opportunity to engage in a new language that will broaden their world view. Through games, activities, and songs, students will leave the class with an appreciation for Chinese culture.
Studio Art Academy – Grades 3-5 (1 p.m. – 4 p.m.) – Open to all students entering grades 3-5 in the fall. Students will create works of art in various media, using a variety of techniques, to learn the principles of design and the elements of art.
Studio Art: Acrylic Painting – Grades 6-8 (9 a.m. – Noon) – Join other passionate artists for a week focusing on acrylic painting techniques. Students will create individual pieces while working collaboratively to improve their artistic skills and repertoire. Instruction and guidance will be provided throughout the week as students work on their own original works of art, ones they will be proud to take home and display.
Studio Art: Oil Painting – Grades 6-8 (1 – 4 p.m.) – More advanced art students will appreciate the techniques presented in the oil painting course. Students will work throughout the week on their own original pieces with continued instruction and guidance along the way. By the end of the course, students will have works of art that they are proud to take home and display, with a new skill set that will enable them to continue to pursue their passion for painting.
Applied Programming – Robotics (9 a.m. – Noon) – Learn about science and technology by building real-world models and programming them to automatically carry out your commands. You will build, program, and test complex robots, and develop your real-world troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. This robotics course is an excellent way to develop math, engineering, programming, and motor skills while building exciting, complex machines. Plan, program, and test your robot, and use ultrasonic, light, sound, and touch sensors to program the robots to interact with their environment. (Limited to 16 students).
Biology in the Wild (9 a.m. -12 p.m.) – Biology in the Wild is a summer course designed to engage students in Biology with the focus on the natural world around us. Students will spend the week exploring various fields in Biology such as Entomology, Botany, and Aquatic Ecology. Students will travel to a new location every day to learn how to collect, identify, and preserve their collections throughout the week. We will focus on engagement with the natural world through handwork, journaling, and various collection techniques. This is a week-long course, however, there are two week-long sessions offered back-to-back which will differ in content and focus. Students have the opportunity to spend two full weeks immersed in the natural world.
Creative Writing – (1 – 4 p.m.) – Students will spend the week learning about various forms of creative writing while simultaneously creating their own works. Investigations into poetry, short stories, memoirs, speeches, fiction writing, and even screenplays will keep students engaged and focused on expressing themselves through their imaginations. Students will work individually and collaboratively to improve their craft with direct guidance and feedback daily.
Spanish Language and Culture (1 – 4 p.m.) – Students will spend a week immersed in Spanish language and culture. From learning simple phrases, to engaging in full conversations, students will expand their confidence and fluency in the Spanish language. To round out the experience, students will sample traditional food and practice customs as they learn the language and geography of Spanish-speaking countries.
Classic Video Game Programming (1 – 4 p.m.) – This course will teach students programming skills by building classic arcade games and platforming games using the Scratch language from MIT. Scratch is the world’s largest coding community for children and a coding language with a simple visual interface that allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations. Young programmers will learn to write game logic and apply algorithmic behavior to their game assets. They will learn high-level programming concepts using Scratch’s visual programming tools. Scratch represents code structures as blocks. Students will use these blocks to ‘build’ their instructions and bring their games to life. They will create individual accounts on Scratch, so they’ll be able to keep and share their creations after the course is over.
Biology in the Wild (9 a.m. -12 p.m.) – Biology in the Wild is a summer course designed to engage students in Biology with the focus on the natural world around us. Students will spend the week exploring various fields in Biology such as Entomology, Botany, and Aquatic Ecology. Students will travel to a new location every day to learn how to collect, identify, and preserve their collections throughout the week. We will focus on engagement with the natural world through handwork, journaling, and various collection techniques. This is a week-long course, however, there are two week-long sessions offered back-to-back which will differ in content and focus. Students have the opportunity to spend two full weeks immersed in the natural world.
Showtime Musical – Grades 2 – 6 (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) –Lights! Camera! Action! Prepare for this summer’s musical. Young thespians will ready themselves with musical rehearsals, stage-blocking, and choreography. Participants must commit to dress rehearsal from 9-10 a.m., and the public performance at 5 p.m. on Sat., July 24. There is a 30-actor limit.
Middle School Study Skills (10 a.m. – Noon) – Study skills are a fundamental requirement for academic achievement. This course will provide practical strategy and tested methods to help students achieve long-term academic success. Specific emphasis will be placed on time-management, organizational skills, note-taking, and test preparation. Tuition includes the cost of a course-specific textbook. All rising and current Middle School students are encouraged to attend. Rising 6th grade students are strongly encouraged to attend.
Aug. 8-12
Summer Youth Symphony – Grades 7*-12 (1-3 p.m.) – All area middle and high school musicians are welcome to join this summer’s youth symphony festival. This session is open to experienced string, woodwind, brass, and percussion youth musicians. Sessions will include whole group, sectional, and individual instructional time and practice. Students will perform a summer symphony concert at the conclusion of the festival in the TJ Concert Hall. Join other passionate musicians for an immersive week of music and fun.
*Seventh grade students must audition and/or submit a teacher recommendation.
Weights and Conditioning (8-10 a.m. Tues., Wed, Thurs. only) – The summer weights and conditioning course is designed to help students improve both personal fitness and athletic performance. The class uses Bigger, Faster, Stronger software to build workouts designed to improve muscular strength and endurance. Additionally, the class focuses on several other aspects of fitness including running, jumping, flexibility, core strength, and agility.
ACT Preparation (9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) – Students will develop individualized approaches to maximizing scores on the ACT. We will divide our class time evenly among the various portions of these tests. Each session will consist of a review of various mathematical, grammatical, or vocabulary concepts as we examine how these topics manifest themselves in a standardized test format. We will also spend a great deal of time taking and evaluating practice exams (often these will be completed outside of class), reviewing frequently occurring problem styles, and discussing strategies for taking the ACT.
Studio Art: Acrylic Painting (9 a.m. – Noon) – Join other passionate artists for a week focusing on acrylic painting techniques. Students will create individual pieces while working collaboratively to improve their artistic skills and repertoire. Instruction and guidance will be provided throughout the week as students work on their own original works of art, ones they will be proud to take home and display.
Studio Art: Oil Painting (1 – 4 p.m.) – More advanced art students will appreciate the techniques presented in the oil painting course. Students will work throughout the week on their own original pieces with continued instruction and guidance along the way. By the end of the course, students will have works of art that they are proud to take home and display, with a new skill set that will enable them to continue to pursue their passion for painting.
Biology in the Wild (9 a.m. -12 p.m.) – Biology in the Wild is a summer course designed to engage students in Biology with the focus on the natural world around us. Students will spend the week exploring various fields in Biology such as Entomology, Botany, and Aquatic Ecology. Students will travel to a new location every day to learn how to collect, identify, and preserve their collections throughout the week. We will focus on engagement with the natural world through handwork, journaling, and various collection techniques. This is a week-long course, however, there are two week-long sessions offered back-to-back which will differ in content and focus. Students have the opportunity to spend two full weeks immersed in the natural world.
Model UN (9 a.m. – Noon) – Covering a period from the adoption Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Model UN is a class designed to teach high school students the history and workings of the international system and United Nations. Students will develop historical thinking skills through engaging with key documents, examining the UN response to the Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Bosnian Genocide. The week will end with two Security Council simulations, in which students will put their newfound research skills and knowledge of UN procedure to work representing their chosen countries in moments of crisis both past and present.
Creative Writing – (1 – 4 p.m.) – Students will spend the week learning about various forms of creative writing while simultaneously creating their own works. Investigations into poetry, short stories, memoirs, speeches, fiction writing, and even screenplays will keep students engaged and focused on expressing themselves through their imaginations. Students will work individually and collaboratively to improve their craft with direct guidance and feedback daily.
Biology in the Wild (9 a.m. -12 p.m.) – Biology in the Wild is a summer course designed to engage students in Biology with the focus on the natural world around us. Students will spend the week exploring various fields in Biology such as Entomology, Botany, and Aquatic Ecology. Students will travel to a new location every day to learn how to collect, identify, and preserve their collections throughout the week. We will focus on engagement with the natural world through handwork, journaling, and various collection techniques. This is a week-long course, however, there are two week-long sessions offered back-to-back which will differ in content and focus. Students have the opportunity to spend two full weeks immersed in the natural world.
Applied Programming – Robotics (1 – 4 p.m.) – Learn about science and technology by building real-world models and programming them to automatically carry out your commands. You will build, program, and test complex robots, and develop your real-world troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. This robotics course is an excellent way to develop math, engineering, programming, and motor skills while building exciting, complex machines. Plan, program, and test your robot, and use ultrasonic, light, sound, and touch sensors to program the robots to interact with their environment. (Limited to 16 students).
Viva la Revolution (9 a.m. – Noon) – In Viva la Revolution, students will compare and contrast the American, French, Haitian, Russian, and Chinese Revolutions. Considering what constitutes a Revolution students will refine historical thinking skills through engagement with key documents and make their own arguments about how “revolutionary” each one was. In addition to surveying the history of each Revolution, this class will include activities ranging from historical board games, to student-led simulations, to sampling Brioche. Both in content and skills, this class aligns with the learning objectives of AP U.S. History, AP European History, and AP World History, and will serve as excellent preparation for these classes.
Aug. 8-12
Summer Youth Symphony – Grades 7*-12 (1-3 p.m.) – All area middle and high school musicians are welcome to join this summer’s youth symphony festival. This session is open to experienced string, woodwind, brass, and percussion youth musicians. Sessions will include whole group, sectional, and individual instructional time and practice. Students will perform a summer symphony concert at the conclusion of the festival in the TJ Concert Hall. Join other passionate musicians for an immersive week of music and fun.
*Seventh grade students must audition and/or submit a teacher recommendation.
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Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School delivers a rigorous liberal arts college preparatory curriculum in a supportive and nurturing environment.
