CHECstra Day offers teens a mixture of academic development, social time, interest-led project work, and recreation. The program emphasizes choice in learning and teens are included in planning projects and rotating activites. Most days, our schedule is:

·10:30-11:00	Morning flex time	·optional social time
·11:00-12:15	In-depth study	·focus on academic development
·12:15-1:00	Lunch	·lunch
·1:00-2:00	Rotating period	·provides social opportunities and develops life skills
·2:15-3:30	Interest-led projects	·develops communication project management skills
·3:30-4:00	Afternoon flex time	·optional social time

In-depth Study

For winter term, we will continue our geography in-depth study as we have much more ground to cover! This class uses a world domination-themed approach. Using game play as the engine, students will be engaged in learning locations and statistics for countries around the globe. The goal is for students to complete the course able to identify countries by continent, region and geographic location, with an awareness of a county's size, fast-facts and neighbors.

Rotating Period

Lunch is followed by a rotating activity each week. Past activities have included a local scavenger hunt, Zentangles creations, cooking lunch, team Jeopardy, puzzle chess, attending a Shakespeare production of Macbeth, and First Aid instruction. Winter activities will continue to represent a variety of interests and activities selected with input from enrolled teens.

Interest Led Projects

Students will continue to work on their production of the murder mystery spoof, 'The Single Man'. Students will participate as cast members and/or stage crew in this multi-term theater project. There are opportunities for students who may just be joining CHECstra to participate in the production if interested. Students who do not wish to work with the theater group will work on a project of their choosing, with support from an adult project guide during this time.

Winter Term Dates

Please take note of the exact days for winter term CHECstra Teen Day. We will have class on the following WEDNESDAYS: January 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, February 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th. CHECstra Day runs from 11-3:30, however, students are invited to arrive at 10:30am and/or stay until 4pm for optional extra social time. It is helpful if the students participating in the theater project are able to stay until 4.

Questions?

For further information, please contact the instructors at checstrateen@cvillechec.org.

Technology Use During Class Time

We have debated whether or not to have a no device rule at CHECstra in an effort to facilitate learning and connection. We are reluctant to issue a blanket rule as many of our students prefer to use computers for writing and other classroom activities. Our approach for the upcoming term is to request the following appropriate use of devices during CHECstra hours:

It is appropriate to use a device during class time to look up information related to the lecture or learning activity or as a learning aid (typing, calculator, etc.)

Student focus should be on teachers, peers, and learning during CHECstra hours. Please do not play games, engage in online conversations, or work on non-CHECstra projects during CHECstra time.

We recognize that students enjoy playing computer games together and this can be a fun, social, and engaging activity. That being said, most students have ample opportunity to play computer games outside of CHEC and we want to focus on in person activities during CHECstra time. We'd ask that students use time to chat in groups, play on the playground, work on cooking projects, play board or card games, or other non-computer game activities during social time.

Silence phones during CHECstra

We understand that students will want to check texts/email/social media during CHECstra. Out of respect for teachers and other students, do not check during class time (11-3:30). Checking during lunch or breaks is okay. Try to check a limited number of times (2 or 3) through out the day so you give your focus to your peers.

Some device use during morning and afternoon flex time is appropriate. It should not be the only thing you ever do during flex time. Our hope is that we can all voluntarily comply with these guidelines so we can benefit from the assistive aspects of technology without compromising our learning. Our intention is to speak with people individually if their technology use is an issue. In the event that many of us are over-using technology to the point of disrupting learning, we will change our policy to request that students do not bring devices to class, so students should be aware that this may become a requirement of CHECstra.