fridays
@ SLOCA
Fridays @SLOCA Enrichments combine life-enriching activities, play, and academic follow-up. Our classes offer a blend of common arts and STEAM-based learning (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), inviting students to explore, create, and experiment.
preschool-8th grade
8:30am-3pm
on 30 select Fridays during the school year
preschool–kindergarten PLAY LABS
Play Labs are a rich, engaging, purposeful approach to learning through play, often pulling from our Wisdom Wonder Project curriculum. Students are engaged in high-level play, beautiful and meaningful literature, math enrichment, and practice of other skills appropriate to these early years.
1st–8th GRADE ENRICHMENTS
Our classes include Grids+* for all ages—offering students meaningful time to complete grid work, read, and, when appropriate, engage in age-appropriate games designed to strengthen thinking skills and cognitive development. Each class is built around STEAM learning and the Common Arts. Students will be invited to experiment, investigate, observe, and wonder through engaging, hands-on experiences. This program blends structured learning with intentional unstructured play, creating space for curiosity, creativity, and discovery to naturally unfold.
*Grids+ is required if you are registered in the Full-Time program.
sign up now!
class schedule
Mornings (8:30-11:30A)
1st-8th
Afternoons (noon-3pm)*
*space is limited but we will do our best to get your child into their first choice options!
primary
12-1:25p
Spanish
OR
Medieval Makerspace: Catapults, Constellations, and Concoctions
OR
Theater
1:35-3p
Common Arts: Exploratory
OR
Lego
OR
Bouldering Bears
intermediate
12-1:25p
California History Part 2
OR
Common Arts: Exploratory
OR
Theater
1:35-3p
Medieval Makerspace: Catapults, Constellations, and Concoctions
OR
Spanish
OR
Bouldering Bears
lower middle school
12-1:25p
Choir
OR
Interactive Science
OR
Common Arts: Outdoor (Survival)
OR
Bouldering Bears
1:35-3p
SLOCA Motion
OR
Common Arts: Indoor (Culinary)
OR
Theater
upper middle school
12-1:25p
SLOCA Motion
OR
Choir
OR
Common Arts: Indoor (Culinary)
OR
Bouldering Bears
1:35-3p
Interactive Science
OR
Common Arts: Outdoor (Survival)
OR
Theater
class descriptions
Want to learn more about your Fridays @ SLOCA Teachers? Read our Teacher Bios here.
Bouldering Bears
1st-4th (PRI/INT) 5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
TEACHER: Deena Eschenbach
Each week, the students will be transported to The Pad for an hour of climbing fun! This class is designed to show children the exciting and adventurous world of rock climbing in a safe and supportive environment. The classes focus on teaching climbing techniques, building strength, enhancing coordination, and elevating confidence within our climbers. The Pad’s experienced instructors provided personalized guidance that ensured that each student could progress at their own pace. (Additional fee: $95 per month, this includes the cost of coaching and a gym membership with 24/7 access to the pad.)
California History Part 2
3rd-4th (INT)
TEACHER: Katherine Worhunsky
Get ready to take a trip through time as we learn about the fascinating history of California, known as the Golden State—an adventure into the past through award-winning literature. This class will build on what was learned last year, but new students will be able to jump right in. Learn about missions, geography, music, and culinary history through stories, beautiful art, and hands on activities. This class will go on two field trips, one to see a mission and one to go to a history museum. Last year this class was a smashing success!
Choir
5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
TEACHER: TBD
This choir class offers students a dynamic and supportive environment to develop their vocal skills and musical knowledge. Students will learn proper singing techniques. Emphasis is placed on teamwork, performance skills, and building confidence in one’s singing abilities. Students will engage in fun, collaborative rehearsals leading to school performances.
Common Arts: Exploratory
1st-4th (PRI/INT)
TEACHER: Alex Funge
In this fun, hands-on Common Arts class, students will be exploring real-world skills through creativity, exploration, and play. The students will dive into three unique topics, with a new adventure for each trimester. Our students will dive into navigation and exploration, we will go on treasure hunts using basic map skills, directions, and simple compass use. Students will explore architectural concepts while using their imagination and hands-on projects to explore basic concepts such as structures, creating models, and understanding balance and stability. We will also explore tailoring and textile arts, students will discover beginning sewing, through simple hands-stitching projects and fabric explorations. (Additional Fee: $50-$90 for supply fee per trimester.)
Common Arts: Indoor (Culinary)
5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
TEACHER: Vivian Dai
Step into the kitchen and discover the fun and creativity of cooking in this hands-on culinary class designed to help students build a strong foundation in basic cooking skills and techniques while exploring a variety of flavors and dishes from around the world. Students will cook a different American, Mexican or Chinese dish each week, culminating in a capstone project where students get to design a menu for and host their own dinner party. (Additional Fee: $50-$90 for supply fee per trimester.)
Common Arts: Outdoor (Survival)
5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
TEACHER: Kaiden Tolkamp
In this skill building class we will head outdoors and learn real-world survival skills in a way that is fun, hands-on and designed to explore fundamentals of survival while building confidence, team work, problem solving, and outdoor awareness. This class will encourage curiosity, resilience, and respect for nature while building skills like creating shelter from natural materials, safe fire building, navigation, knot tying, outdoor cooking, and plant identification. (Additional Fee: $50-$90 for supply fee per trimester.)
Grids+
1st-4th (PRI/INT) 5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
Students will have the support of a core teacher to provide a space that encourages gridwork and academic or pleasure reading. When time permits, there may also be additional activities from our Wisdom Wonder Project curriculum, strategic games to stimulate the mind, and activities that will enrich and enhance the history, literature, and science being studied.
Interactive Outdoor Science
5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
TEACHER: Jake Schoonmaker
Through beautifully filmed videos and hands-on experiments, this Interactive Outdoor Science class connects the stories of intrepid explorers, hopeful pioneers, and determined individuals with the lands they built their lives upon. Through stories, we fuse scientific and geographic exploration together and introduce the vast variety of landforms, biomes, and ecosystems found in the United States. Your student will cultivate a lifelong love of exploration, adventure, and an appreciation of the natural world.
LEGO League
1st-2nd (PRI)
TEACHER: Katherine Worhunsky
In this innovative class students are empowered to unleash their creativity through hands-on challenges! Students are presented with basic challenges and encouraged to build creatively, fostering a sense of exploration and ingenuity. Embracing a unique blend of structured and unstructured instructions, this class aims to cultivate independent problem-solving skills in young minds. Our attentive instructor guides students as they navigate through their projects, offering just the right amount of support to ensure an enjoyable and enriching experience for each participant. Join us on a journey of discovery where imagination knows no bounds, and every creation is a testament to the power of innovation and self-expression!
Medieval Makerspace: Catapults, Constellations, and Concoctions
1st-4th (PRI/INT)
TEACHER: Anna Rocha
Step back in time to the age of castles, knights, and curious discoveries! In this hands-on class, students will become young inventors and explorers as they build, create, and experiment like medieval makers. Students will design and launch their own mini catapults, mix up simple (and safe!) mystery concoctions, and explore the night sky by learning about constellations and the stories behind them. Along the way, they’ll use creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills to tackle fun challenges inspired by the Middle Ages.
SLOCA Motion
5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
TEACHER: Ben Vattanonta
In this PE class, students will improve their fitness, coordination, and overall physical health through a variety of physical activities and games. The class focuses on building strength, endurance, flexibility, and teamwork while encouraging positive sportsmanship and personal goal setting. Students will explore individual and team-based activities, learn the importance of staying active, and develop confidence in their physical abilities in a supportive and inclusive environment.
Outdoor Education
1st-4th (PRI/INT) 5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
TEACHERS: Rachel Low (PRI/INT) and Kaiden Tolkamp (LMS/UMS)
Join us for an off-site adventure to be curious and observe all that nature and the various geographical landscapes around the central coast have to offer. We will explore places like the botanical gardens, tide pools, mountains and forests, turtle reserves, history museums, and local parks. Expect to get dirty, learn to identify local flora and fauna, observe the sea creatures, and learn how to keep a nature journal! (Additional Fee: $50.00 annual travel/gas fee.)
Spanish 2
1st-4th (PRI/INT)
TEACHER: Celeste Pucheta
In Spanish 2, students will continue building their Spanish language skills through fun and interactive lessons. This class focuses on expanding vocabulary, improving pronunciation, and using simple sentences to communicate with confidence. Students will practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Spanish through songs, games, stories, and hands-on activities. The class also introduces students to Spanish-speaking cultures around the world, helping them understand how language connects people and traditions.
Theatre
1st-4th (PRI/INT) 5th-8th (LMS/UMS)
TEACHER: Michele Stevens, Keara McCall, Emily Derbish and Amanda Thayer
Our theatre program is created to help stimulate creativity, enhance problem-solving capacity, increase empathy, and develop self-confidence alongside collective commitment. This course introduces students to various elements and principles used in the process of theatre production and appreciation of theatre arts. Students will do at least one performance during the year for family and friends. (Additional Fee: $50.00 costume fee.)
A few NOTES
- Fridays are required for Full-Time students and are included in the cost of your tuition.
- Fridays are a full-year commitment. All enrollments are for the full day (morning + afternoon).
- If you are registering a Hybrid student, the program’s cost will be added to your Facts Tuition unless otherwise discussed.
- Not all students will get their first choice for classes, as some have limited space and will be filled on a lottery basis. Our classes build upon one another each trimester—therefore, students do not rotate their class schedules. The classes your student starts the year in will be the classes they stay in for the entirety of the school year.