Beyond the Classroom

Clubhouse is an enrichment program in a collaborative after-school setting for students in Kindergarten through Class 4. Students who participate in Clubhouse can also take advantage of an extended-day option that allows them to remain at Chapin as late as 5:45 p.m.

Under the supervision of teachers and qualified Clubhouse personnel, students have the chance to broaden their imaginations, increase their level of physical activity, and develop a deeper appreciation for the arts through the diverse range of activities offered each trimester. Participation in Clubhouse encourages the students to widen their definition of community. They go beyond the boundaries of their own experiences by working together and exploring an array of perspectives.

Questions? Contact Ali Pollock at apollock@chapin.edu.

Except for the non-refundable late fee, if your child drops a class within the first two weeks the remaining balance will be refunded; after two weeks there is no refund for dropped classes.

There are no refunds for snow days or other emergency closures.

In keeping with Chapin’s mission of helping young women develop community responsibility, Lower School students engage in a number of community service and service learning projects throughout the year. Most projects are guided by each grade level’s homeroom teachers and are thoughtfully designed using 5 principles - Investigation, Preparation or Planning, Action and Reflection. For example, students may help to collect food for shelters, donate books to people in need or visit the elderly at a nursing home. Students also take on various initiatives themselves, holding bake sales, for example, to raise money for our sister school, The Kibera School for Girls in Kenya.

While girls in the Lower School have ample opportunities to express their creativity inside the classroom, they also sing, dance and act in a variety of performances, and display their artwork throughout the school.

In Class 1, homeroom teachers, science, music and dance work together to create an integrated project that reflects the students' year-long neighborhood studies. They learn the basics of occupying a stage and delivering dialogue. In an interdisciplinary project between Technology, Drama, and Writing Workshop, Class 2 students use their New York stories as a springboard for creating stop motion animation films. They begin by storyboarding their ideas, creating characters and backdrops, writing scripts and combining all these elements together into a single stop motion animated version of their stories. In Class 3, students engage in a capstone Arts Integration Project and present the life and impact of a changemaker they have researched through a variety of artistic means - music, dance, drama and the visual arts. 

Student artwork is regularly incorporated into the performances. In addition to being displayed in select school locations throughout the year, student paintings, drawings and sculptures are featured in the Lower School art show held each spring.

No matter the grade level, every girl has numerous opportunities to speak, sing, dance and create. She develops confidence in her ability to perform in public, and gains the understanding that the arts are a powerful medium for self-expression and exploration.

In the Lower School, Chapin’s Social-Emotional Curriculum helps each student develop the knowledge, skills, and awareness necessary to be confident, resilient and lead a thoughtful, engaged and healthy life. Guided by the Responsive Classroom approach, students in the Lower School work to develop competencies in cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, self-control and empathy.

A School Counselor works with Lower School students, faculty, and parents on Social-Emotional development, through regular classroom guidance lessons, individual student meetings, and needs-based small group support.

Activities are varied and take place both inside and outside of the classroom. Within the classroom, students learn to identify and manage feelings and learn tools of self-regulation and self-control. They also learn productive ways to express their emotions, such as with I-statements, which help students learn to advocate for themselves and communicate clearly with others. Through lessons and discussions, students gain further skills in conflict resolution and assertive communication, and work through friendship and social dilemmas using activities such as role-playing exercises, which allow students to practice handling confrontation and solving conflicts within friendships.

A bi-monthly group named Banana Splits brings together students who live with one parent or one parent at a time, due to divorce, separation, single parent homes, or other changes in family structure. Students share their concerns, challenges, and hopes with others who have similar experiences. The group provides our students with a unique opportunity to normalize a situation that can be confusing or emotional and help one another navigate the journey.

Through the years in the Lower School, each student learns to respect herself and others, understand her emotions, maintain healthy relationships, communicate clearly, and advocate for herself, thus laying the foundation for a successful and fulfilling life.