Coaching Academy

Does your child have the foundational skills to both decode and encode words? Phonics is the basis of language learning. In this course, children will learn the letter sound correspondences between phoneme and grapheme and develop a preliminary understanding of how letters work together to make words. Phonemic awareness is crucial for children to learn how to hear sounds and patterns that make up words for reading and spelling purposes. Through a multi-sensory approach, your child will learn to name, identify, and produce letter sounds and explore word families. 
Grades: PreK 3 - Kindergarten 
Day and Time: Monday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Erica Cohen 
 

Hey Diddle Diddle, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Hickory Dickory Dock, and so much more! Nursery rhymes are crucial for language development. Not only do they teach how language works, but the repetition creates memory capabilities in the brain. The repetitive patterns of these rhymes help your child memorize the sequence and structure of text which will benefit them as they become readers. 
Grades: PreK 3 - Kindergarten 
Day and Time: Tuesday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Erica Cohen 

This class is now full for Fall 2021

Calling all builders, artists, scientists and inventors! Get ready to have some fun with playdoh, robots, coding and more. Students will invent, design, build and present their ideas and solutions. This is a hands-on class designed to allow students to explore everything the IDEAS lab has to offer with new materials and activities introduced each week.
Grades: 1-3
Day and Time: Thursday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Laura Hollis

Is your child a budding world traveler? Do they just love to get messy? Do they enjoy learning about different cultures and art forms? If so, consider enrolling your child in Art Around the World club! Through a series of hands-on projects inspired by art forms from a variety of countries, students will develop a lifelong appreciation for world cultures, artistic expression, and travel. Over the course of the trimester, students will “visit” Australia, where they will use pointillism to decorate didgeridoos and other musical instruments of their own creation. Students will also explore the country of Japan, where they will learn about the ancient art of Japanese calligraphy through the creation of scrolls. Students will even explore the Mexican Day of the Dead by creating and decorating their very own sugar skulls! We would be overjoyed to have your world traveler join us as we embark on trips to several other countries as well. So grab your passport, and let’s go!
Grades: 1-3
Day and time: Thursday @ 4:35 - 5:25
Instructor: Theresa Gervais
 

An introduction to chess!
Grades: 1-3
Day and Time: Wednesday @ 4:35-5:25 
Instructor: TBD

Students will read excerpts from various graphic novels based on the interests of the class and discuss the unique elements of this genre. Students will also create their own graphic short story using techniques they learn in the class. No prior experience with graphic novels required. 
Grades: 4-7 & 8-10
Day and Time: Monday, grades 4-7 @ 3:30-4:20 & Thursday, grades 8-10 @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Jessica Leigh

Students will work in teams to build various bricktastic masterpieces each week.  They will be assigned challenges to design and build LEGO creations and then put them to the test. If you love the show, now is your chance to be a designer, architect and builder! All you need to bring is your imagination and a love of LEGO!
Grades: 4-7
Day and Time: Tuesday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Laura Hollis

Expand your knowledge base and grow as a player!
Grades: 4-7
Day and Time: Wednesday @ 3:30-4:20 
Instructor: TBD

Building kingdoms, escaping a volcano, or just ordering the perfect platter of sushi - board games tell stories and create fun environments for interaction and exploration. Students will participate in an active and social group as we engage different elements of modern game design and play.  We will have fun-spirited competition and learn new collaborative game strategies. Go beyond your basic board game collection to experience a whole new world of strategy and play.

Grades:  4-7 and 8-12
Thursday 3:30-4:20 grades 4-7
Tuesday and Wednesday 4:35-5:25 grades 8-12
Instructor: Giles Bullen

Students will cultivate the skills they need to excel on the SAT Reading and Writing & Language tests. We will practice identifying the main points of sample passages and analyzing the way authors use evidence to support arguments. We will also review standard English grammar and mechanics. By the end of the course, students will have had ample opportunity to develop test-taking strategies and comfort with the format of the exam.
Day and Time: Saturday @ 9:00-9:50
Instructor: Alexandra Baro

Students will work through practice SAT math questions in order to become more familiar with taking a standardized math assessment. We will discuss best practices and strategies to use for all types of questions.  Over the course of the fall students will hone their problem solving skills  and develop the skills necessary to master the SAT math section. 
Day and Time: Saturday @ 10:00-10:50
Instructor: Keith Hickey
*Required materials: 
Calculator (Preferably a Scientific Calculator)

Students will read excerpts from various graphic novels based on the interests of the class and discuss the unique elements of this genre. Students will also create their own graphic short story using techniques they learn in the class. No prior experience with graphic novels required. 
Grades: 4-7 & 8-12
Day and Time: Monday, grades 4-7 @ 3:30-4:20 & Thursday, grades 8-10 @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Jessica Leigh

Students will explore all things coffee; investigating the growing, roasting, and brewing processes of the Arabica and Robusta plants. Over the course of the fall we will touch on the history, biology and chemistry of coffee; as we source different beans, roast different blends, and brew through different methods. By the end of the course students will develop a greater understanding of what goes into their cup of morning joe, and will take home their own signature roast for family and friends!
Grades: 7-12
Day and Time: Monday @ 4:35-5:25
Instructor: Robert Kettlewell 

This course is designed to assist the development and acquisition of executive functioning skills. These skills include adaptable thinking, planning, self-monitoring, self-control, working memory, time management and organization. We use these skills every day to learn, work and manage daily life. Trouble with executive functions can make it hard to focus, follow directions, and handle emotions.  Come join me as we learn about “The management system of the brain” and chart a course to explore various exercises to develop and enhance these very important skills.  This course is designed for both middle and upper school students.
Grades: 8-12
Day and Time: Wednesday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Stacey Clark 

Students will dig deeper into 3D fabrication tools such as Tinkercad and Gravit Designer to create projects on our Makerbot 3D printers or our Glowforge laser cutter/engraver. They will also get some hands-on experience with both the Makerbot and the Glowforge. What kind of cool gadgets do you want to make for your desk, your backpack, your phone? Or do you want to make beautiful objects d’art? The sky’s the limit. 
Grades: 7-12
Day and Time: Monday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Verne Becker
 

You’ve seen copies of Rebel Report – the SRDS upper school newspaper – and read some of the articles, but have you considered reporting and writing for the paper yourself? It’s a great way to work on your skills and try out all different kinds of writing – news reporting, feature stories about your classmates, sports writing, opinion pieces and more. In this course, students will learn some of the fundamentals of journalism, identify story ideas, conduct interviews, and write articles that will appear in upcoming issues of Rebel Report.
Grades: 8-12
Day and Time: Tuesday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Verne Becker
 

Students will read short stories throughout this course and engage in seminar based discussions. Each week, we will read a new short story and examine its genre, themes, characterization, and plot. This course is an excellent way to hone reading, critical thinking, and discussion skills through an engaging and fun genre. Towards the end of the course, students will be invited to create and share their own science fiction short stories as well. 
Grades: 8-12
Day and Time: Tuesday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Joe McMenamin

Discuss the weather occurring locally and around the globe, and potentially delve into looking at some maps that meteorologists use to make forecasts.  We may be a bit too early in the season to peruse the snow day calculator, but we’ll still have a substantial amount of North Atlantic Hurricane Season left...
Grades: 7-12
Day and Time: Tuesday @ 3:30-4:20
Instructor: Dan Lipper 

Are you interested in playing in a stock market simulation? You will get $100,000 (virtual money) and a chance to become a millionaire while practicing trading stocks like a true professional. We will be learning what happens at Wall Street from trading  stocks,ETFs and mutual funds and will even get a chance to trade some crypto.
Grades: 8-12
Day and Time: Thursday @ 4:35-5:25
Instructor: Basel Arafat

Building kingdoms, escaping a volcano, or just ordering the perfect platter of sushi - board games tell stories and create fun environments for interaction and exploration. Students will participate in an active and social group as we engage different elements of modern game design and play.  We will have fun-spirited competition and learn new collaborative game strategies. Go beyond your basic board game collection to experience a whole new world of strategy and play.

Grades:  4-7 and 8-12
Thursday 3:30-4:20 grades 4-7
Tuesday and Wednesday 4:35-5:25 grades 8-12
Instructor: Giles Bullen

Day and Time: Tuesday (closed), Wednesday (closed), Thursday (closed) @ 3:30-4:20 
Tutor: Dana Danziger 

Are you looking for a tutor to help maximize your child’s potential this year? I have been a teacher at Saddle River Day School for 8 years, have a Masters in Literacy, and am trained in Orton Gillingham, a structured literacy program.

My tutoring sessions are designed to address the individual learning needs and styles of each student in a fun and engaging way! 

Each session will be tailored to focus on various skills in the areas of reading, writing, or math using a multisensory approach to learning. This will equip your child with techniques to help them retain and recall learned material.

I look forward to working with your child this year!

Day and Time: Monday (full), Thursday @ 3:30-4:20 (full) & Monday @ 4:35-5:25 (full)
Tutor: Theresa Gervais

Description: Spanish is one of those academic subjects that progresses in a cumulative and linear way. In other words, the main content of each class builds on knowledge that students have already mastered during previous Spanish classes. But what if your student has had very little or no prior exposure to the Spanish language? If this is your situation, then one-on-one Spanish tutoring is the perfect opportunity for you! These tutoring sessions will focus on developing the requisite skills and knowledge that I consider to be essential to student success in the classroom, according to your student’s grade level. 

These sessions are also excellent opportunities for students on the other end of the spectrum! Is Spanish your student’s first language? Does he/she speak Spanish regularly at home? Did he/she attend a dual language program previously? If so, then chances are that your student has already developed a considerable degree of proficiency in Spanish and could use a challenge. I highly encourage heritage speakers and advanced students to enroll in this one-on-one tutoring program, which will provide full immersion in Spanish, a variety of academic challenges, and numerous enrichment opportunities.

If you think that your student might benefit from Spanish tutoring, please feel free to contact me at tgervais@saddleriverday.org. I look forward to hearing from you!
 

Day and Time: Wednesday @ 3:30-4:20
Tutor: Dan Lipper

By practicing drills in Pre-Algebra, Algebra I and II, and PreCalculus we can carefully glean what information a question is offering, what the goals are, and determine the logical strategies that can be used to solve.  Special attention can be given to verbal models and practical examples by carefully investigating written instructions and examining the applications.  Please contact me if you have questions: dlipper@saddleriverday.org

Grades : 7-12 
Day and Time: Thursday @ 3:30 -4:20 
Tutor: Basel Arafat

Computer science and coding can be difficult without attention to details and lots of practice. If your child is having any difficulties sign up for tutoring and we will try various specialized strategies to cater to their needs. We will work on making sure that your child gets all the practice and time they need to excel at coding.
Also, I am a native Arabic speaker so if your child needs the extra help and practice in Arabic, sign them up for tutoring. We will be going through their assignments where I can assist them and practice Arabic with them.  YOu can contact me at barafat@saddleriverday.org.