Lower School Clubs and Activities

Eight enrichment courses or “specials,” off-campus field trips, after-school coordinate programs, and community service all enhance the lower school student experience. The learning opportunities we provide transcend the walls of the traditional classroom to prepare our students to better live, learn, lead, and succeed in an increasingly interconnected world.

After School Enrichment

Each semester, lower school students may choose from a variety of after school extra-curricular or coordinate programs. Offerings have included Chess, Sewing, Magic, Ballet & Tap, Hip Hop Dance, Soccer, Yoga, Mad Scientists and Etiquette. Programs have fees and range from one to eight weeks in length. Enrichment programs are taught by independent instructors as well as Canterbury faculty and staff.

Scouting

Canterbury hosts a Girl Scout troop on campus that welcomes girls from all schools.

Aftercare

The Hough Campus after school care is designed to provide a safe, nurturing and fun environment for children who require supervision beyond the regular school hours. Activities include homework time, arts and crafts, inside games, and outside play. Aftercare is available from dismissal through 5:30 p.m., Monday - Friday (with the exception of most holidays and school breaks) for an additional fee that can be paid annually, monthly, or daily.

PK4 / Grade 4 Buddy Program

At the beginning of the school year, all PK4 students are paired with a Grade 4 student (or two) who becomes their buddy for the year. Buddies participate in planned, monthly activities such as ice cream socials, reading together, and fun art projects. PK4 students also stand with their buddies at Flag every morning, which is especially nice for those young students whose parents cannot stay for Flag but who want a hand to hold in the morning. The purpose of this program is two-fold:

PK4 students--many of whom are having their first school experience away from home--now have an instant friend and mentor, a “cool fourth grader” to support them in their achievements (like learning to tie a shoe or losing a tooth!) and high-five them in the hallways.
Grade 4 students greatly enjoy taking care of their “little buddies,” modeling the character education they are learning by exercising compassion and empathy whenever they notice their buddies just need a smile or a hug.

The PK4/Grade 4 Buddy Program continues on the Knowlton Campus with the Grades 5 and 12 Buddy Program, as Grade 5 students--now the youngest--move up to the “big campus.” It is a testament to the success of this program that it was the very first 4th Grade Buddy class who suggested that a similar program with Grade 5 students be started when they became seniors.

Grade 4 students support their PK4 buddies in the annual PK4/Grade 4 T-Ball game.

Community Service

Each grade level participates in a community service outreach, which ties into our character education program that teaches empathy and respect. The hope is to inspire a passion and instill a sense of community.

PK 3 - Souper Drive (during Super Bowl February) to collect canned goods for the St. Pete Free Clinic
PK4 - Munch Like a Manatee, selling cut-up vegetables to raise money for Lowry Park Zoo’s Manatee Rehab
Kindergarten - Varies by year
Grade 1 - collecting "Pennies for Patients" for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Grade 2 - collecting new clothes, toys and living needs for Sallie House
Grade 3 - Hats Off to Cancer, collecting new hats for All Children’s Hospital
Grade 4 - collect, sort, and hang up gently used clothing for the local Clothes to Kids

Experiential Education: Off-Campus Trips & On-Campus Projects

Field trips are designed to link curriculum to hands-on experiences at our private school in Pinellas County, FL. Every class takes multiple trips throughout the school year including:

PK4 students take field trips for several of the letters of the alphabet they are studying, e.g., a mock camping trip for C, a fishing trip for F, and a trip to the zoo for M to see the manatees.
Kindergarten students learn about science and prehistoric time with a trip to Dinosaur World.
Grade 1 students visit Lowry Park Zoo during their animal unit and usually take a trip to the Mahaffey Theatre for a show, depending on production titles. Grade 1 students also take "in house" field trips that include the Animal Fair and Space Day, when students make their own astronaut costumes and spend a day in “space,” sharing art, poems, and knowledge about the planets and solar system.
Grade 2 students learn about Florida history and social studies that culminates in a trip--dressed in period attire--to Cracker Country at the State Fairgrounds.
Grade 3 sees several live productions at the local Mahaffey Theater and visits the Clearwater Aquarium to see Winter, the dolphin.
Grade 4 travels overnight to St. Augustine, Florida, to tour the old forts and grounds that complement their Florida history unit.

Additional off-campus field trips include

Mahaffey Theater
Big Cat Rescue
the Office of the Mayor of St. Petersburg
Florida Aquarium
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Pumpkin Patch
SPCA
Tampa Bay Watch
MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry)
Glazer Museum
SPIFFS (St. Pete International Folk Festival)
Southeastern Guide Dogs

Each lower school class also travels to the Knowlton Campus once per semester to visit the Cousteau Center for Marine Studies to complete labs, learn about marine conservation, and experience the touch tanks of live marine animals.

Experiential Education: Special Events

The lower school faculty and parents also host multiple special events throughout the year to expand on what students are learning in the classroom, to build upon the character education program, or just for good, old-fashioned fun. Some of these events include

One School, One Book