2026-2027 Lower School STEM PrograM

We are excited to once again offer an after school STEM program to lower school Grades K-5 for the 2026-2027 school year. The year will be filled with many new projects and experiments (plus some old favorites!) from across all areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.

This project-based program emphasizes fun and creativity while providing a strong foundation for the study of STEM subjects. Students will engage in hands-on activities and experiments and learn about the scientific principles being demonstrated.

Students will also be introduced to the process of scientific research and experimentation, and will begin to develop their lab skills as they learn to use tools in the science lab and practice the fundamentals of lab safety.

Projects will cover a broad range of STEM disciplines, and will include:

• Botany -Planting and germinating seeds -Separating leaf pigments on chromatography paper

• Engineering -Building bridges to span the greatest distance -Designing a protective structure for a water balloon to survive a 10ft drop

• Biology -Searching the campus ponds for microorganisms -Growing bacteria in petri dishes

• Chemistry -Mixing non-Newtonian fluids -Testing the pH of common household items

• Physics -Streamlining the paper airplane -Designing and building a catapult

• Geology -Identifying rocks and minerals … and much, much more! Schedule:

The program will be broken into two terms; an 12-session Fall term, and an 19-session Spring term.

All sessions will run from 3:00-4:00 in the Life Sciences Lab. Fees: Cost for the fall term is $300, due to Ms. McIe by the first session on Tuesday, September 29th.

Cost for the Spring term is $475, due to Ms. McIe by Friday, January 8th 2026.

Please include the completed permission slip along with the enrollment fees. Please make checks payable to Alex McIe. Enrollment costs will cover all supplies, including protective eyewear as needed.