Understanding Enrichment Programs:
An Essential Guide For Parents
Dr. Joseph Renzulli believes that all children have gifts and that schools should cultivate each child's individual talents. At PS 8 we encourage children to explore their areas of interest, to research whatever they are passionate about, and to design products, solve problems, and present their conclusions. Students become experts in their own fields. (You can learn more about the Renzulli model here.)
One of the many ways in which PS8 does this is through Enrichment Programs. Currently these include residencies and other engagements with a range of world-class partners including:
- The Guggenheim Museum
- Studio in A School
- The Marquis Studios
- Tha Mark Morris Dance Group
- Bargemusic
- The Rotunda Gallery
- The Brooklyn Center For The Urban Environment
- Chess for Children
- The New-Trad Octet
None of this year's Enrichment Programs are financed by the DoE. Two are financed by the PTA. One by a third party grant. Most are paid for with the Magnet Grant, which will be exhausted by the end of the current school year.
Next year our school must rely on PTA funding to prevent PS8 Enrichment Programs from being discontinued...which is why the community's support for our General Fund Raising Appeal is so important. With the community's support, we'll be able to keep these programs up and running...
Many parents still aren't as familiar with these programs as they are with the value of Teacher Assistants. Wanting to help with this, several parents - who also volunteer on the enrichment and communications committees - have collaborated with PS8 staff to develop some basic 'enrichment program profiles' for the community to better understand them. You can download these here:
PDF FILE DOWNLOADS:
The Guggenheim Museum
Studio in A School
The Marquis Studios
Tha Mark Morris Dance Group
Bargemusic
The Rotunda Gallery
The Brooklyn Center For The Urban Environment
It's important to understand how the school views Enrichment Programs. They are considered core to the curriculum the school needs in place to meet its vision. As Principal Phillips puts it, Enrichment Programs "...give the school and students more creative-learning opportunities, expand the portfolio of teaching techniques teachers can draw upon, and broaden the material we use to stimulate learning and development."
More photos of enrichment programs are being taken soon, but here are the photo galleries that we have so far if you want to get a glimpse of them in action around the school:
Enrichment Program Photo Galleries:
Posted on: April 16, 2008
