Extracurricular Activities
Research shows that participation in extracurricular activities helps students form a strong school connection. This means that students who are more at risk for academic deficits connect to their school for a positive reason, and that positivity is a driver of academic achievement.
In addition, students who are on level or even above level and who participate in extracurricular activities have a tendency to maintain their academic excellence because of – not in spite of – these extracurricular activities.
Why?
Studies show that school-related extracurricular activities boost academic performance because students develop a strong positive attitude toward their school.
Students not only see themselves in a more positive light academically, but they also possess a stronger social self-concept when they participate in these activities. One researcher even said that these extracurricular activities, which are supported by and offered in connection with their school, foster “a sense of belonging to school” that keeps students engaged over time.
What is considered an extracurricular activity?
Most extracurricular activities are outside of the academic hours in which a school operates. But we do offer activities, such as our REACH program, that can be done from home during school hours.
Extracurricular activities at Learnwell include Friday elective classes, after-school activities, field trips, service projects, and Club Day.
Do you have an extracurricular activities list?
Because some of our extracurricular activities – such as Friday electives – change, we do not publish a set list of activities that will always be offered. However, our high school students will have set after school extracurricular activities such as Yearbook, Literary Magazine, and Video Production.
Elementary school and middle or high school students will also have opportunities to participate in Friday electives. These may include classes such as Spanish for Kids, drama, art and other activities we make available through our community partnerships, such as karate or music. The offered classes change each semester.
Are extracurricular activities open to all students?
Yes. All Learnwell students may take part in extracurricular activities. We believe these are part of a well-rounded education, however they will never be required. Some of our extracurricular activities, such as Friday electives, will also be available to the wider homeschool community in the greater north Fulton and Forsyth counties area.
Are extracurricular activities organized by grade level?
Yes and no. In some cases, we do exclude certain ages but only where it makes sense. For example, enrolled Learnwell students who are 8th-grade and up are in charge of developing the annual yearbook. It makes sense to limit this activity to older students because of the writing and design skills involved.
Also, we would limit this type of activity to only students who are enrolled at Learnwell since the yearbook is a way to catalog memories and experiences from a specific school year.
However, wherever appropriate, we encourage students of multiple ages to enroll in an extracurricular activity. One of our recent electives had students from first-grade through sixth-grade because it captivated the interest of students from a wide range of grade levels.
Another extracurricular activity had students enrolled as young as second grade and as old as eighth grade. We are strong supporters of grade levels mixing at varying times so that they feel confident about interacting with a variety of age levels.
Are there any extracurricular activities offered during school hours?
Because we are a hybrid school, our school hours are protected for academic pursuits, with the exception of our Friday electives. However, this doesn’t mean that students just sit at desks all day – quite the contrary!
All students get the chance to explore personal interests through Club Day, which takes place several times each semester. In addition, students can dig deeper into a wide variety of interests through our school’s REACH (Reaching, Exploring and Cultivating Our Heads, Hearts and Hands) program. It supports the breadth of learning that may not lend itself to the classroom or that may just allow students to take the plunge and go even deeper into an area of interest than a classroom schedule might allow.
What kinds of school events do you offer as extracurricular activities?
Learnwell believes strongly in student and family margin. In fact, it’s one of our core values. For this reason, our offering of extracurricular activities will also be limited to the available time, resources, and margin of our staff and students. We never want to overload families with too much of a good thing.
Therefore, our school events – offered throughout the year – will be specific to what we foresee as having the greatest potential to facilitate the building of community. These are extracurricular activities that allow enrolled Learnwell students and their parents to connect at a deeper level. Some of our events in the past have included dances, mother-son fun nights, family game nights, etc.
Do you offer sports as extracurricular activities?
Learnwell does not offer sports at this time. As our student body grows, we are always open to the possibility of a sports program. However, as the students at our high school grow toward graduation, the uniqueness of their school model makes it much easier for them to pursue athletic extracurricular activities through community outlets, the Dual Enrollment program at local colleges, etc.
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