Extended Programs

Orchard Extended Programs is a division of The Orchard School whose focus is to provide quality before-school, after-school and summer opportunities for our community.

Our Extended Programs are dedicated to providing a safe and accepting environment where children can learn, grow, play and explore. Our primary objectives are to support The Orchard School mission, extend the excellence of the academic school day, and develop good citizens by emphasizing the teaching of social skills and reinforcing The Orchard School core values: friendship, fairness, honesty, responsibility, self-discipline, respect, trustworthiness, compassion, integrity.

Extended programs at Orchard School date back to almost the beginnings of the school itself in 1922. Along with the philosophy of progressive education, came the need for additional time in order to give children the opportunities that were needed to explore the many aspects of their development. Through the years, extended programs have offered just that.

Our current program, founded as Kids Connect, had its beginnings in 1996 under the direction of Linda Prell. Through its twelve year history, this program has evolved into a comprehensive year round program. Although Orchard Athletics, founded during the very early years of Orchard history, and the Orchard Summer program, founded in 1990 by Linda Prell and Cathy Christoph, were in existence prior to Kids Connect, all after-school programming now reside under the umbrella of Orchard Extended Programs. Currently there are five areas of our program, Kids Connect, Clubs and Electives, Classes, Athletics and the Orchard Summer Program.

Kids Connect consists of four age appropriate programs: Preschool, Kindergarten through First Grade, Second through Fourth Grade and Teen Connect for students in fifth through eighth grades. Programming is available during the before- and after-school hours and all programs are coordinated by experienced teachers who work together to design a challenging and entertaining curriculum. All programs are available on an as-needed basis and can be used to connect students to other extended programs. An average of one hundred to one hundred and fifty students use the program daily and nearly ninety percent of Orchard students utilized the program during the 2006-2007 school year.

Clubs and Electives provide Orchard students with a variety of enrichment opportunities from Knitting Club to Computer Animation instruction. Most of these offerings are instructed by Orchard staff members. A small fee is assessed to cover the cost of materials and a nominal instructor fee.

Classes, offered by a variety of area professionals, provide both Orchard and community students an opportunity to develop in areas such as art, music, drama, science, gymnastics and karate during the after-school hours. Curriculum and fees for these offerings are established by the instructors and fees are paid directly to the instructor. Instructors are required to comply with Orchard's safety check requirements.

After-school athletics, directed by Steve Thompson, offer three seasons of athletic opportunities for Orchard students in fifth through eighth grade. Coaches are generally Orchard staff members. Any coach hired must comply with Orchard's safety check requirements. A complete listing of Orchard teams can be found in the Athletic section of this web site.

The Orchard Summer Program, managed by Nick Eble, offers Orchard and area students approximately 125 weekly summer choices each year. About 700 campers participate in the Orchard summer program and represent over one hundred and twenty schools. Theme camps for ages four through seventh grade and a large variety of athletic, enrichment, academic and travel camps are offered. All instructors must comply with Orchard's safety check requirements. Orchard Summer programs have been a popular choice for families in the Indianapolis area for eighteen years.

All the Extended Program staff are friendly, professionals who are dedicated to helping students grow physically, academically, socially and emotionally. We welcome you to become part of our ever-growing program.