Distinctive Programs
FlexFriday
FlexFriday includes time to make academics real, learn more about our community and culture, experience the arts, and learn from those in the FlexSchool community.
A cornerstone of the FlexSchool experience has always been FlexFriday – a weekly opportunity for students to apply their classroom learning to the real world through experiences such as field trips, service projects, science labs, hands-on activities and live interactions with professionals in the field. We are pleased to say that we continue to provide FlexFriday enrichment programming despite the Covid-19 crisis. When restrictions are in place, our FlexFriday options each week may include:
- In-person option: An outdoor opportunity for students to connect in person for fun, hands-on, experiential learning activities, while practicing all safety protocols.
- Virtual option: FlexSchool’s virtual speaker series features exciting activities such as live, guided tours, learning activities, speakers from a variety of fascinating professions and more!
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Pleasantville Community Garden
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Recent FlexFridays: Bronxville
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Cardboard Carpentry Workshop
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Maple Sugaring
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Pleasantville Community Garden
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Westmoreland Sanctuary Pond Study
Recent FlexFridays: Berkeley Heights
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Fosterfields Living Historical Farm
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Raptor Trust
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Thomas Edison National Historical Park
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Metropolitan Opera, NYC
Recent FlexFridays: Cloud Classroom
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Blankets of Hope Kindness & Creativity Workshop
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Museum of Aviation
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Sea Lion Monitoring, Alaska Sea Life Center
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Virtual Murder Mystery
FlexFriday News
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Cultural Explorations on FlexFriday
As we prepare for a special multi-campus event with the Red Hawk Native American Arts Council later this month, our respective campuses have been busy exploring different parts of Native American history and culture.Read More -
Sharing The Fruits Of Their Labor
Read MoreIf you dig something up from the soil on Mars, is it still called “unearthing”? FlexSchool students dug into this and other fun debates as they dug for crops they’d planted in the spring on a recent FlexFriday service day.
Harvesting potatoes is surprisingly fun: First you use a spading fork to gently rock the plant back and forth to loosen the roots. Then you search through the soil for potatoes. There’s a little thrill when you spot one – almost like an Easter egg hunt.And it’s even better when it’s for a great cause: Everything we grow at the Pleasantville Community Garden goes directly to local food pantries.We can’t think of a nicer way to spend a gorgeous autumn afternoon! -
Eeeek! Exploring The Icky Side Of Ecosystems
Read MoreThis enormous Madagascar hissing cockroach was just the first of five creepy creatures -- including a tarantula, a frog and more -- that this brave museum educator handled live, all for the benefit of our latest FlexFriday program.In this two-campus event, our live guide from the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and the Leslie Nature Center, introduced FlexSchool students to an entire cast of characters who each play a key role in a food chain. Students were then invited to create a paper model of the food chain themselves.Along this guided tour up the food chain, we discussed how these animals are all connected, and learned about the delicate balance that allows them to survive both individually and as wildlife sharing a habitat.This discussion tied in beautifully to FlexSchool’s theme of the year, which was introduced earlier that morning during Town Hall: Systems. -
The FlexSchool Bubble Factory
At FlexSchool, we love hands-on, project-based learning! This week, FlexSchoolers were challenged to transform math class into their own bubble factory. They applied their math skills to every stage – from calculating their daily output, to comparing shipping rates to making and testing a real bubble solution. Who knew math class could be so much fun?Read More -
Growing Goodness
Students from both FlexSchool campuses rolled up their sleeves for a FlexFriday volunteer day at the Pleasantville Community Garden, which grows fresh, nutritious food for donation to local food pantries – an important component of a crucial food supply that might otherwise only include nonperishable and canned foods.Read More -
Enjoying The Outdoors
FlexSchool students on both sides of the Hudson River enjoyed a crisp, sunny winter’s day in the outdoors this past FlexFriday.Read More -
Do you have what it takes to be a video game producer?
FlexSchool students got to meet video game producer Steve Patterson on a recent FlexFriday virtual visit. Steve told the story of how he broke into the business, and shared his best tips for building a successful career in this exciting field!Read More -
Virtual Exhibit: The Cardboard Box Challenge!
Ever since cardboard entrepreneur Zachary Rotholz of Chairigami introduced FlexSchool kids to the art, science and business of cardboard carpentry in a hands-on workshop, our students have been busy designing and executing their own original creations for our Cardboard Box Challenge. Last week, the students exhibited their work in our Virtual Fair -- and Zachary even returned for the event, to see everyone’s finished products!Read More -
Overcoming Challenge with Para-Equestrian Alanna Clark
Read MoreNotice anything unusual about this multi-sport athlete? Alanna Flax-Clark has tried all kinds of sports – from surfing to skiing, kayaking to curling, and rock climbing to ziplining – all despite having a wheelchair! After showing signs of quadriplegia at a young age, Alanna persevered and rebuilt her life – twice!The competitive para-equestrian and disability advocate shared her inspiring story during a special FlexFriday virtual visit. -
Solving Ancient Mysteries with DNA
Meet our oldest FlexFriday visitor ever: Otzi – a 5,300-year-old mummy with a mysterious past. FlexSchool students got to meet Otzi and learn about DNA science on a virtual visit to Cold Spring Harbor Lab.Read More -
Creativity Unleashed!
What do functioning gears, sturdy dorm furniture and a pair of goggles have in common? They can all be crafted out of cardboard! At a special all-campus event, The Cardboard Carpentry Workshop, FlexSchool students got a crash course in creative cardboard engineering and artistry from entrepreneur Zachary Rotholz -- and then got a chance to put their new skills into action.Read More -
Can you spot fake news? FlexSchool kids can!
In the second of our special three-part FlexFriday series on media literacy, visiting speaker Ashley Yates gave students an eye-opening tour of the many ways misinformation – and disinformation – can sneak into our lives.Read More -
The Social Dilemma
In a thought-provoking FlexFriday event, the second of a special three-part series, FlexSchool students watched the conclusion of the important Netflix original docu-drama The Social Dilemma. They then acted as cultural ethnographers and journeyed into a guided intellectual discourse surrounding the history of digital media, as it relates to the film, and what it all might mean to us today. Students then created a special presentation to share what they learned with their younger classmates.Read More -
Alexa, Play A Round Of Applause!
This afternoon, students in FlexSchool’s Build Your Own Alexa Skill class celebrated a big accomplishment: A skill they built together is now certified and published by Amazon!Read More -
FlexFriday: Space Travel!
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Which planet could float on water? Which moon in our solar system could potentially host alien life? What releases the energy of 12 million volcanoes? FlexSchool students learned the answers to these questions and many more during a live virtual tour of the solar system with mobile planetarium guide Matther Meyer. -
Spooky Coincidence?
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What were the odds that two FlexSchool students, on two different Halloween hikes, in two different states, would each gently catch and release a praying mantis at about the same time? Also spotted on FlexFriday: A frog, a snake, horses, ducks and turtles -- not to mention a PacMan, a Pokeball, a JoJo Siwa impersonator, the grim reaper and more! Berkeley Heights students visited the Loantaka Brook Reservation, while Bronxville students visited Rockefeller State Park Preserve, and a festive fall day was had by all! -
Rainy Day Fun on FlexFriday
When our FlexFriday hike was rained out, we let FlexSchool students take their pick of two exciting virtual events: The Maker Faire or The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.Read More
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A Meeting of the Creative Minds
Within moments of being introduced to poet Eve Hoffman and artist Sal Brownfield, FlexSchool students flooded the chat with single-line poetry -- some silly, some sweet. The creative duo paid a virtual visit on FlexFriday to discuss Celebration of Healing, their jointly created book of portraits and the accompanying stories of 21 individuals whose lives were impacted by breast cancer.Read More
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Hiking Through History
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On this beautiful autumn day, FlexSchool students explored both nature and history as they hiked through the Deserted Village -- a wooded trail dotted with historic structures dating back centuries! -
FlexFriday with David Rogers
David Rogers, producer, director, and editor of many popular shows including Seinfeld, Parks and Rec, The Office, and Upload, had dozens of rapt students in his FlexFriday session today! He talked about how his passion was ignited (Superman movie), what it’s like behind the scenes on a set, how he manages his own anxiety, how car scenes are shot, and what Steve Carrel is really like! He answered questions from some of our diehard Office fans, and gave advice to aspiring writers, actors, and editors. He told us that his most recent project begins streaming on Netflix today, Space Force!Read More
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