​​Elementary Clubs

Arts & Crafts Club

Who Can Join: 2nd - 5th graders 

Club Goal: The goal of this club is to get students exposed to and excited about art. 

Why Join:

  • It is a fun way to engage with others about art.

  • Practice drawing, coloring, painting, and craft-making.

  • Share your projects with others.

Activities:

  • How-to-Draw activities.

  • Mini-lessons on famous artists.

  • Craft project making and ideas.

Broadcasting Club

Who Can Join: Open to all students interested in video production 

Club Goal: The goal of the club is to produce the monthly video newsletter for ORCA, filming video segments that inform and showcase students at the school. 

Why Join:

  • Learn video creation best practices.

  • Collaborate with peers who enjoy video production.

  • Help show off what an amazing school ORCA is.

Activities:

  • Meet once per month.

  • Film video segments for the newsletter.

  • On-location filming for field trips based on club member input.

Chess Club

Who Can Join: All interested students 

Club Goal: To learn how to play chess and make friends. 

Why Join:

  • To make friends while playing chess.

  • Learn how to beat your parents at chess.

Activities:

  • Playing chess.

  • Making friends.

  • Competing in tournaments.

Garden / Farm / Homesteaders Club

Who Can Join: All interested students 

Club Goal: To embrace a healthier way of living through food, to share and learn more about backyard homesteading, animals, gardening, plants, and the food we grow/consume. 

Why Join:

  • Promotes and increases knowledge of agriculture.

  • Connect with like-minded people interested in natural ways of living, preserving, and growing.

Activities:

  • Learn about agriculture, how plants grow, and how to grow your food.

  • Discuss livestock, cultivating valuable and ornamental plants, and other homesteading topics (e.g., hatching chickens, sourdough starter, bread making).

  • Meet twice monthly or weekly based on student interests.

K-8 Coding Club

Who Can Join: Grades K-8 

Club Goal: Increase opportunities for students to learn how to code using a variety of free platforms and coding languages to improve programming skills and interact with other students interested in computer science, coding, and game design. 

Why Join:

  • Learn more about coding using Python, JavaScript, and C++.

  • Share ideas for coding challenges.

Activities:

  • Learn to code using Python, Scratch, Blockly, JavaScript, and other languages.

  • Complete optional lessons in the Computer Science Fundamentals and Discoveries courses on code.org.

  • Share projects, apps, and mobile games for other students to beta-test, debug, and comment on.

The ORCA Bakers 

Who Can Join: All interested students 

Club Goal: Get kids excited about baking and being in the kitchen while increasing math skills. 

Why Join:

  • To increase passion for baking while learning new recipes.

Activities:

  • Discussion posts for sharing recipes.

  • Bake-offs and recipe book creation.

  • Live class baking instruction, polls, and challenges.

ORCA NASA Club

Who Can Join: Grades K-12 

Club Goal: Educate members about careers in STEM fields and provide a venue for sharing educational resources to increase awareness of and interest in astronomy & earth and space science. 

Why Join:

  • Access YouthAstroNet (NSF-funded project run by Smithsonian researchers).

  • Watch live streams from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility & Space Center Houston.

  • Attend the GOES-R virtual assembly.

  • Read astrobiology graphic novels via Canvas.

Activities:

  • Attend monthly live-streamed 60-minute assemblies hosted by NASA staff.

  • Access enrichment materials, apps, activities, and STEM-themed website links.

  • Interact with like-minded NASA club members.

Prodigy Math Club

Who Can Join: Kindergarten - 5th Grade 

Club Goal: Improve your math and teamwork skills while playing Prodigy. 

Why Join:

  • Have fun, make friends, and compete against other schools!

Activities:

  • Meet twice a month on Zoom to play Prodigy.

  • Compete against other schools in Oregon.

  • Use the discussion board to arrange times to play outside of club meetings.

Reader's Theater

Who Can Join: All interested students 

Club Goal: To motivate and encourage students to read aloud. 

Why Join:

  • Build reading skills, performance skills, confidence, and community.

  • Experience a shared purpose for reading that shows reading is meaningful and fun.

Activities:

  • Choose and be assigned parts in selected scripts (no memorization required).

  • Practice and perform a final play.

  • Optionally create puppets of characters or dress up.

Yearbook

Who Can Join: Elementary school students 

Club Goal: To produce a yearbook for elementary school students by elementary school students. 

Why Join:

  • To help design and create the school's annual yearbook.

Activities:

  • Create the yearbook virtually through Zoom meetings.

  • Design pages using the Picaboo platform.