After School Programs

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Year-Round Care & Enrichment

Bancroft is committed to meeting our community’s need for quality, student-centered services all year round. Our Auxiliary Programs Team offers extended-day and after-school enrichment options, as well as a variety of vacation and summer programs to engage and inspire every type of curious mind.

After-School Programs

Extended Day Programs

Adult-supervised care Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. through 6:00 p.m.

Bancroft Auxiliary Programs provides a safe setting for children at the beginning and end of the school day. Students are offered a quiet space for homework (the first order of business), as well as indoor and outdoor opportunities to socialize, play, and have fun.

Location

Lower School grades — LS Flex Room located in the McDonough Center
Middle School grades — McDonough Center 2nd floor Commons

Students can attend the program when needed. Charges are billed monthly.

LS Aftercare FAQs:

LS Aftercare FAQs:

Do I need to register my children if I pick up before 4PM?

Yes- please register for "Drop-in" care to add your child to our digital attendance list.

Am I charged if I pick my child up before 4PM?

No- the service is free of charge until 4PM. After 4PM there is a $20/day charge. Registration is required to participate in Aftercare program for any length of time.

How do I register?

Please register at bancroftschool.campbrainregistration.com

Will my child have an after school snack?

Yes- After 4PM, a healthy snack is provided for children participating in the Aftercare program.

Other LS Aftercare questions?

Please contact Carrie Whitney (cwhitney@bancroftschool.org)

Lower / Middle School Enrichment

Led by qualified teachers, LS Enrichment Programs provide Lower School students with after-school opportunities to engage with other students, build friendships across grades, and enrich their love of learning.

General Guidelines:

Students will be guided toward their class between 3:30pm and 3:45pm.
After school snacks will be provided.
Pick-up: in the LS Lobby
Aftercare following Enrichment Program is provided free of charge until 6pm.

Mondays

MONDAYS

Epic Dice Adventures

Mason Hendershott

Grades: 4-8

Mondays/Thursdays 3:30pm -5:00pm (1/13-3/2 no class 1/20, 2/ 3, or 2/17)

Min.3/Max. 6

$300 (this program has 12 sessions)

Epic Dice Adventures continues! Students will build fictional characters to play a tabletop role-playing game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Players will exercise their imagination and problem-solving skills to survive harsh environments, outsmart and defend against wild beasts, and to solve puzzles that could be the difference between triumph and certain dooooom!

Tuesdays

Animal Art

Cory Shepard

Grades: PreK-2

Tuesdays 3:30PM-4:30PM (1/14 - 2/18)

Min. 4/ Max. 10

$150

Have you ever noticed how nature, and animals in particular, have some of the most beautiful patterns, colors, and shapes? In this program we will use these discoveries as inspiration for our artworks, just as other artists around the world have done for thousands of years. Get ready to take a creative walk on the wild side!

“Sew” Cool Sewing

Betsy Gobron from Sew Studio

Grades: 2-5

Tuesdays: 3:30-5:00PM (1/14 - 2/18)

Min: 6/ Max: 10

Cost: $175 includes materials

Sewing is fun with Ms. Betsy from Sew Studio in Southborough!

In this class you will learn the basics of the sewing machine (including safety!) as well as some different hand stitches. You will use your new skills to sew some creative projects including bags, stuffed animals and accessories. Each project will take about 2 -3 classes to complete. Come see what you can sew! No experience necessary, beginners welcome.

Wednesday

Writing Wizards by Right Brain Curriculum

Lisa Leach

Wednesdays 3:30PM-5:00PM (1/15-2/19)

Grades: 2-5

Min. 4/Max. 8

Cost: $150

Write and “publish” your own novel!

In Writing Wizards, we foster a love of writing by guiding our students to write and publish their own short novel! Using literature like Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia as inspiration, each pair of students designs a fantasy world that includes major and minor characters, fantastic settings, an extended backstory and a world of wonder. The authors use artwork and brainstorming to design plot twists and dynamic characters. Teachers guide the students, providing contextual mini-lessons on writing techniques that include the use of dialogue, detailed descriptions, sensory-rich word choice, and character development. At the end of the course, students take home their completed novel!

Crazy 8s Math Club

Kaitlyn Conor and Kim Boin

Wednesdays 3:30PM-4:30PM (1/15-2/19)

Grades: K-2

Min. 4/Max. 8

Cost: $150

It's a totally new kind of math club! Have a blast learning the math behind some of your favorite activities! Students will join Ms. Conor and Mrs. Boin as they build, run and jump, make music, and make a mess. Math will never be the same!

Math Ball by Right Brain Curriculum

Angelina Carpenter

Wednesdays 3:30PM-4:30PM and Fridays 3:00-4:00PM (11 sessions) (1/15-2/21 no class 2/14)

Grades: 3-5

Min. 4/Max. 8

Cost: $275

Help your team get ready to play ball! In this class focused on mathematics, problem-solving, geography and presentation skills, students pair up to serve as general managers of a new fictional baseball franchise. As they manage the team’s balance sheet, students must budget for player salaries, ballpark costs, maintenance, ticket sales, concessions and much more. Meanwhile, they are presented with word problems and mathematics dilemmas which call upon the general managers to use probability, mean, mode, perimeters, area, graphs, time, money, addition, subtraction and multiplication. Their team competes both on the field and off the field to become the league's best-run and most successful franchise!

Design their team, logo, mascot and ballpark
Create a team budget, making decisions about how much to spend on each aspect of their ballclub
Calculate the perimeter and area of their ballpark
Play games in the Right Brain Baseball League, keeping score and then calculating player statistics
And more!

Thursdays

Epic Dice Adventures

Mason Hendershott

Grades: 4-8

Mondays/Thursdays 3:30pm -5:00pm (1/16 - 2/20)

Min.3/Max. 6

$300 (this program has 12 sessions)

Epic Dice Adventures returns! Students will build fictional characters to play a tabletop role-playing game similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Players will exercise their imagination and problem-solving skills to survive harsh environments, outsmart and defend against wild beasts, and to solve puzzles that could be the difference between triumph and certain dooooom!

Clay Play

Cory Shepherd

Grades: 3-5 3:30-5:00 (1/16 - 2/20)

Min. 4/Max. 10

Cost: $150

Clay is one of the most common materials on Earth, and with the right practices it can be made into nearly any shape imaginable. This program is all about being hands-on, so come play and have fun while making your very own clay sculptures!

Fridays

Math Ball by Right Brain Curriculum

Angelina Carpenter

Wednesdays 3:30PM-4:30PM AND Fridays 3:00-4:00PM (11 sessions)

Grades: 3-5

Min. 4/Max. 8

Cost: $275

Design their team, logo, mascot and ballpark
Create a team budget, making decisions about how much to spend on each aspect of their ball-club
Calculate the perimeter and area of their ballpark
Play games in the Right Brain Baseball League, keeping score and then calculating player statistics
And more!

Music Lessons

Private and Semi-Private Instruction

Bancroft is excited to offer private instrumental music lessons to students of all ages and experience levels. Our talented instructors provide individualized instruction in a variety of musical instruments including: guitar, piano, flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, violin, cello, viola, and recorder, as well as voice and other instruments on request.

Instructors
Instrument Rentals

Instructors

Strings: Stefani Torode

Stefani Torode is a Suzuki-certified teacher and an accomplished violinist who came to Bancroft from Wachusett Regional High School where, as the Artist-in-Residence private violin instructor since 2009, she taught students aged 4 to 18. Stefani pursued a B.A. in Music Performance at UMass Lowell and is currently completing a math degree at Fitchburg State University.

Violin: Susan Torode

Piano: Peter Melo

Peter Petrika Melo is experienced as music & piano teacher and concert pianist. He has performed at prestigious venues such as Mechanics Hall, Worcester Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, and has collaborated with great artists including Luciano Pavarotti. Mr. Melo teaches all levels of students, and styles of music from classical to jazz and more, giving students an opportunity to learn quickly with a high level of piano technique while still being able to enjoy a professional way of performing in recitals and concerts. Many of his former students are now professional musician-performers and teachers.

In addition to their musical skills, Mr. Melo helps students develop:

Initiative
Responsibility
Attention and concentration
Visual and aural memory
Time management
Organization
Goal-setting and task completion
Problem solving
Confidence in facing new challenges.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree & Pianist Diploma, Mr. Melo studied conditioning at The Juilliard School with Prof. Judith Clurman; music theory and jazz composition at Mannes College School of Music with Prof. LeeAnn Ledgerwood; and orchestration with Prof. Peter Bellino.

In addition to teaching piano at Bancroft School, he is the pianist and organist at First Congregational Church in Holden, MA.

Guitar: David Mancevice

David Mancevice studied at E.U. Wurlitzer Music with Michael Herzog before attending Berklee College of Music from 2002-2005. Studying privately with Boston-based guitarists Jon Damian and Bruce Bartlett, David began teaching in 2012 at Kurlan Music and currently teaches at E.L Music. He has been teaching at Bancroft School since 2014. All styles and ages are welcome!!

Cello: Renae Renihan

Renae Renihan has had a passion for music since she was a little girl but it wasn’t until she was 11 that she picked up the cello. She has since been the first cellist for the Worcester Youth Orchestra’s (WYO) Sinfonia and Baroque Orchestras, performing in music halls from New Hampshire to New Jersey. In her senior year of high school, Renae performed for the Worcester Cultural Council as a member of the WYO’s Honor Quartet. Renae is currently enrolled at Worcester State University as a Visual and Performing Arts Major with a concentration in Music. At Worcester State she is involved in the Unplugged Orchestra, the Strings Camerata, and is a regular at the end-of-semester recital for students. She has been teaching cello privately since 2014, and enjoys mentoring the next generation of cellists. Renae likes playing board games and performing music with her five siblings and her pet tortoise Norbert. (Norbert doesn’t play music but he does like a game of Scrabble.)

Instrument Rentals

Instrument Rental Information

For Band instruments only:

David French Music Co.
76 Otis Street
Westborough, MA 01581
(508)366-5994
www.davidfrenchmusic.com

Kurlan Music Center, Inc.
17 East Mountain Street
Worcester, MA 01606
(508) 853-6417
www.kurlanmusic.com

The only two shops recommended for Strings rental:

Johnson String Instrument
11 John Street
(Just after the Chestnut Hill Mall, Route 9 West)
Newton Centre, MA 02459
(800)-359-9351
www.johnsonstring.com

Northbridge Violin Shop
2121 Quaker Street
Northbridge, MA 01534
(508)-234-0772

Please do not try other music stores without checking with the instructors first, as our experience suggests you may receive inferior products at high prices.

Ski / Ride Program

General Information

Led by Bancroft teachers Michelle Lessard & Kim Rogers, the Wachusett Mountain Ski/Ride Club is a very popular winter activity for Bancroft students. Adult chaperones accompany the children to every session. They are there to help with equipment, offer guidance to find lessons and rentals, manage the mountain lift tickets, and monitor the suite.

Club meets Fridays for 6 sessions: 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/28
Motor coach transportation departs Bancroft right after school, returns 8:45 pm.
Ski club is open to all, but students younger than 5th grade must provide their own transportation and be accompanied by an adult at the mountain.
Suitable for all levels of experience—many children have had their first skiing experience and learned through this program.
Adult chaperones accompany students each week.
Significant discounts on lift tickets, lessons, and season passes.
Private, Bancroft-only suite in lodge for suiting up, storing gear, relaxing

This is truly a great program that allows skiers and riders of all levels to have great fun. We hope you’ll join us this winter season!

Cost

Register

In order to register, first purchase your lift ticket on the Wachusett Mountain website using our school code (BCFT).

Then, register your child on our auxiliary website for transportation / suite and select ski program. Once you've completed both steps, you will have completed your registration. If you have any questions, please Michelle Lessard (mlessard@bancroftschool.org) or Kim Rogers (krogers@bancroftschool.org).

Carrie Whitney

Director of Summer and Auxiliary Programs

cwhitney@bancroftschool.org