Embracing “And”, Rejecting “Or”

One of the many benefits of KIPP Philadelphia’s More Time on Task, is that we do not have to make hard decisions about how our children spend their time.  Our long school day, week and year enable us to spend extra time catching our kids up in the core academic subjects like reading and math, AND also offer a full complement of extracurricular activities.

Saturday School

On 16 Saturdays a year all KIPP Philadelphia Schools hold Saturday School, a fun time for our students to learn about subjects not covered in a traditional school curriculum.  Past classes have included mural arts, Latin dance, cooking, chess, leadership, and Tae Kwon Do.

Music

Every KIPP Philadelphia School works a music class into the core curriculum, and then allows 7th and 8th grade students the opportunity to join an ensemble.  KIPP Philadelphia’s music program includes 6th grade music classes where students learn the basics of music theory and performance, and then have the option to join “The Extraordinaires”, our jazz ensemble.  The Extraordinaires have played concerts at World Café Live, Warmdaddy’s, and other venues across the city.

Athletics

Every season KIPP Philadelphia middle schools field a boys and girls team sport for 7th and 8th graders.  Coaches focus on teamwork, skills development, and sportsmanship with their athletes.