In-Service Day and
School Break Programming

For the 2013-2014 school year, Shady Side Academy will continue to offer In-Service Day and School Break programming on all days the Junior School is not in session (excluding certain national and religious holidays). These exciting day and week-long camps are much more than six hours of day care. Each affordable camp is centered on a central theme; over the course of the year students will hike, bake, learn new sports skills, swim, harvest vegetables, make movies and go on a field trip to a secret location!

9 a.m.-3 p.m. (half days begin at noon)
Drop-off begins at 8 a.m.
Dismissal lasts until 3:30 p.m.
After-care available until 6 p.m. at an additional cost of $20 per child.
All activities, lunch and optional shuttling between the campuses are included in the cost of the program (unless otherwise noted).
Programs are open to students from any school.
All programs occur on the Junior School campus unless otherwise noted.
Late registrations are subject to a $20 fee.

May 30, 2014 – Day in Frick Park

Students will hike from the Junior School campus into Frick Park for a day of fun activities in the beautiful, natural setting. We will discover all kinds of nooks and crannies in the expansive park, while also having a delicious picnic lunch and playing on surprise playgrounds, including the infamous Blue Slide Park! This will be a fantastic chance to get outside as we get ready to head off into the summer!

Past 2013-2014 Programs

Oct. 14, 2013 – Act Like A Senior School Student Day!

What happens when teachers and Senior School students don't show up at the Senior School campus on a Monday morning? Junior School takeover! Junior School students will experience the life of their older, but only mildly wiser, counterparts. Students will have a chance to swim in the pool, eat lunch in the Dining Hall, take a trip to the SSA Farm to decorate pumpkins, and discover the nooks and crannies of the campus in an elaborate Scavenger Hunt.

Nov. 15, 2013 – Thanksgiving Festivals

Thanksgiving might be a week away, but you would never know it by the activities coming out of the Junior School! Join our staff as we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving in style. Between art projects, baking, Thanksgiving-themed games and community service, this day will give everyone a chance to prepare for the holiday season!

Dec. 2, 2013 – Faculty In-Service at the Senior School

Come work off that Thanksgiving dinner by bringing your swimming suit and tennis shoes for an afternoon of swimming and games on the Senior School campus! This program will begin at noon and last until 5 p.m. No before- or after-care will be provided. Transportation must be provided by families to the Senior School, no shuttle will run from/to the Junior School. A snack will be provided in the afternoon.

Dec. 6, 2013 – Victorian Day

How many times have your children come to you and asked, "I wish that I could have lived during the Gilded Age and/or the Victorian Era?" Well here is their chance! The After-School staff and faculty specialists will provide a fascinating day of Victorian sensibilities with the students. In the morning, we will walk over to the Frick Mansion, and participate in a guided tour of the home, as well as a educational project. After lunch, we will spend time practicing manners, enjoying afternoon tea, making Daguerreotype photos (no smiling allowed!) and learning how to play tiddly winks and jack straws.

Dec. 30-31, Jan. 2-3 – Winter Break Camp: Space Camp

Over Winter Break, Shady Side Academy's Junior School in Point Breeze will transform into Mission Control for a week of exciting space exploration. We will build our own rockets, learn about space exploration, simulate zero gravity, make (and eat!) astronaut food and design a new space colony! We'll take a field trip to the Carnegie Science Center to explore the planetarium and SpacePlace exhibit.

Feb. 14, 2014 – Hobby Hubs: Valentine's Day Hobby Hubs

Hobby Hubs brings back your favorite After School Explorers staff. We've given them a task - make sure all of your hobbies have to do with Valentine's Day! We aren't sure what they will end up planning, but we do know that the students will come home ready to splash affection and kindness on everyone in sight! Program runs from 12-3 p.m.

Feb. 21, 2014 – Field Trip to the Children's Museum

We will spend only a few minutes at the Junior School in the morning, as we load a bus and head off to the Children's Museum! The students will have the chance to spend all day in this fantastic museum, enjoying all of the exhibits, demonstrations and art projects available.

March 17-21, 2014 Spring Break Week 1: Media Arts Camp

Technology and computer skills abound in our one week Media Arts Camp. Hundreds of summer campers have fallen in love with our Media Arts program, and now Spring Break students can have a piece of the fun! Campers will venture out of the lab to use the entire Senior School campus to complete creative activities such as film editing, slideshow creation, graphic design, audio manipulation and LEGOmation.

March 24-28, 2014 - Spring Break Week 2: Soccer Camp

Please join the Director of Soccer at Shady Side Academy, James Meara, and his assistant, Graeme Dunlap, for a week of soccer coaching in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. During the week your child will work on the fundamentals of the game, play fun soccer games, and practice learned skills in game situations, all held at the Senior School campus. The key at this age is to be able to do the basics correctly, and the camp will focus on all of the following:

First Touch and Foot Skills
Accuracy of Passing
Movement on and off the ball
1v1 / 2v2 attacking and defending
Shooting and finishing
Small sided games with instruction

March 31, 2014 – April Fools Day: Prep!

Last year, with an In-Service Day on April Fools Day itself, we used our time to play practical jokes on unsuspecting faculty and staff. In 2014, the In-Service Day falls 24 hours too early. What do we do instead? Plan! That's right, we will utilize that extra 24 hours to make sure that our pranks and jokes would make Dick Clark and Ed McMahon proud!

May 19, 2014 – Surprise Field Trip

Students will set out on a bus destined for an exciting Pittsburgh location. Last year's surprise field trip was a huge success, as the students got to take a special tour of PNC Park, followed by a movie at the OMNIMAX Theater. We have already made plans to make this year's trip even better!