LEAP Activities
LEAP programming at Washington Middle School is funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant from the Iowa Department of Education. Learn more at: www.dbqschools.org/leap
Washington LEAP activities are offered:
Monday through Friday afternoons
from 2:30-4 p.m.
Here are a few upcoming activities…
| Mondays through Wednesdays, beginning Monday, Sept 11 through Wednesday, May 22 Friendship Circles In friendship circles we will hang out with old friends and make new ones while exploring our common interests in art, comedy, entertainment, and more. Discover who shares your interests and passions by hanging out with us! Provided by: Christopher Sindt, GWMS Teacher |
| Monday, Wednesdays and Thursdays; beginning Wednesday, Sept 13th through Thursday, May 23rd (excludes non-school and conference dates) Disney Club If you are a fan of anything and everything Disney, including Marvel and Star Wars, this is the LEAP for you! Join us in Quizzes, fan theories, music, movies, and more! Provided by: Annalise Hauk, GWMS Teacher |
| Thursday September 14, 21 and 28; Thursday, October 5, 12, & 19; Monday, November 2, 9 & 16 Yoga and Relaxation Through the practice of yoga poses and relaxation techniques, you will build strength, develop focus, improve your flexibility, and learn about being in the present moment. Whether you are curious about yoga, want to enhance your athleticism in the off-season of a sport, or are just up for trying something new, you might discover that yoga and relaxation can benefit you in many ways on and off your yoga mat. Provided by: Amy Mozena, GWMS Teacher |
| Every Tuesday and Wednesday, beginning September 12-May 22 (excludes non-school and conference dates) Cricut Club Are you creative? Do you love making personalized items? If so, join this club! Within this group, we will be able to create personalized items using a Cricut machine. Provided by: Amanda Johson, GWMS Teacher |
| Tuesday September 12, October 17 and November 14 The PA is in! Exploring the Physician Assistant’s Role in Providing Medical Care Grab your whitecoat and stethoscope and come explore the physician assistant (PA) career pathway with the University of Dubuque Physician Assistant Program! Sessions will include hands-on activities where you will learn the roles and responsibilities of a PA first-hand by taking histories, using medical equipment to assess a patient and performing healthcare procedures. Planned activities include scanning organs with ultrasound, practicing wound suturing skills, reading chest x-rays, splinting/wrapping an injury, and a final field trip to the University of Dubuque Physician Assistant facilities to tour and meet faculty. Provided by: Alex N. Ourth PA-S; Physician Assistant Studies; University of Dubuque |
| Mondays through Thursdays, beginning Tuesday, Sept 12-Thursday, May 23 (excludes non-school and conference dates) Brain Games Want a challenge? Come solve puzzles that will require you to think in unconventional ways. You will complete a variety of puzzles including hands-on puzzles, Sudokus, and much more. Provided by: Kelsie Zepeski, GWMS Teacher |
| Tuesdays & Thursday; September 12-December 21 (excludes non-school and conference dates) Foods Club Do you like trying new foods? Want to learn how to make various snacks/foods? Sing-up for Foods Club to test your skill at cooking/baking! Provided by: Maria LoBianco, Bailey Theisen, and Kim Maro, GWMS Teachers |
| Every 3rd Thursday of the month, beginning Thursday, Sept 21-May 16 (excludes non-school and conference dates) Student Ambassadors Student Ambassadors is a school activity for leaders who are willing to stand up and encourage others to do what’s right as well as model positive behaviors for their school community. You will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, during the school day as well as through LEAP, that promote a positive school environment. Provided by: Sara Dowell, GWMS Counselor |
| Mondays, Sept 25, October 23, November 20 & December 11 Builder’s Club (Key Club) If you feel passionate about making a positive impact and working on a team to help others in the community, Builder’s Club is for you! Within this club, you will be able to share your ideas and work toward making a difference within our community. Provided by: Maria LoBianco, Bailey Theisen, and Kim Maro, GWMS Teachers |
| Tuesdays 9/26 & 10/31; Wednesday 11/29 & 12/20 Diamond Painting Diamond painting is a mix between cross stitch and paint by numbers. The tiny resin “diamonds” are applied to a pre-printed canvas design to create sparkling, vibrant pieces of mosaic-style art. This creative activity is relaxing and can be extremely addictive! Provided by: Karla Digmann, GWMS Teacher |
| Mondays and Tuesdays: 10/2, 10/9, 10/17, 10/24, 10/30, 11/7, 11/14, 11/20, 11/27, 12/4. 12/12, 12/18 (excludes non-school and conference dates) MathCounts This session is designed to prepare students to compete in the local chapter of MathCounts. MathCounts is a national middle school mathematics competition that builds problem-solving skills and fosters achievement through four levels of contests. Students will work on challenging problems of various levels, work on explaining their reasoning, and collaborate with peers to form our school MathCounts team. Provided by: Karla Digmann, GWMS Teacher |
| Every other Monday: on October 2,16 & 30, November 13 & 27, December 11, January 8 & 22, February 5 & 19, March 4 & 18, April 1,15 & 29 and May 13 Culture Club Are you interested in learning more about cultures of the world? Would you like to learn more about the various cultures which can be found here at Washington? Would you like to teach your peers about your own culture? At Culture Club we will be doing just that. We will meet every other Monday beginning October 2nd. Provided by: Kelsey Bhatia, GWMS Teacher |
| Wednesday, October 4 STEM Challenge: Ready? Set? ZOOM! There will be lots of excitement as your Rubber Band Racer zips down the hall and past the finish line. This is more than a Do It Yourself car toy, the Rubber Band Racer Activity Pack comes with all of the building components (and more) that you’ll need to build your own rubber band powered car. You’ll have the chance to design your Rubber Band Racer over and over to meet all sorts of new challenges. Provided by: Amy Mozena, GWMS Teacher |
| Mondays through Thursdays, beginning Thursday October 5-March 21 Coloring & Relaxation Want to unwind after a long day of school? Look no further by signing up for coloring and relaxation! Whether you like to sketch, free-hand, or use pre-made drawings, this class has a little something for everyone in a relaxing environment that will have you feeling stress-free when you leave! Provided by: Allyson Lukens, GWMS Teacher |
| Monday, October 9 Kindness in Chalk Day October is bully prevention month. Gather with other Wahawks who want to combat bullying by spreading kindness. Kindness in Chalk Day is celebrated around the United States with the goal to promote kindness by writing words of encouragement on the sidewalks of our schools. Students participating at Washington will decorate all three entrances of the school with messages of kindness. Provided by: Amy Mozena & Katie Schramm, GWMS Teachers |
| Monday, October 9 Creating a Character! Students will explore movement and vocal techniques to create a character totally unlike yourself! A whole new you will emerge through fun games and some props and costumes too! Be ready to move and participate! Provided by: Rising Star Theatre Company |
| Wednesday, October 11 Acting 101! It’s time to take your acting to the next level! Students will explore the building blocks of acting and use it to create a scene alive with drama and fun! Provided by: Rising Star Theatre Company |
| Wednesday, October 18 STEM Challenge: Hydraulic Claws If you love dropping quarters in the arcade claw machine, you’ll love this LEAP offering. Create your very own remote-controlled fluid-powered grabber. This is way more than just a toy claw. You can explore making either a pincer, chopsticks, or accordion claw. Or may you give all 3 types a try. Provided by: Amy Mozena, GWMS Teacher |
| Monday, November 7 K-9 Unit & Squad Car The K9 officers will be giving a live demonstration of how police dogs work. We will have a squad car that the kids can tour to see all the equipment and tech that is in them. We will also be happy to answer any police related questions that the kids have. Provided by; Provided by: Officer Nathan Wall, Dubuque Police Department |
| Wednesday, November 8 STEM Challenge: Harness the Power of the Wind Harness the power of the wind – on land – as you create a sail car. Experiment with adjusting and re-adjusting your sail’s shape, angle and pitch. You’ll work through the engineering & design process as you design your sail cars for speed, distance or even to transport objects across the room! Provided by: Amy Mozena, GWMS Teacher |
| November 9, January 11, March 7 & May 9 Self-Defense Seminar Boost your confidence & improve your self-defense skills in this hands-on class. We will cover a mix of basic moves & techniques that work in many scenarios that participants of every size can use effectively. In addition to learning effective moves students will also learn how to harness & control their inner strength, increase their focus and relieve stress. Provided by: Eryka Cook, Co-Owner/Kickboxing & Self-Defense Instructor at Empowermental |
| Wednesday, November 15 STEM Challenge: Up, Down, and All Around Design and build a crane that can best sort magnetic materials for recycling. Start by making and experimenting with an electromagnet, then create a crane to move it. Test the crane using the scientific method. Evolve the crane through the engineering design process. How many magnetic items can you sort in two minutes? Compete against other cranes, or challenge yourself in the Super Sort Engineering and Design Challenge. Provided by: Amy Mozena, GWMS Teacher |
Students will meet in the cafeteria right after school. They’ll grab a free snack and head to the location of the LEAP activity.
Students will exit from the main entrance on Grandview Avenue when the program concludes at 4 p.m.
Complete the LEAP Parent Permission Form (PDF) and have your student return it to the attendance office. Students can’t participate without this form on file for 2023-2024.
Students will have the opportunity to sign-up for LEAP activities in their school’s attendance office as they are announced. Remember, it’s expected that students attend all sessions offered for each activity. Students will sign-in each day so we can keep participate records, but we won’t monitor daily attendance – so there is no need to let us know if for some reason your student can’t make it.
Students will be held to the same conduct standards as they are during the school day. Failure to follow established rules may result in loss of participation.
Contact the attendance office or guidance counselor.