2023 After School Spring Clubs

Dear Jags,

We are excited to launch our 2023 GMS Spring After School Clubs! Below you will find descriptions for all of our club offerings. Our advisors have put together a wide array of selections for you to choose from and our hope is that you'll find a club that matches your interests and passions!

Don't be afraid to try something new and have fun!

Goooooo Jags!

If you like helping others and you want to make the world a better place, then this is the club for you. Hands Across the Water is a fundraising club where all the money raised will benefit orphaned students in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This country does not provide public education for its children and the only way that they can attend school is through private donations. In this club you will brainstorm what kind of fundraisers you would like to host. You will create items to sell. You will help out at the fundraising events, etc. Most importantly, you will walk away knowing that you will have helped those less fortunate than you and your peers.

TUESDAYS 3-4 p.m. - Environmental Club Video

The purpose of the Environmental Club is to create an awareness of environmental issues with an emphasis on educating and empowering students to make our school and world a better place. Members will be active in a variety of hands-on activities including beautifying our grounds, reducing, reusing and recycling waste, composting, and much, much more. Students will have the opportunity to identify problems within our school and local community and will take action to promote environmentally conscious behaviors. Students who are interested in environmental advocacy and awareness are encouraged to join.

Yoga is an ancient practice, incorporating gentle movements with breathing/meditation, and has been proven to help release stress, calm the mind, and help us find a sense of peace as we navigate our busy days. Students of all levels (including beginners) should feel free to take this opportunity to find balance in both their bodies and minds. Yoga / Meditation Club will be a great time to relax after the school day and have fun while doing so!

Calling all Disney Lovers! A welcoming community for students to have fun and make friends while getting in touch with their inner “Disney heart”. A few activities to include Disney trivia, crafts, and possibly a recipe or two! The club will focus on one attraction at each club meeting, and the goal is to pick rides/attractions that have movies that go along with them. Attractions include Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Toy Story Mania, Star Wars, just to name a few. Showing the students a park map to locate the ride/attraction, giving all background information, showing YouTube videos of the attractions (stories behind the building), and showing clips of the movies to show commonalities.

Learn the protocols and practice the skills of formal debate. Students select topics to research and develop pro and con arguments. After a few weeks of debate boot camp, it will be time to debate! We will aruge it out at least three times this 'season' and learn the rules of formal debate and of judging debate too!

Join your fellow Jag craftsmen in Ms. Gandy’s shop to create wood artworks such as your favorite sports team logo, jigsaw puzzle, or a design of your own! With a safety first motto, you will learn the features of the scroll saw and many other tools!

In this club we will break down and discuss different elements of filmmaking, share movie recommendations, and talk about movie news, box office numbers, and movie trivia. We will also vote on and watch several movies to watch together in our club meetings. If you enjoy watching and talking about movies, this is the club for you!

In Board games club, students will build social and strategic skills by playing different games with other students. Each meeting will include time wherein we discuss strategies and game play. Students will also have a chance to create, develop, and play their own board games. This club is meant to bring all of the fun, socializing, and strategizing that we love about board games into an in-school setting. Students can bring board games they would like to play with others, and the club will have some games available to play each week. Student Fee will be applied to purchasing new board games, or to purchase pieces needed for developing student-created board game ideas. Students will decide as a group which new games or materials will be purchased.

TUESDAYS 3-4 p.m. - MURAL ART CLUB VIDEO - CLUB BEGINS THE WEEK OF MARCH 13th

Students would work together to develop murals with meaning behind them. We will study how murals have improved neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia, Trenton, and New York. They will discuss what types of messages would be important to convey to our middle school community and evaluate where in the school it would best be suited. We will be writing proposals and developing images depicting our final product. Students should learn how to advocate for the arts and understand the process taken by contemporary mural artists. The end product will be achieved by us working together to trace our mural idea on a wall in GMS and paint in small groups. The mural will become a permanent installation on Grover's walls!

Do you like to act? Have you always been a little curious about Shakespeare? We will work collaboratively over the fall and winter to create a show for family and friends to attend OUTDOORS in the spring.

Do you want to learn more about sign language and the people who use it? The Sign Language Club is a great place to learn about American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture. We will learn about Deaf history, basic ASL vocabulary, fingerspelling using the sign language alphabet, and the different types of sign language. There will be ASL games and maybe even the chance to talk with people who are part of Deaf culture! If you are interested in learning about a fun new language, this is the club for you!

Solar Car Club members will work in teams and use the design-build approach to build model cars that are powered by solar panels and auxiliary batteries. Students will use STEM skills, design prototypes, and work cooperatively towards problem solving. Cars will need to meet certain specifications, with an emphasis on craftsmanship and engineering design. Student teams will compete and may qualify to race in the Junior Solar Sprints (JSS) Regional Competitions. If a field trip is possible, students will have an additional fee for the cost of bus transportation.

This club is for any readers out there! Club members will get the chance to read short stories, poems, articles, and a novel or two. The club is based on student choice (so you will have a say in what we read!). Together we will read, discuss, and share our thoughts, ideas, and feelings about our reading.

Build your skills in the game of chess. Enjoy a friendly game or learn some new strategies. Students will also participate in Chess Competitions. Club is open to both experienced and novice players.

Welcome to Grover’s first Muslim Student Association (MSA)! As we know, Grover is a diverse place where different backgrounds and religions are recognized and embraced. The purpose of this club is to bring students together to connect with one another and bring unity among Muslim students from different cultural backgrounds. Additionally, this club is open to students who have an interest in learning about the Islamic faith and want to be an ally in fighting Islamophobia. This club is open to students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Together, we will build friendships as well as help organize events to raise awareness to the Islamic community. Join me in launching Grover’s MSA this Spring for a fun and engaging semester!

THURSDAYS - 3-4 p.m.

Are you interested in meeting new people and being a part of a new community? Or learning a bit of basic psychology? Or spreading awareness regarding mental wellness? Or do you just need a place to relax? If so, this club is a perfect fit for you! Middle school is stressful, so this club will create a space where we can get to know each other and de-stress. Joining this club means being a part of the change to wreck the stigma around mental health through education and conversation.

What would you do if you were given $100,000? Would you spend it all at once? Would you think about putting some of it in the bank? We’d like to teach you how to invest it, so you might grow it. Through The Stock Market Game (SMG), you will gain a fundamental understanding of investing and how you might get your money to work for you.

YOU CAN JOIN BLACK STUDENT UNION AND ANOTHER CLUB

Are you interested in making Grover a better place? The Black Student Union is looking for members this Spring. The BSU is a service club designed to offer leadership opportunities through community outreach. (Let’s make this world better!) The best part about BSU are the friends (and allies) you will gain. This club is not only for African American students. We encourage all students to join. Reach out to Mr. Johnson in A109 for more information.

Email Mr. Johnson at henry.johnson@wwprsd.org if you are interested in joining the Black Student Union.

**CLUB SELECTIONS DUE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16th @ 3:00 p.m.**

Website: http://www.west-windsor-plainsboro.k12.nj.us/schools/grover_middle_school
Location: Thomas R. Grover Middle School, Southfield Road, West Windsor Township, NJ, USA
Phone: (609) 716-5250