Workshops
Fall 2025 Enrichment Workshops
Registration will open for fall Enrichment workshops on Monday, August 25 at 9:00 a.m.
Fall workshops begin the week of September 15, 2025 unless otherwise noted.
Weekly workshops provide students in kindergarten through grade 8 specialized after school learning opportunities with experienced instructors and passionate teaching artists, musicians, and professionals from the greater Portland area. Workshops offer in-depth exploration into the arts, dance, drama/acting, science, engineering, athletics, cooking, chess, Dungeons & Dragons and more!
Enrichment workshops are open to the students in our Waynflete Community and also students from the greater Portland area.
Fall Enrichment workshops at a glance:
Applicable grades are noted for each workshop.
| MONDAYS | TUESDAYS | WEDNESDAYS | THURSDAYS | FRIDAYS |
|
STEAM |
Mandarin Club |
Creative Movement |
Spanish Club |
Dungeons & Dragons Club |
| Nature Lab (Grades 3–5) See section 2 below |
Creative Movement (Grades 2–3) See section 1 below |
STEAM (Grades 3–5) See section 6 below |
Creative Movement (Grades 4–5) See section 1 below |
|
| Field Hockey Clinic (Grades 3–5) See athletic clinics page |
Dungeons & Dragons Club (Grades 4–5) See section 7 below |
Creative Drama (Grades 4–5) See section 4 below |
Chess Club (Grades 4–5) See section 3 below |
|
| Chess club (Grades 6–8) See section 3 below |
Dungeons & Dragons Club (Grades 6–8) See section 7 below |
REGISTER NOW
Fall 2025 Workshops
[1] ENRICHMENT DANCE: Creative Movement
In these classes, Lower School dancers learn to become strong, confident, creative, and expressive through movement exploration. Two sessions are offered throughout the school year. Session 1 begins in September and culminates in December with a small classroom performance. Session 2 begins in January and culminates in May with a performance in the Franklin Theater as part of the Waynflete Dance Collective.
Location: Arts Center Studio
Instructor: Carly Kasle is a passionate and driven dance professional from the greater Portland area. She earned her MA in Ballet Pedagogy from New York University and her BFA in Dance Education from University of Tennessee. Her primary area of expertise is classical ballet, but she has been a student of, taught, and choreographed contemporary dance and jazz. Her teaching philosophy is student-centered, placing the student and cognitive development at the center of her curriculum design.
“I truly believe in the power of connecting with each other and our communities through dance and love sharing my passion and appreciation for the arts with curious students.”
K–1 Creative Movement
Wednesdays from 12:15 –1:35 p.m.
(Waynflete students enjoy lunch with the group before the class begins)
September 17 to December 10 (No class on 11/26)
Session 1: 12 weeks
Minimum – 5 students | Maximum – 12 students
$390 • REGISTER
2-3 Creative Movement
Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30pm
September 16 to December 9 (No class on 11/11 and 11/25)
Session 1: 11 weeks
Minimum – 5 students | Maximum – 12 students
$375 • REGISTER
4-5 Creative Movement
Thursdays from 3:30-4:30pm
September 18 to December 11 (No class on 11/27)
Session 1: 12 weeks
Minimum – 5 students | Maximum – 12 students
$375 • REGISTER
[2] NATURE LAB: Science Outing Club
Join Nature Lab! Student scientists will go on weekly adventures to explore the unique ecosystems of Southern Maine. They will learn about the science that is used to study this environment and be given the tools to investigate the intricacies of each site for themselves. Nature Lab is open to any student that enjoys being outside, expressing curiosity, and working as a team to answer scientific questions. Bus transportation provided, and our weekly adventures are rain or shine!
Instructor: Zoë Kennedy, Educator at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute
Zoë Kennedy is an educator at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. She grew up in Massachusetts and received her B.S. in environmental studies at the University of Vermont. Her passion for teaching students about the environment has led her to work in a variety of places including Acadia National Park, where she completed a fellowship in environmental education in 2024. She started leading the Nature Lab workshop last fall and is very excited to continue the program this year!
Weekly locations and scientific explorations will be noted in welcome emails. This may include phonology, ornithology, dendrology, intertidal ecology, fire safety and more!
3–5 Nature Lab: Science Outing Club
Mondays from 3:30–5:30 p.m.
September 15 to November 10 (No class on October 13)
Fall session: 8 weeks
Minimum – 4 students | Maximum – 6 students
$290 – REGISTER
[3] CHESS CLUB
The Waynflete Chess Club will cover basic chess playing, including how the chess pieces move, how to win and the rules of play. Students will learn basic strategies with a goal to learn and enjoy the game. This club is open to all levels of ability, beginner through advanced players are welcome to attend.
Instructor: Joe Alex
Joe Alex was the Director of Stillwater Montessori School for 42 years and has been a chess coach and instructor for more than 20 years. He has worked with chess teams that have competed at the elementary and Middle School levels at the Maine State Chess Meet.
Location: Classroom location be noted in welcome emails.
4-5 Chess Club
Thursdays from 3:30–4:30 p.m.
September 18 to December 11 (No class on 11/27)
Session 1: 12 weeks
Minimum – 6 students | Maximum – 10 students
$275 • REGISTER
6–8 Chess Club
Tuesdays from 3:30–5:00 p.m.
September 16 to December 9 (No class on 11/11 and 11/25)
Session 1: 11 weeks
Minimum – 6 students | Maximum – 12 students
$250 • REGISTER
[4] CREATIVE DRAMA WORKSHOPS
4-5 Creative Drama Club
This semester-long workshop will begin with improv games and acting exercises before students devise and adapt scenes from a book or story. The journey will continue by creating, staging, and rehearsing a play that we will share as an in-studio workshop performance. This workshop is not intended to be a rehearsal process for a fully-produced play. It will instead be a creative journey of acting, improvising, and playmaking!
Instructor: Julia Jennings
Julia Jennings teaches drama in Lower School and serves as the director for the Middle School play. She studied playwriting and acting at Bowdoin College and the National Theater Institute, and trained as a directing and dramaturgy apprentice at Portland Stage. Her work focuses on the intersection between acting and writing for the stage as well as ensemble-driven new play development.
Location: Arts Center classroom
4-5 Creative Drama Club
Wednesdays from 12:15-2:00 p.m.
(Waynflete students enjoy lunch with the group before the class begins)
September 17 to December 10 (No class on 11/26)
Session 1: 11 weeks
Minimum – 6 students | Maximum – 10 students
$375 • REGISTER
[5] LANGUAGE IMMERSION WORKSHOPS
SPANISH CLUB
¡Hola! Join Waynflete Extended Day Teacher and native Spanish speaker Lesley Valadez for an age-appropriate, interactive program that will allow your child to acquire Spanish naturally through a playful, interactive immersion environment. Your child will learn Spanish through indoor and outdoor play, songs, books, and movement! Small group classes run for seven weeks and are offered over our fall, winter, and spring workshop sessions.
Instructor: Lesley Valadez
Location: Klingenstein Library Conference Room
1-3 Spanish Club
Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
September 18 to December 11 (No class on 11/27)
Session 1: 12 weeks
Minimum – 5 students | Maximum – 8 students
$250 • REGISTER
MANDARIN CLUB
Whitney (Huiru) Zou is a native Chinese speaker who has been teaching at Waynflete for approximately 13 years. She works with students of all ages, both in classes and through individual tutoring. Whitney is passionate about education and dedicated to her students’ growth. Her teaching approach is centered on creating a joyful and engaging learning environment, guided by her belief that learning should be fun! In this workshop students will learn basic words (colors, numbers, animals, and greetings), sing songs and play games to practice Chinese, listen to short stories and repeat simple phrases and create fun crafts related to Chinese culture!
Instructor: Whitney (Huiru) Zou
Location: Klingenstein Library Conference Room
1-3 Mandarin Club
Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
September 16 to December 9 (No class on 11/11 and 11/25)
Session 1: 11 weeks
Minimum – 5 students | Maximum – 8 students
$250 • REGISTER
[6] STEAM WORKSHOPS (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math)
Susan Wiemer’s workshops operate at the intersection of science, art, and imaginative play. Throughout the workshop, students explore basic physics concepts while utilizing engineering/design methods and discussing the scientific process. Susan’s workshops have included spaghetti derbys, egg drop competitions, creating wind powered houses, rubber band powered cars and so much more! These hands-on creative workshops will challenge and engage students to explore new interests while building STEAM skills.
Instructor: Susan Weimer
Location: Lower School Art Studio
K-2 STEAM Workshop: Windmills!
STEAMers will build homes for miniature teddy bears with windmill-powered LED lights inside. We will use upcycled materials as a way to discuss and explore the fascinating world of sustainable energy.
Mondays from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
September 15 to December 8 (No class on 10/13 and 11/24)
Session 1: 11 weeks
Minimum – 5 students | Maximum – 8 students
$250 • REGISTER
3-5 STEAM Workshop: Plastic Monsters
STEAMers will design and build multi-jointed, rubber band powered puppets! Using upcycled materials not only makes these projects eco-friendly but also encourages creative problem-solving.
Wednesdays from 12:15 – 2:30 p.m.
September 17 to December 10 (No class on 11/26)
Session 1: 12 weeks
Minimum – 5 students | Maximum – 10 students
$250 • REGISTER
[7] DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
At its core, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a game of collaborative storytelling. Players will each take on the role of a unique character in a fantasy story and will need to work together to uncover treasure, solve puzzles, and accomplish their goals. Ongoing journeys are led by a highly creative Game Master/Dungeon Master (GM/DM). What path students choose is up to them, but know that the D&D world is full of challenges, danger and adventure!
We are on the search for additional DM’s to increase capacity in these groups. Please join the waiting list if the program is full after registration opens. Sessions are limited to one day a week per participant.
Locations: CHM-15 (6–8), LS 4–5 classroom (4–5)
Instructor: Riss Bickford
4-5 D&D Club
Tuesdays from 3:30-4:45 p.m.
September 16 to December 9 (No class on 11/11 and 11/25)
Session 1: 11 weeks
Maximum – 5 students
$250 • REGISTER
4-5 D&D Club
Fridays from 3:30-4:45 p.m.
September 19 to December 19 (No class on 10/17, 10/24, and 11/28)
Session 1: 11 weeks
Maximum – 5 students
$250 • REGISTER
6-8 D&D Club
Thursdays from 3:30-4:45 p.m.
September 18 to December 18 (No class on 11/27)
Session 1: 13 weeks
Maximum – 5 students
$275 • REGISTER
REGISTER NOW
Additional Information:
- Parent pickup location for all workshop attendees is the Lower School lobby unless otherwise noted.
- Workshop start and end dates are noted above.
- All students must be registered to attend an Enrichment workshop.
- Payment in full is required at the time of registration.
- Workshops are open to all students from the greater Portland area.
- Workshops are either offered in three seasons or half-year sessions.
- If a workshop is canceled due to low enrollment, families will be notified one week before the first class.
Discount codes:
- Full-time Waynflete Extended Day students receive a 25 percent discount on the price of Enrichment workshops. Use the code “FT_EW” at checkout.
- Taylor Your Week Waynflete Extended Day students receive a 10 percent discount on the price of Enrichment workshops. Use the code “TYW_EW” at checkout.
Questions? Suggestions for new workshops? Email the Auxiliary Programs office at or call 207.774.7863, ext. 1379.
