Get Involved

Battle of the Books is a club that is available only to 5th grade students. Organized by Pikes Peak Regional Battle of the Books, this is a reading competition for 5th grade students. Students will read from a selection of 40 titles. They compete in both a district and regional competition that takes place at Colorado College in the Spring.  

Regional Battle of the Books Website

Chess Club starts on November 29, 2022 for students in grades 3 thru 5. It will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:15. Our goal is to learn about and foster enjoyment for the game of Chess. Applications are by Ms. McDuffee's door and are due on November 17th. Please see Ms. McDuffee for more information.

Coding in Action is a before school coding club that culminates in a competition in March. This competition group is open to 3rd - 5th grade students. Students apply for and are selected to fill up to 4 teams. Students learn to use both visual and text-based programming languages as they work to program for a variety of purposes. Students will use visual format (blocks) to code drones and Spheros to maneuver a challenging obstacle course. They will also use text-based code when programming with Arduino to light a runway using both single LED and RGB Led lights. In addition to developing coding skills, there is also a strong focus on teamwork, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. 

After the competition in March the club will be open to students from 2nd grade who would like to learn what Coding in Action is all about. 

Coding in Action Website

FIRST® LEGO® League is the next step in Lego Fun. First Lego League is a team of 2nd/3rd graders and 4th/5th graders. Tomorrow’s innovators practice imaginative thinking and teamwork. This program challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers. During the season our team will choose and solve a real-world problem. The team will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS®technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game. Throughout their experience this team will operate under the FIRST LEGO League signature set of Core Values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism®.

It all adds up to tons of fun while they learn to apply science, technology, engineering, and math concepts (STEM), plus a big dose of imagination, to solve a problem. Along their discovery journey, they develop critical thinking and team-building skills, basic STEM applications, and even presentation skills, as they must present their solutions with a dash of creativity to judges. Students also practice the Program’s signature Core Values.

CORE VALUES

The FIRST LEGO League Core Values are the cornerstones of the program. They are among the fundamental elements that distinguish FIRST LEGO League from other programs of its kind. By embracing the Core Values, participants learn that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals, and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork.

• We are a team.
• We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
• We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.
• We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
• What we discover is more important than what we win.
• We share our experiences with others.
• We display Gracious Professionalism® and Cooperation® in everything we do.
• We have FUN!

As a member of the Panda First Lego Team all members demonstrate the core values of Lego League.

The Landsharks Running Club develops young athletes in positive, safe, character-based programs for those in Kindergarten-6th grade. The focus is on having fun, competing against individual abilities, improving personal skills, being an encouraging teammate, making new friends, and promoting a healthy lifestyle.  In the fall and winter, our athletes focus on cross-country and in the spring and summer, our athletes learn the fundamentals of Track.  We train parents, teachers, and past Landsharks runners, who are now collegiate athletes, to lead and coach our programs.

Since 2000, the Landsharks Running Club has provided tens of thousands of children, between the ages of 5-13, with experiences that benefit their physical and psychosocial health.   The benefits of running surpass the physical benefits and have been proven to teach children perseverance, goal-setting and other skills that help them succeed academically, socially, and as an athlete in numerous sports.

Our Lego Fun Club is open to all students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. Legos promote and enhance critical thinking skills and teamwork. Students work with their peers to build new creations and let their imaginations fly.

In the Kung Fu Panda Club, students learn fun martial arts techniques along with relevant self defense strategies.  Everything we do correlates to one or more of the 7 Habits that your child is learning at French Elementary through Leader in Me and is discussed during each club meeting.  Our goal is to help your student become a more confident and well rounded individual and leader within our school and community. 

Panda Choir is a before school group for 4th and 5th graders that love to sing. Students meet once a week to learn music and prepare for auditions for the WSD3 Elementary Honor Choir which takes place in December. Practice begins in September and runs through the beginning of December, when the WSD3 Elementary Honor Choir takes place. As we get closer to the choir festival date, a group of 20 students will be chosen to represent the school, based on performance in the auditions. 

French Elementary Music Website

Science With A Twist (S.W.A.T.) is an after school club for fourth and fifth graders where students get together to work on inquiry-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics challenges. The challenges use everyday materials and students must collaborate to successfully complete a given task such as building bridges, boats, towers, paper airplanes, and/or catapults with an emphasis on building taller, stronger, further, faster, etc.; the “twist” to the competition will not be revealed until competition day.

Yearbook club is a during and after school program offered to fifth grade students. Students apply for and are selected to serve as members of the yearbook staff. This group of students will work from October until Spring break on designing and creating the school yearbook. Students develop skills in the areas of photography, graphic design, marketing, and teamwork. Students also learn the importance of staying focused on a task for the purpose of meeting deadlines.