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Discovery After School Activities
DASA Overview
Discovery After School Activities (DASA) is a program that will open when we have enough participants. Currently DASA is not being offered due to a lack of participants. DASA will have activities for children of ALL ages, ranging from a typical "SFO" program to activities for older students. The focus of DASA will be to provide a variety of activities that are usually found only through sports clubs and other organizations. All DASA programs will require a minimum number of students to open.
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In talking with parents, we found that there seems to be a common complaint, and that is their hectic family schedule. Most activities for kids are scheduled in the evening here in Norway, and we've talked with many parents who wish their kids had the possibility of doing those activities during the "SFO" time. "That way, my kids would be finished with all their activities early, and in the evening, we could just spend time together as a family." said one mom.
In the USA, most extra-curricular activities are organized by the school and are held right after classes are finished for the day. That means when kids go home, they're ready to eat dinner, do some homework, relax a bit with their family, and get a good night's rest. When there happens to be evening game or another competition (for example a Math Tournament), it is commonplace for families from the whole school to go and support the team. Another benefit of organizing sports and other clubs through the school is that the students on the different teams feel fundamentally connected to the school and supported by their entire school community. That is important because it is the place they spend at least a third of their lives growing up. Creating that kind of school spirit fuels an excitement for striving to do one's very best, not only in sports but in everything they do.
Discovery will take the best parts of this model and implement it into the DASA program. Luckily, this concept isn't entirely new here in Norway. There is an existing network of sports teams from other international schools that regularly compete with one another, and Discovery is excited to become a part of those networks and other national competition organizations.
The activities that are offered through DASA may be limited or extensive, and will largely depend on what students are interested in and how many participants we have. The DASA program will be structured to adapt to changing needs and interests.
The Future of DASA: Some of the possible activities DASA could offer, should there be enough interest, participants, and the facilities, are listed below. As we enroll students, we will have a better understanding of which activities the students are interested in, and whether we have enough participants to offer that activity. The list of potential activities below is not exhaustive, so if you have an idea for a club or sport, please let us know your thoughts!
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Football / Soccer
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Cross-country running
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Cross-country skiing
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Volleyball
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Basketball
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Handball
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Track and field
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American Football
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Baseball
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Softball
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Tennis
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Figure Skating
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Ice Hockey
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Swimming
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Karate
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Dance
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Indoor rock wall climbing
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Math Club
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Lego robotics Club
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Debate Club
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Chess Club
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Photography
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Pottery
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Journalism / Yearbook
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Cub Scouts / Girl Scouts
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Drawing Club
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Knitting / Crochet Club
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Book Club
DASA is a place for Families!
We want to do something special at Discovery, and that is to welcome parents and family members to come and spend some time with us during DASA afternoon hours. This part of the DASA program is still in development, and is largely dependent on the interest of parents, as well as available space at the school. We welcome all ideas about structuring this part of DASA as well as activity suggestions! Some questions to help get your thoughts going might include: What would you, as a parent, like to learn? How could we help you to better connect with other parents and families? How could you volunteer? What are your talents and interests? Would you want to lead a group of other parents or children in a specific activity? We encourage parents to get involved with their ideas as we strive to build a strong supportive community of families at Discovery! Please note that we do not expect you to speak English to participate in this part of our program.