On Fridays, students will participate in clubs and extracurricular activities of their choice, according to the calendar set by the Head of School, sponsors, and members of school organizations.

Mosaic will offer a variety of clubs and organization for students that are traditionally found in secondary schools, such as Student Council, Honor Society, Student Ambassadors, Peer Tutors, and service groups. Organizations will include clubs associated with drama, choir, band, orchestra, art, math, science, computer/technology, and writing in support of the academic programs and students’ talents.

The Head of School, counselors, advisory committees, and the Mosaic Parents Team will work together to secure community mentors for students interested in careers in math, science, technology, and the arts. We will make an effort to include a variety of individuals who have talent in working with youth to encourage their persistence to reaching personal and future career goals. Providing experiences that build confidence and character relate to student attendance, matriculation rate, and school climate. For students who are most in need of such support, as identified by counselors and teachers, the objective will be to involve these students in activities and to match them with individuals, preferably representatives of organizations in the community, who can work with youth on weekends. Through the activities of such programs students will have frequent, even weekly, contact with strong role models and mentors to encourage successful working and living.

Service Learning

Working together, the administration and teachers will seek partnership with residents and organizations in the community to volunteer and/or commit to fundraising for national and local charities. Staff members aim to instill in students a sense of moral purpose and a world view that motivates their involvement in serving for the good of all. These ideals directly relate to the Expeditionary Learning component and the emphasis on real world experiences. Mosaic students will participate in fundraisers and projects for high profile organizations, such as the Arthritis Foundation, National Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association; as well as give service hours to local clothing and food banks. In addition, the school will guide students to work with parents and other residents in Lake County to support other social service organizations. In service to the school and its mission, students will also support community service initiatives of the Mosaic Parents Team when needed.

Mosaic Writers Club

Students interested in creative writing will have a writer(s) mentor. The writer(s) will mentor the students in sharpening their writing skills and sharing their talents through writing, and sharing their work with others. The group meetings will follow the format of the writing workshop wherein the facilitator and student peers give helpful critiques to students. Students will learn how to self- and peer critique the writings shared in the group for purposes of refining their own authentic products. This club supports those students who enjoy writing as an outlet and those who view it as a possible profession. As reported in “Classroom Instruction: Writing Workshop,” Students learn to write through practice, conferring, and studying the craft of other authors. The ultimate goal of the writing workshop is to develop life-long writers (Classroom Instruction. Springfield, IL: Springfield Public Schools, 2011; http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/resources/languages/). The club will meet during the Friday enrichment sessions.

Focus on Literacy: School and Community Readers and Writers

“Classics Read!” Book Club

As a focus on literacy in the community, the Classics Read! Club will be a book club with open-ended enrollment for students in grades 6-8, their parents, and other residents of the school community. Following a rotating schedule, reading teachers will share facilitation of evening discussions, which will occur three times per trimester at the school, community library, or some other approved site outside school. The Reading department will set the weekday, time, and dates, as well as the book lists. The lists will reflect classic literary works that college bound students should know and some best sellers that most teens would find enjoyable and valuable. Objectives will be:
a. to support the goals of school and community involvement ;
b. to foster bonds between the interests of youth and adults through academic endeavors;
c. to demonstrate to students that reading and learning is enjoyable and important beyond school, even for adults in their own home and community;
d. to provide informal instruction based upon time proven literature and contemporary works that will prepare students for postsecondary studies and will be socially/culturally beneficial in their adult life; and
e. to connect actions and ideals from the past to those of the present through critical thinking and discussion.

Annual Art and Writing School and Community Project

The Mosaic English, Art, and Technology Departments will work together to complete a school and community art and writing publication which will be published annually in the spring (early May) of each school term. The selected chairperson and committee composed of students, parents, other residents, and staff members will call for submissions. One objective will be to involve all interested staff (certificated and non-certificated), students, parents, and the community in sharing their artistic talents by submitting authentic, original visual art works and writings (poetry, short stories, and essays) for publication in response to a theme determined by the committee members. A second objective will be to have students witness adults actively placing importance on reading, writing, and the creative process while parents and the public see teaching and learning at work in the charter school. In collaboration from February through April, the committee will publicize, collect and score submissions in external scoring sessions. Those works receiving the highest scores, according to a group-constructed scoring guide, will be published in the magazine. The project will end with a special evening celebration, in which the artists and writers will present their work before the attending audience in print, on Power Point, and through oral reading and commentary. The Technology Department will publish the magazine in-house through performance tasks for media students and teacher facilitation. Souvenir copies of the publication will be available as gifts to participants and through donations from the public.

Annual School and Community Performing Arts Project

To showcase students, professional, and/or amateur artists of the community, the departments of the Performing Arts component of the school will organize an annual program open to the public. The program will be in February each year. The selected chairperson and a committee composed of students, parents, residents, and staff members will advertise the event and audition interested individual students and groups. In order to ensure a quality product and a positive relationship with the parents and the community, the departments will network for information leading to talented adults in the school community and the surrounding Northwest Indiana area. Adult participation will be the direct result of a letter of invitation to prospective participants, based upon the committee’s networking efforts and those of the Mosaic Parents Team. Student participation will occur with auditions.