The After-School Program
The after-school program is an optional opportunity for children to develop social skills and experiment with new extracurricular experiences. Faculty from the school and the community offer a variety of courses in one or two periods between 3:30 and 5:00. A wide variety of courses have been offered over the past years, including Hip Hop Dancing, Stage Kids, Akido, Chess Club, Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Knitting, French, Spanish, Puppetry, Cartooning, Drawing, Cooking, and Math Enrichment.

Drama
Drama is a popular program at Carlthorp School. Children from kindergarten through fifth grade, depending on enrollment, will sing, dance, and act in such classics as "Annie," "Grease," and "The Sound of Music."

The Carlthorp School Chorus
Chorus also meets after school. The Carlthorp School Chorus typically performs at the winter holidays, as well as at "Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day" and the Santa Monica Rotary Club. The Chorus also performs at the annual lighting of the Christmas Tree and Menorah in downtown Los Angeles.

Carlthorp School Sports Teams
During the season, a variety of sports teams will typically meet after-school for one practice and one game per week. As members of the Coastal Canyon League, Carlthorp teams will compete against teams from Brentwood, Village School, Willows, Corpus Christi, Santa Monica Montessori, and Turning Point. The fall season offers co-ed flag football and girls' basketball. The winter season offers boys' basketball and girls' volleyball. The spring season offers co-ed soccer and co-ed volleyball. Practices are held at Carlthorp School; games alternate at home and the other schools in the league.

Homework Club
Homework Club is available for all grades except kindergarten. Monday through Thursday, teachers provide on-campus help with homework, test preparation, and projects. Homework Club is especially helpful for families with two working parents, busy weekday schedules, or for those who need a little extra help.

Boy and Girl Scouts
The scout program thrives at Carlthorp School, where more than half the school is involved with some variety of a scouting program. As any girl in one of the six troops at the school can tell you, even Mrs. Menzies herself was a girl scout! Camping trips, fishing, hiking, crafts, service projects, bake sales, and of course cookie sales are all part of the classic scouting adventure.

School-day Activities

Carlthorp School Clarion
A professional journalist, currently the City Editor of the Los Angeles Daily Law, leads an elective course in "Newspaper" to the lucky fifth and sixth grade journalists who make up the writing and photography staff of the Carlthorp School Clarion. Meeting at lunchtime once a week throughout the year, our budding journalists write articles, interview teachers and students, and photograph school events. English Teacher Dr. Leslie Johnson is the Carlthorp School Clarion's faculty advisor.

Orchestra
The Carlthorp School Orchestra and music lessons also meet during school hours, all children K-2 violin, all students 3-6 select a wind instrument. The orchestra is popular with our students, many of whom are selected to play in the All Schools Elementary Honor Orchestra, which performs each May at UCLA's Schoenberg Hall.

The Writing Partners Program
The Writing Partners program facilitates the exchange of letters, poetry and fiction between fourth and fifth grade students and their partners, adult writers from our extended Carlthorp School community. Writing Partners, both student and adult, contribute to a unique anthology at the close of the program. A celebratory reception held in the Carlthorp School Library marks the close of the program in the spring. Carlthorp School English Teacher Dr. Leslie Johnson is the faculty advisor to the Writing Partners program, which is offered through the English program.

Before School Activities

The Carlthorp School Great Books Program
Great Books, a literary tradition at schools throughout the nation, is a popular early-morning program where parent volunteers will lead student discussions meant to encourage interpretive and critical readings of age-appropriate literary anthologies. The purpose of the popular program is to encourage a love of books, and a love of talking about books!

ISEE Preparation classes are offered for the Secondary School Exams.

Morning Care is available from 7:30am until 8:25am, and Aftercare is available from 3:30pm until 6:00pm.