LTC 531-2019 City Funded Afterschool Enrichment Fall 2019 - Miami Beach Fienberg Fisher K-8 and Biscayne Beach Elementary MIAMIBEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 531-2019 LETTER TO COMMISSION
To: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members f the CityJCommission
From: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager
Date: October 2, 2019
Subject: City Funded Afterschool Enrichment Fall 2019 — Miami Beach Fienberg Fisher K-8
and Biscayne Beach Elementary
Key Metrics:
• Fall 2019 Afterschool youth participation: 434
• 90% increase in enrollment compared to Fall 2018
• Miami Beach Fienberg Fisher K-8: 251 youth participants
• Biscayne Beach Elementary: 183 youth participants
I am pleased to provide the status of the City's Afterschool Enrichment Program for Fall 2019 at
Miami Beach Fienberg Fisher K-8 and Biscayne Beach Elementary. Youth enrollment in our
school site afterschool enrichment programs exceeds expectations with 434 registered youth in
the 2019 fall semester: 251 Miami Beach Fienberg Fisher youth and 183 Biscayne Beach
Elementary youth; this is a 90% increase from the same time last year. Classes began the
week of September 16th, 2019 and will end December 6th, 2019 this semester.
At the April 11, 2018 Commission meeting, administration received direction to develop and
implement an afterschool enrichment program at public schools in Miami Beach with limited
access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities. Dr. Leslie
Rosenfeld, Chief Learning Development Officer, engaged Florida International University's
College of Engineering and Computing School of Computing and Information Sciences to
develop an enrichment program for Miami Beach youth at the selected schools. Support from
Miami Beach Feinberg Fisher principal Maria Costa and Biscayne Beach Elementary principal
Karen Villalba-Belusic ensures distribution of registration information within each school
community to support awareness and access.
Afterschool enrichment classes offered at Miami Beach Fienberg-Fisher K-8 and Biscayne
Beach Elementary include the following:
• 3D Printing: Youth will use 3D printing as a means to develop their spatial visualization
ability. Three types of printing to which youth will be exposed are: printing from a file,
printing a robotics part, and printing a solid by revolving a 2D shape about an axis.
Design thinking will be explored to expose youth to how engineers define a problem,
come up with solutions, and create and test prototypes. During the printing of objects,
the youth learn about measurement and scale.
• Unplugged Logic/Mathematics Games: Youth will use playing cards, board games
and floor games for the development of computational and algebraic thinking. The youth
will learn playing card tricks based on mathematics and will use playing cards to learn
efficient sorting algorithms. Some classic toys that will be used to also study algorithms
are: Tower of Hanoi, Rubik's Cube, Master Mind and Triangle Peg Solitaire. Other
puzzles, problems and games such as the Scramble Squares Puzzle, the Syracuse
Problem and the Broken Squares Game will be used.
• MIT Scratch: Youth will be introduced to Scratch programming language by creating an
online Scratch account in which they will save games and projects. They will learn to
create games individually and follow project requirements in a group format. Several
higher-level programming commands beyond variables, loops, conditionals and arrays
will be learned. Group projects will be based on a theme common to all class
participants. Gifs will be downloaded and converted into frames to animate characters
that interact with each other.
• Robotics: Youth learn about the confluence of mechanics, electronics and
programming. The youth learn to program user-controlled code and autonomous code in
two different manners, one of which stresses the importance of design thinking and
another that stresses task functionality. The youth learn to design and order parts that
are 3D printed to complement the robotics equipment parts. Emphasis is given to youth
learning to tell a story about the task their robots perform.
• Virtual Reality: Youth use cardboard headsets and instructors' cell phones to
experience educational virtual worlds to learn about different STEM disciplines such as
molecular biology, nanotechnology and neuroscience. At the end of the semester, there
will be a fieldtrip scheduled to visit FIU's I-CAVE, which provides a completely immersive
experience of a virtual space, and the capacity to explore new ideas, places or objects in
a dynamic and interactive visual environment. Youth also learn about architecture and
will use augmented reality apps for mobile devices to visualize 3D renderings of 2D floor
plans.
• Book Club (Fienberg only): Youth will read a new novel every month, and
share/discuss what they have read, as well as complete activities related to the novel.
• Jazz Dance (Fienberg only): Youth will focus on learning proper dance technique such
as isolation of the body (torso and hips) improving performance quality and developing
complex rhythms and patterns. Youth will be exposed to various styles of jazz such as
broadway, hip-hop and contemporary to help develop a well-rounded dancer. Class
curriculum is based on ballet technique layered with jazz movements. The class will
include a proper warm-up, stretches, isolation, cross the floor progressions and
combinations. As youth progress through each level curriculum the movements will
become more complex and intricate.
• Recorder Ensemble (Fienberg only): Youth will learn to play the recorder. The group
will study the Ed Sueta method (using the recorder karate reward system) as well as
seasonal arrangements in a supportive group atmosphere. The ensemble will perform
during school concerts and other community events. Youth will be placed on sopranino,
soprano, alto or tenor recorder.
• Healthy Me (Fienberg only): Activities will include sports rotations (football, soccer,
kickball, and basketball), a garden rotation, and discussions on healthy choices
including, but not limited to food and beverage choices, exercise, and health lifestyle
choices.
• Cheerleading (Fienberg only): Youth participating in cheerleading will perform and
participate in the following activities: running, calisthenics, basic jump learning, basic
pyramid, basic dance moves, motivational cheers, and community service helping with
school events.
• Volleyball (Feinberg only): Youth will play volleyball to help them develop eye-hand
coordination, reflexes, and balance. Youth will also develop social skills, teamwork, and
sportsmanship.
We will continue to support our vision of being a prosperous city with a special flavor of arts,
culture, education, and business with management objectives of being known for (K-12)
educational excellence. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Leslie
Rosenfeld.
T/L P