School Programs

In-School Programs

Chess is offered to every child in grades K-5. The Chess Program at PS 163 is funded solely through parent fundraising. Chess Nights and a spring Wine Tasting, along with parent contributions to the Annual Appeal, are earmarked for chess. NY Chess Kids provides in-school chess skill training in 12-week cycles.

NY Chess Kids not only offers chess to our children in school, but also conducts a Chess Afterschool Program. The afterschool program is fee-based with a number of the seats offered on a scholarship basis. The Chess Committee needs supporters and volunteers to help assure that chess remains in our school for all our children to enjoy.

Dance: PS163 places an emphasis on dance and movement throughout the years. In K-2, arts instructors from Young Audiences New York (YANY) work with the students on storytelling and movement. In 3rd grade, students take two 10-week dance residencies with YANY, one in Mexican Folk Dance and one in Chinese Folk Dance. Fourth- and fifth-graders get an entire year of dance instruction from the National Dance Institute (NDI), a not-for-profit arts education organization founded in 1976 by Jacques d’Amboise. Through in-school partnerships, workshops, and public performances, NDI uses dance as a catalyst to engage children and motivate them to achieve excellence.

Art: Children in grades K through 2 attend art class once a week. Nia Mason provides the children with a varied curriculum, including exercises in creating portraits, working with complementary colors, and studying the masters. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 receive one half-year of art instruction and one half-year of music instruction.

Music: PS163 has a dedicated music teacher in addition to an art teacher. As in art, each child in K-2 attends music class once a week. Through third grade, children focus on basic percussion and vocal experiences. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 receive one half-year of art instruction and one half-year of music instruction. Anna Spallina, the music teacher, also leads an afterschool chorus program for which children in grades 1-5 audition, practice once a week for 10 weeks, then perform in front of family and other students.

Computers: Our computer program is available to children in grades K through five. Students in each grade build on what they have learned in the prior year. First graders receive computer instruction for one semester and are introduced to the “Type to Learn” program and Appleworks word processing and paint programs. They also learn about the computer as an interactive tool using the BBC and RIF programs[?]. In second grade, students are introduced to the presentation programs Appleworks and PowerPoint. In the process of writing factual reports, the students learn to access various Internet sites as sources for images as well as information, which they incorporate in slideshows. The computer work of our third- and fourth-graders enhances their work in science. The students perform interactive experiments on the computer, write reports in Word or Appleworks, learn standard word processing skills, and learn how to draw tables and diagrams. Fifth-graders work on PowerPoint, producing projects with narration, tables, action buttons, and hyperlinks to websites, pictures, and text.