Environment impacts learning – this is no surprise. The sensory impressions students absorb from their surroundings influence emotional life and consequently their ability to learn.

At Villa Academy we are fortunate to have spacious well lit classrooms, many with awe-inspiring views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains. Unfortunately, two of our busiest spaces, classroom 125 and classroom 133, home to our bustling Extended Day Program, show years of wear from countless cheerful children hard at play.

You might be surprised to know that 74% of Villa Academy families utilize EDP. The continued success of the program is a result of our EDP Director Shea Salyer’s committed effort to offer programs that appeal to a wide range of student interests. The following are all part of EDP: Green Team, the musical (“Beauty and the Beast” this year), piano lessons, Writing Club, Mandarin lessons, band and Villa Voices, Sewing, and the Villa Times newspaper.

With your support of this year’s Fund-A-Need, we can inject energy and inspiration back into the EDP space by redesigning the classrooms to better foster exploration, social engagement, and a desire to learn and gain confidence in their own potential.

Inspired by the beauty of our campus grounds and the views from many of our other classrooms, the new design will aim to “bring nature inside” by incorporating a living wall, fish tanks, and natural murals. The refresh will also include:

• Fresh coats of paint
• Durable laminate flooring
• New furniture
• Mobile room dividers to improve the functionality of the space
• Improved shelving countertops and cupboards
• New cubby storage system
• Gaming area (with new foosball, air hockey, and arcade style basketball tables)
• A custom built loft and stage area
• Craft sink station
• Updated reading and library sanctuary

These improvements will not only enhance the experience of the hundreds of children who participate in EDP, but will help us showcase our afterschool programs to potential families and bolster the program through higher attendance.

As you know, learning and development don’t stop at 3:00PM. Many of our students’ most memorable and influential experiences take place after class, within the walls of our EDP classrooms. Please help us recapture this space as a place of imagination and possibility by making a donation to the 2012 Fund-A-Need, online or at the Villa Auction on March 3, 2012.