Farmington Public Schools

Learn essential skills to handle medical emergencies with confidence. Topics include infant and child CPR, basic first aid, and assessing situations before calling 911. This course prepares youth to respond quickly and safely in critical moments. Prerequisite: Students should either be certified babysitters or have taken the Babysitting Basics course. The course fee includes an American Red Cross babysitter training book and a certificate that is mailed out within a month of successful completion of the course (student attendance is mandatory to receive a certificate). No snacks or food is to be brought to the class.

Learn to be a responsible and confident babysitter with guidance from an American Red Cross instructor. Cover essential skills such as supervising children, accident prevention, first aid, caring for infants, and handling emergencies. Build practical knowledge that ensures safety, care, and confidence—helping you provide the best service for the children and families you care for. The course fee includes an American Red Cross babysitter training book and a certificate that is mailed out within a month of successful completion of the course (student attendance is mandatory to receive a certificate). *This course is a prerequisite for the Babysitter CPR & Beyond course. No snacks or food is to be brought to the class.

Designed for students in grades 5–6, CHALLENGE teams engage in research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering — building and programming a LEGO® robot to navigate the missions of a competitive robot game. Students will work together to complete a research project and presentation, program a robot to complete a series of missions, and then showcase their work by competing against other teams in November. "Grab your gear, pack your magnifying glass, rope, and pickaxe — the adventure begins! In this season of FIRST® LEGO® League CANOPY™, you and your team will experience the vibrancy of the world's ecosystems in the BIOGLOW™ Challenge!" Please note: FLL CHALLENGE is a competition-level program, which is a step up from FLL EXPLORE. The robot and research project that students develop throughout the season are what they will present and compete with against other teams. To ensure the team is fully prepared, students are expected to attend all meetings and must be committed to the work involved. Students may be asked to complete work between meetings, and additional sessions may be scheduled closer to the competition date if needed. Parent Coaches Needed! This program requires at least one additional Parent Coach to co-manage the team. Program Manager Tuhan Nguyen will be present to run each session, but FIRST guidelines require two adults to be present with the team at all times. No technical experience is necessary, and this responsibility can be shared among multiple parents throughout the season. If you are interested in serving as a Parent Coach, please contact Tuhan Nguyen at nguyent@fpsct.org or Enrichment Supervisor Aakash Terra at terraL@fpsct.org. Registration deadline: September 22nd The course fee includes all required supplies.

Designed for students in grades 1–4, EXPLORE teams dive into the fundamentals of engineering as they tackle real-world problems, learn to design and code, and create unique solutions built with LEGO® bricks and powered by LEGO® SPIKE®. "Engineer a thriving planet with FIRST. Nothing on Earth thrives alone. Every gene, species, and ecosystem is part of a rich web of biological diversity that powers clean air, fresh water, and food. With STEM as their tool and nature as their inspiration, today's boldest innovators are finding new ways to strengthen the connections that protect our shared home. Building, problem solving, and growing stronger through teamwork. Students will experience the vibrancy of the world's ecosystems in the BIOGLOW™ challenge. Welcome to our 2026–2027 biodiversity-themed robotics season, FIRST CANOPY®." Using LEGO® Education SPIKE®, students will learn to code their team model to move and respond interactively using sensors, all while exploring this year's theme of biodiversity. Working together to solve hands-on engineering challenges and build creative LEGO® models, students will develop habits of learning, confidence, and collaboration along the way. They will think and act like designers and engineers — learning to observe, question, gather information, and think critically about the world around them. At the end of the program, on January 24, students and their families will then celebrate their learning at the Farmington Valley Expo, hosted by the Farmington Robotics team. At this Expo, students will be able to show off their Lego builds and learning to their families, experience activities that delve further on their learning about biodiversity, and check out what awaits them at the middle school and high school levels for robotics! Parent Coaches Needed! This program cannot run without Parent Coaches, and we would love to have you involved! If you are interested in coaching a team, please contact FIRST LEGO League Program Manager Tuhan Nguyen at nguyent@fpsct.org or Enrichment Supervisor Aakash Terra at terraL@fpsct.org for more information. Coaches will work with a team of up to eight children, including their own. The program is run in partnership with the Farmington High School Robotics team, and each coach will be supported by a student mentor throughout the entire season. Coaches serve as the responsible adult in the room and are welcome to be as hands-on or hands-off with the actual instruction as they choose — a weekly curriculum guide will be provided, and student mentors are fully prepared to lead the teaching. The program manager will also be present at all meetings to provide support and supervision. The course fee includes all required supplies.

Join Food Explorers for a fall baking series! Each week you’ll be making a warm and cosy dessert: Maple Butter Blondie Bites, Churro Mini Donuts, Apple Cider Cakes and Pumpkin Cakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting. Recipes are nut free but will contain dairy, eggs and gluten. The course fee includes the cost of ingredients and supplies.

The Southern New England Middle School Science Bowl is a thrilling, quiz-show style competition for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, held each year in late February. In this high-energy, timed event, teams race against the clock and other teams, using a buzzer system to tackle challenging science and math questions. This year, West Woods will enter a team of five sixth graders. To qualify, students may join the Sixth Grade Science Bowl Club, which meets on Wednesdays from 7:45–8:30 a.m. in the West Woods Library Classroom (September 30th - December 16th). Each week, students will receive a focused assignment and resources on a specific science topic. Club meetings will give students the chance to review their learning, sharpen their skills, and build speed and confidence with the buzzer system. At the end of this 12-week session, the five top-performing students will be invited to represent West Woods at the competition. Several other members of the club will be invited to be “trainers” for the team. This final team will continue meeting regularly at West Woods to prepare for the big event. This club is designed for students who are curious about science, motivated to study independently, and excited by the challenge of fast-paced, buzzer-based competition. Note: The 2027 competition will take place on Saturday, February 20 at Glastonbury Middle School.