SPARK Institute at SRDS - Saddle River Day School SPARK Institute at SRDS SPARK is a dynamic Saturday learning program designed for students who want more than traditional enrichment. Through hands-on, high-engagement courses in artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, personal finance, and essential life skills, SPARK offers education you won’t find anywhere else. Classes are taught by expert educators, emphasize real-world application, and are built around exploration, problem-solving, and critical thinking -- not worksheets and homework. Whether students are building AI agents, engineering solutions, sharpening academic skills, or developing confidence and professionalism, SPARK is where learning ignites.  Questions?  Please contact Tony Maccarella, Program Director, tmaccarella@saddleriverday.org Format Spring 2026 - 6 weeks - April 11th - May 16th 1.5-hour Saturday classes Meeting times A-sessions: 9:00am-10:30am B-sessions: 10:45am-12:15pm C-sessions: 12:30pm-2:00pm Four Divisions Lower School (Grades 3-4) Middle School (Grades 5-7) Upper Sschool (Grades 8-12) Adults (Parents and Local Residents) Tuition LS, MS, and US Divisions $300 per course (6 classes) for SRDS students $600 for non-SRDS students Adult Division $200 per course ($50 credit for each child registered in a Saturday course) Registration is Closed A1 - Kindness Counts! Big Skills for Little Leaders A2 - Money Matters: Financial Smarts for Everyday Life B1 - How Things Work: Everyday Engineering for Curious Kids B2 - AI Explorers: Teaching Computers to Think (and Helping Them Think Better!) A fun, interactive 6-week Saturday course that helps young students learn how to be thoughtful, respectful, and confident in everyday situations. Through games, role-playing, stories, and hands-on activities, students practice listening, sharing, polite conversation, table manners, and handling emotions with kindness. Each session builds essential social skills while encouraging empathy, cooperation, and self-confidence. By the end of the course, students will feel proud of their ability to communicate clearly, treat others respectfully, and navigate social situations with ease. A fun, hands-on course designed especially for 3rd and 4th graders to build smart money habits early. Over six engaging sessions, students learn the basics of earning, saving, spending, and sharing through games, role-playing, and real-world simulations like planning a budget for a special event. Each class emphasizes decision-making, goal-setting, and understanding the value of money. By the end of the course, students gain confidence handling everyday financial choices and develop skills that will serve them for a lifetime. A hands-on, confidence-building course designed to help elementary students understand the tools, systems, and objects they encounter every day. Through guided exploration, safe tool use, and playful engineering challenges, students learn how common household items work—and how to use them responsibly. Each session emphasizes coordination, problem-solving, and independence as students take things apart, build simple mechanisms, and practice real-life skills. By the end of the course, students will feel more comfortable using tools, following instructions, and tackling everyday tasks with curiosity and confidence. A fun, hands-on introduction to artificial intelligence designed especially for 3rd and 4th grade students. Over six Saturdays, students discover what AI is, where they encounter it in everyday life, and how people teach computers to recognize patterns, make predictions, and respond to questions. Through games, storytelling, drawing, sorting challenges, and guided interactions with kid-friendly AI tools, students learn that AI doesn’t “think” on its own -- it learns from humans. The course emphasizes curiosity, creativity, and responsibility, helping students become confident, thoughtful explorers of technology they already see all around them. A1 - The Right Question: Intro to Researching with AI A2 - Social Smarts: Confidence, Courtesy, and Real-World Skills B1 - Money Moves: Smart Decisions for Real Life B2 - Personal Writing Coach: Intro to Writing with AI A hands-on, curiosity-driven enrichment class that teaches middle school students how to use artificial intelligence as a powerful research partner. Over six Saturdays, students learn how to ask effective questions, refine prompts, check sources, evaluate credibility, and synthesize information from AI tools responsibly. Each week blends short mini-lessons with interactive challenges -- like solving mysteries, comparing historical claims, or building a mini research project -- while emphasizing ethical use, digital literacy, and critical thinking. By the end of the course, students walk away with a practical toolkit for navigating today’s information-rich world with confidence and skill. A hands-on course designed to help middle school students navigate social situations with confidence, respect, and maturity. Students practice conversation skills, digital etiquette, teamwork, public behavior, and respectful disagreement through interactive scenarios and role-playing. The course emphasizes self-awareness, empathy, and professionalism in both in-person and online settings. By the end of the program, students will have the tools to communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, and make a positive impression in school and beyond. An interactive 6-week course that helps students build real-world money skills they can use now and in the future. Through games, simulations, and hands-on challenges, students explore earning, saving, spending, budgeting, and the basics of investing -- while learning how advertising, peer pressure, and digital payments influence financial choices. Each session emphasizes decision-making, goal-setting, and confidence with money. By the end of the course, students walk away with practical tools, a stronger financial mindset, and the ability to make thoughtful choices with their money. A skills-focused enrichment course that helps middle school students become stronger and more confident writers by learning how to use AI as a supportive writing partner. Over six Saturdays, students explore how AI can help them brainstorm ideas, outline stories and essays, revise drafts, enrich vocabulary, and improve clarity -- while still keeping their own unique voice at the center. Through guided activities, quick writing exercises, and peer-AI collaboration, students learn when to rely on AI, when to challenge it, and how to make thoughtful editorial decisions. Students leave the course with a writing portfolio and a practical understanding of how AI can enhance, rather than replace, their creativity. A1 - Building AI Agents A2 - Astronomy and Space Engineering B1 - Blockchains and Cryptocurrency B2 - The Professional Edge: Polished Presence & Life Skills C1 - SAT Prep C2 - AP History Cram An advanced, project-centered enrichment course that teaches students how modern AI agents work -- and how to create their own. Over six Saturdays, students explore the building blocks of agent design, including goal-setting, planning, tool use, memory, and iterative reasoning. Through hands-on activities, they learn to construct simple agents using accessible platforms, experiment with decision-making logic, and test their creations on real tasks such as scheduling, research assistance, or creative generation. Each week highlights both the power and limitations of autonomous systems, emphasizing responsible design and ethical considerations. By the end of the course, students will have built and refined their own functional mini-agents and will understand how agent-based AI is shaping the future of work, creativity, and problem-solving. A dynamic, project-based STEM enrichment course for upper middle school and early high school students who are eager to explore the math, physics, and engineering that make space exploration possible. Over six Saturdays, the class is split into two immersive 3-week blocks. In the Astronomy & Orbital Mechanics block, students use applied mathematics to investigate planetary orbits, calculate orbital periods, compare planetary masses, model gravitational interactions, and explore how astronomers use data to understand motion in the solar system. In the Space Engineering & ISS Design block, students shift from theory to engineering practice -- studying the structure and systems of the International Space Station, solving real design constraints such as power, radiation, and life-support, and creating their own ISS module concept. Each student produces a personalized 3D model (plus digital design files) that reflects both scientific accuracy and creative problem-solving. By the end of the course, students gain a deeper understanding of both the cosmos and the engineering ingenuity required to live and work beyond Earth. Blocks & Coins: Blockchain and Student‐Designed Cryptocurrency” is an immersive, 6-week Saturday STEM and fintech enrichment course that gives middle and high school students a hands-on introduction to blockchain technology and the future of digital currencies. Across six 3-hour sessions, students explore how decentralized systems work by breaking down the core building blocks of blockchain -- hashes, cryptographic keys, digital signatures, distributed ledgers, and consensus mechanisms -- through interactive simulations and guided mini-labs. As they build understanding, students apply what they’ve learned by designing their own educational cryptocurrency and constructing a safe, class-only token system used for challenges, rewards, and in-class “transactions.” Along the way, they evaluate real-world use cases, analyze risks such as security vulnerabilities and environmental impact, and discuss how blockchain is reshaping careers in finance, cybersecurity, and technology. By the end of the course, students leave with a working token prototype, a clear grasp of blockchain fundamentals, and the critical thinking skills needed to navigate emerging fintech landscapes. A practical, real-world course that prepares high school students for college, internships, and future careers. Students learn standards of professional communication, workplace etiquette, networking skills, digital professionalism, and confident self-presentation through realistic simulations and coaching. The course focuses on making strong first impressions, handling challenging social situations, and developing a professional mindset. By the end of the program, students will have the skills and confidence to navigate academic, social, and professional environments with poise and purpose. A focused, strategy-driven 6-week Saturday course designed to help high school students build the skills and confidence needed for success on the SAT. Each week combines targeted instruction in reading, writing, and math with timed practice, test-taking strategies, and personalized feedback. Students learn how to approach question types efficiently, manage pacing, analyze common traps, and strengthen the underlying skills that drive higher scores. Through guided practice sets, mini-lessons on high-value content, and weekly goals, students develop a clear study plan and measurable progress. By the end of the course, participants will have improved accuracy, better stamina, and a deeper understanding of how to maximize their performance on test day. An intensive, fast-paced 6-week Saturday course designed to help high school students sharpen the analytical skills and historical thinking required for APUSH, AP Euro, or AP World. Each session blends targeted content review with practice in sourcing documents, developing thesis statements, writing DBQs and LEQs, and mastering the terminology and themes that anchor AP exam success. Students work through the most important topics, timed writing drills, and collaborative document analysis while learning strategies for managing evidence, organizing arguments, and avoiding common pitfalls. By the end of the course, participants will have strengthened their historical reasoning, improved their writing under pressure, and built a focused study plan that boosts confidence heading into the AP exam. A1 -- Intro to Mahjong B2 -- Finding Your Roots: Intro to Genealogy A relaxed, community-centered course where adults learn the fundamentals of this classic tile game while enjoying friendly conversation and strategy-building practice. Over six Saturdays, participants explore tile sets, rules, scoring, and gameplay patterns, gradually moving from guided play to full games with partners. Perfect for beginners or those wanting a refresher, this course combines skill development with a fun, social atmosphere that makes every Saturday morning both lively and engaging. This course helps adults uncover their family histories by building the research skills needed to trace ancestors, interpret historical records, and organize genealogical information. Over six Saturdays, participants explore census documents, immigration records, online archives, and DNA-testing tools while learning how to avoid common research pitfalls. By the end of the class, each participant will have constructed a starter family tree and gained the confidence to continue their genealogical journey independently.