LEARNING AT SIEF
DUAL LANGUAGE EDUCATION
SIEF International School is a dual-lingual school, where children and parents are exposed to both Italian and English. Families and students do not need to be exposed to the Italian language before coming to SIEF, and our goal is to have them become—over time—fully bilingual, biliterate and bicultural.
It is shown that being bilingual supports cognitive and social development, but most importantly, it develops intercultural competencies, which are much needed in our global society.
Our goal is for our children to achieve a bilingual, biliteracy and bicultural proficiency: we would love for them to be equally competent in both languages in interpersonal communication as well as in academic skills.
In their everyday life at school, students are exposed to—and are deeply imbued with—Italian culture. We also explore and celebrate holidays and Italian school norms like Befana and Carnevale. We share meals in the way of an Italian family, understanding that the joy shared in a meal is also critical for development and wellness. SIEF is an inclusive international environment, teaching students to embrace their own cultures and traditions as well. Teachers invite families to share culture and traditions that are important to them as we converse and commune over the many ways of thinking, feeling, celebrating, and being.
ITALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSES and SUMMER CAMPS
Italian Language Tuesday PLAYGROUPS with SIEF
il nido Tuesdays: Winter 2025 Register HERE
Grow, explore, connect, and THRIVE with us this springtime! We are meeting at SIEF International School, 1510 N. Claremont Avenue, free parking in lot. You must please enter through SIEF's entry (not the Parish)--we will be in our 3rd floor classroom on Tuesdays. All dates and details at the link above.
Cost: $190 for 10 sessions the winter/spring--incontriamoci con altri genitori e bambini per chiacchierare, giocare e divertirci insieme! Don't miss out, classes fill fast; prior participation is not required, just jump in and have a great time! Questions? ccalci@siefchicago.org
ENROLLMENT OPEN! FantaSIEF Saturdays: ITALIAN LANGUAGE and CULTURE classes for children of all ages
2025 Winter to Spring SATURDAY classes for all ages of children, info and registration here!
ITALIAN SUMMER CAMPS at SIEF’s 1510 N CLAREMONT CAMPUS
PRIORITY ENROLLMENT IS OPEN for CURRENTLY ENROLLED FAMILIES ONLY (See ClassDojo for the LINK)
—->Alumni and new families will have an opportunity to register beginning in January 2025<—-
Scuola Italiana Enrico Fermi, 1510 N Claremont Avenue (and LaMoyne), Wicker Park, Chicago
Italian Arts Summer Camps: Fine, Performing, and Culinary Arts
Ages 4-8 years old
Immerse in a Reggio Emilia informed summer as we explore fine, performing, and culinary arts. We will study Italian cuisine, artistic masters and movements, and the work of inventors and builders--starting in Italy and then connecting to the world. Students will attend a weekly field trip off site to deepen and enrich their studies and further fuel their personal curiosities. We will enjoy summer weather, water play, and outdoor time daily at our beautiful, child centric Claremont Avenue scuola. A delightful balance of indoor and outdoor play, inquiry, learning, and study with project work sharing time the final day of each session. All language levels are welcomed and planned for. This is an intimate group and will fill fast. Please reach out if questions — limited number of placements available.
ITALIAN WORLD CAMP at Lycée Français de Chicago
Join us in 2025 for three or all six consecutive weeks of summer fun at the beautiful Lycée Français de Chicago campus on the north side—we will soak up Italian language, culture, e amici nuovi! This is a larger grouping in a dynamic environment.
WORLD CAMP REGISTRATION FOR 2025 IS NOW OPEN!
ATELIER PROGRAMS for SIEF Studenti
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Gordon Method Music Appreciation
A SIEF winter favorite with maestro Tommaso Moretti
Winter becomes fun and harmonious when maestro Tommasso returns each year to SIEF! His “Music ABC” class is a full immersion in “song language”; instead of talking, we sing and use rhythm patterns and tones to communicate; our hands, bodies, feet, and instruments help us tell a musical story! This offering will start to activate your child’s musical thinking (audiation). Interacting exclusively in a musical way, the teacher and the studenti investigate the essential elements of music and discover the emotions hidden inside of those. Short tonal and rhythmic songs—extracted from the classical, jazz, and folk repertories of the world—capture the students’ imaginations as explored through playful activities and body movements.
ABOUT TOMMASO:
Tommaso Moretti is a musician, educator, and composer born and raised in Macerata, Italy who relocated to Chicago in 2013.
In 2001, Tommaso moved to Rome to study Political Science at "Università La Sapienza" where he graduated in 2006.
Between 2005-2013 he released albums and toured internationally with four different bands from Rome: Thrangh, Tribraco, The Orange Man Theory, Underdog.
In 2007, Tommaso attended the basic level, the advanced level, and the specialization workshop of the national training course, "The Child's Musical Education from 0 to 6 Years Old According to the Music Learning Theory of E.E. Gordon" conducted by Andrea Apostoli, president of the Italian Association Of Musical Learning (A.I.G.A.M). Maestro Tommaso successfully passed the final exam.
Immediately after obtaining his certification as an early childhood music educator, he began working in many different daycare centers and Kindergartens in Rome and also started teaching drums in two different local, private music schools.
Since relocating to Chicago, Tommaso has become active in the city's vibrant music scene, performing nationally/internationally and releasing albums with bands and artists such as: Ben Lamar Gay, Rob Fry's Exoplanet, Eric Hines's Pan Dulce, Chicago Samba. In 2017 he released his first album as a leader: "SemoComesemo" for the local music label Amalgam.
Tommaso is currently employed as an early childhood music teacher at Scuola Italiana Enrico Fermi in Chicago and he works as drum kit educator at Music House, a local music school. -
Teaching Artist, classe Finestre
Natalja Aicardi
“We imagine new spaces, explore our body and voice, play and improvise individually and with the group.”
The “atelier of the body” is an embrace of play, motion, kinesiology, theatre, and truly being present with children. Led by Natalja Aicardi, students are engaged to use their bodies and inherent artistry to deepen play, explorations, and investigations.
In addition to “atelier of the body”, and as a diversely experienced performer, educator, and creative, maestra Natalja works alongside Finestre colleague, Chiara Albani, and SIEF Atelierista, Chiara Calci, to deepen the progettazione emerging from the classroom. Project work “re-launches” throughout the school year, culminating in a public showcase or performance to bring SIEF to the community and the community to SIEF. We journey WITH our studenti at SIEF.
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Curiosity Lab
What are YOU curious about? Why?!
We are Scuola Italiana Enrico Fermi, so it is natural that we should look toward children as citizens with unbridled, innovative thoughts and curiosities in all things. SIEF students are scientists and researchers, engineers and dreamers—just like the supportive teachers and adults surrounding them. Through sharing work and discussions as colleagues, observations over time, parent input, student input, and a little magic, the Curiosity Lab was formed.
Curiosity Lab runs daily for enrolled SIEF students from 3:15-5:45pm with a mixed age grouping.
Student curiosities in all manner of topics and “languages” reignite in exciting ways; Lab Leaders set high intentions and have great conversations and documentation surrounding our students' passions and pursuits.
Keep alive your child’s inborn sense of wonder. Stay curious! 💕
“The artistic languages and poetic languages allow the other subject matters and disciplines to develop in a terrain that’s very fertile for development of a more human kind of knowledge where rationality, expressiveness, and emotion are all linked.”
Vea Vecchi, curriculum consultant, Reggio Children