Nueva Summer’s Expedition program is designed to spark student creativity and inspire learners from all over the San Francisco Bay Area.
Join us to deeply explore literature, art, debate, design thinking and engineering, and math! Our program is a fun, multidisciplinary camp experience designed for high-ability learners. It is led by Nueva teachers and visiting educators and incorporates Nueva’s teaching practices developed through more than 50 years of experience.
Enroll in one week of enriching, hands-on activities, games, and learning, or join us for the entire program! Our extensive selection of classes allows you to have a new experience each week.
Registration Information
Registration Information
In order to register a camper, you must be prepared with the following information & documentation:
- Evidence of academic standing – see below for more information regarding our requirement that new-to-Nueva students are checked for academic eligibility. If your student does not meet the requirements, we will cancel your registration and issue a full refund. Note that international students from non-English speaking countries are additionally required to submit TOEFL scores or other proof of language proficiency; our camp is not equipped to support students without English fluency.
- COVID vaccination record – for the safety and comfort of our faculty and students, we continue to require that all participants in Nueva Summer are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to attending camp. You will be asked for proof of vaccination during the registration process. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our community safe!
- Morning and afternoon class options (middle school program only) – We hope your middle school student will join for a full day which means you need to register for a morning and an afternoon class. We will accommodate half-day registration in any remaining spots starting June 1.
Financial awards (FA) are available for families who qualify. To apply for FA, please register and then complete the Nueva Summer Financial Award form and submit the completed form to fasummer@nuevaschool.org. If you are not able to cover the cost of camp at time of registration, please email summer@nuevaschool.org for assistance. Current Nueva students with an approved FA need to indicate that they are seeking FA but do not need to submit tax documents.
2023 Nueva Summer Pricing: $850/week
Week of July 3: $680
Registration links are on the lower, middle, and upper school program pages.
Please note classes often fill up. Availability is up-to-date on the registration site.
Evidence of Academic Standing
In order to ensure that all Nueva Summer students are equipped to succeed in our programs, we require that campers meet certain academic eligibility. If you are new to Nueva Summer, and are applying from a school outside of Nueva, you must upload the following documentation at the time of application (note: this is not required for the upper school program):
Option #1 (preferred): Recent standardized test score *We do not consider WISC-V, or other IQ test scores, for Nueva Summer. |
or |
Option #2: Recent school report card |
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page for more information or email summer@nuevaschool.org.
Lower School
Lower School Expedition Camp (Grades 1–4)
Each week, a team of Nueva educators will learn alongside our campers as we embark on thematic study designed to be immersive and fun. The program consists of five unique weeks of content, rooted in the Nueva Way: interdisciplinary, project-and-inquiry based, student-centered, led by expert faculty, and grounded by our principles. Join us for one week or for all five!
In Summer 2023, the lower school expedition program will be held at our Hillsborough campus and will run from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Lunch will be provided to all campers each day. There are also several supervised and programmed recess blocks built into the day to help keep our campers active and engaged. Before-care (8-9 a.m.) and extended day (4–5:30 p.m.) services are available for an extra fee.
Register for the Lower School Expedition Camp
Please note classes often fill up. Availability is up-to-date on the registration site.
Price per week: $850
Use code "july4" to receive a 4-day rate the week of July 3.
Weekly Themes
Week 1 (June 26-30) – Around the World
Adventure around the world in 5 days! Join us for a week of exploration that will take campers from our backyards to the world beyond. Highlights for this week include:
- Eco Explorers – Uncover the flora and fauna on the 36 acres of Nueva's Hillsborough campus. Find out which plants are native to California, and which have traveled here from different parts of the world.
- Cultural Cooking – Put your chef's hat on and create delicious treats and snacks. Let's taste our way through different cultures!
- Math – Discover why math is a universal language through games, puzzles, and challenges.
- Sign Language – Learn a new language through an interactive class that incorporates music and movement.
- Theater – Calling all actors, directors, and future screenwriters! Over the course of the week, groups will write and perform their own plays. Where will your script take you?
Week 2 (July 3 - 7) – Big Questions*
Who am I? How do we determine what's right vs wrong? Is everything connected? Join us for a week of answering big questions about ourselves and the world around us. Highlights for this week include:
- Philosophy – The heart of this week's programming and based in Nueva's spirit of inquiry, let's ask (and attempt to answer) big questions.
- Myth Makers – Since the dawn of age, storytellers have told creation myths and origin tales. We'll visualize the classics and coming up with our own new concepts.
- Eco Explorers – There's no better place to ponder our place in the world than the great outdoors! Let's hike amongst the trees while discovering what it means to co-exist with all living things.
- Math – Ask and answer questions about truth, patterns, infinity, the possible, and the impossible.
- Sign Language – How do you ask a question without using your voice? This interactive class incorporates music and movement to teach new ways of communication.
* Use code "july4" to receive a 4-day rate the week of July 3.
Week 3 (July 10 - 14) – Folktales Reimagined
What if Rapunzel saved herself? What if the three little pigs were better builders? And how do cakes rise, if not by magic? This week we will retell stories and get to the bottom of how things really work. Highlights for this week include:
- Story Lab – From trickster tales to fairytales, we'll read classic (and not-so-classic) examples of folktales, uncovering what connects these stories and why they stand the test of time.
- Myth Makers – Out with the old and in with the new! Let's reimagine folktales and put our own spin on these classic stories. Oral and performance based storytelling encouraged!
- Art – In the spirit of Nueva's interdisciplinary approach, we'll bring our stories to life through visual representations.
- Eco Explorers – Visit Nueva's legendary forts and fairy-house as we tell stories with nature as the backdrop.
- Science of Baking – Magic or science? Experiment with the chemical reactions that go into creating yummy baked goods. You don't want to miss out on the taste tests.
Week 4 (July 17 - 21) – Transformation
Like a seed becomes a sapling, this week is all about how things change over time and what it takes to bring ideas to life. Highlights for this week include:
- Eco Explorers – With over 36 acres to explore, Nueva's Hillsborough campus is a perfect place to discover plants at all stages of growth, find evidence of animals big and small, and to think about how we change over time.
- Story Lab – Let's explore the stories that bring inanimate objects to life like Pinnochio, golems, scarecrows, and cultural talismans. Who knows, maybe we'll bring our own physical objects to life by the end of the week!
- Theater – From brainstorm to final production, we'll work together to create a wholly original play that transforms over the course of the week.
- Color Theory – Discover how colors are both a science and an art. You'll learn how humans perceive colors and experiment with creating different palettes.
- Sign Language – Bring language to life through an interactive class that incorporates music and movement. Starting with the alphabet, we'll build our skills over the course of the week. You'll be surprised how fast you can learn another language!
Week 5 (July 24-28) – Journey To The Center Of The Earth
Based on the classic sci-fi novel by Jules Verne, this week is all about the relationship between humans and Earth and how we imagine different realities. Highlights for this week include:
- Myth Makers – Dive into tales of underground and lost worlds: Hades, the caverns in Peer Gynt, Hollow Earth, Xibalba, Agartha, and Atlantis. Then we'll play with sci-fi as myth, and invent new worlds under, over, or next door to our own (as Jules Verne did).
- Art – Enter the dream world, a popular plot device in sci-fi books, and channel your inner curiosity into creative explorations.
- Eco Explorers – How many layers of earth between the surface and molten core? Answer this question and others as we take to our feet to discover our planet's physical structure.
- Group Movement – Prepare for journeys near and far by playing games and tackling challenges that foster teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Theater – Let's bring our own imagined realities to life by writing and performing in original plays.
Middle School
Middle School Expedition Camp (Grades 5–8)
Our Middle School Expedition program is designed to be fun, rigorous, and engaging, showcasing the best of Nueva's "learn by doing" philosophy. Each offering aims to provide campers unique opportunities to explore academic passions in greater depth while working with Nueva teachers and students. Campers will experience Nueva's constructivist, project- and inquiry-based learning environment, and cultivate new skills and interests.
In Summer 2023, the middle school expedition program will be held at our Hillsborough campus and will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch will be provided to all campers each day. There are also several supervised and programmed recess blocks built into the day to help keep our campers active and engaged. Before care (8-9 a.m.) and extended day (4–5:30 p.m.) services are available for an extra fee.
To register, click on the week-specific registration links below. Campers sign up for two classes: one in the morning and one in the afternoon (we will accommodate half-day registration starting June 1). Please partner with your child to choose the classes they will most enjoy!
Please note classes often fill up. Availability is up-to-date on the registration site.
Week 1: June 26-30
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 All-Day Intensive
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Week 2: July 3-7 (July 4 off)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoon)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Week 3: July 10-14
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Week 4: July 17-21
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 All-Day Intensive
Week 5: July 24-28
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 5-6 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Grades 7-8 (Mornings)
Grades 5-6 (Afternoons)
Upper School
Upper School Parliamentary and Public Forum Debate Camp (Grades 9–12)
July 17–28
Ideally, students will attend for the full two weeks. However, the course is divided into two week-long blocks (five days of instruction), and students are welcome to sign up for either or both weeks.
Our Upper School Debate Camp is designed for high school students (rising ninth through twelfth grade) who are interested in competitive parliamentary debate. Rising 8th graders are accepted on a case-by-case basis and require teacher approval. We welcome beginners — we delight in introducing debate to new students, and we give them our very best attention. We also welcome strong, experienced students who are ready to extend themselves and move to the next level, guided by our deeply experienced coaching staff. Nueva's teachers have led students to great competitive success at both Indivitationals and CHSSA States tournaments. Nueva's students are the 2023 NPDL-TOC Champions and have been in the top five at NPDL-TOC three years running. Nueva also placed in the top eight at the Kentucky TOC in Public Forum in 2021 and won the Kentucky TOC in Public Forum in 2017.
The schedule for Upper School Expedition this summer will be Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m on Nueva's Hillsborough campus. Lunch will be provided.