March 4, 2026
Welcome to Our March Update
Construction at our permanent home at 246 Main Street is in full swing, and we are cautiously optimistic that the facility will be ready for occupancy by mid-April. We are targeting a grand opening celebration in early May — a great opportunity for you to see the space firsthand, meet our instructors, and learn about everything iCode Chatham has to offer. We will be sending out a dedicated communication with all the details as we get closer, but please help us spread the word.
In the meantime, we continue to offer free trial classes every weekend at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 200 Main Street, Chatham. Once our center opens in April, the number of available trial class slots will increase substantially. If you have been waiting for the right time to try a class, that moment is coming soon. Book a free trial class to reserve your spot.
Summer 2026 Camps — Now Available!
Summer camp registration is open! We have listed 20 camps, each one week long, for the upcoming summer. They are curated to provide a breadth of STEAM experiences. Each camp runs full-day from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM for $674 per week (after $75 discount). An additional 4% discount will automatically apply when you sign up for four or more camps. Early drop-off is available for an additional fee. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer:
|
Coding and Gaming |
Creative |
Robotics |
|
AI Engineering Basics: Intro to LLMs |
YouTube Creator: Learn Production Basics |
VEX Battle of the Bots: Tournament of Champions |
|
Minecraft Redstone: Escape Room Adventure |
Animation Creation: Exploring Digital Tools |
Junior Robotics: Programming with VEX 123 |
|
Jr Programmer: Intro to 2D Game Development with Scratch |
Creative Lab: 3D Printing and Design |
Robot Squads: Engineering Team Challenge |
|
Roblox Design Intro: Capture the Flag |
Content Creator: Build Your Brand |
AI-Powered Robotics Lab |
|
Game Builder: Creating with Construct 3 |
3D Modeling with Blender |
Drone Code: Programming with Python 3 |
|
Roblox Editor: Create & Code Your World |
Artist’s Studio: 2D & 3D Digital Design |
|
|
Unreal Designer: 3D Game Dev with UE5 |
Shark Tank: Create & Pitch Your Own Product! |
|
|
Minecraft Survival: Building Blocks of Coding |
||
|
Minecraft: Arcade Makers |
||
|
Roblox: Code the Spooky Adventure! |
A Day in the Life of a Summer Camper
Here’s what a typical camp day looks like:
- 8:45 AM: Check-in. Need early drop-off? Contact us—we’ll do our best to accommodate for an additional fee.
- 9:00 – 10:30 AM: Morning session—get settled and dive into the day’s lesson.
- 10:30 – 10:45 AM: Snack break.
- 10:45 AM – 12:30 PM: Field trip to Chatham Library and Lunch. Students are chaperoned for an hour of flexi-time—play chess, browse books, read, or enjoy other activities. Weather permitting, we enjoy a picnic-style outdoor lunch. If temperatures exceed 84°F, we stay indoors. We are working on a web-based lunch ordering option through chathamsandwich.com that will allow parents to order lunch for their camper at a discounted price.
- 12:30 – 3:00 PM: Afternoon session—complete the day’s remaining lessons and projects.
Note: Specific daily routines may vary by camp depending on curriculum requirements, weather conditions, and field trip scheduling. All off-site activities are supervised by trained iCode instructors. Parents will be asked to sign a participation waiver covering off-site walking trips, library visits, and recreational time at nearby parks. All reasonable precautions are taken to ensure student safety during these outings.
Why Enroll Early?
Camps fill up fast. Each camp has a maximum capacity of eight students, so spots are limited and go quickly. Early enrollment signals popularity — when camps fill up, it tells us to add more sessions of the same camp to meet demand. Your early sign-up directly shapes our summer schedule. If a certain camp does not get the necessary enrollments, we may swap it for a more popular camp or cancel it. As always, we need a quorum of at least four students for a camp. Flexible cancellation — we provide a full refund of deposits on any cancellations prior to April 15, 2026. Do not let unfinalized summer travel plans stop you from booking your spot!
What Makes Our Summer Camp Unique?
Our location on Main Street in Chatham gives us something most coding camps cannot offer: easy access to the outdoors and the Chatham Library. We intentionally build time into each camp day for students to step away from the screen, get fresh air, and explore the library. Our philosophy is simple — young learners thrive when they balance screen-based coding with physical activity, reading, and creative play. It is a summer camp experience that develops both technical skills and a lifelong love of learning.
iCode Chatham in the Community: Girls in STEAM
We recently hosted an Introduction to Robotics workshop for a third grade Girl Scouts troop — and it was an incredible experience. The two-hour session introduced 3rd graders to real-world robotics, the Engineering Design Process, and hands-on building with VEX IQ kits. The girls built their own robots from scratch, attached claws, and competed in a Block Battle competition. The energy in the room was amazing. If you know of a Girl Scouts troop, school group, or community organization that would be interested in a similar event, reach out to us at chatham@icodeschool.com.
Red Oaks Robotics Tech Club Update
Our 10-week Robotics Tech Club at Red Oaks School in Morristown is going strong. Students in grades 1 through 4 have been on quite a journey — learning about real-world robots, exploring simple machines, discovering how robotics connects to art and creativity, and building their own VEX IQ BaseBots. The program is now progressing into more advanced territory as students build increasingly complex robots that will ultimately compete in a Battle of the Bots event. Interested in bringing this program to your school? Talk to your PTO, or reach out to us at chatham@icodeschool.com.
Digital Citizenship: Keeping Kids Safe, Smart, and Kind Online
Teaching kids to code is only part of the picture — helping them navigate the digital world responsibly matters just as much. With 40% of children having a tablet by age 2 and nearly 1 in 4 owning a cellphone by age 8, kids are encountering online risks earlier than ever — from dark patterns and cyberbullying to manipulation tactics. The answer is not banning screens but teaching kids to be safe, smart, and kind online.
Once our campus opens, we plan to offer a free Digital Citizenship for Parents workshop covering house rules for devices, locking down in-app purchases, and building a “talk first” culture at home. Stay tuned for dates and details.
Coming in September: Expanded Belt Programs
We are excited to share that starting the week after Labor Day, iCode Chatham will be offering a significantly expanded set of Belt programs — Foundation, White, Gray, Orange, Yellow, and Green Belts. Each Belt will be offered twice per week: once on a weekday evening and once over the weekend. This gives families the flexibility to choose whichever slot works best for their schedule. More details on timing, enrollment, and curriculum will be shared in upcoming newsletters as we get closer to the fall.
While the full Belt program launches in September, we’re also exploring an exciting 6–8 week Tech Club running from mid-April through mid-June — a great way to get a head start! Exact dates will be confirmed once we have our occupancy date locked in, so stay tuned.
Spread the Word
Know a family that would love iCode Chatham? We would be grateful if you shared this newsletter or pointed them to our website. Word of mouth from our community is the best way to grow, and we want every family in the Chatham area to know about the STEAM learning opportunities available right in their neighborhood.
Thank you for being part of the iCode Chatham community. Whether your child is already coding with us or you are just getting started, we are here to help them discover the joy of building, creating, and problem-solving. We look forward to an incredible spring ahead — and to welcoming you to our new home on Main Street very soon!
