Session 1: Year 8, Week 2 In Review
Finding Our Rhythm and Building Strong Foundations
spark studio
This week in Spark was filled with learning, growth, and exciting discoveries! We spent meaningful time on character development, focusing on the Seven Habits of Happy Kids, especially Habit #1: Be Proactive. We learned that being proactive means taking responsibility for our choices, attitudes, and actions. Our heroes practiced thinking about what they can control and how their choices can make a positive difference.
We also began our first study of the universe, with a special focus on day and night. We talked about why we have daytime and nighttime and learned that Earth’s rotation causes the changing view of the Sun. Our heroes enjoyed discussing what makes daytime and nighttime special and sharing their preferences. We even talked about how many heroes prefer day and how many prefer night. Some loved the sunshine and activities of daytime, while others preferred the quiet, stars, and cozy feeling of nighttime.
Our heroes also became nature scientists as we observed our tomato hornworms. Did your learner happen to mention anything about them? We watched with excitement as they burrowed into the soil to form their pupae, where they will undergo an amazing transformation into five-spotted hawkmoths! This gave us a wonderful opportunity to observe a fascinating life cycle right before our eyes.
We also took time to care for our minds and bodies by learning our first yoga flow! Our heroes practiced simple movements, breathing, balance, and mindfulness, learning how caring for ourselves helps us feel strong, calm, and ready to learn.
It was a joyful week in Spark, filled with character-building, science, movement, and discovery!
lower elementary studio
We are finding our groove in Lower Elementary! This week, heroes continued building the habits and systems that help create a strong, self-directed Studio. They began shaping our Contract of Promises, explored our Accountability System, and practiced what it means to take ownership of their learning and their community.
Quest: Heroes became young physicists as they investigated how sound and light travel and change. Through hands-on challenges like cup telephones, rubber band sound boxes, shadow theaters, and light bounce targets, they explored vibration, sound travel, shadows, and reflection by testing, observing, and revising.
Civilization: Heroes explored two ideas that helped shape the Age of Discovery: the Magna Carta’s belief that leaders should follow rules and the Renaissance spirit of curiosity and new ideas. Through creative projects, they connected fair leadership, limits on power, innovation, and exploration while considering how these ideas helped shape a changing world.
Story Arts: Heroes stepped into their role as Culture Creators, thinking about what it takes to build a Studio where everyone can belong, work hard, and grow. Squads explored the Contract of Promises, Studio culture, and our Accountability System while beginning to design games that families will experience at our Session One Exhibition.
A major focus this week has been accountability—taking responsibility for our choices, contributing to the team, giving our best effort, producing high-quality work, and asking for help when needed.
That work connects directly to this year’s overarching question: “What is a good life?” In Session 1, we are asking, “How do we build a good life together?” Heroes are exploring how responsibility, relationships, leadership, and the promises we make to one another help create a strong community where everyone can belong, contribute, and grow.
Question of the Week: Over the weekend, ask your Hero: “What is one thing you can do at school to help build a good life together in your Studio?” Encourage them to think about responsibility, kindness, effort, honesty, teamwork, or how they respond when they make a mistake.
Each Hero who shares their family’s weekend discussion with a Guide will earn 25 bonus points on their Work Plan for the upcoming week! To earn the points, your Hero must share what your family discussed and what they personally took away from the conversation with a Guide before Morning Launch begins.
We can’t wait to hear what your families discuss and see how our heroes put those ideas into action in the Studio!
upper elementary studio
Building the Systems
Week two is in the books, and we're beginning to see the Upper Elementary Studio really come to life.
We're still rolling out many of our Studio structures and systems, so there is a lot of learning happening not just in academics, but in how to be a successful member of a self-directed learning community.
Running Partners
This week, learners received their Running Partners for the Session. We intentionally paired Level 4 and Level 5 learners together as much as possible so younger learners could learn the "lay of the land" from older learners—how to use Journey Tracker, set goals, navigate Studio systems, and more.
Partners helped each other set reasonable goals and worked together on their first Write Now, which is now a bite-sized Running Partner activity.
Our Challenges are also ramping up. Learners are now generally expected to write 50 words for a Challenge to be approved, and that expectation will increase throughout the year. We're building their ability to communicate their thinking clearly and produce increasingly substantial work independently.
Quest: Operation Fireproofing Fayetteville
On Monday, Captain Core from the Fayetteville Fire Department came to speak with us about Community Risk Reduction and our challenge with Trilith Live. She is very excited to work with our learners throughout the Quest!
We learned about the Fire Triangle and what fire actually is. Learners then used that knowledge to design a log setup that would successfully catch and sustain a fire.
On Thursday, we put their designs to the test at our fire pit—and, naturally, enjoyed some marshmallows and hot dogs along the way.
This is just the beginning of our work toward developing Emergency Response Plans and thinking like Community Risk Reduction consultants.
Civ: The Age of Exploration
In Civ, we've officially entered the Age of Exploration.
Learners learned about the rise of Spain, Portugal, and Britain as major naval powers and began exploring why European kingdoms became increasingly interested in sailing, trade, wealth, and new territories.
Then we took the learning outside. Learners learned how to use the sun to determine direction before guiding one another to buried "treasure"—a ginger chew—using only paces and cardinal directions.
It turns out that "go over there" is not particularly effective navigation!
Story Arts: Becoming Experts
Story Arts continued this week with learners developing their expert launches. We focused particularly on Socratic questions and storytelling.
Getting a great launch right is challenging work. Learners are writing, trying things out, getting feedback, revising, and trying again. It's been fun to watch their launches become more engaging with each iteration—and to see them discover that great work rarely appears fully formed on the first try.
Looking Ahead
We're still building the Studio, but the systems are becoming more familiar, learners are becoming more independent, and our culture is beginning to take shape.
Ask your learner about their Running Partner, what they learned from Captain Core, how the Fire Triangle works, whether they found the ginger chew, or what makes a Socratic question a good question.
middle school studio
It has been another exciting and energizing week in the Middle School Studio! During week two, heroes continued settling into routines, strengthening relationships, and building habits that help our Studio feel like a place where everyone can belong, contribute, and grow.
In Core Skills, heroes worked hard while exploring new parts of our learning rhythm. We introduced Deep Books, expanded D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) time, and began learning the new Bloomy platform. Through engaging launches, heroes also investigated their interests, reflected on who they are as learners, and connected more deeply with their Studiomates.
Our dedicated daily Math time, whether in the Math Lab or during Power Hour, is already helping heroes make meaningful progress. Consistent practice, opportunities to ask questions, and support through challenges are helping learners strengthen both their skills and confidence as problem-solvers.
Studio culture was another major focus this week. Our Studio Contract is taking shape through thoughtful discussion and plenty of Hero voice. Rather than simply creating rules, Heroes are considering the promises they want to make to one another so everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Running Partners include goal check-ins, and our developing Council took an exciting step forward with our first Town Hall. These systems give heroes real opportunities to encourage one another, solve problems, and help shape their shared community.
In Quest, we continued building realistic personal financial plans. Heroes explored career choices and the tradeoffs connected to income, lifestyle, priorities, and long-term goals. We also considered how where someone chooses to live can affect housing, transportation, and everyday expenses. Heroes are discovering that planning for the future means balancing dreams with real-world information—and that there is rarely only one “right” path.
In Civilization, our guiding question was “Why risk a journey?” Building on the fall of Constantinople, Heroes explored the Renaissance through a CSI-style investigation. Real-world locations became “crime scenes” where learners separated true facts from false information, identified missing evidence, and pieced together clues to solve a final mystery. It was a fun way to practice research, critical thinking, collaboration, and healthy skepticism while bringing history to life.
In Story Arts, our PSA projects are moving from ideas into purposeful stories. Groups are developing scripts and storyboards around issues they genuinely care about, thinking carefully about what they want their audience to see, hear, feel, and remember. Along the way, they are practicing collaboration, creativity, and persuasive communication.
Across the week, there has been plenty of hard work, laughter, problem-solving, creativity, and connection. We are excited to see where the journey takes us next!
high school studio
A Week of Growth, Connection & Investigation!
Session 1, Week 2
This week brought continued growth in our Studio as Heroes settled further into routines, strengthened relationships, and continued taking ownership of their learning.
Check-Ins Are Flowing!
Individual check-ins with Ms. Brittney are officially in a great rhythm! These check-ins are giving Heroes dedicated time to talk about their goals, progress, challenges, and next steps. We are excited to see these conversations becoming a consistent part of each Hero’s journey.
Math Lab Is Flowing!
Math Lab with Ms. Rhonda has also been running smoothly. Heroes are building consistency in their academic work while getting the support they need to continue progressing toward their individual goals.
Running Partners: Stronger Feedback
We have also seen a noticeable improvement in the quality of feedback Heroes are giving their Running Partners. Heroes are becoming more thoughtful about how they communicate, ask questions, and provide feedback that actually helps their partner grow. This is an important part of developing the collaboration skills that make our Studio community stronger.
Story Arts: Inside the Criminal Mind
This week, Heroes launched Story Arts by stepping into the role of investigators in a fictional criminal psychology mystery. Each team received a different case and worked through evidence, behavioral patterns, motivations, and psychological traits to develop a theory about their suspect.
Rather than simply learning about psychology, Heroes experienced it through an investigation that challenged them to ask questions, recognize patterns, connect behavior to evidence, and think critically about how experiences can influence human behavior.
Next week, Heroes will bring their investigations to life during their Grand Reveal, where they will present their case and make their final suspect prediction!
Another Great Week!
We are proud of the progress we are seeing across the Studio. From stronger check-ins and smoother Math Lab routines to improved Running Partner feedback and the excitement surrounding Story Arts, Heroes are continuing to grow in both their academic skills and their ability to work with others.
Math Lab
This week, learners reflected on having desire, showing resourcefulness, taking initiative, and being persistent in Math Lab problem-solving. We solved challenging puzzles and presented solutions. After this, each learner was asked to write a reflection in their Math Portfolio (Notebook), and several learners earned their first stamp on their passport, which is located on the last page of their Portfolio. We will have opportunities to earn a passport stamp most weeks. By the end of the school year, learners should have at least 20 of these to satisfy part of the Math Lab Badge requirements.
Those Math Lab Badges were discussed in Math Lab this week, and learners completed a Google Form verifying their understanding of each Milestone and the associated Challenges. I urge your Heroes to ask me further clarifying questions about their Math Lab Badge Plan in Math Lab or Office Hours.
Next week, all Studios will take the IXL Diagnostic Assessment so that we can establish a baseline for showing growth this year. Let's GO!