Reflecting on Session 1: Growth, Challenges, and Celebration

spark studio

What makes a good life? What makes Spark good?

What a fantastic finish to Session 1! This week, we wrapped up our exploration of "What makes a good life?" by voting on our next collective path. We chose to focus on Learning to Live Together, dedicating ourselves to strengthening our root system so we can eventually flourish into a mighty forest.

Throughout the week, our learners discovered powerful ways to flourish. They bravely tried new things, navigated and resolved conflicts, and grew incredibly resourceful. Most importantly, they learned what it truly means to depend and count on one another.

A major highlight was hosting each and every one of you for our Parent Ed morning! We hope you left with a deeper, firsthand understanding of how we build community and come together in the Spark Studio. If there are two key takeaways from our time together, they are the power of intentional communication and close observation. Thank you for partnering with us; we are filled with deep gratitude to serve and flourish alongside your families.

To cap off an already magical week, we witnessed a true wonder of nature. Our resident "tomato" hornworm officially transformed into a beautiful Five-Spotted Hawk Moth! We spent a day observing this remarkable creature up close before safely setting it free into the outdoors to do its natural job:

Night Pollination: Adults fly at night and hover in front of flowers like a hummingbird.
Long Tongue: They use a long, straw-like mouthpart called a proboscis to drink nectar from deep flowers that daytime pollinators cannot reach.
Plant Reproduction: As they feed, they move pollen between plants, helping flowers reproduce.

A beautiful reminder that everything in this world has a purpose.

We exit the session with a few questions to ponder: Where, when, and how did Montessori begin, and what was it about Maria Montessori’s ideas that made her approach so different from traditional education?

Enjoy a peaceful, restful, and meaningful week off!

lower elementary studio

Overview: We are off to a strong start this school year! Session One has been full of failure, growth, collaboration, learning, and leadership. At Exhibition, our Heroes stepped into meaningful roles. Some welcomed families as speakers, some confidently taught guests how to play their games, and others showed courage by explaining why their team did not earn a green light. No matter their role, every Hero walked away with lessons that will help them continue moving forward on their Hero’s Journey.

We also celebrated our first Badge Ceremony of the year! So far, every Hero has earned a milestone in Quest, Story Arts, and Civilization. As Heroes continue practicing during Core Skills, they will build the confidence and skills needed to demonstrate mastery in Language and Math. You can follow the work they are practicing and the skills they have mastered in Transparent Classroom. At home, please encourage your Hero to choose at least one Language work and one Math work in their Learning Zone each day.

Question of the Week

As we prepare for Session Two and continue exploring our overarching question, “What is a good life?”, our next Hero’s Journey focus will be Hearing the Call.

Talk together about:

What did you learn about yourself in Session One, and how can that help you hear the call to grow, take on a challenge, or try something new in Session Two?

Heroes who share what their family discussed with a Guide before Morning Launch after the break will earn 50 Work Plan points.

Heroes can also earn an additional 25 points by hosting a Dream Team meeting to share their biggest lesson from Session One and their big goal for Session Two. To earn the points, bring a photo with your Dream Team and a short written reflection about what you discussed.

Virtual Day + Parent Resources

For tomorrow, please use our 2026–2027 Virtual Work Day Plan. It includes a recommended Core Skills schedule, a math timing challenge, DEAR or creative writing, movement breaks, and an opportunity for Heroes to choose a challenging Math or Language work from their Badge Plan or Work Plan.

We also created a Parent View Google Drive Folder to make it easier for families to understand and support the systems Heroes use in the Studio. Inside, you’ll find the Work Plan, Badge Plan, Badge Plan Explanation, DEAR Book Reports, and Virtual Work Day Plan.

Parent View Google Drive Folder

We look forward to seeing our Heroes return after the break ready to hear the call and take on their next challenge!

upper elementary studio

The final week of Session 1 is in the books! This week was all about putting our learning into action, reflecting on our progress, and celebrating everything we accomplished together.

Exhibition: Emergency Response at Trilith Live

Our big event this week was Exhibition, where learners put their Emergency Response Plans to the test with the help of Captain Core and the Fayetteville Fire Department.

We began by pulling the fire alarm and timing how long it took everyone to evacuate the building. Some people took the longer route through the garage doors and the front entrance, which gave us a real-world demonstration of why knowing and using the appropriate emergency exit matters.

Learners were then given unexpected fire scenarios at Trilith Live and had to think on their feet. In front of their parents, they had to identify the fire behavior, hazards, and appropriate strategy for each situation. They did an incredible job applying everything they had learned throughout the Quest!

A huge thank you to Captain Core and the Fayetteville Fire Department for helping make this experience possible and for giving our learners authentic feedback on their work.

Badge Submissions

Learners also wrapped up their final badge submissions for the session. At Forest School, learners don't simply receive badges for completing work—they have to manually submit their evidence for approval.

If a submission isn't approved, Guides leave comments explaining what needs to be fixed. Learners can then make the necessary changes and resubmit. This gives them practice receiving feedback, improving their work, and taking ownership of the quality of what they submit.

Journey Tracker

We've also been working on helping learners better understand how to use Journey Tracker to see their progress, goals, challenges, and upcoming work.

Check out this Journey Tracker video for a quick introduction to how learners and families can use it to see what's happening! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ujsuz9m44zaGsHMzhv6BcXyjX8kYbiSa/view?usp=drive_link

Saying Thank You

After Exhibition, learners took some time to write letters of thanks to Captain Core. It was a great opportunity to reflect on how much support and expertise she brought to our Quest and to practice expressing genuine gratitude to someone who helped make their learning possible.

Reflection Day

The day after Exhibition was our Reflection Day. Learners reviewed the feedback they received from parents, gave 360 feedback to one another, and completed self-reflections about their own performance.

The goal wasn't simply to celebrate what went well—it was to think honestly about what we could do better next time. Learning how to receive feedback, give useful feedback, and reflect on our own performance is a huge part of becoming an independent learner.

End-of-Session Celebration

Our Council spent the final week planning our End-of-Session Party, which we held on the last day before break. It was a great way to celebrate the hard work, growth, and accomplishments of Session 1.

Thank you to all of our families for supporting the learners throughout the session. We are so proud of everything they accomplished and can't wait to see what they take on next.

Enjoy the holiday, everyone!

middle school studio

Current and Future Me

We have come to an important waypoint in our Middle School journey. It is the end of Session 1, and we couldn’t be prouder of the progress our heroes have made so far this school year! Every Hero’s Journey begins with learning more about who you are—your strengths, your challenges, the choices you make, and the kind of person you want to become. This first session has given our heroes many opportunities to do just that.

We really ramped up Running Partners this week as we continued building our tribe and learning how much stronger we can be when we support one another. Running Partners encouraged each other to stay focused, follow through on commitments, and complete quality badge work. Part of knowing yourself is recognizing when you can push forward independently and when you need to ask for help, feedback, or encouragement from someone else.

In Quest, we played games to deepen our understanding of financial investment strategies and revised our individual budgets through several iterations in preparation for Exhibition. Thank you again to Ms. Rhonda for giving us thoughtful feedback on our final drafts. And what an event we had! We are so grateful for all of the families and experts who came out on Wednesday to experience the presentations and cheer us on. Our heroes had to think on their feet as they handled unexpected “wrenches” designed to simulate real-world financial trade-offs and choices in real time. It was a great reminder that life rarely goes exactly according to plan—and that resourcefulness, flexibility, and knowing your priorities can make all the difference.

Final Public Service Announcements from Story Arts were presented today. The videos showcased the heroes’ efforts to persuade an audience in engaging and interesting ways while addressing causes they genuinely cared about. Choosing what matters enough to speak up about is another important part of discovering who you are and what you value.

We also wrapped up the Age of Exploration and discovered how trade routes brought people from many different cultures together in our final Civilization Challenge of the session. We examined the Columbian Exchange and participated in an interactive simulation where heroes swapped resources through strategic negotiations. Along the way, we considered how exploration, opportunity, competition, and choices can create consequences—both intended and unintended.

As Session 1 comes to a close, we hope each hero takes a moment to reflect: What did I learn about myself? Where did I grow? Where did I struggle? And what will I carry with me into the next part of my journey?

We hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved break and returns refreshed, ready to hear the next call to adventure. Take care, and see you soon!

high school studio

A Powerful Start to the School Year: From Quest to Core Skills

What a way to begin the school year!

Quest

We officially closed out our “There’s An App For That” Quest, and the Heroes delivered an incredible Exhibition. After days of researching real problems, talking with users, designing solutions, building, testing, and improving their apps, they finally had the opportunity to share their work.

And the response was exactly what we hoped for.

Most importantly, the people our Heroes designed for—their users—confirmed that the apps actually addressed the problems they were created to solve. Hearing users say that the solutions fulfilled their needs was an incredibly powerful moment for our Heroes. It showed them that the work they did wasn't simply an academic exercise. They created something with a real purpose for a real person.

The Work Continues After Exhibition

While the Quest may be closed, the learning doesn't stop there. Check-ins are still happening as Heroes continue to follow up on their work and reflect on what they learned throughout the process.

We're also moving forward with Core Skills, which are now well underway. Heroes are settling into their routines, strengthening their skills, and getting into the rhythm of the school year.

A Powerful Reflection Day

One of the most meaningful moments so far has been Reflection Day.

This day was especially powerful because it was led by the Heroes themselves. Rather than simply being told to reflect on their experiences, they had the opportunity to take ownership of the process—to look back at their work, consider their growth, recognize challenges, and think about where they want to go next.

That kind of reflection is an important part of the Forest experience. We want our Heroes to understand not only what they accomplished, but also how they grew along the way.

Parents: A Quick Badge Plan Reminder

As we move into the school year, please remember that your Hero's Badge Plan is a living plan. Plans may change as Heroes progress, discover new interests, or adjust their goals.

If there are any changes to your Hero's Badge Plan, please have your Hero let Brittney know as soon as they return. This will help us make sure their plan and our records stay aligned from the beginning of the year.

We are excited about the momentum our Heroes have already created. From building real solutions for real users to leading their own reflection and taking ownership of their learning, they are showing us what it looks like to begin the school year with purpose.

And this is just the beginning. Have a great break!!!

Math Lab

Although Math Labs were paused this week for Exhibition Week, I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the preparation and seeing the many ways our learners incorporated mathematics into their work. I visited most of the Studios to support preparation, answer questions, and help learners recognize the math woven into their exhibitions.

In Upper Studio, I led a launch focused on fire-drill safety and introduced learners to using the equation distance = rate × time to calculate how long it should take to reach a designated place of safety. Learners worked through the calculations together and asked several thoughtful questions that demonstrated their curiosity and willingness to dig deeper into the mathematics behind a real-world situation.

In Middle Studio, learners shared the spreadsheets they created for their Future Me Budgets. I was especially pleased to see how thoughtfully many of them researched careers, expenses, and financial information and then used that data to build realistic budgets. This was a wonderful example of mathematics becoming a tool for planning and making informed decisions about their futures.

In the High School Studios, learners shared some of the apps they created and even surveyed me about my interests and potential uses for their apps. It was exciting to see them applying mathematical thinking, technology, creativity, and problem-solving to projects that were meaningful to them.

What a wonderful way to kick off our first session of the year! Across every Studio, I saw learners exploring, questioning, creating, calculating, and solving real-world problems. I am excited to continue our year of mathematical exploration and the many challenges ahead!

Session 1: Year 8, Week 5 In Review