Session 2: Year 8, Week 7 In Review
Where Ideas Take Flight and Commitments Take Root
spark studio
Blast Off! An Out-of-This-World Week in Spark
What an incredible week it has been in Spark! The Studio is buzzing with energy as SparkX comes to life. We have so many creative ideas flying around on how to completely transform our space into outer space. You are all in for an exciting cosmic adventure! Get ready to hop into the Spark rocket ship on Wednesday, October 7, from 8:30 to 9:45 AM, and soar into the universe with us.
Beyond our space preparations, our trip to Camp Southern Ground for our contract signing was truly unforgettable. It was a sacred time filled with nature exploration, deep community building, and meaningful promises to ourselves and others. Together, we reflected on the things we can control versus the things that are out of our control. It left us with a powerful question: Is there something you need to start, or is there something you need to let go of? It is wonderful food for thought and makes for a beautiful dinner conversation with your family over the weekend.
A massive thank you to all of our volunteers! Thank you for keeping us safe and having so much fun alongside us. We appreciate each and every one of you.
Looking ahead to next week's Shares, our focus letter will be “O,” as in octopus. We cannot wait to see what everyone brings and look forward to learning something new from all who participate.
Have a peaceful and restful weekend, Spark families!
lower elementary studio
Ideas are moving, prototypes are taking shape, and Heroes are learning how to turn questions into action! This week, learners practiced using evidence, feedback, creativity, and teamwork to strengthen their thinking across the Studio. Whether they were pricing a product, improving a prototype, or tracing how ideas spread through history, Heroes were challenged to notice, test, revise, and explain their choices.
Story Arts: Heroes continued their Sell the Story mission by learning how price can shape the way customers see a product. After comparing simple machine toys with different prices and target audiences, teams surveyed real people to find out what they would pay for their simple machine toy. They recorded the data, chose a price based on the results, gathered peer feedback, and decided whether to keep or revise their price before adding it to their pitch.
Quest: Heroes moved from planning to building as they began turning their prototype sketches into real simple machine toys. They also met our Quest Expert for the Session, Taylour, who shared her engineering expertise and gave teams high-quality feedback on their early-stage prototypes. Heroes used that feedback to think more carefully about how their designs work and what they can improve next.
Civilization: Heroes explored how the printing press and movable type helped ideas travel farther and faster. Through a scavenger hunt, they uncovered key ideas about Gutenberg, printing, books, pamphlets, and the spread of information. They then chose a maker challenge to investigate how printing changed history by designing an invention diagram, testing the difficulty of copying by hand, mapping how an idea spreads, or comparing the printing press with modern technology.
Contract Signing: On Thursday, Heroes participated in our Contract Signing, a special day filled with team building, reflection, and commitment. Each Hero had the opportunity to sign their name on our Studio Contract of Promises, marking a personal commitment to themselves, their teammates, and the kind of Studio they want to help build. The signed Contract will remain in the Studio as a daily reminder of the promises we made to one another and the responsibility each Hero carries in helping our community grow.
Question of the Week
As we continue our Session Two focus, Hearing the Call, talk together about:
When you notice something that could be better, how do you know if that is a call to step up, make a change, or try again?
Heroes who share what their family discussed with a Guide before Morning Launch will earn 25 Work Plan points.
As we move deeper into Session Two, Heroes are seeing that strong ideas rarely begin as finished products. They grow through questions, testing, feedback, revision, and persistence. We are excited to see how their simple machine toys, marketing plans, and thinking continue to improve as they prepare for what comes next.
upper elementary studio
High Productivity, Historical Trials, & Contract Signing
What an action-packed week in the Upper Elementary Studio! From setting big goals to traveling back in time and heading off-campus, our Heroes showed up with focus and enthusiasm.
Studio Productivity & The Ice Cream Challenge
This week, we amped up our focus! Mr. Hadrian issued a Studio challenge: if we reach 70% or more “on track or ahead” in core skills as a Studio for the next two weeks, we'll celebrate with an ice cream party at the end of the Session.
Productivity soared, and even with Thursday's off-site event, we are almost there! Only a few learners need to complete a small amount of core work at home for us to meet our Studio goal.
Quest: Physics Toys for the Business Fair
Preparation for the Business Fair is in full swing. Teams divided responsibilities to build their physics toys, splitting into specialized roles:
Designers focused on user experience and visual appeal.
Builders constructed prototypes.
Marketers crafted pitching and branding strategies.
Scientists documented the physics principles powering their designs.
Story Arts: Heritage, Ancestors, & Mythology
Our mythology unit took a personal turn this week. Thank you to the parents who participated in the family heritage interviews!
Learners proudly shared stories about their ancestors, and it was inspiring to see a deep sense of pride emerge as they spoke about the names, countries, and histories of their families. Next, learners are preparing presentations on classic myths and drafting original fantasy stories incorporating mythical lore.
Civics: The Trial of Louis XVI
We had a memorable Civics session exploring revolutions through a mock trial of King Louis XVI (Citizen Louis Capet). Learners stepped into role-play as the prosecution, defense, judge, Louis XVI, and jury. After hearing the arguments, our jury—just like the French assembly in 1793—found him guilty of crimes against the new French Constitution.
Contract Signing at Camp Southern Ground
On Thursday, we gathered at Camp Southern Ground for our Contract Signing ceremony. This annual tradition is a meaningful rite of passage where Heroes commit to our Studio promises and take ownership of their journey.
Thank you to all the parents and family members who came out to support our learners!
middle school studio
What does it take to build a Studio where everyone feels like they belong?
This week, our Middle School Heroes took that question seriously.
One important step was reviewing results from our recent Belonging Survey, where Heroes anonymously shared how welcomed, included, and comfortable they feel being themselves in the Studio. Rather than simply looking at the numbers, we explored the comments, looked for patterns, and asked an important question: What can we actually do with what we learned?
Heroes grouped their ideas into themes such as including others, showing kindness and empathy, respecting differences, and improving Studio systems. Then, they began identifying specific, actionable ways they can help create a more inclusive and welcoming community. The goal wasn’t to make another list of rules. It was to recognize what is within our control and take ownership of the culture we create together.
That reflection made this week’s Studio Contract signing especially meaningful. The Belonging Survey gave Heroes an honest picture of how members of our community are experiencing the Studio. The Studio Contract gave them an opportunity to consider what they are personally willing to do about it.
Before anyone added a signature, Dr. Tyler encouraged Heroes to reflect on the weight of putting their name on a shared agreement. The Studio spent time in silence so each Hero could consider the promises being made—not just about rules or expectations, but about how we choose to treat one another and what kind of community we want to build together. Signing the Studio Contract became more than a tradition. It was a commitment to helping create a Studio where others can feel known, respected, included, and welcomed.
Then it was time to celebrate that commitment! Middle School and High School Heroes shared a memorable adventure filled with whitewater rafting and escape rooms.
That same cycle of listening, creating, and revising continued in Quest. Teams began building out workshop ideas to support our user. Heroes are thinking through what participants will actually experience, what materials and preparation their workshops will require, and how they can use feedback to make their ideas stronger.
In Civilization, the Studio came alive for a Team Catherine vs. Team Henry debate. Heroes researched their positions, built arguments using evidence, challenged one another’s thinking, and practiced listening carefully enough to respond to the opposing side.
In Story Arts, Heroes continued building their short stories by hand. After adding to their manuscripts, writers shared their work with their editorial teams, received feedback, and returned to their stories for another round of revision.
Across the week, one pattern continued to emerge:
Listen. Reflect. Act. Revise.
Whether we are designing a workshop, defending an argument, writing a story, or building a Studio community, meaningful growth happens when we are willing to listen to one another—and then turn what we learn into action.
high school studio
A Week of Writing, Commitment, and Running Partners!
This week was full of opportunities for our Heroes to strengthen their communication, take ownership of their commitments, and reflect on how they show up for others.
Signature Learning Experience: Story Arts
Our Signature Learning Experience this week was Story Arts, where Heroes took on the challenge of learning how to write an argumentative essay. Rather than simply completing an essay independently, Heroes worked in teams to build a shared argument.
Working collaboratively pushed Heroes to do more than just put their thoughts on paper. They had to develop a clear claim, identify reasons that supported their position, choose relevant evidence, and think carefully about how to make their argument convincing to an audience. Along the way, they also practiced the important skills of listening to different perspectives, giving and receiving feedback, and making decisions as a team.
The goal wasn't just to learn the structure of an argumentative essay—it was to help Heroes understand how strong arguments are built and how writers use evidence and reasoning to persuade an audience.
Contract Signing: Putting Commitments Into Action
We also celebrated a successful Contract Signing! This was an important opportunity for Heroes to formally commit to the goals, responsibilities, and expectations they have set for themselves.
Contract Signing is about more than putting a signature on a page. It gives Heroes an opportunity to pause, consider what they are committing to, and take ownership of the work ahead. Seeing our Heroes engage in this process was a great reminder of the independence and responsibility we want them to develop throughout their time in the Studio.
Core Skills Remained Sacred
Even with a busy week, we continued to protect Core Skills time in our schedule. Heroes need consistent time to build and strengthen the foundational skills that support everything else they do as learners.
By keeping this time sacred, we are making sure that exciting projects and special events don't come at the expense of the daily practice Heroes need to continue progressing toward mastery.
Running Partner Evaluations
Finally, our Heroes participated in their monthly Running Partner evaluations. These evaluations give Heroes a chance to step back and reflect on how they are showing up as a Running Partner to others.
Being a strong Running Partner isn't just about helping someone complete a task. It involves communication, encouragement, accountability, reliability, and knowing when to step in—and when to give someone the space to figure something out independently.
The monthly evaluation provides Heroes with feedback they can use to recognize their strengths and identify areas where they can grow. It's another way we're helping Heroes develop the collaboration and leadership skills they'll need far beyond the Studio.
Overall, it was a productive week filled with writing, collaboration, commitment, reflection, and growth. We love seeing our Heroes take increasing ownership of both their learning and the way they contribute to our community!
Math Lab
This week has been a little challenging to get all groups into Math Lab due to Contract Signing Days and ELA diagnostic make-ups. However, we still managed to squeeze in some valuable math learning!
Our focus this week has been fractions, including IXL practice and an introduction to OKO Labs, a collaborative problem-solving platform. This platform is amazing! Learners work in small groups to solve a set of problems while their collaboration is evaluated based on the quality of their dialogue, the accuracy of their final answers, and the validity of their mathematical reasoning.
One of the features I especially appreciate is that I can review the entire recorded transcript after learners finish. This allows me to identify misconceptions, recognize areas of strength, and determine which learners may benefit from additional practice or accelerated work. It provides a wonderful window into not only what learners know, but how they are thinking mathematically.
Many learners have already completed the IXL Fractions Skills Progression for Session 2! I reduced the number of required lessons for this session to make the workload more manageable. The required skills should be completed by October 8 in order for learners to earn the Portfolio Passport stamps needed toward their Math Lab Badge. Learners need 20 stamps during the school year to earn the badge.
We are looking forward to returning to a more typical schedule next session, with plenty more fraction fun ahead!
As always, please encourage your learner to take advantage of Math Lab Office Hours. I am happy to provide additional support with math they are learning in Studio, Math Lab skills, or, for high school learners, standardized test preparation.
Thank you for supporting your learner's mathematical growth!