Budgeting, Planning for College, and Taxes: Year 5 - Week 12 In Review
Learning the Nuances of Financial Health
Check out this week’s updates below…
spark studio
Did you try it?
Did you sit quietly for 10 minutes and observe? Were the things you noticed surprising, intriguing or even shocking?
If you didn’t attempt the challenge, what were the constraints?
Was it time, distractions, or interruptions?
As mentioned before, the goal of observation is to discover each learner’s interests, needs, and abilities and then to adjust the environment accordingly. This takes time and patience. We have been practicing it more and more, leading to changes to our scheduled routine and more spontaneity with our work. In the process we have created some amazing pieces! Learner-lead projects began to emerge, leaders began to rise, and positive character formation has become more solid! We are seeing beautiful things and are encouraged to dive even deeper.
We’ll leave you with this thought:
"A child can only acquire the words he hears spoken around him. This is not teaching but absorption. The child is, by nature, hungry for words; he loves strange, long words like the names of dinosaurs and constellations. He takes in all these words without understanding their meaning, as his mind is still taking language in by a process of unconscious absorption. ” Maria Montessori
elementary studio
Heroes are deep in the flow of session 3. Upper Elementary has been working on their financial quest through a series of challenges where they budget as an adult. They are going through the growing pains of taxes being taken out of their monthly income and have had plenty to say about the responsibilities of adulthood! Lower Elementary heroes have been diving head first to understand a business model canvas. They are creating businesses of their own and breaking down all of the ideas that must go into create a business plan. Financial literacy is becoming a reality for heroes as they confront the ins and out of this quest.
This session's Civilization has heroes exploring Asia and the Ming Dynasty. Heroes had a chance to construct their own version of the Great Wall of China to protect their town from invaders. They were able to see how the motivation of the Ming Dynasty leaders to be independent helped lead to the fall of their society.
Extra, Extra! Read all About it... Story Arts has been going quite well as heroes are diving deeper into the structure of newspapers and beginning to look into the sections they are responsible for in the newspaper. They are excited to start writing and editing and then publish their very first newspaper!
As conferences continue, heroes’ standings (Soaring, Flying, Nesting) have been posted and are used to motivate and allow heroes to hold each other accountable. Here’s to another great week!
middle school studio
It’s officially November. This month will bring goals being scratched off, gratitude for the studio, and hard work before the year is over.
Every hero had the opportunity to contribute to the Halloween party we had on Monday. The learners came together and assigned tasks to each other so the party was a success. A few heroes brought snacks, desserts, candy, drinks, and pizza. A few hosted games and had a great groovy playlist. The party was a success, and the heroes cultivated team-building skills during this process.
Throughout the week heroes have been working diligently on their Quest challenges. This week they have learned how to research college websites by finding how much in-state and/or out-of-state tuition is. This challenge will help them grasp the understanding of money management and what careers they will need to live the life they desire. The learners also mapped out what level of education, skills, and certifications they may need for their careers. This Quest is so helpful, and it will prepare heroes for life after college or high school.
Learners will continue to finish their college essay writing in Story Arts. Each hero had to get their essay approved by a peer as well as type up their final responses. This challenge put heroes in the right mindset for essay writing. Next week, we will delve into understanding and writing Cover Letters for our Story Arts Challenges. We will finish up in Civ through Makers Challenges on West Africa and The Reformation. This will allow the heroes to branch off into their history and critical thinking skills as they showcase their pieces to the studio.
As this is the second to last week before Exhibition we will follow up with heroes' progress so Exhibition can be as fun and engaging as possible. Let’s continue to encourage our learners to push through and show up in and out of the studio.
high school studio
There’s a ton of incredible learning happening this week with our financial literacy quest! Learners are calculating future salaries to match their desired lifestyle, and creating budgets. We discussed prioritizing future assets and liabilities, the importance of credit score, and hidden tax breaks. Financial literacy is key to helping young people manage money effectively so that they can become financially stable, build assets, and achieve their personal goals. Decisions made in early adulthood can have lasting financial consequences. Parents, get ready to be involved with exhibition this session—you will challenge their financial expertise!
As the apprenticeship session quickly approaches, many heroes are lining up their gigs now. It’s safe to say that this financial literacy quest has inspired them to truly explore many industries, discovering what career paths they may want to pursue.
In Story Arts, heroes are learning how to conduct interviews and how to use storytelling to build empathy, which improves products and experiences for their future clients or employers. This week’s civilization focused on the possibility of illegal drugs potentially becoming legal, and the effects of America’s economy on citizens. The topic is sure to invoke some passionate debate next week!
Last but not least, remember that the Homecoming dance is a weekend away! This event will be The Forest School’s first annual homecoming dance. Tickets are on sale now, and if you have not purchased your hero’s tickets to the dance, you may want to consider doing so soon. It’s shaping up to be something really special.
Leading up to the dance, we’ll celebrate Spirit Week all next week.
Monday: Pajama Day
Tuesday: Character Day
Wednesday: Color Day
Thursday is Holiday Day
Friday is Decades Day
Friday is also the homecoming game against Grace Christian Academy, and Saturday we dance in celebration of a pre-claimed win!