Session 4: Year 6, Week 16 In Review
cooking, physics and dissections
Check out this week’s updates…
spark studio
Daily routines provide a consistent pattern of activities for learning time, meals, rest, and outdoor play. The routine's predictability helps children feel secure and positively influences their emotional, cognitive, and social development. This week has been filled with so many exciting experiences that our daily routine is off.
We are excited about the holidays, vacations, parties, packing the school for the big move, basketball games, performances, etc. How do we balance our daily routine and self-regulate with many things happening simultaneously? We could stop and take five deep breaths, count to 10, find a quiet space to read a book, write a note, or something else. This is when we focus on living in the moment and taking one step at a time.
One thing that has become a beautiful “new” routine during lunchtime is playing our new “learner lead” game called Plot Potato. So far, we have written seven short stories, and we cannot wait to share them with you at our “Spark Adventure Breakfast” on Tuesday, December 12th, from 8:30 to 9:45. Your Family Challenge is to share a food tradition from your culture. We will break bread together and enjoy a few short stories, ending with a sing-along. Be sure to ask your hero about their cultural experience this week.
Hints: 1. Oranges 2. A game with money.
In celebration of each other, we ask that you provide a wrapped, gently used, or new book, signing only who it’s from. We will have a sweet end-of-the-year reflection celebration and play a fun book exchange game. Happy New Year!
Let your light shine!
Lower elementary studio
Lower Elementary went on many adventures this week!
The heroes learned about physics, aerodynamics, and flying on Monday's field trip to Ifly. Watching them take on the wind tunnel and overcome fears was a blast. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we learned how to be safe in case of a fire or a tornado and continued our geography journey. Heroes learned about our "place" in the world and the difference between states, countries, and continents.
On Thursday, the heroes learned about many things, but the day's main topic was tenacity. The learners were great and encouraged their peers when they saw evidence of their persistence in the face of hardships!
Friday's focus was learning to be respectful and kind to one another. The learners engaged in team-building activities, learned about Children's picture books, and started the process of writing and illustrating their picture books! Enjoy your weekend.
upper elementary studio
Lights, Camera, ACTION! The Upper Elementary Studio has been in full production mode filming their reality show spoof, “The Real Heroes of the Forest School.” We have been so impressed with their humor, creativity, and blossoming writing skills. The final piece will be sent out to parents after this session.
This week heroes completed their MARs, of Mid Action Reviews. These reflections of their learning progress will be sent out along with their practical feedback.
SECRET SANTA:
Heroes have organized a Secret Santa gift exchange. I recognize that they have organized this rather late in the session, so if you would like to opt out of the exchange, please let me know.
Our Studio decided to use a virtual platform to draw names. You can find this by having your hero log into Journey Tracker and finding the “Secret Santa” challenge on 12/8/23. The heroes made wishlists through this website, but you do not have to get anything on the wishlists. Please reach out to Gage if you have any questions.
The Environmental Club will meet on Wednesday, December 13th, from 3:30-4:30.
middle school studio
This week, the heat was turned up for our first round of the Great Middle School Bake-Off! Joe Hanna of the Hanna Brothers’ Studio Cafe came to visit and instruct on kitchen skills, share his passion for cooking for yourself and sanitization in the kitchen, and give heroes feedback on their own personal recipes. This helped the heroes prepare for the Bake-Off the following day!
Heroes carefully plotted their recipes, shopping lists, tools, and roles within the kitchen to serve up five delectable servings in 25 minutes for the judges. Heroes were judged on sanitization, tastiness, culinary level, and collaboration. Judges gave descriptive feedback on their creations: Chocolate Coconut Delight, Vanilla Cake Pops, and Waffle Delight.
Next week, we will take the competition off campus for our final Bake Off round to an incredible Demo Kitchen in Trilith! Parents will receive an email with a permission form.
In Story Arts, heroes worked on filming and editing their short food videos. The focus is on storytelling through an instructional (recipe-based) video or a personal connection to the food (a food story). Heroes shared videos and scripts in process and gave live feedback to help improve the videos before the final Story Arts Share Outs next week.
Additionally, the new Council took the lead this week. They established a new system: two buckets in the Studio for the Council’s eyes. One bucket is “Things I Wish Council Knew,” and the other is “Topics for Town Hall.” They determined that when they have Town Hall, they will draw a random slip of paper from the topics bucket, and that’s how they will decide what will be discussed. The Guides are so excited that the heroes decided to take more charge and set a great tone for the new year in the new building!
The Environmental Club will meet on Wednesday, December 13th, from 3:30-4:30.
high school studio
This week was nothing short of amazing as we gear up for a break, but our hard work is far from over. Our young entrepreneurs are deeply engaged in the Entrepreneurship Quest, crafting their own businesses with a mix of outstanding plans and ideas that need refining. We got some experts to listen to their elevator pitches and provide feedback. Some ideas just need a bit more polishing, while others need a complete do-over. Get ready because next week we're having a Shark Tank-style show, and everyone has to have their plans ready to roll by then as they'll face former Shark Tank contestants, now serving as experts!
In Civilization, heroes were tasked with the responsibility of establishing a non-profit charitable organization. This undertaking involved navigating the complexities of societal needs, demonstrating a commitment to philanthropy, and contributing selflessly to the betterment of the community. Some heroes took this idea and built their business plans with it for Quest.
In Story Arts, we embraced a scientific theme, donning lab coats and delving into specimen dissections. We explored various species through hands-on labs, from starfish and frogs to earthworms and crayfish. The scientific method guided our journey, allowing us to get our hands dirty and dive deep into comprehensive research.
Meanwhile, our seniors are diligently working towards graduation, taking each step with determination as they inch closer to exiting through the doors of their educational journey.
To wrap things up, Brittney and Eleah have chosen to share our schedule. This way, parents can stay informed about all the exciting activities in the Studio until the break.