2023-2024 Session 1 Newsletter

Here at Acton, we had a truly wonderful start to our new school year. We welcomed our students into their independent learning community.  They began their 2023-2024 Hero’s Journey on August 22nd with a poignant and formal Crossing the Threshold ceremony.  They stepped into their sacred studios, pledging to become accountable and independent learners ready to challenge themselves. Committed to authoring a community contract and systems that governed their world, they began something amazing.

Our Eagles have spent the past six weeks building lasting connections, strengthening the foundations of our tribe, planning incredible trips, honing in on their writing skills, and exploring some of the things that our community has to offer.  Session 1 always brings so many fun, exciting new challenges to our Eagles and starts the year off by creating a welcoming culture for our Eagles to thrive.  We cannot wait to see what else they accomplish.

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Sparks Elementary   Middle

Sparks

Student Newsletter Session 1

August 22nd - September 29th, 2023

System Building

We started the first session of the year with establishing our own systems and building processes to have good habits.  They developed our Studio Maintenance system which puts the Eagles in charge of keeping their spaces organized and clean.  Each one of the Eagles has their own responsibility that they carry during the week.

These responsibilities rotate among the Eagles to give each an opportunity to try all of them. They also discussed their own rules of engagement which guides how they will be interacting with each other.  This helped them put together their Studio Contract.  They are all committed to abide by their own rules that valued their learning, and continued to keep their studio safe and welcoming while striving for excellence. 

Work Time

During our 2-hour uninterrupted work cycle, Eagles work on Math and Language Arts using the Montessori materials in hands-on engaging lessons along with corresponding worksheets.  They have their work plans which helps them set the expectations for the week.  Each Eagle is learning to embrace working at their own progress and their own pace. 

Discovery Time

Building the tribe was our focus in Discovery Time.  We started by learning about belonging to a tribe.  We moved to discuss the characteristics of a good leader which lead us to the conclusion that we are all leaders and we are working on developing the leader’s attributes.  They were introduced to notions such as Growth mindset and Fixed mindset.

Through our discussions, they fully understood the concepts and how they opposed each other.  They were able to recognize them through a variety of examples.   To be an effective part of a community we also  talked about teamwork and the benefits of working together collaboratively in a group and how putting our efforts together makes our goal achievable.

Towards the end of the Session, we focused on why we had rules and laws and how they kept us safe.  We had an imaginary scenario where we tried to imagine living for one day without any laws or regulations, a scenario in which Eagles, parents, Guides, policemen and everyone who provided services could do what they wanted and had the choice to not take their responsibilities seriously or follow rules.  They found the situation very unsafe and understood that rules were highly important.

Writing

We are focusing on various techniques in writing in Sparks.  This Session we introduced descriptive writing.  The Eagles had opportunities to describe a person, a place, or a thing in such a way that a vivid picture could be formed in the reader’s mind.  They used all their senses to fully describe these things.  We also introduced Word Of the Day (WOD), our vocabulary building unit, where Eagles get to learn new words.   Every Friday we practice these words to be able to spell and use them correctly.  Peers help each other strengthen these skills.  Handwriting is also a regular part of the writing program in the Studio as it is such a crucial skill for this age group.  We plan to consistently incorporate these writing activities to build a strong foundation. 

“There is a lot to write about this picture. I need more time” Ellie - 1st grade 

“I know the spelling of all the words so far” Mustafa - 2nd grade

Geography

In this unit we introduced continents and oceans of the world and the plan is to continue and expand our knowledge of geography throughout the school year.  We focused especially on North America in Session 1.  The Eagles gathered information about the continent and completed several hands-on activities reflecting on what they learned during the session.  These activities ranged from map making to creating puzzles to arts and crafts.

Science

Eagles studied the science of Seasons.  They are now able to demonstrate Earth’s rotation around the Sun on its tilted axis and explain how this causes the change of seasons. They were also introduced to  the Weather and  its different forms. 

Music Program

Our Eagles enjoy Music Time so much They practiced a song focused on self-love and self-empowerment. They have worked together with Ms. Prezleigh to create hand movements and dance moves to accompany the song. They also learned about music and society in the 1950's. They learned that singing groups were the most common and famous at that time. They were surprised to learn that the internet was not invented yet. They made improvements with singing more loudly together with musical accompaniment and gaining confidence in pitch. They know that each one’s singing voice is very important to be clear and in harmony with the rest.

Arts and Crafts

Art Time is a great way to end the week in the Sparks Studio.  As we do arts and crafts every Friday, we try to incorporate what we learn in our Discovery, Geography or Science periods.  The Eagles enjoy it very much and develop crucial motor and coordinating skills.  They know that they are all artists in their own ways.

Field Trip - Livermore Civic Center Library

Our Eagles loved going to the Livermore Civic Center Library.  It was a great learning opportunity as they explored the different areas of the library.  Eagles got to choose books to read in a quiet spot for an hour.  They also enjoyed their lunch time outside in the beautiful grass area and had fun running and playing with their friends.  At the end of the field trip, they checked out books to bring back to the Studio for future readings.

Exhibition

Our Eagles put on their first student Exhibition of the year.  We strive to make these Exhibitions Eagle-led as much as possible.  They select their jobs, gather the information they want to share, and practice their lines until they feel confident.  They practice with going over the whole event a few times. It is always wonderful to see their hard work pay off.   We are very proud of the effort they put in and the great event they planned!

Closing

Enjoy the break and we cannot wait to see all our Eagles in Session 2!

Elementary Studio

Student Newsletter Session 1

August 22nd - September 29th, 2023

Build-A-Tribe Quest

In just 6 weeks, our Eagles became filmmakers as they put together their lip dub music video for the annual Acton Academy Film Fest!  The Eagles first decided on a song that embodied the Hero’s Journey and memorized the song lyrics.  Following this, they displayed their creative freedom by story boarding a Hero’s Journey tale that they wanted to act out.  From there, the Eagles held auditions for main characters and strategically planned their costumes and scenes.

Through these challenges the Eagles developed their creative and collaboration skills as they learned more about camera angles, acting out emotions, and what makes an excellent visual story.  They also gained invaluable experience on how to manage a large scale production, understanding the importance of timing.  At the end of the session, the Eagles celebrated their hard work, and submitted their completed film into the International Film Festival.

Some of our Eagles commented on their experience with the project."It can also help us with our imagination. It is very challenging to make a lip dub because you have to pick a song, memorize it, storyboard each scene, rate the winners from the year before, practice, film, edit, and finally rate the lip dubs from this year to vote for this year's winner.” - Nim 5th Grade

“Of all my favorite parts of Quests, Lip Dub is probably the best because it’s one of the most awesome and active projects of the whole year.” - Tara, 5th Grade

Systems and Contract Building

Alongside creating a music video for their lip dub project, the Eagles built their systems which would help to keep their studio sacred throughout the school year.  They developed their cleaning system called Studio Maintenance. Studio Maintenance puts the Eagles in charge of keeping their spaces organized and clean.  Eagles collaborated on their Rules of Engagement through spirited debate on what should and should not be allowed during Socratic Discussions.  These rules govern and frame group discussions, help them have a better understanding of appropriate time and place.

Lastly, the Eagles authored their Student Contract. This allowed them to set their own rules that valued their learning, and continued to keep their studio safe and welcoming while striving for excellence.  The Eagles signed both Rules of Engagement and the Student Contract at Exhibition in front of all their peers and parents. They were proud to promise to everyone they would do their best to uphold their rules for the upcoming year.

The Hero - Writers Workshop

"The Hero"  was a discussion led session 1 writing project when Eagles were encouraged to consider various qualities of a hero and then write about it. These written communications were reflective and story based. Eagles wrote about their own understanding of these qualities and related personal experiences when they observed themselves or someone else benefiting from applying or suffering from not applying these qualities and skills. Topics ranged from courage, grit, growth mindset, goal setting, and critical thinking skills.

We learned that these qualities can be cultivated and developed so we can make further progress in our hero’s journey. We learned these skills are fluid and sometimes only a state of awareness, they can be strong at times and weaker at other times, and our goal should be to understand these traits, and learn ways to employ them to our advantage. For this project, Acton Eagles made entries in their Hero’s Booklets. Extra focus was also given to writing mechanics such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. 

Azra in 5th Grade wrote about her experience in the Writers Workshop this session:

“I learned that a hero needs grit, needs to set goals, a growth mindset, courage, and critical thinking skills. A hero needs all of these skills to be a hero. The most important lesson for me was facing your fears, because I am going to do that by playing piano in front of an audience. The goal setting challenge taught me a lot about grammar and spelling and punctuation. Writer's Workshop was fun because we got to write about these things in our booklets and it was very fun. I have little experience in writing, and our writing Guide gave me special challenges."

The Hero: Excerpts from Eagles' Writing

“If we did not have critical thinning, we would see loss of chances, of resources, of friends, and even maybe lives. You can improve critical thinking by knowing your data, asking questions, finding the best solutions, looking at your problems and looking at your decisions.” -David, 4th Grade

“Having a growth mindset helps you with your work and if you have to do work later. When I was in 2nd grade, I was stuck in math and it was hard but I never gave up. Even if I failed, I knew I did my best. This is important because you can work harder.” -Kaiden, 3rd Grade

Physical Education

This session the Eagles got to enjoy PE in our 26,000 sq ft gym.  Weekly they enjoyed practicing new stretches and jogging.  Additionally, they continued to develop skills in the game of dodgeball such as teamwork, passing, and targeting skills.  They used their collaboration and communication skills to have successful games with one another.  This dynamic play strengthens their confidence and physical development.

Fundamental Learning Programs

Eagles began their daily CORE fundamental programs in math, reading, vocabulary, spelling, and typing. Here they set their starting points for the year.  This starting benchmark served as a way to gauge their progress and help them set SMARTT (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely, & Tough) goals. Accountability and self-management help build their confidence as they achieve goals and develop crucial soft skills. 

Journal Organization

At the beginning of the year, Eagles took time to establish a crucial tool for organizing their work for the year.  In true Acton fashion, Eagles personalized their books, making them something they loved.  With tables of contents, bookmarks, annual calendars, schedules, weekly CORE goal trackers, reading logs, Touchpebbles lessons, personal reflective journal entries, Music lessons, and Civilizations History lessons, these journals function as their binders, planners, work trackers and more!  Learning how to care and respect their materials now, they can discover how to track their progress and how to develop love for learning.

Exhibition

Acton Eagles collaborated to create a studio wide Exhibition.  They partnered up and drafted scripts for the jobs they selected.  Eagles learned that practice makes perfect, and ran through their Exhibition multiple times until they felt confident and ready.  They enjoyed having their parents sit in and listen to their musical performance, watch their lip dub, and showcase their badges for the session.  Preparing for Exhibitions develops crucial skills in learners.  Exhibitions are great and fun opportunities for our Eagles to develop and practice complex collaborative and individual skills such as event planning and public speaking.

Family Welcome Back Night

Our Family Welcome Back Night was a hit!  The night was filled with hands-on games and demonstrations put on by our independent learners across their academic programs.  Our Elementary Eagles showed off their writing skills, Journal organization, Touchpebbles Discussion Project, and samples of Quest work.  In addition, our community enjoyed catered food from El Cerrito Taquiera.  The night ended with a guitar concert from Prezleigh & Josh Colburn of Good Vibes Music Academy.  Parents made commitments to their Eagles’ Hero’s Journey by signing their Community Parent Contract.  It was a night with excellence showcased across all studios.

Field Trip - Livermore Library

This Session we jump-started our reading program by going to the Livermore Civic Center Public Library.  They toured the sections by genre and explored the quiet study rooms.  They even practiced how to use the Dewey Decimal System and enjoyed quiet reading time.  The Eagles checked out their first Deep Book selections for their badges. Books are due October 12th.  Let’s remind our Eagles to either finish reading their books and return them or renew on time if needed.  The Eagles also enjoyed a private study room for Writer’s Workshop!  We continue to foster a deep love for reading and writing as fundamental and crucial skills for our learners!

Closing

Session 1, so filled with activity and excitement, seemed to go by fast. AAEB started the year with high energy and aspirations and we strive to continue in the same spirit to the end of the school year.  Congratulations to our community for a successful session 1. It is now time for a wonderful and relaxing break.

Middle School Studio

Student Newsletter Session 1

August 22nd - September 29th, 2023

Build-A-Tribe & Plan-A-Trip Quest

Over the past session, our Middle School Eagles have participated in both the Plan-A-Trip Quest and the Build-A-Tribe Quest.  For Plan-A-Trip, Eagles researched and planned everything from flights, hotels, transportation, and restaurants to all daily activities.  This year, Eagles decided to research and plan for trips to Guam, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Tokyo.  The learners broke down the cost and kept a detailed spreadsheet of how much it would cost to visit each city.  We are excited to see where they will be traveling later this year!  

Build-A-Tribe Quest focused on developing Acton Systems and using positive communication skills as a tribe.  Throughout the session, our Eagles worked to create a Student Contract, a sacred document that unites them and reminds them to hold themselves and each other accountable, while also nurturing a supportive studio culture.

Every year Acton Academy hosts their Annual World Wide Film Festival, where each Studio submits an Eagle-created film following all of the festival requirements.  Participating in the Acton Film Festival gives our Eagles the opportunity to work together through a difficult challenge and execute a large-scale production, helping them understand timelines for projects and giving them invaluable real-life experiences.  This year our Middle School Eagles decided to do a short film instead of the widely used lip dub.  They focused on creating skits for their Jeopardy-themed film, even making short commercials in between takes!

Genre: Hero's Journey

Genre period in the Acton Middle School was all about debate, research, dialogue, and writing about the Hero's Journey.  Learners studied the monomyth through the lenses of psychology, literature, and philosophy.  They enriched each other's understanding of the constant cycle of call to adventure, road of trials, ordeals and rewards which has resonated throughout the history of storytelling.  They questioned the myth, examined it, and explored ways to identify the cycle in ancient myths to modern stories.  Throughout the process they also made a written portfolio of literature review on the subject matter which can be used for future academic papers.  Rather than content, the project focused on research skills such as identifying credible and reviewed sources, summarizing, paraphrasing, citing references, and planning discussions.  The year started strong in the Middle School Genre and plans to continue in the same manner to foster the growth and development of our learners.

Community Exploration

New to this school year, Eagles participated in the Community Exploration Program.  The Community Exploration program gives them opportunities to pursue learning in a multitude of different environments, provide group bonding experiences, gain exposure to our local community, and provide opportunities for real-world learning.  In Session 1 our Eagles spent time in our local libraries and coffee shops to focus on their CORE work, getting exposure to different working environments.  They were also able to spend each Friday getting some fresh air and physical activity in the great outdoors with kayaking.  Each week they worked on developing a new skill set and building up their comfort level with kayaking to eventually enjoy a field trip at the end of the session and kayak the Napa River!

Family Welcome Back Night

Our Family Welcome Back Night was a hit!  The night was filled with hands-on games and demonstrations put on by our independent learners across their academic programs.  Our Middle School Eagles had the opportunity to showcase their CORE programs, Quest, Community Exploration, and so much more.  In addition, our community enjoyed catered food from El Cerrito Taqueria.  The night ended with a guitar concert from Prezleigh & Josh Colburn of Good Vibes Music Academy.  Parents made commitments to their Eagles’ Hero’s Journey by signing their Community Parent Contract.  It was a night with excellence showcased across all studios.

Exhibition

For Session 1, all studios had the opportunity to collaborate together for exhibition.  They partnered up and drafted scripts for the jobs they selected.  Eagles learned that practice makes perfect, and ran through their Exhibition multiple times until they felt confident and ready.  They enjoyed having their parents sit in and listen to their musical performance, watch their lip dub, hear about their Genre, vote on their trips for Quest, and showcase the badges they earned for the session.  Exhibitions are a great and fun opportunity for our Eagles to develop and practice various collaborative and individual skills such as event planning and public speaking.

Closing

In our first session, the Middle School Eagles created a foundation based on respect, hard work, and friendship.  As the school year progresses our Eagles will rely on this foundation to aid in keeping their studio culture sacred and holding each other accountable to the promises they made.  We look forward to the remainder of the year and the memories we will create together.  See you in Session 2!