Eagles enjoyed a wonderful Session 3! Learners participated in a community service project of making No-Sew blankets to donate to local organizations that serve many individuals in need. In their designated studios, Eagles studied holidays around the world, learned about the process of naturalization that immigrants go through to move to the United States, explored various artistic mediums, and created infographics. Eagles also enjoyed getting into the holiday spirit during their Spirit Week of dressing up in festive and seasonal attire. Brief as this session was, learners filled up each minute with meaningful service, hard work, and a good deal of holiday cheer!
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Sparks Studio
Session 3 Newsletter
Monday, December 2 - Friday, December 20, 2024
Hello Acton Friends and Family!
Session 3 was an exciting time of holiday celebrations, expanding usage of computer learning platforms, and gaining an understanding of how to tell time in different regions of the world. Sparks also continued cultivating healthy studio habits by reviewing and reinforcing listening and problem-solving skills in kind and effective ways.
Systems and Contract Building
Sparks took a deeper look at how to honor our studio contract and each other by discussing and posting visual reminders around the studio. These posters illustrate how to take care of our space and ourselves in a respectful manner. Our learners have been practicing using inside voices, walking feet, kind words, and polite manners to help each day flow as successfully as possible for each Eagle.
Holidays Around the World Quest
Session 3’s Quest studying how many different countries around the world celebrate winter holidays was meaningful. Sparks learned about various traditions and customs practiced around the world, each in their own unique fashion. These celebrations included Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Diwali, Christmas, Winter Solstice, Las Posadas, and St. Lucia Day. Eagles enjoyed choosing a holiday to focus on and integrating with telling time as they made their own festive clocks!
CORE
Sparks have continued developing their Reading, Writing, and Math skills. Learners are gaining an understanding of the parts of speech as they improve their ability to distinguish between nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Others are expanding further upon these skills by identifying adverbs, pronouns, and prepositions. Sparks are also practicing differentiating between long and short vowel sounds, along with expanding their vocabularies. Furthermore, our Eagles are counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s as they explore multiples of numbers.
Sparks have all started using Nessy and Dreambox during computer learning time to enhance their digital literacy, along with their reading and math skills. Nessy helps Sparks practice phonics and spelling, while Dreambox helps learners build mathematical expressions when it comes to addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
Discovery Time
Discovery time has Sparks expanding their understanding of digraphs and consonant blends in a hands-on way as they use wooden letters and diagram cards to create words. Eagles have also been using small hand-held clocks to practice telling time and counting beads to group numbers into tens, hundreds, and thousands.
Geography: Antarctica & The Arctic
Sparks had a wonderful time learning about the climate and animal life of the frozen regions of the world. Our learners loved discovering what penguins, polar bears, walruses, reindeer, arctic foxes, beluga whales, and snowy owls eat and how they live in such cold habitats. Eagles also found it fascinating that the South and North Poles are in such different time zones from us.
Physical Education
Sparks have continued taking turns being our gym leader each day as they lead each other in warm-up exercises such as planking, frog jumps, crab walks, and hopping on one foot. After this, learners have played highly active winter-themed games. Our Eagles even created their own version of dodge ball called “Snowball” which involves rolling volleyballs across the court to “freeze” each other until a teammate can come and save their frozen friend!
Music
Music with Ms. Prezleigh was a lively time of singing well-known Christmas songs during the month of December. Sparks loved rehearsing these beloved carols as they got into the holiday spirit and practiced for the Exhibition. Eagles had a memorable experience singing along with their families to wrap up the third session.
Art
In Art, Sparks enjoyed creating winter-inspired artwork, such as 3D winter wonderland pictures, snow globes in a bag, and making instant snow! Learners loved adding water to an Insta-snow powder to bring their winter artwork to life!
Holiday Party
Sparks loved joining the Elementary and Middle School studios as they celebrated the holiday season on the last day of the session! From a delicious catered lunch to a plethora of festive games, to a Secret Santa gift exchange, it was a wonderful time for all.
Volunteering: No-Sew Blanket and Coat Drive
One of the highlights of this session was the Eagles’ community service project making No-Sew Blankets. These blankets were created with love and care to donate to two local organizations supporting individuals in need. The Eagles set a goal of surpassing last year’s total of 55 blankets, and they did just that, with a total of 60 blankets made and donated. The Eagles embodied the spirit of giving and worked together to make a positive impact. Additionally, the Eagles supported a coat drive, ensuring that warm winter clothing was provided to those who needed it most during the cold season. Their collective generosity and teamwork were a reminder of the importance of service and caring for others.
Badges
Sparks earned many badges in Session 3. These include their new computer program badges for Nessy and Dreambox, along with many others, such as Studio Maintenance, Reading, Writing, Math, and Quest. Our Eagles also continued to make an effort in Gym, Art, and Music throughout the session.
Exhibition
Session 3’s Exhibition was an opportunity for Eagles to share what they had been learning about holidays around the world, telling time, and different time zones across the globe. Sparks played memory games and completed crosswords and word searches with their families to demonstrate what they had been learning about the Poles and telling time.
Closing Statements
Sparks have continued to grow and learn throughout Session 3 and we are looking forward to all that the next session will bring! Thank you as always for your continued support!
Elementary School Studio
Session 3 Newsletter
Monday, December 2 - Friday, December 20, 2024
Hello Acton Friends and Family!
ES Eagles accomplished so much during the course of this three week session! In Quest, learners studied Citizenship and the various challenges immigrants face in order to become citizens. In Writer’s Workshop, Eagles practiced the art of giving a pitch strong enough to convince others to choose a trip of their liking. Eagles also participated in a service project involving giving back to the community. Furthermore, ES learned about how different holidays are celebrated around the world during this time of the year.
Citizenship Quest
Eagles started this session’s quest by listening to real stories and challenges of immigrants who migrated to the U.S. and became citizens through the process of naturalization. Eagles were assigned the task of imagining that they themselves were from a different country. ES learners were challenged to study for the same civics test that many immigrants need to take as part of their naturalization process. Eagles also had fun completing challenges like creating their own application as they put themselves in the place of an immigrant. Furthermore, Eagles memorized our country’s national anthem, all 50 states, the presidents, and much more!
Writers Workshop
Eagles were very excited about this session’s assignment for Writer’s Workshop. ES learners were challenged to “Pitch a Trip” for our next session's field trip! Eagles began by listening to examples and using persuasive methods to each create their own convincing pitch. Next, learners started brainstorming to develop the best trip idea that they could design. ES learned the importance of appealing to their audience by creating a powerful hook. Eagles practiced their pitches with one another, giving warm and cool feedback to help sharpen the writing abilities of their peers. Finally, learners were ready to present their pitches at Exhibition so that parents could take a vote on the most convincing pitch!
Music
During Music this session, Ms. Prezleigh and the Eagles rehearsed holiday carols to sing with their families at Exhibition as a way to all share in the spirit of Christmas together! Eagles enjoyed singing some of their holiday favorites which made for a cheerful opening to this session’s Exhibition.
Physical Education
During P.E., Eagles continued to improve their mile times. ES was also challenged to learn the importance of Sportsmanship. Learners participated in both team and partner-based relay races. ES even teamed up with the Middle School studio for a game of “Capture the Flag”. During their races, Eagles practiced teamwork and cheered for their team members. After each race or game, learners were encouraged to shake hands and compliment their opponents on playing a good game. Practicing this attitude of sportsmanship motivated the Eagles to approach winning or losing with grace.
Festivities: Secret Santa, White Elephant, and Holiday Party
The holiday season was filled with plenty of joy and laughter as the Eagles took part in several festive activities. The Secret Santa gift exchange brought thoughtful gifts, each carefully selected, based upon the interests of the recipient.
Eagles also participated in Spirit Week by dressing up for themed days to celebrate the season. The final event of the session was a holiday party with a catered lunch, where the learners reflected on their hard work throughout the session and celebrated their accomplishments and the holidays with their peers.
Volunteering: No-Sew Blanket and Coat Drive
One of the highlights of this session was the Eagles’ community service project making No-Sew Blankets. These blankets were created with love and care to donate to two local organizations supporting individuals in need. The Eagles set a goal of surpassing last year’s total of 55 blankets, and they did just that, with a total of 60 blankets made and donated. The Eagles embodied the spirit of giving and worked together to make a positive impact. Additionally, the Eagles supported a coat drive, ensuring that warm winter clothing was provided to those who needed it most during the cold season. Their collective generosity and teamwork were a reminder of the importance of service and caring for others.
Exhibition
Exhibition was an opportunity for Eagles to share with their families all that they had learned about immigrants taking on the process of naturalization in order to become U.S. citizens. Learners shared with their parents the steps they took in order to prepare for the Naturalization Test. Eagles had great fun challenging their parents to take the same test! ES Eagles also performed “The Star Spangled Banner”, recited “The Pledge of Allegiance”, and more! Learners put forth much effort, time, and planning into this session’s Quest.
Conclusion
We are proud of ES Eagles for the hard work they poured into their studies, quest, and physical education during Session 3. Learners have also made progress in their core work, celebrated the holiday season while exploring festivities that take place globally, and have participated in a meaningful service project by helping create no-sew blankets. This session was certainly filled with significant growth socially and academically.
Wishing families a wonderful holiday season and looking forward to welcoming Eagles back in January for Session 4!
Middle School Studio
Session 3 Newsletter
Monday, December 2 - Friday, December 20, 2024
Hello Acton Friends and Family!
Our MS Eagles accomplished so much, both academically and creatively during Session 3. Despite the short time frame of just three weeks, the Eagles embraced the challenge, immersing themselves in various exciting activities. From the tradition of the No-Sew Blanket service project to tackling their weekly Art Quest challenges, the Eagles demonstrated incredible effort and spirit.
Genre: Research and Outline
Session 3 brought Eagles back to the basics of writing: outlines. The Eagles focused on developing their skills in research and essay outlines to strengthen their abilities as writers moving into the new year. They worked through three types of essays in their Genre: an informative humanities essay, an informative science essay, and finally, a persuasive essay. The topic for each essay style was chosen independently by the learner based on their individual interests.
The MS Eagles demonstrated their knowledge with Acton families by challenging them to craft their own outline at the Exhibition. These essay projects helped the Eagles hone in on their research abilities, refine their organizational skills, and prepare for the larger writing challenges ahead.
Quest: Art Quest
In addition to their writing projects, the Eagles participated in Acton’s Art Quest. This year’s focus was on exploring various artistic mediums to discover which medium resonates most with each learner’s artistic style. They explored mediums such as abstract, scrapbooking, and landscape art. The Eagles took this Quest to heart, ensuring that their work represented a deeper part of them, revealing not only their strengths and passions but also their weaknesses. The culmination of their efforts was showcased during the Exhibition, where each Eagle presented a portfolio that demonstrated their experience as artists.
The MS Studio also participated in a Side Quest where they created Infographics on different winter holidays. Maintaining an open-minded energy in the studio is important to Acton's philosophy, and we were grateful to practice this through these infographics.
Music
In keeping with the festive spirit, the MS Eagles put on a special Christmas performance! This event brought together the joy of the season with musical creativity. The Eagles showcased their talents, making it a memorable occasion for all involved. Their energy and enthusiasm filled the studio with holiday cheer, and the performance was the perfect way to wrap up the session before the Winter Break.
Festivities: Secret Santa, White Elephant, and Holiday Party
The holiday season was filled with plenty of joy and laughter as the Eagles took part in several festive activities. The Secret Santa gift exchange brought thoughtful gifts, each carefully selected based on the interests of the recipient. Additionally, the MS Eagles held their own White Elephant gift exchange, which resulted in much laughter as they traded quirky and amusing gifts.
The Eagles participated in Spirit Week, dressing up for themed days to celebrate the season. The final event of the session was a holiday party with a catered lunch, where the learners reflected on their hard work throughout the session and celebrated their accomplishments, and the holidays, with their peers.
Volunteering: No-Sew Blanket and Coat Drive
One of the highlights of this session was the Eagles’ community service project making No-Sew Blankets. These blankets were created with love and care to donate to two local organizations supporting individuals in need. The Eagles set a goal of surpassing last year’s total of 55 blankets, and they did just that, with a total of 60 blankets made and donated. The Eagles embodied the spirit of giving and worked together to make a positive impact. Additionally, the Eagles supported a coat drive, ensuring that warm winter clothing was provided to those who needed it most during the cold season. Their collective generosity and teamwork were a reminder of the importance of service and caring for others.
Exhibition
The culmination of the Art Quest was the Exhibition on December 19th. The Eagles proudly presented their portfolios, each showcasing their personal artistic journey. From magnified art to sculpting, the exhibition was a testament to the creativity and dedication of the learners. After demonstrating their work, Eagles challenged their families to create their own piece of art!
The Eagles also demonstrated their progress in essay development by displaying their 3 complete outlines. They then guided parents through the outline organization process as they built their own outlines based on an example essay. Parents and peers alike enjoyed seeing the work that the Eagles had poured their hearts into, and the Exhibition was a fitting end to the session’s artistic endeavors.
Closing
As Session 3 comes to a close, we reflect on all that the MS Eagles have achieved. From their academic progress during CORE, in writing, and in art, to the joy and generosity shown through their holiday celebrations and community service projects, this session was filled with growth, laughter, and a sense of togetherness.
We wish all our families a wonderful holiday season and look forward to welcoming our Eagles back in January for Session 4. Happy holidays and a merry new year to all!
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