The Weekly Newsletter
Week 3, September 18-22
Hello! Welcome back everyone. This week flew by and the Eagles were so awesome with the transition into a busy week of core skills and project time. There were a few launches into new quests and a good amount of work to do, and we had a great time navigating through it all together.
On Monday we started the week with conditioning. We use this time to strengthen our bodies and minds for the biannual olympics. It’s also so valuable for practicing skills in the current PE sport, which right now is Quidditch!
We launched journaling and geography this week too!
For the journaling badge, the Eagles write a weekly journal. Each week they are given a prompt, which can be anything from writing about a dream they had to giving their input on a current event to describing their ideal vacation. Journaling is an excellent tool to sharpen one’s writing and to think reflectively and critically. This week we wrote letters to our future selves which is something we do at the beginning of every year. At the end of the year we look back on these letters and reflect on the changes we’ve gone through and accomplishments we’ve made since writing the letters.
The launchpad and navigator studios launched binders and badges this week. Independent Learner binders, Running Partner binders, and lastly Socratic Learner binders are requirements for completing a studio. Each binder has a series of challenges to complete that prepares Eagles to be independent, self-directed, able to hold their fellow travelers accountable, guide others, and be able to live in a socratic environment in all aspects of their lives.
We also launched learning style analysis this week! Every year we take quizzes to find out what type of learners we all are so that we can better understand ourselves and each other. It’s always so interesting to explore and to see if we change throughout the years. The types of learning styles are broken up into three categories: kinesthetic, auditory, and visual.
For history the navigators and launchpad studio read their first chunk of Hamilton and answered deep socratic questions which they brought to their weekly history discussion at the end of the week. They were also introduced to the overarching history question: “What changes the world? Ideas or events?”. The foundation and navigator transition students learned about early Colonial America and what life was like for colonists entering a new land. We did an activity where the students acted as stockholders and invested money into the three ships that sailed to America. It required swindling and poker faces, and we had a ton of fun with it!
For project time throughout the week the Eagles sharpened their technique and strategy during the Chess Quest. There’s been so much collaboration both online and offline and everyone is really developing their personal identities as chess players!
That’s all for this week! We look forward to another fun and packed week starting Monday, with a beach day on Friday to end the week!
