The Weekly Newsletter
Week 38, July 10-14
Welcome to our very last week of school! This week was a total blast. We learned all about both astronomy and astrology while digging deep into our question of the year- is truth discovered or created? It was so fun to end the year with a space-themed week where we got to explore the science and wonders of the universe by becoming astronomers and doing research on celestial bodies; then changing gears and learning about the art and language astrology and the beliefs within it.
Here’s a look into our week!:
On Monday we launched our astronomy quest! On this day the students broke off into teams to be researchers in a specialized area of astronomy. We got to see some pretty amazing presentations here- about the solar system, galaxies, cosmology, and stars! After this we played a fun game of astronomy Jeopardy!
On Tuesday we explored the scale of the solar system by creating our own, HUMAN, solar system! Through an awesome app, we were able to represent the sun as a 1/2 inch object. From here, the app configured the distance of each tiny, pinpoint-sized planet from it. It was so incredible seeing the solar system through this scale, and to imagine how vast everything is and how crazy far away and huge the planets are! I loved this activity. Afterwards we watched an awesome video where a group of people did the same exercise, but out in the desert and on an even bigger scale.
Wednesday was dress up as your favorite hero day!
We also explored our birth charts on Wednesday and Thursday. The students did research on each of the zodiac signs, who is what sign, and what each sign means. The students recreated their birth charts using whatever medium and materials they wanted!
We talked a lot this week about our question of the year. When studying astronomy and thinking about the universe and its vastness, it can feel a bit overwhelming. Some questions we asked each other were: since you all believe that science and that the findings within science are truths…is it discovered or created? There were so many different opinions and answers to this dense and challenging question!
On Thursday we had our FINAL shell shop and marshmallow shooter battle. It was a great day where everyone got to be in the studios for the last time this year, and do lots of collaborative and fun stuff.
We celebrated three birthdays this week! Violet’s – whose birthday is in August, Reese’s – whose is on Saturday, and mine was on Friday! Reese and Violet are two brilliant, strong, hardworking, and beautiful young women who we all love very much. It was so nice to be able to celebrate them and thank them for all their lovely gifts they bring to the world. And I am very thankful for all of the love and support I get year round from this community, so thank you!
Friday was our last day of school, and it was at the beach. Thanks to everyone who came and had all of the fun with us. We did a yarn circle, played some volleyball, the “ball game”, and got to break open a piñata (thanks Sean)!
I am so excited for this next step in everyone’s journeys, wherever they may take us all. That’s one of the things I love about our school: how we are all on such different paths yet can find so many familiarities in each other. We are a melting pot of personalities and souls that happen to have a thing or two in common- we are lifelong learners and are curious about the unexplored roads before us!
Thank you so much for everything! Have a wonderful summer!
