How Do We Keep Purpose At The Forefront Of Everything We Do?- Year 3, Week 35
Another week down and getting close to Summer Break!
Our learners had a big week leading up to testing and completing their final work for the year! Lots of fun to be had also with some exciting field trips coming up fast and some exciting visitors in our Spark Studio!
spark studio
Don’t count the days, make the days count. -anonymous
Our days have been filled with adventure. We spent time with Bee Downtown absorbing information about honey bees and how they work. Did you know bees do a special waggle dance to share information about the direction and distance to patches of flowers.
We had an expert Entomologist/ Herpetologist guest share his knowledge with us. He even brought 2 chameleons with him. A chameleon’s tongue is roughly twice the length of its body. It just so happens that their diet consists of the several bugs we have been observing.
We are working on our final presentations for Exhibition. Everyone is so excited and we look forward to sharing what we’ve learned with you on Thursday morning.
elementary studio
This week elementary heroes got a visit from GA Tech Engineering TA Mr. Warren Borders. He was able to give our heroes valuable feedback on their coasters as well as encouragement on how they will use all of their Physics knowledge in life. Hero’s coaster failures are nothing more than small pain points that they are learning to overcome. This year we talked so much about the design process and failure being part of that. Heroes are becoming more resilient by the day.
We also completed our After Action Reviews, where heroes reflected on their year at The Forest School. We gave 360 feedback to our fellow heroes and also completed a self-reflection survey that celebrated our “Glows and Grows”. Both of these reflection pieces offer heroes a chance to look inward at what they accomplished over the year and what they feel like they could improve on. The 360 survey gives heroes a chance to give feedback to their fellow heroes about how they interact with one another and what is working well and not so well in the studio. Look for an email from your learner with the AAR attached, asking for a time you all can discuss them.
Finally, we are wrapping up the year with an exciting visit from Dude Perfect! Heroes were given the opportunity to form a tunnel and cheer for Dude Perfect as they exited the building. In addition to cheering them on, “Ahead” heroes had the chance to create a video and be chosen as one of the lucky winners to talk to Dude Perfect about The Forest School. Elementary had 5 winners chosen!
middle school studio
Do you remember study hall?
Well, this week had some serious study hall vibes. Most of the MS learners were out completing apprenticeship hours. Those that came into school had time (lots and lots of time) to catch up on Badge work, get ahead for next year, pursue passion projects, or start on some end of year deep cleaning.
It was a quiet week, and a much needed time for learners to *crank* some work ahead of next week's badge submission deadline (reminder: all Badge work must be submitted by May 28th).
We're looking forward to wrapping up the year! This Saturday marks the graduation and end of year celebration (hope to see you there!). Next Thursday (May 27th) will be our final exhibition of the year and will provide learners a chance to gather their Dream Teams (virtually) and share the latest on their goals and progress. And then, we have a few days to bring our school year to a close.
high school studio
here are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind. – C.S. Lewis
Graduation in the United States is a rite of passage. Seniors whether in college or high school are graduating everywhere in the country; walking across the stage showcasing their accomplishments over the past 2 to 4 years. This weekend we will join those around the world as we celebrate two of our own, Maia Williams and Sarah Grace Drake. Please join us Saturday, May 22 from 10 AM to 11:15 as we commemorate the accomplishments of these two wonderful young women.
This week was jam packed as heroes work to complete all course work, badges, and mastery credits before next Tuesday. As we wrap up the psychology Quest, heroes ended the week dissecting cognitive dissonance, taking a look back at all of the psychology topics covered, and completed the end of the year reflection answering some of the following questions:
Choose three words to define your past year
Pick a word to symbolize and define the year ahead
List three things you love about myself
List three things you dare to discover
List three things you will have the power to say no to moving forward
Next year I will not procrastinate any more on
Next year I will say yes when..
Next year I advise myself to...
Next year will be special for me because...
Steve Jobs, once said, “Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Remember, as we close the school year, keep purpose at the forefront of everything you do!
-Onward
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