June 14-18

Many Eagles have completed the requirements to move up to Level 2 and 3 games by practicing games of various skills.  At each level Eagles have the chance to play solo, multi-player or team games.  This game practice is helping them prepare for the tournament that will happen next week.  

 

In preparation for their Tournament play next week, Squads created battle cries to unite their team before competition.  Squads will be presenting their battle cry to families at Exhibiton, who will then award 30 points to their favorite.  

 

On Wednesday, Eagles chose members of their Squad to play games for the tournament.  Each Eagle is required to play in at least 2 games.  For the tournament, Squads will be challenged to 13 different inside games with each winner earning 10 points for their team.  One team broke their players up by skill, while the other chose players who loved the game.  It will be interesting to see which strategy is the most successful!

 

Each day we end our Games Quest with a reflection.  Friday the Eagles were challenged to think about the importance of referees.  Are they a vital part of the game? Can teams compete and hold each other to the rules on their own?  Should players look to one skilled referee or many unskilled eyes in the audience to resolve conflicts? 

  

One day for closing, Eagles were challenged to a tower building contest.  Eagles could earn points for their team based on 3 different criteria; tallest, coolest design, and strongest structure.  The Eagles had some difficulty creating a structure that would not blow over and had to rebuild their tower many times.  After 8 minutes of work, Team 1 earned 10 points for design and height, while Team 2 earned 30 points for creature a structure that was strong enough to withstand being blown on.  Such a fun way to end the day and practice teamwork! 

 

Another Eagle earned a Level 3 Writer's Workshop Badge!  Layla had to complete 3 Writer's Workshop pieces by taking them all the way through the writing process.  Each piece and part was then turned-in to the Excellence Committee to be checked for excellence.  Next came one of the hardest parts, finding a way to keep track of her approvals in order to earn her badge.  Congratulations Layla on your hard-work, persistance, and organization! 

Next week is our final week here at Acton Academy Amarillo!  Eagles will compete with their Squad in bracket play and celebrate the end of the year. 

June 7-11

In our Games Quest, many Eagles have completed their requirements for Level 1 games and are exploring Level 2.  These games are more challenging, have more complicated rules, and require more strategy or teamwork.  

     

As a team, Eagles can earn points for their Squad by playing team games.  The winning team earns 20 points towards the Squad Cup that will be given to the winning team at the Exhibition.  Many Eagles played Red Rover for their first time ever for a chance to win points for their team. 

The most popular Level 2 game quickly became Dodgeball! The Eagles chose to pick team captains and have the team captains choose members.  The teams then created a middle line and boundaries.  After reading the rules of the game, they have spent over 3 hours this week playing Dodgeball! 

In Writer's Workshop, we are still focusing on reflection.  Each day Eagles are faced with a question that challenges them to think about their choices and experiences during Quest. 

 

On Fridays, Eagles are given multiple questions to answer and have critiqued by their peers.  Most sessions, Eagles are working on one or two pieces to take through the Writing Process.  At the end of this session, they will have a total of 16 different reflections!  Eagles have the choice to handwrite or type their responses, as well as keep them as one document or 16 different pages.  

 

In the last 2 weeks many Eagles have earned Badges! John mastered Khan Early Math and 2nd grade to earn his Level 1 and 2 math badges!  Layla showered mastery in Level 2 math and our first Writer's Workshop badge was earned!  To earn her badge, Grae had to complete multiple Writer's Workshops, have them checked for excellence by the Excellence Committee.  Congraulations on your hard work and perseverance Eagles! 

  

June 1-4

Welcome to Session 7! Our final session of our first year at Acton Academy Amarillo! 

This session is all about games! Eagles are focusing on teamwork, learning new strategies, encouragement, and conflict management.  They are being challenged to games at 3 different levels.  They will move through each level by completing various types of games; strategy, physical, social, and performance. 

    

For this Quest, Eagles are split into 2 different teams, or Squads.  To kick off our session, the Squads were challenged to a Scavenger Hunt.  Each Squad solved clues that lead them to 8 different stations.  At these stations, they completed various games in an attempt to beat the other Squad's score.  

   

In one game, Squads had to stack 55 cups into a tower and unstack it without letting it fall!  One team took 15 minutes and many attempts, but persevered and used teamwork and came up with a strategy to complete the challenge! 

 

Squad 2 is in the lead with 70 points over Squad 1!  But each team displayed excellent teamwork and kindness to earn their Squad 50 points! 

For our Writer's Workshop, we are focusing on reflection.  Digging deep into our thoughts, the reasons for our actions, and how it affects our teammates.  As a group, Eagles are reflecting on their experiences during the Games Quest, then head off to handwrite or type their own thoughts.  

  

On Fridays, Eagles buddy up with their peers to edit and revise their reflections.  As editing and revising buddies, they are challenged to identify one change they recommend their friend should make to his/her work.  

Last session, an Eagle brought up the idea of a Wonderland Night for Acton.  The Eagles unanimously agreed and that Eagle was challenged with finding a date and creating flyers for the studio.  The Eagles went above and beyond by setting up a meeting with Wonderland to donate proceeds of the ticket sells to Acton.  Thursday night, many Eagles met at Wonderland to have fun with their peers outside of the studio.  Such a great idea!