September 20-24

Eagles are wrapping up their Fantasy stories and have begun the process of editing and revising.  Tuesday, Eagles were introduced to the process we use here at Acton Amarillo called Peer Critiques.  Writers ask a friend to give warm and cool feedback on their writing that will help improve the finished piece.  This is one step of the writing process that Eagles must complete to earn their Fantasy Badge. 

This week Eagles added Collaborative time to their Core Skills block.  Together, they decided to sign up on a whiteboard when you need help and a fellow traveler has the opportunity to sign up to assist.  This includes getting help with computer problems, assistance on math or language arts programs, and asking a friend to critique their writing.  

 

At Acton we don't have grades or tests, instead we have badges! Each Eagle has their own Badge Plan that displays where they came in and their progress so far.  This week, Eagles spent time looking at the requirements for any Badges they have left to earn.  All of this is easily tracked and organized by Eagles in their online Journey Tracker. 

To check Badges for excellence, our Excellence Committee was established on Thursday.  These 3 friends have the tough task of checking Eagles' submitted work.  They then assess excellence by 4 standards; is it my best work, is it better than before, how does it compare to world-class examples, and is it ready for Exhibition?  If all components submitted are to excellence, the committee awards the Eagle their badge. 

Art Portfolios are finally complete and ready to store artwork for the year.  Eagles were given the chance to share 3 things they liked about their art and the part they are most proud of.  Such a great opporunity to get to know one another. 

 

Next week is our last week of the session and our Exhibition! Eagles are excited to showcase their new learning programs, implemented processes, and the Lip Dub they created.  Hope to see you Friday at 9am! 

September 13-17

Harry Potter, James and the Giant Peach, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Alice in Wonderland.  These titles have all provided inspiration for our fantasy stories.  Eagles are currently in the process of engaging their readers through exciting hooks and descriptive details.  We have Eagles writing stories about sophisticated foxes with magical top hats, chip-shooting machine guns, and missing people at sea.  So excited to hear their published pieces! 

  

This week, Eagles began setting goals to guide their work in Core Skills.  We are practing making sure our goals are SMART- specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and tough.  Eagles have learned a lot about themselves and the programs they are using by creating their own goals.  We've heard "yesterday's goal was too easy because I chose not to work hard" and "I surprised myself by exceeding my goal by 7 units, now I know I can make tougher goals!" 

 

At tables, Eagles are paired up with a Squad- a group of 3 Eagles who help each other make challenging, achievable goals and reflect on their completion.  At Acton, we are continually working to remove the Guide and move the tough job of mentoring, pushing, and holding one another accountable to the Eagles. 

 

One thing that makes Acton different is no adult cleans our studio, instead the learners are tasked with keeping their work and play areas in prestine condition.  The first week of school they created a list of all the tasks to be completed each day.  Eagles work together with their Squads to assure their daily area is up to the Acton standard of Excellence. 

Friday was our first Town Hall of the year.  This is a time for Eagles to bring ideas, problems, solutions, and celebrations to their peers.  This week, Eagles chose to implement a 'studio supply request form' to relay needed supplies to the owners.  We also have a new weekly tradition of Show and Tell on Wednesday afternoons! The Eagles are already planning what they're bringing! 

Sept 6-10

At Acton, learners have access to technology for most of the day.  Before using their computers, Eagles had a few challenges to complete first. They had to learn about internet safety, prove they knew the technology guardrails, and show they are able to login to their various programs without assistance.  Eagles then had the chance to begin exploring and start working on the programs they will be using this year.  

   

Each moment of the day, Eagles are practicing following their Provisional Contract and holding one another accountable to their list of promises.  This contract was modified and signed by the Eagles during the first week.  Over the next 3 weeks, Eagles will be working to create their very own contract.  This contract will serve as the foundation of their studio, a list of promises they have made to each other to keep their studio sacred.  Their finished contract will be signed during a ceremonial moment at the 1st Exhibition. 

The Eagles began a sweet, new tradition to celebrate birthdays in our studio.  This morning we started with a 'Birthday Campfire,' sharing kind words about our Birthday Eagle with him.  The Eagle took home his sweet notes and closed out our day with a book, game, or video of his choice.  Such a special way to celebrate our Eagles' special days!  

 Another sweet tradition we began this week are Character Callouts.  This is a special time in our studio where Eagles have the chance to give a studio-wide shoutout about a peer they saw contributing to their community in a possible way.  The Eagles decided to celebrate each Eagle by clapping for them before the next Eagle shared.  These Eagles have been stepping up and contributing to the studio by being kind, responsible, brave, hard-working, persistant, and helpful.  Way to go Eagles! 

Our Quest this session is Build the Tribe, focusing on creating a community where Eagles feel safe, loved, and welcome by all!  Therefore, three times a week in our Quest block we are discussing ways we can contribute to our new community.  These topics include the importance of being kind to others, how to correctly apologize, and the difference between being a hero and a victim.  Eagles then put their discussion into practice by playing board games with different groups of Eagles.  

 

We began art and PE this week and the eagles are loving it! In art, they are working to create a portfolio that displays who they are and will hold their work for the year.  In PE, Eagles are working on body control, form, teamwork, and following directions by completing workouts and playing team games. 

Year 2- Aug 30-Sept3

Such a great start to our 2nd year at Acton Academy Amarillo! We have had a busy week of team building, lip-dub filming, and figuring out how Acton works.  

 Since Monday, the Eagles have been hard at work on their Lip Dub- a studio-wide lip sync video.  Before school started Eagles sent in their vote for the Lip Dub song, choosing “Best Day of My Life” by the American Authors.

Twenty-one Eagles worked together to memorize lines, choreograph dance moves, create a video path, designate performer spots, create a plan for videoing, and practiced until they felt ready to record.  The Eagles then began their week-long process of filming, critiquing their work, making changes, then filming again....and again...and again. 

    

To assure their finished piece was excellent and ready for Exhibition, the Eagles created a rubric of what their excellent final product would look like.  For our group this included seeing all performer's faces, lip singing matching the words, big dance moves, and everyone being serious.  

Friday morning the Eagles recorded 2 more takes and decided they had an excellent production worthy of showing their family and community.  

Be sure to come to our Exhibition on October 1st to see their hard work! 

We have been practicing working together as a community, using kind words, and problem solving by playing various games.  Eagles have been challenged to walk across a chocolate river, hop as a group while attached by hands and feet, build a replica tower of blocks, and complete a scavenger hunt. Learning through games is so much fun!