Revel Recap: September 12 - 16, 2022
Spark Studio
Mindfulness
We started our week by visiting our new Affirmation Station in our Mindfulness Corner. We talked about how affirmations are kind, positive words we can repeat to ourselves and how the words we use when speaking to ourselves matter. Together we came up with the example that when something is challenging, instead of saying, "I can't do it," we can say, "I can't do it yet," or "I can do hard things." These words help encourage our brain to think positively, stay confident and keep trying. We took some time to read some of the affirmations we posted on the wall, such as I am important, I am an artist, I am funny, I am kind, I am unique, I am a change-maker, I am patient, I am safe, etc. Then we repeated an affirmation card together about being positive. We said, "I am positive. I am cheerful. I am optimistic. I choose to see the good in every person and every situation. I am positive." We then invited the learners to share how they were positive today. Tuesday and Thursday morning, we enjoyed some quiet colouring while listening to relaxing music. Wednesday, we completed a five-minute workout followed by an alphabet yoga sequence. Friday, we read Zen Pig: The Art of Gratitude, which helped us think about what we are thankful for and make journal entries.
Quest
As we continued to get to know each other, we began to share an essential part of our story this week; our families! We started by reading The Family Book by Todd Parr. This story sparked a conversation about all the different types of families. We completed the next page in our identity booklet, answering the question, "Who is in your family?" The Sparks used playdoh to represent their family members and shared it with the group. Next, we used loose parts to show each other what our homes look like. The learners were so creative and added details using the pieces to create pools, driveways, and trees. On Tuesday, we read Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds. This book helped get us thinking about the question, What does your family like to do together? It also inspired a secret project we will be working on to give to our families at Exhibition! Next, the learners used our play kitchen food to show each other what kind of food they like to eat with their families. On Wednesday, we read Our Class is A Family which talks about how a family doesn't just have to be who you are related to, but also another special group who loves and cares for you. We talked about how we will spend a lot of time together this year and are forming our own studio family. We then collaborated to make a big house, drew our portraits, and put us all together inside! Our book on Thursday was an extraordinary one called, Be Kind. This book examines what it truly means to be kind and gives examples of how we can be kind every day. Our discussion and activity were centred around ensuring we are being kind to our studio family and some promises we can make to each other to provide a welcoming and safe community for all.
French
This week we continued to practice introducing ourselves in French. We coloured unicorns to learn more about our emotions and how to say how we are feeling in French. We also read the book, La doudou et les émotions before we practiced miming each emotion.
Additional Highlights
Wow, our second week was very busy! We began incorporating our daily work periods into our days, making the studio full of active learners, each working with their own materials. The addition board, sandpaper letters and numbers, metal insets, and reading and writing activities were some things the Sparks were working on this week. We also created a daily visual schedule for the learners to know what to expect throughout the day. This year's program has dedicated weekly time to focus on group workshops in math, literacy, and geography. This week in math, we counted from 1-20, reviewed the 1-10 bead stairs, and coloured them in. During geography, we examined the continents and then learned about some of the animals we might find in North America. Our literacy circles saw us reviewing alphabet sounds and also the start of our new story workshop! We looked through a book and discussed the elements of story writing. We talked about how stories have authors, titles, characters, a setting, a beginning, a middle, and an end. We then set to work with a partner or alone to create a story using loose parts as inspiration. The learners were courageous to present these stories to the group. Bravo, writers! In the coming weeks, we will start putting these stories on paper and creating a booklet of all our fantastic writing pieces!
We also shared some of our creative talents this week, completing a pattern art activity with pastels. We also celebrated Dot Day by making our mark and using bingo dabbers for some dot fun! After all of our hard work, the learners also enjoy moments of free play throughout the day. Body breaks, Charades, marble runs, sand table play, coding with Cubetto, playing in the gym, and many other dramatic play activities fill our hearts with joy! On to week three, all about emotions!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness
On Monday morning, the Rebels met to share stories from their weekend and participate in a body scan meditation. The mantra was "I am aware." Next, they met in pairs or small groups for our first "Talk it out Tuesday." Their mindful conversation challenge was to share things they liked about themselves and their partners until everyone had at least five things on their page. For Wonder Wednesday, the Rebels listened to classical music while they coloured Fibonacci patterns. On Thursday, we voted on where to hang our class calendar, so we remember to celebrate special days together. For Feel Good Friday, we completed a PE Yoga Body flow.
Launches
Monday's launch aimed to equip the Rebels with an understanding of Google Sheets and their personalized Core Skills goals. We looked at how our goals for the year help backward plan milestones for each session and how this breaks down further to get us SMART goals for each app for each week. Tuesday morning, the Rebels dove further into the concept of SMART goals and how they can set these in Journey Tracker to earn points and Rebel Bucks. On Wednesday morning, we discussed FLOW. The Rebels' takeaway was that when work is too easy, they might feel bored or distracted, and when work is too hard, they might feel stressed or anxious. This awareness helps them to reflect on their goals and advocate for changes during mentor meetings. On Thursday, we practiced setting more SMART goals in Journey Tracker, and Friday's Current Events report featured: viral reactions to the new Little Mermaid trailer, the change in ownership at Patagonia, and some musical pigs!
Reader/Writer
Welcome to the CAFÉ, Rebel Readers! Each week this session the Rebels will attend a read-aloud to explore strategies which help develop comprehension, accuracy, fluency and vocabulary. This week we read the story of Jabutí and practiced comprehension strategies to "check for understanding." We frequently paused throughout the story to monitor if we understood the "who" and "what" of this trickster tale. Next, the Warrior Writers continued their conversation about metaphor and "The River." They considered the prompts "How does it feel to float in your river?" and "Where is your river flowing?" in their story ideas. During Friday's wrap-up, the Rebels attended a mini-workshop on writing deep sentences. They will apply this skill to their writing next week.
French and Cooking Workshop
This week the Rebels continued to draft sentences about their preferred hobbies and favourite things. They also logged into Duolingo, which they will utilize during Core Skills each week and attended a read aloud after recess. During Thursday's Cooking Workshop, the Rebels worked on translating essential vocabulary for their favourite family recipes.
Math Lab
During Wednesday's lab, the Rebels reviewed the "norms" they want for their math community. These focused on things they like about the studio like working on challenging problems collaboratively, being patient, and sharing materials. Then, they warmed up in teams with Dot Talks. These help us learn to articulate our personal counting and skip-counting strategies. They chose between working on an algebra word problem, a measurement challenge, or a dice riddle for the rest of the time. At Friday's Congress meeting, the Rebels formed groups based on their chosen task, shared their thinking, and approved each other's duotang work. We also used Math Flips to practice and share mental strategies for subtraction within 100.
Civilizations
In Civ this week, the Rebels continued the story of Julius Caesar, discussing his decisions as a leader and his desire to be king. They mapped his journey from Rome to Egypt when he became involved with Cleopatra and noted the methods of travel he would have needed and the bodies of water he travelled on. We also added five more keywords to our Buzzword Bank for the Kahoot challenge at the end of the session!
Quest
To kick off Quest this week, the Rebels explored Journey Tracker and worked through a series of challenges to test its features. First, they had to log in, bookmark the page, and then find a post on the Bulletin Board and comment on it. Next, they had to add the Quest Badge to their Badge Plan and then think of a peer who they thought deserved a Rebel Buck. Tracking their badge work and awarding and asking for Rebel Bucks are two key features they will use throughout the year to hold each other accountable, celebrate success, and peer approve excellent work. On Tuesday they completed a cup stacking challenge with their squads and talked about how to assign roles and make decisions as a team. During Wednesday's discussion, the Rebels reviewed the Peace Table recipe and talked about what to do when they want to repair a relationship after a conflict. On Thursday, the Rebels started a special team mural to go along with the Reader/Writer River project. Their Hero Boards are also coming along beautifully, and they are enjoying making collages of their families, interests, and personal heroes.
Additional Highlights
On Friday the Rebels met with their squads for their first Friday Challenge Donut Check-In. These special meetings are when Rebels share their panic, challenge, and comfort moments from the week and reflect on how to optimize time in the challenge zone. Peer leaders check to ensure all weekly goals are met before Fun Friday. Congratulations, Rebels on an amazing second week and learning more about yourself and how to manage your workload!
Exploration Studio
Overnight Camp Experience
What a week! After arriving by bus at the Bonnenfant Y Outdoor Education and Leadership Centre on Monday, Rebels put their gear in their cabins and got together for some team-building games. (The counsellors were greatly impressed with out-of-the-box solutions never before seen in their years of playing these games!) We then split up to participate in various low ropes courses, canoeing, and shelter and fire-building activities for the remainder of the day. After dinner, there was a giant game of Man Hunt, a Tug of War bracket challenge, reading, and card games. While many of us didn't have the best night of sleep on night one, the Rebels were ready for another full day of fun activities on Tuesday. We started with orienteering and archery and then went to kayaking and the climbing wall. It rained pretty hard while one group was in the water kayaking, but they all handled it like champs, having fun and racing through the downpour. Due to the wet nature of the afternoon, learners chose to forgo the second fire-building session and play games in the chalet instead. There was an epic game of Catan, poker, Five Crowns, Cards Against Humanity (Family edition), and more! After a much better night's sleep, the Rebels could be found running all over the site playing Man Hunt or playing cards on Wednesday morning in the dining room. After breakfast, we took on the Dangle-A-Maze, a high ropes course that pushed most learners out of their comfort zone. After a game of Ace Master, we packed up the bus and headed back to Revel.
Besides getting a chance to try out many fun activities, we got to know one another better; our likes, dislikes, preffered schedule, and personal needs. We also witnessed several firsts that took incredible courage. Way to go, Rebels!
Quest
Learners were introduced to their Hero Board project, in which they will create a display about who they are, who they want to be, and their plan for getting there. We began by taking a Love Language quiz to understand how we best receive love. Afterward, learners wrote their language on the board. We discussed each language and how knowing our friends' and family's love language(s) could help us demonstrate our feelings, support, and communicate more effectively.
Every person who walks into Revel Academy has a special gift that will change the world. However, sometimes we have difficulty seeing ourselves as others do. Rebels were therefore asked to call, email, or ask five people who know them well the following questions. "What talents or gifts do I have that you rarely see in anyone else?" and "If you used just one word to describe a role or job in which I could use these talents or gifts, what would it be?" On Monday, we will discuss if there were any trends or surprising responses that we'd like to share. We also thought about who we look up to most. Rebels came up with four to five heroes, and for each one, they chose one or two character traits that they admired most about them.
Community Service
Next week we will meet with three different community members who will be telling us more about their organization or problems that are concerning for our learners. Exploration Rebels came up with questions they would like to ask each visitor to prepare for the visits. On Monday, we will meet with Sharon Boddy to discuss the work that needs to be done on Carlington Hill regarding Buckthorn, an invasive species, and the work she is doing in Hampton Park. Tuesday, we will have the opportunity to interview Shawna Thibodeau of Shawna's Outreach, who won the 2022 Max Keeping Humanitarian Award. Wednesday, Christie Byvelds will speak with us about mental health and how we can help others, especially our friends.
Civilization
This week we discussed how our views of the universe have changed over the past thousand years. From geocentric to heliocentric and beyond, we learned about Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Keller, and other scientists' contributions to our current understanding as well as the role of advancing technology in new discoveries. As the learners completed their research about the Big Bang, we quickly realized that there are so many questions we don't have answers to at this time. Next week we will tackle stars, the elements, and the periodic table.
Additional Highlights
We continued our read-aloud of When the Mountain Meets the Moon, and the Rebels enjoyed how as we got further into the book, cookie crumbs from earlier chapters were mentioned in another context, adding to the story. As we get closer to the book's conclusion, more predictions are also being made.
Friday's launch was all about Rejection Therapy! After discussing our own fears about rejection, we introduced Jia Jiang's 100 Days of Rejection Project and watched a few of his experiments. Learners loved the attempt to race bikes with an employee at Toys R Us, the ask to get behind the counter at Subway to make his sandwich, and the idea of the "Burger Refill."
During our coding block, we explored the site we will be using more and completed an input/output identification activity based on a few different apps before coming up with an idea for their own app. Some great ideas seemed scaleable, helpful, and fun!
Next week we will be getting back to a more normal studio routine as we conduct Mentor Meetings and work on goal setting for the session and the year.
Launchpad
Overnight Camp Experience
Launchpad Rebels also participated in our first Overnight Camp experience at the Bonnenfant Y Outdoor Education and Leadership Centre. (See the section in Exploration Studio) Watching our oldest learners bond with Rebels in the Exploration Studio and show great leadership qualities throughout the week was fun!
Course Work
The Launchpad Rebels are devouring their first Deep Books, with one currently writing their review and another making quick progress on their novel. Learners also continued their Chemistry review with their lessons on atomic structure, Bohr-Rutherford diagrams, and Lewis Dot Diagrams. During our coding block, Rebels learned more about inputs and outputs before coming up with an idea for their own app. (To protect their intellectual property, ask your learner about what they came up with!) One learner met with their online Spanish class for the first time this week, where they reviewed introduction and greeting vocabulary, grammar, and Costa Rica culture.
This week in Civ, we discussed how our views of the universe have changed over the past thousand years. From geocentric to heliocentric and beyond, we learned about Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Keller, and other scientists' contributions to our current understanding and the role of advancing technology in discoveries. As the learners completed their research about the Big Bang, we quickly realized there are so many questions we don't yet have answers for at this time. Next week we will tackle stars, the elements, and the periodic table.
Next week we will return to a more normal studio schedule with more time for group discussions, goal setting, and additional course work.
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask your Rebel:
Spark
What is your favourite thing to do together as a family?
What do you like to do with your classroom family? What promises do you think you should make as a group in the studio?
Can you tell us about the story you created using loose parts? Did you make it alone or with a friend?
French: Can you mime an emotion for me?
Discovery
Who is your squad leader, and how was your first Friday Challenge Donut meeting?
Which Core Skills put you in the panic, challenge or comfort zones?
What is your Rebel Buck balance? Is it harder to earn them or keep them?
Could you show me how to set a SMART goal in Journey Tracker?
Exploration
Which force was more important in changing the way people view our universe?
Advances in technology like the telescope,
Great individual thinkers like Ptolemy, Galileo, Keller, and Newton
Collective learning, with ideas being shared, preserved, and built over time
What is your love language? Did your results surprise you?
When were you in your comfort, challenge, and panic zone at camp? How did you handle each situation?
Launchpad
Does the modern view of the origin of the universe completely contradict the origin stories of faith, or is science a different way to think about the universe than religion?
What was the most challenging aspect of your Leadership Camp experience?
Have you chosen what you’d like to do for your Service Project this year?
Dates of Interest in Session 1
School Terry Fox Run Friday, September 23rd
“Perfectionism: How to Stop Moving the Goalposts” - Online talk given by Dr. Matt Zakreski from 8-9pm on Tuesday, September 27th (Zoom link to be sent in advance)
Truth and Reconciliation Day and Orange Shirt Day - Friday, September 30th
Babysitting Course through Safety Tree - Sunday, October 2nd
Clean Up the Capital Campaign - Tuesday, October 4th
Session 1 Exhibitions
Discovery: Tuesday, October 4th at 4:15 pm
Spark: Wednesday, October 5th at 4:15 pm
Exploration: Thursday, October 6th at 4:15 pm
Sessional Break - October 11th - 14th
Rebel/Grown-Up/Guide Meetings for Spark and Discovery (coming in Session 2/November) - We are happy to meet sooner if you would like, but this will give the Rebels a chance to take more ownership of their Goal Trackers and routines.