Year 1 Session 2 (11/20/20)
Hello Aim Academy Families,
And just like that— Session 2 is in the books! Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to the Exhibition of Learning today. The Exhibition Planning Committee, as well as the entire Aim Academy community, put in a significant amount of time, energy and effort into planning, preparing and executing the Exhibition. It is a responsibility they take quite seriously— they want to put out the best product possible.
Before we dive into the details of the Exhibition, let’s touch on some of the highlights from the final week of Session 2—
The Eagles battled through two more rounds of the Chess tournament on Monday and Wednesday. Several Eagles also focused their efforts on completing the final requirements to earn their Chess Quest badge. These included notating a full game of chess, carefully reviewing a notated game of chess with a partner and completing 3 “Your Move” challenges.
Last week at Town Hall, the Eagles recommitted to uphold the promise to be diligent in their work. This week, there was a noticeable difference in intentionality during Core Skills time. To cite an objective measure— the Yacker Tracker only went off a couple times per day. This is down from it going off 19 times in one day last week. The Eagles again demonstrate their ability to get back up after a setback in their Hero’s Journey.
At the beginning of Session 2, the Eagles chose an Aim Academy Attribute to be the “superpower” that they focus on developing throughout the entire session. On Monday, the Eagles reflected on their progress in honing this superpower. They discussed if and how their superpower had improved, whether chess had made an impact on other aspects of their lives and whether chess will play a role in their Hero’s Journey. It was inspiring to hear the Eagles speak candidly about the significance of honesty in relationships, the role of courage in holding others accountable and the importance of creativity in self-expression.
On Tuesday, the Montessori Eagles and the ES/MS Eagles had separate morning launches. Mr. Daniel and the Montessori Eagles talked about intentionality. They discussed what it means to be intentional as well as what it looks and feels like. They finished the discussion by committing to one way that they could be intentional that day. Right after the launch, all three Montessori Eagles went straight to the activity they committed to doing. We’d call that intentionality!
The ES/MS Eagles and Mr. Lance recounted the story of Captain Sully Sullenberger— whose miraculous water landing saved the lives of the 155 passengers on UA Air Flight 1549. While it was a one in a million feat, it didn’t just happen. Captain Sullenberger was the Chief pilot in charge of training for the airline, a gifted pilot from an early age who spent thousands of hours in planes and simulators. Captain Sullenberger is a hero. We firmly believe that the Eagles are heroes, too. Following the story, the Eagles discussed what they believe will be the most important in their Hero’s Journey at Aim Academy— discovering their gifts, learning to master them in flow, or looking for an opportunity or injustice to find their passion?
One way that Eagles can address and resolve issues they see in the studio is by posting an item to the Town Hall Topics board. Additionally, one of the requirements of the Hero Badge (formerly the Learning to Be Badge) is to post three items to the Town Hall Topics board and track them in their Hero’s Journal. The Eagles rose to the challenge this week— by collectively posting over 20 items to the board. Many of the items touched on similar themes— highlighting the importance of certain topics.
Topics included:
- Eagles should be able to ask for more than one Eagle Buck per week
- The same people are on the trampoline for the entirety of Free Time
- There is too much Core Skills time
- People are leaving the cap off of markers and they are drying out
- People are poking holes through the bottom of the chess pieces
The discussion was lively, as the studio proposed and debated various solutions. Ultimately, the Eagles decided to permit each other to ask for three Eagle Bucks per week, create a trampoline sign-up sheet, maintain the current amount of Core Skills time and to reaffirm their commitment to treat the studio like a sacred space by taking care of their shared tools.
Now for the Exhibition! During the final round of the Chess Tournament, you could hear a pin drop because everyone present was so absorbed by the games. We often talk about “flow” in the Aim Academy studio, and by golly those Eagles were in flow! Congratulations to Abi, Israel and Luke— who respectively placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Chess Tournament.
The Eagles then faced off against their families in Chess. In doing so, some Eagles explained the rules of Chess to family members who were playing for the first time. The Eagles then showed off their progress in Core Skills by walking their families through their Badge Plan board and sticker chart. The next item on the schedule was the Badge Ceremony. After a session full of hard work— Abi and Ethan both received their Spelling Badge. This represents an entire year’s worth of spelling that they completed in just under 3 months! Seven other Eagles received their Chess Quest badge, after completing the necessary amount of requirements. Congratulations to the Eagles for their hard work and determination this session! In what is becoming an Aim Academy exhibition tradition, the House that earned the least points (the Wolverines) presented the House that earned the most points (the Cougars) with the Aim Academy House Cup!
A couple other notes—
While we always appreciate any and all feedback that you all provide us throughout the session, it is our hope that each parent will fill out the survey at the end of every session. This will help us to best prepare for Session 3 as well as the rest of the year! Your feedback is truly invaluable for improving our school. Thank you!
In a past Town Hall meeting, the Eagles decided that work completed at home counts toward earning Eagle Bucks and completing Badge requirements. If your Eagles wish to work from home during break— you can remind them of this. A separate email will be sent with your Eagles’ log-in information for the various learning softwares that they use for Core Skills.
There are BIG THINGS coming in Session 3. We cannot wait to be back in the studio with the Eagles!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Mr. Lance and Mr. Daniel
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