“The most fantastic magical things can happen, and it all starts with a wish.” —Pinocchio

The first day of school, the nerves, the excitement, the fear, the thrill is memorable. Maybe you don’t remember every detail such as the taco socks you wore or the name fact you shared but you definitely remember the feeling, that “first” feeling. This first week there were so many emotions that crossed the Acton threshold for learners, Guides, and even myself however at the end of the first day one feeling had a palpable consensus, the feeling of joy.

Think back to September, think back to the challenges, the goals, and the style of your learner. Now think of your learner today. How have they stayed the same and how have they changed? Think of yourself and your family. How have you stayed the same, how have you changed? As I look back on this past year I am filled to the brim with surprise and awe. For some reason the year 3 that I envisioned developed to be a year of transformation that I never could have predicted. In the words of an overwhelming majority of parents the growth this year at Acton is overflowing, blossoming! The “G” word is all encompassing.

During this Wednesday’s final Parent Lunch Meeting of the year I posed a session theme question: What is the difference between passion and interest? One father passionately answered “passion is love.” His passion caught the parent community on fire and honestly his words and the emotion behind his words are now beautifully cemented in my being. After hearing his simple yet poignant definition many parents passionately agreed and with great conversation quickly posed intricacies and connections of how passion and interest are different and orderly. One mom helped us all reframe “Interest is a great way to start and then when your interest grows then hopefully passion develops.” When I asked learners this same question one wise learner shared “passion is the thing that you love doing that is you, interest is something you like but don’t have to do, it’s just ok.”

When you turn on a light everything is illuminated, you can see clearly. As an educator I have always hungered to turn a learner’s light on with ideas, knowledge, and AHA’s. Watching the light turn on in a learner’s eyes is what nourishes my creative drive for education. Recently I had my own light bulb moment at Acton when I realized the need for sharing a colored light metaphor to connect emotional identification and promote emotional regulation.

For the last few months at Acton we’ve been running a traffic light experiment.

There are 14 days left of school. Learners are excited but it’s not for the reason you may think. Yes, we all love a great vacation and although that sounds fun learners are more excited about the work they can accomplish by the last day. Can they meet their deadline, achieve their goal by the last day, surpass the goals they set? Time will tell! Officially learners are experiencing the FINAL PUSH and right now, especially during Core Skills, the buzz is palpable.

Really, we aren’t kidding, learners at Acton LOVE learning and we absolutely love being witness to the domino experience of mastery checks and badge earnings. Here’s an example of the latest Discovery Studio ripple effect. A learner pushed herself to complete the Math 2 badge which includes Khan Academy’s 2nd grade level. Her deadline was to complete this badge before the last day of school. She not only reached her goal but she reached it a few weeks early.

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” —Albert Einstein

How curious are you? Do you ask lots of questions? Do you actively try new foods, hobbies, explore new places? Do you wonder about life out loud and share your curious questions with your family?

Curiosity may have killed the cat but our curiosity meter here at Acton is certainly alive and well! This session’s Quest explores the process of being curious as learners try a smorgasbord of passions and learn from their peers as they discover who they are and what they love with vigorous and curious passion. The only requirement is give it a good try!

This session learners and Guides have caught the water pun wave. We’ve all enjoyed the challenge and the giggle of puns but most of all learners this week enjoyed reflecting on their water journey. Of-fish-ially I’d like to share their ex-squid-site thoughts on this session’s adventures.

This week splashed with a multitude of connections! The highlight was yesterday’s first Acton field trip to Menominee Park, Zoo, and The Waters Yacht Club to experience and spark a passion for marine life and sailing. Not only was the day beautiful but it was beautifully full of learners experiencing their community and connecting their studio learning to real life!

Acton has given me endless learning moments but the one golden nugget that repeatedly proves true is that children thrive when equipped and empowered to lead their peers. Throughout Acton these last few sessions and especially this sixth Session learners are stepping up more and more to the challenge of self governance. Slowly Guides and I have been equipping learners to manage and meddle with their systems, systems that they have master minded from the start, and learners are eager to take the reins and run!

Imagine this, you are in the Acton kitchen and hear yelling coming from the other side of the school in the coat room. You investigate and see one learner standing on a bench, shouting with her hands raised while a group of 8-10 learners put shoes away and pack backpacks with lunch boxes. You hear her shout “Come on team, we can do this! What do we need to do?” All learners in the room cheer “CLEAN!” She continues, “Who do we want to beat?” they reply “KITCHEN TEAM!” and she continues again “You got this guys, keep hustling, keep hustling, I believe in you!” She claps her hands, eyes up the room and continues giving personal pips of love and motivation. This is a true story of one learner and her team from the Spark Studio during week one this session. What’s even better is her sister was the rival kitchen Captain! Her loud cheers of leadership echoed throughout the school and inspired the kitchen Captain to put more pep in her step, inspired the kitchen team, inspired all school learners, and most definitely inspired our Guide team to trust that learners are ready to lead.

In reading last session’s survey results one message was consistent, Español was an immersive experience that the entire family enjoyed exploring. Latin dance, culture, food, and language were all fun but the best fun was going on this adventure together. As we straddle a session end and beginning I’d like to offer some ideas on how your family can deep dive into the world of Marine Science and go on a water adventure together.

After 6 weeks immersed in Acton Español the Quest journey must come to an end. Although the session focus is complete the love for Español and Latin culture has just begun. During yesterday’s afternoon Launch I led both studios in a Quest reflection and after this Launch and the Exhibition I am 100% certain that our young Owls are destined for a linguistic future and an intense interest in travel.

“We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams.” —Jimmy Carter

All session long Español Quest has had the anchoring of a mosaic image. The Quest map, each Studio’s window painting, and during daily discussion learners have explored Latin culture as a collection of beautiful tiles—a collection of beautiful people and places. Each country has its own identity and learners loved discovering the varieties of food, dance, and nature found in each new country of exploration.

Have you heard your learner mention the Acton curriculum of Writer’s Workshop? This session both Discovery and Spark Studios have been exploring the beauty of writing. Each studio’s lens is different but the wonder of the writing process is equally inspiring!

Last week I received an email from an Acton parent, Sara (Andrew & Amelia’s Mom) sharing her recent experience with lifelong learning and the value it may have for the Acton parent community. As I read her email her enthusiasm and honesty pulled at my heartstrings and today I’d love to share Sara’s words and the words of two other fellow parent travelers Devon (Sullivan’s Mom) and Rachel (Cordelia & Arietta’s Mom). Sara first shared these words and a fancy newsletter title that I just had to use, thank you Sara!

“Children learn as they play. More importantly, in play, children learn how to learn.” —O. Fred Donaldson

At Acton learning and play are inseparable. Learners do not learn facts to memorize, instead they learn stories and discuss how stories of history and current events inspire and apply to their lives. Here’s an example of magical play that we Guides stumbled upon this past week with Discovery Studio learners.

The allure of learning a new language is equal parts scary and wondrous. The excitement of something new, the sounds, the feel, and the curiosity is often enough to propel you through the lurking feelings of confusion, frustration, and doubt. As learners began Session 5’s Quest of Acton Español this week my assessment is that learners were 25% skeptical and 75% full of wonder!

What are your favorite games to play? Do you love board games like Monopoly, Candyland, Sorry, or do you prefer moving in Twister? Are you a card shark with Poker or the beloved Go Fish? Are you a Lego or Magna-tiles gamer that enjoys creative flow or do you simply love a classic game of Tag or the level 2 version of Zombie Tag? Do you prefer to make up games or role-play? Whatever your top choice game, hone in on the feeling you have when playing. What word best describes your feeling? Say this feeling out loud right now. This feeling is the main reason why at Acton we play games CONSTANTLY!

It’s simple, games are tools for learning. Games allow learners (and adults too) to practice sportsmanship, teamwork, strategy, critical thinking, language, math skills, deduction, attention, and to explore investment in process.

If you’ve visited a Coffee Connect, an Acton Exhibition, or if your learner is chatty about their day you most likely know about being a model learner. Just in case you’ve missed this term, a model learner is simply a learner at Acton who models everyone’s shared values of kindness, work-ethic, and helpfulness. Specifically in the Spark Studio, model learners are your go-to person that you take the lead from and ask for help. They are someone to follow if you are having trouble with keeping your Studio Promises or following the Launch ROE’s (Rules of Engagement)

At Acton, we celebrate these learners with “oooo’s” and “aaaa’s” as they exhibit model learner qualities. “Wow, you organized these cubbies without even asking, you are so helpful!” “You really modeled kindness and patience when your friend was frustrated, that must have been hard.” This acknowledgement is the best hero’s treasure and it helps learners feel the experience of building character.

Imagine this…You build a large magna-tile tower and a friend comes by and knocks it down unexpectedly. Later another friend grabs your material claiming the material is theirs not yours. Then, someone steals your seat when you get up to go to the bathroom. Another day you play a board game and lose by just one point. To end your day during a discussion you have a really great idea but you aren’t picked to share.

How would you react in these moments? Would you shrug them off calmly or would you unleash your inner red panda like Mei in the movie Turning Red? These types of moments happen daily at Acton and honestly they happen to every child everywhere. As an adult you probably have your very own version of small bummers that make you want to burst too! Since hard times can be frequent thinking about how you support your child’s journey is essential.