Year 1. Session 6. Weeks 1 & 2

The first few weeks of this session highlighted important truths about our community: 

  • Ascent’s young heroes are resilient. 
  • We are so much more than our physical space. 
  • The strength of the tribe is vital. We are in this together. 

The session started off with a launch that put the Eagles in the shoes of a Team Lead at Google, tasked with managing a team remotely. They were asked to be problem-solvers and to make tough decisions. After the discussion, they were sent off into groups to write a new set of Discussion Rules of Engagement and a new Studio Contract to accommodate these strange times. Here is what they created:

Contract

  • Respect others
  • Be understanding and supportive
  • Pass your words through the three gates when emailing or on chat
  • Be productive: set up a good workspace and limit distractions
  • Set SMART Goals
  • Check your email in the morning and before and after free time

Zoom ROEs

  • Do not distract others or yourself with things like name changes, food or items from your house
  • Be present with your mind and body
  • Only use chat for typing in an answer to a discussion question 
  • Stay on topic 
  • Mute yourself and only speak when called upon
  • Tell a guide or a Squad Leader if you can’t participate in a Zoom meeting
  • Arrive on time and prepared (5 minutes early to Zoom)

With agreed upon covenants, the tribe was ready to get to work!

This session the learners have been tasked with documenting this time in history! For Writers’ Workshop, they are historians writing their observations and reflections in journals. Each week they’ll receive a couple prompts, but they are encouraged to keep writing and to make it their own if they are inspired to do so. This session the learners will only focus on the drafting step of the writing process – getting thoughts on a paper and writing a lot!

Quest this session was broken into two parts.

Part 1: A Personal Passions Quest (PPQ) where Eagles created a three-week quest of their own, each focused on a passion they care about. Proposals flooded in for everything from writing and performing a song, to new LEGO creations, to mini food and branding. At the end of the first week, Eagles voted for the pitches for ideas in the following categories: Most Inspiring, Most Creative, and Most Challenging.

Each quest day, Eagles will chart their progress and document it with photos. At the end of the session, Eagles will present their progress over time and their finished products. Part 2 will launch next week with a new quest that will invite Eagles to participate in a nation-wide competition! Stay tuned!

We are grateful that one of our wonderful parents has taken on the important job of keeping our heroes moving! Alicia Golinghorst (Ms. Alicia!) is coaching PD this session, bringing her unique gifts to our studio. We are thrilled for our Eagles who get to spend Tuesday and Thursday afternoons being happy and healthy together.

Monday of Week 2, Mr. Adam from the Expedition School joined us for a check in and a dew challenge! Eagles were invited to download the iNaturalist App and to log identifications within the Ascent/ Expedition School group. The goal? To make as many identifications of natural life as possible! 

In the spirit of bringing in community members to support the Eagles, Ascent has partnered with dojo Stream to create a learner-driven platform for the Eagles to create a musical performance! Their choice? A scene from The Nutcracker! Christmas in May here we come! Afternoons with Alani from dojo Stream have been full of fun collaboration. 

Eagles continue to fully participate in Socratic discussions, to come to fun Free Times, to compete in our weekly LEGO competitions and to support each other over email and other means.The resilience of this tribe, along with their openness and capacity for reflection, is seen everyday. Onward!