Two more weeks to go till Acton KL’s first Public Exhibition!
For the past three weeks, the Eagles spent time identifying who they are as a community and building their tribe culture. However, this week, we turned inward to reflect upon who we are as individuals. We kicked off the week with the “Seeds of Potential” discussion. Different apples were passed around during circle time. We looked at the apples closely (some Eagles even used a magnifying glass!) and found differences in their color, size, shape, etc. After that, several apples were cut in half so that we could look at the stars and seeds inside. Even though we are all Eagles in this community, we are also different in many ways. We are all “stars” (heroes) in our own ways and we each have our “seeds” (gifts, talents and superpowers). Doing arts and crafts, cooking, playing video games and playing sports were some of our gifts and talents discussed. Then, we talked about how a seed can grow and flourish to become a healthy tree. Like a seed, the environment and community at Acton are our soil and nutrients. They nurture our seeds and help us grow. We ended the discussion with a gardening session: planting apple seeds in our garden.
Eagles busy planting our apple trees
At the beginning of the week, we also revisited our SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely) goals. Setting goals and keeping track of them is a powerful skill that Eagles work on as part of their daily practice. “Of the five letters, S, M, A, R, T, which is most important to you when setting your SMART goals?” We discussed examples for all five aspects to help us understand what SMART goals really mean and how we can write our goals for the week. It is not an easy concept for our young Eagles to grasp but I believe that if we do this every day, they will, slowly but surely, understand and develop this skill. Families can set SMART goals at home too! 🙂
Katelynn, our MS Eagle Buddy, helping the young Eagles with their weekly goals
Naomi having fun with her SMART goals
For P.E./ Athletics, Mr. Jia continued playing “Ice and Fire”, with new rules proposed by the Eagles. The energy was incredibly high this week yay! The Eagles stayed focused and played by the rules. But, a little disagreement and tension rose towards the end of park time. We ended the session with a discussion on what happened, what went wrong and what we could do moving forward. The Eagles were definitely frustrated at some point during the discussion but there is nothing like letting go and watching them solve the issue together.
Running sideways as a warm up exercise
Free play time
Eagles helping to cover the holes in the tent while their friend is changing inside after PE
As always, Eagles relaxed and enjoyed their time together during snack break and lunchtime.
Stretching during a game of “Twister” to relax
Favorite time of the day!
This week, one of the Eagles went for a talk on Human Rights. He came back to school and shared his learnings. Max led a session and discussed about racism with the rest of us. The Eagles gave examples of racism such as the discrimination against the African-Americans in the US and one Eagle even shared her experience of being made fun of due to her skin color. Not only that, Max also taught us about Human Rights and highlighted a recent news on the arrest of a Malaysian social activist. It is very heartwarming and reassuring to hear that all of our Eagles know that racism and mistreatment of others are wrong and that they want a community that is loving and fair.
Max’s sharing session on Racism and Human Rights
As Sprint 1 matures, Eagles are looking forward to earning more points and badges in Core Skills. They are constantly asking and challenging each other about the levels, coins, points, badges and certificates earned on the different learning platforms. Eagles have been more focused and productive in their individual work this week.
In line with this, we introduced the Freedom Level System (Pre-Nesting, Nesting, Flying and Soaring). Aptly said by Bob Dylan, “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” We talked about our responsibilities at home and in school. What does freedom without responsibility look like? How will our school look like? At Acton, we believe that it is not our role to “give” freedoms because it is not ours to give but rather it is for the Eagles to earn, to prove that they are ready for the responsibilities that come with the freedom. They are given the opportunity to earn many freedoms through their hard work, focus and contribution towards the community. Parents, you will be learning more about this in the weeks to come and during the Exhibition!
Eagles focusing during Core Skills
Achievement unlocked – 4 stars in Typing Club!
On Thursday, there was a major power cut at Taman Tun so our Eagles decided to turn Project Time into Paper Fan Making Time. They were teaching one another how to make the paper fans and trying to sell the different versions to each other. Talk about being adaptable and seizing opportunities! We have many young entrepreneurs in the making.
Eagles busy making paper fans on a hot, hot afternoon
We ended the week with an Art session with one of our Eagles’ parent, Auntie See Ming. She is an art enthusiast and had very kindly offered to conduct a fun painting session with our Eagles to create Acton KL’s Christmas tree. We had lots of fun painting and decorating our tree (and floor :)) with glitter. Thank you so much, Auntie See Ming!
Auntie See Ming giving pointers for their Christmas tree ornaments
Ta-dah Acton KL’s first Christmas tree!
Character Call-Outs time! We finished Week 4 with each of us sharing our gratitude towards one another for the friendship, encouragement and helpfulness. This week, all of us said thank you to an Eagle who has been trying his best to improve his focus and behavior in school. I am really happy and excited that our tribe is growing stronger.
See you all for Week 5! 🙂
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]