Hello everyone, and welcome to Session 5! We officially launched the new session this week and had a great time diving into exciting new topics. For Quest, learners are exploring different forms of financial investment. We kicked off the week by examining various investment types and reflecting on our own investment habits. Looking ahead, learners will participate in the annual Children’s Business Fair, and have already begun preparing through hands-on challenges—deciding wha

This session started with a bang! In Genre, new learners began preparing for their upcoming apprenticeships by researching their unique gifts, habits, and the companies or industries where they hope to gain experience. Later this session, they will begin drafting and sending emails to secure their first apprenticeship opportunities. Meanwhile, older learners are diving into personal finance debates. They are currently in the research phase and will soon engage in structured d

Hello parents and family members,I hope you all had a great week—Discovery certainly did! This session, our learners are diving into a financial literacy quest. We began by discussing needs vs. wants, with everyone sharing examples from their own lives. For instance, food is a need, while video games are a want. Learners explored how needs are essential for survival, while wants are things we enjoy but don’t require. The next day, learners created lists of items they wanted t

Greetings from Sparks Kingdom! We kicked off the week with a read-aloud of a Dr. Seuss book about the invention of money. The Sparks explored whether money is more useful than traditional bartering systems and shared their thoughts on using money as a tool in everyday life. They then transitioned into Core work, enjoyed sunny outdoor play in the woods, celebrated a learner’s birthday, and held Sparks Elections for new “Studio Committees” (including Safety Committee, Bank Tell

This week marked the final days of the fourth session of the school year. Over five full days, Launchpad learners wrapped up their Genre and Quest projects while also preparing for the upcoming session. On Monday, learners began by scheduling their week and setting priorities. The week also included several key events: P.D. with Jacob House Cup games on Wednesday Physics Day on Thursday Genre This week, learners focused on finalizing and formatting their allegories for compet

Greetings from the Journey Studio, This marks the final newsletter of Session 4. I’ve truly enjoyed writing these updates, and I’m excited to share that Tommy, another learner in the Journey Studio, will be taking over the newsletter next session. Genre This week, learners compiled all of their Genre work and submitted it for peer approval by fellow Falcons, demonstrating ownership and accountability in their learning. Quest In Quest, learners continued developing their Physi

Dear Discovery Parents, This week was full of exciting milestones, celebrations, and hands-on learning experiences in Discovery Studio. We focused on completing and logging our Writers Workshop Milestones, where learners created podcasts. We are excited to announce the winners of the 2026 AABC Podcast Competition: 3rd Place:  Aviya, Emma C., and Yahli 2nd Place (tie):  Maya and Livia 1st Place:  Ella E., Ofri, and Emmy Congratulations to all participants for their creativity

Dear Parents, We can hardly believe the end of the session is here! Thank you for your continued encouragement, support, and trust in the Sparks’ journey. The week began on Monday with an inspiring launch centered on what it means to feel like a hero. The learners struck their best “hero pose” and jumped right into a full day—cleaning the studios, preparing their work, practicing for Exhibition, enjoying the warm weather outdoors, and ultimately presenting a wonderful Exhibit

This was the fourth week of Session Four, and it’s hard to believe we are already more than 80% through the school year. On Monday, Launchpad learners planned their schedules for the week ahead, setting goals and organizing their time. Some of the highlights this week included: P.D. session with Jacob House Cup games on Wednesday Alpine Day on Friday Ongoing planning for Physics Day at the end of the session Genre This week in Genre, each learner completed their Hero’s Allego

Greetings Parents, This is the fourth Journey Newsletter of Session Four. As always, I’m your newsletter writer, Ozrik. It’s been another engaging and fun week for the learners! Genre This week in Genre, learners revised the main sections of their TED Talks and practiced memorizing them. On Thursday, they shared recorded versions of their talks with peers, who then provided thoughtful feedback. Quest In Quest, learners explored pendulums in preparation for building their own

Hello Discovery Families, I hope everyone has been doing great! Here’s a look at our exciting week in the Discovery Studio: Let’s start with Art! We have been learning about the Seven Elements of Art, and this week we focused on value. Learners created artwork using dark subjects on light backgrounds or light subjects on dark backgrounds to explore contrast and depth. Everyone created such unique and impressive pieces! In CIV, we learned about the thirteen colonies, including

Dear Sparks Parents, Happy Friday! We hope you had a joyful and productive week. Here’s a look at what the Sparks have been up to: We kicked off Monday with a meaningful launch on kindness, setting the tone for the week. The Sparks then jumped into Core, enjoyed Chess Quest, and spent time exploring outdoors in the woods. On Tuesday, we had a special Hero’s Visit from a Sparks parent. She brought LEGO sets for group building and spoke with the learners about communication and

Welcome to the Third Newsletter of Session Four! This week, learners in the LaunchPad Studio dove deeper into physics, advanced their allegory writing, and engaged in meaningful discussions about global poverty and income inequality. Quest (Physics: Hooke’s Law & Bungee Challenge) In Quest, learners began the week by researching Hooke’s Law and exploring the relationship between force and elasticity (F=kx). As the week progressed, they investigated different types of bungees—

Greetings parents, Welcome to Week 3 of the Journey Newsletter! My name is Ozrik, and I’m the Journey Studio newsletter writer. I’m excited to share the key highlights and learning experiences from this past week. Genre (TED Talk Writing) This week in Genre, learners worked on writing scripts for their TED Talks. On Monday, they focused on building the body of their speeches and crafting engaging introductions based on topics they are passionate about. For example, one topic

Hello parents, learners, and family members, This week was full of exciting learning across Quest, Writers’ Workshop, Civ, and Art. We explored new ideas, collaborated in groups, and created some amazing projects! Let’s start with Quest. In Quest, we continued working on our weather experiment challenges in groups. As always, we tracked and measured the weather using our instruments. This week’s highlight was creating a weather map. Each group chose a location around the worl

Dear Parents, We can hardly believe we’re already halfway through the session—how time flies! We hope it has been just as joyful, creative, and productive for your children as it has been for us. Our week began on Monday with an engaging launch on conflict resolution. Learners practiced the “Recognize, Reconcile, and Resolve” tools before diving into Core work. During Chess Quest, they explored how the Bishop moves and enjoyed friendly matches. The day ended with outdoor play

Welcome to the second week of Session 4’s Weekly Newsletter! We began the week by continuing our Genre Allegories. Learners identified three main obstacles their protagonists will face. At Acton, we recognize three common challenges: Resistance, Distraction, and Victimhood. Just as learners work to overcome these challenges in real life, their characters will face and overcome them throughout their stories. This week, learners brainstormed how these obstacles would appear in

Greetings from the Journey Studio! This is our second newsletter for Session 4. This week, learners continued their work across multiple areas: researching physics concepts in Quest, developing their TED Talks in Genre, and exploring the War of 1812 in Civ. Genre This week in Genre, learners focused on researching their chosen TED Talk topics. On Monday, they completed the bulk of their research, began pre-writing on Wednesday, and by Friday started drafting their introductio

Hello parents, learners, and family members, This week was full of fun and meaningful learning across all areas! In our Podcast Writer’s Workshop, learners began developing their own podcasts. They completed a brainstorm sheet to generate ideas and explored different podcast formats, including topic-based discussions, debates, and interviews. After brainstorming, learners moved on to planning their podcasts and making final decisions before beginning their scripts. In this se

Dear Parents, Welcome to the first full week back from vacation! We hope the transition has been smooth for everyone. The Sparks began Monday morning with a launch on emotions. They played a fun version of charades, acting out different emotions while their peers guessed what they were expressing. They then moved into Core, where many received mentorship from Journey learners. The day also included free time and Chess Quest, where they practiced their game skills. On Tuesday,