No two days at SAU are alike for our Younger, Middle & Older spirals! But every day is alive with wonder, free play, curiosity, laughter, collaboration, exploration, creativity and thoughtfulness.
Every week is designed with a flow in mind, and the focus or “feel” of each day is designed to build on what came before and prepare students for what is to come.
Example schedule
Older Spiral Fall 2022
Monday is our day to set the tone of the learning week. This is a Full-time day, therefore, spiral groups are generally smaller in size and the feel of the day is slower-paced. Most classes are held in spirals and most often include math, reading, writings skills and special theme classes. Learners may also have time to reflect on areas of learning within their portfolios.
Tuesday and Wednesday are days when classes are offered by our educators. These classes could be a particular passion of the educator or a topic of study that the learners might have requested or needed to broaden the learning experience. This year, all learners have music class on Tuesdays where they focus on singing, rhythm and percussion instruments. Tuesday morning is also School Meeting for the older & middle spirals. This is a decision making meeting where important topics are discussed and consent decisions may be made. In the afternoon on both Tuesday & Wednesday there open studio time, where students can explore topics of learning from a variety of perspectives. Our studios are set up to inspire learning in the creative arts, science, engineering, language arts, culinary arts, outdoor exploration and wood working. These are the days that our Part-Time Learners attend.
Thursday is a day quite similar to Monday for all three spirals. For our older spiral, it is often the day of their hot lunch program which is offered to all learners and community members. They have just begun their second year of this project-based math endeavor called Floor Carrot Restaurant. The older learners are experiencing how a business is run from the ground up by taking on all aspects including financial planning, applying for loans, designing menus, shopping, cooking, waiting tables, budgeting and saving. Last year they made enough money to support a class trip!
Friday is our Community day and it is open to our Full-Time and Part-Time learners. Part-Time learners are invited to participate in select Fridays along with a parent / caregiver. We invite non-enrolled members of the community to join us for many of our Friday activities. On this day we invite our multi-generational community to come together and learn from one-another. Each Friday has a different topic or theme, but is designed to include all ages with the intended result of building stronger connections. On Community days we might learn from our greater community members, the wonder of nature, an expert in history or a guest artist sharing their gifts. There is no end to what a Community day could bring.
Eyes on the Estuary at Laudholm Farm/Wells Reserve - Community Friday September 16 & 30, 2022
A Day in each of our spirals is different, but still connected. Learners cross over for long, extended breaks to play and explore
Morning meeting at the fire circle with Sharon.
8:30 -9:00 Arrival time is the same for all of our learners. Families arrive, personal items are put in cubbies and play begins. Most of the time, we begin our day outside no matter what the weather brings. Our learners are used to playing outside in the rain and snow and understand that as long as you’re dressed properly for the weather you can have fun in it! Once everyone has arrived we gather around the fire circle as a community.
9:15 - 9:45 Most mornings we all gather together to start the day. We sing, share “shout outs” to honor the good things we’ve noticed in the community, make important announcements, and go over the schedule for the day. On Tuesdays our music teacher, Sharon, leads us all in song. After morning meetings, all spirals go off to their own spaces for class.
9:35 - 1:30 Spiral classes, themes, music and explorations
Themes are longer integrated studies. These themes change throughout the year and are different each year. Some past themes: Why is water important?, Theory of Flight, Colonialism & Early America, Art History & Drawing.
1:30-2:45 Open Studio time. Studios are a favorite time for our Middle and Older learners! It is a time where they get to choose what they’d like to learn based on their interests or passions. It is student-led and chosen and a great opportunity to build self-directed learning skills. This part of the schedule is intended to give learners extended focus time to expand their skills, explore a new interest and build on their sense of creativity and responsibility. Studio topics are brainstormed on Tuesdays at Community Meeting and each studio leader fills out a proposal form explaining what their intentions are and which skills they plan to focus on during this time.
Robotics studio
Cooking during studio time