Revel Recap: Jun 15-19
Important Upcoming Dates
Thursday, June 25th - Full School Session 7 Exhibition at 4:15 pm
Monday, June 29th - Rebel Olympics
Wednesday, July 1, 20206 - Canada Day - NO School
Thursday, July 2, 2026 - Summer Birthday Party, Swimming, and Mr. Sundae Ice Cream Truck!
Spark Studio
Mindfulness & Launch
It’s hard to believe we’re already in the fourth week of our final session of the school year! To start the week feeling calm and focused, the Sparks participated in a yoga session on Monday morning. On Tuesday, we reviewed important bus and field trip safety expectations to help prepare for upcoming adventures. On Wednesday, the Sparks got creative by designing their own flowers using egg cartons, pipe cleaners, ribbon, and buttons. Using a variety of bright colours and materials, each learner created a unique flower that was added to a beautiful collaborative canvas. On Thursday, we returned to our gratitude practice by reading The Grateful Book. After the story, learners shared things they are thankful for, including waterparks, their Guides, families, and nature. It was a wonderful reminder of the many things that bring joy to our lives. To wrap up the week, the Sparks enjoyed a choice-based station period with activities set up throughout the studio. Learners explored puzzles, colouring, painting, story cards, and even cozy reading time in the tent. It was a fun and relaxing way to celebrate another great week of learning together.
Quest
This week in Quest, the Sparks discovered just how creative they can be with one simple material: egg cartons! A huge thank you to all the families who donated cartons—your contributions helped bring our projects to life.
We began by transforming egg cartons into adorable mushroom sculptures. The Sparks painted their creations in bright colours and added playful polka-dot patterns, making each mushroom unique.
Next, learners worked collaboratively in pairs to create fantastic crocodiles. They painted their egg cartons green and brought their reptiles to life with creative details such as bright red mouths, sharp white teeth, and expressive eyes. Through these projects, the Sparks practiced creativity, fine motor skills, and teamwork while exploring how everyday materials can be transformed into works of art.
Geography
This week in Geography, we continued our study of Canada by reading Why I Love Canada and using it as a springboard for a discussion about all the things that make our country special. Together, we explored Canada’s beautiful landscapes, changing seasons, diverse wildlife, traditions, and the places that hold meaning for each of us.
Following our discussion, the learners illustrated and wrote about what they love most about Canada. Their responses highlighted many of the features that make Canada unique, including its beaches, forests, lakes, and beautiful trees. Others shared that they appreciate Canada’s wildlife, clean air, and the sense of safety they feel living here. It was wonderful to see the Sparks reflect on the places, experiences, and qualities that make them proud to call Canada home.
Book Study
This week, the Sparks continued their study of The Good Egg, diving deeper into the story’s themes of kindness, self-care, and recognizing the good within ourselves.
We added two new pages to our Good Egg booklets. First, learners made a text-to-self connection by reflecting on moments in the story when the Good Egg took care of himself. They drew a picture of something the Good Egg did to feel better and then created a second drawing showing something they do to feel happy or cheer themselves up. The Sparks shared a variety of ideas, including eating, doing yoga, going for walks, swimming, and playing. This activity helped learners make meaningful connections between the character’s experiences and their own lives. On the next page, learners completed the sentence, “I am a Good Egg because I…” and illustrated an example of something kind or helpful they do. This reflection encouraged the Sparks to recognize their own positive actions and celebrate the ways they contribute to their families, friendships, and community. It was wonderful to see their growing confidence as they identified the many ways they show kindness each day.
Math Workshops
This week in Math Workshops, the Sparks reviewed addition and subtraction concepts using a variety of hands-on Montessori materials. By working with concrete objects, learners were able to build a deeper understanding of abstract mathematical ideas and see how numbers can be combined and separated in meaningful ways.
Throughout the week, the Sparks explored several different math materials. Some learners worked with the addition and subtraction strip boards, using coloured strips to practice solving equations, finding differences, and visualizing the process of taking away. Others used the stamp game, where they built numbers using place value tiles and physically combined or exchanged quantities to solve equations. Additional learners worked with number rods and other manipulatives to model problems and complete corresponding worksheets. These hands-on experiences helped strengthen number sense, build confidence, and reinforce key addition and subtraction strategies while making math both engaging and meaningful.
Additional Highlights
The Sparks enjoyed a wonderfully creative and inspiring day at the National Gallery of Canada! We began our visit in the interactive art room, where learners experimented with creating their own artwork, explored a glowing light table, and built colourful Magna-Tile creations on a giant wall.
Afterward, we headed into the gallery for a lively scavenger hunt, using BINGO cards to search for images and details hidden within the beautiful works of art around us. Following lunch, we met our tour guide, who led us through additional exhibits and helped us explore how artists use colour, line, shape, and imagery to tell stories and communicate ideas.
One of the highlights of the day was creating a collaborative string-art piece together. This officially gives the Sparks the exciting claim that they have had artwork displayed at the National Gallery! We ended our visit in the bright, sun-filled lobby, surrounded by striking architectural shapes and expansive windows, where learners continued creating artwork inspired by everything they had experienced throughout the museum. It was a memorable day filled with creativity, curiosity, and hands-on exploration, bringing many of the artistic concepts we have been studying in Quest to life.
Lastly, this week was full of birthday celebrations! We celebrated two learners in the studio. They brought in treats and photos of themselves over the past couple of years! Lots of laughter and birthday wishes were made!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
This week, Rebels kicked off their mornings with an icebreaker game to welcome a new learner visiting the studio for the day. Learners introduced themselves by sharing their names, favourite ice cream flavours, and favourite songs, helping everyone make connections and feel included. During Monday's Launch, Rebels reviewed the week ahead and discussed upcoming events and schedule changes, including a special Rebel-led Launch, PE at the Pump Track, and an exciting field trip to the National Gallery of Canada.
On Tuesday, Rebels began the day with a Socratic discussion centered around our Rules of Engagement (ROEs): Should the expectations in our Rules of Engagement stay exactly the same when we're on a field trip, or should they change? Why? Learners explored the responsibilities that come with representing our community in public spaces and reflected on how our agreements support both freedom and accountability. Before departing, one of our Aim and Release Rebels took the lead in organizing bus buddies for the day. The Discovery crew then packed their belongings and headed off for an inspiring visit to the National Gallery. Wednesday morning saw Rebels continuing our documentary study of On the Way to School. Learners identified similarities and differences between the children's journeys to school and used context clues from the film to make predictions about who would arrive first and how the documentary might conclude. On Thursday, Rebels participated in another learner-led Launch as part of an Independent Learner Badge project. Through a series of creative "Would You Rather?" scenarios, learners reflected on our Rules of Engagement and studio covenants while discussing how values and decision-making influence our choices.
To wrap up the week, Rebels rehearsed our Boomwhackers performance of ZOO before diving into Current Events. This week's stories included a New York street artist who created a mural featuring every outdoor basketball court in the city, an update on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and a look at the Dutch walking festival Avondvierdaagse, where thousands of children and families come together to celebrate health, perseverance, and community.
National Art Gallery Field Trip
This week, the Discovery and Exploration Rebels had the opportunity to visit the National Gallery of Canada for an exciting day of art, history, and creativity. Our adventure began with the "How It's Made" tour, where learners explored how artists use different materials, techniques, and processes to bring their ideas to life. From paintings and sculptures to mixed-media works, Rebels gained a deeper appreciation for the thought, skill, and experimentation that goes into creating art. One of the highlights of the day was seeing some of Canada's most famous works by the Group of Seven. Learners observed how these artists captured the beauty of the Canadian landscape through colour, texture, and brushwork, connecting perfectly with our recent studies of the Elements of Art. We also explored a powerful Indigenous art exhibition, which invited learners to reflect on storytelling, culture, and our relationship with the natural world. A particularly memorable exhibit focused on salmon and their incredible river journeys, highlighting themes of perseverance, interconnectedness, and environmental stewardship. The artwork sparked meaningful conversations about the importance of protecting ecosystems and honouring Indigenous knowledge. Of course, no visit to the National Gallery would be complete without stopping to admire the famous giant baby head sculpture, which quickly became a favourite talking point among the Rebels!
To end our visit, learners participated in a hands-on art workshop where they created their own dot art pieces. Using colour, pattern, and repetition, Rebels experimented with visual design while expressing their creativity in unique and personal ways, in one of the most beautiful areas of the museum. It was a wonderful morning filled with curiosity, reflection, and artistic exploration. We are so grateful for the opportunity to learn from the incredible collections and educators at the National Gallery and look forward to bringing our inspiration back into the studio as we continue our Elements of Art Quest.
Math Lab & Reader Writer
As our trip to the NAG was on Tuesday, we combined our Math Lab and Reader Writer workshop on Thursday morning to give Rebels the opportunity to exercise some executive functioning skills. This week, we combined Reader/Writer Workshop and Math Lab into a dedicated work block focused on self-management, prioritization, and productivity. Rather than being assigned a specific task, Rebels were challenged to reflect on their current projects and determine how to make the most meaningful use of their time. Learners considered questions such as: Which project needs my attention most right now? What work will help me make the greatest progress this week? What would be the most productive use of this workshop? Based on their reflections, Rebels chose between continuing work on their Math Mentor anchor charts or developing pieces in their poetry notebooks.
Some Rebels focused on refining and organizing their anchor charts. Others immersed themselves in the writing process, revising poems, experimenting with language, and exploring different poetic forms. While the projects varied, the goal remained the same: practicing intentional decision-making and taking ownership of their learning. It was wonderful to see Rebels thoughtfully assessing their needs, managing their time, and making choices that supported their individual goals as we move into the final weeks of the session.
Civilizations
It was the final week for Discovery to complete their mosaic art that will be presented at their final exhibition of the year. They have worked hard over the last 5 weeks to design wonderful material. From the Great wall of China to Camels and Kings they have lots of designs to present.
This week’s Buzz words were Christians, discouraged, catacombs, Worship and Constantinople. As for mapping they had to colour in the area that made up the Roman Empire, colour the rest of the land and shade the seas and oceans.
This week’s reading was on Chapter 39: Rome and the Christians. It was about the devastating fire destroying much of the city, Emperor Nero used Christians as scapegoats to divert suspicion away from himself. This resulted in mass arrests, torture, and executions. The second section was focused on, Refusal of the Imperial Cult: The Romans required citizens to make sacrifices to traditional gods and worship the Emperor. Since Christians refused to worship anyone but God, Rome viewed them as traitors and rebels. The learners had a discussion at the end of the reading and were asked questions about what happened to Constantine after the victory, what god Constantine worshiped first and they shared their thoughts on catacombs.
Quest
This week in Quest, Rebels explored Space and Perspective, the final Element of Art in our study. Through a series of hands-on workshops, learners investigated how artists create the illusion of depth and distance on a flat surface. On Monday and Tuesday, Rebels participated in a special watercolour workshop series led by one of our Guides. We began by exploring questions such as: How does the horizon line change depending on your point of view? and How can artists create depth in a two-dimensional image? Learners reviewed key vocabulary including horizon line, vanishing point, shadows, highlights, value, and perspective before beginning their first project: one-point perspective initials. Using bold block letters to represent their initials, Rebels practiced creating depth by drawing lines from each corner of their letters toward a single vanishing point on the page. This engaging activity helped learners develop a stronger understanding of how perspective works and how artists use vanishing points to create the illusion of three-dimensional space.
On Tuesday, following our visit to the National Gallery of Canada, Rebels jumped right into a watercolour landscape workshop. Learners experimented with horizon lines, explored value by mixing lighter and darker shades of blue, and practiced creating a sense of distance within their compositions. Using plastic cards, Rebels added the appearance of city skylines and architectural details to their landscapes. This workshop challenged learners to think carefully about scale and placement, particularly when making distant buildings appear smaller and incorporating reflections into the water to enhance realism.
Wednesday and Thursday were dedicated to refining and completing projects from earlier in the week, as well as continuing to build perspective skills through sketchbook exercises and creative challenges. Rebels demonstrated perseverance as they applied new techniques and strengthened their understanding of how artists use space to guide the viewer's eye.
Next week, learners will come together for one final collaborative art project before stepping into the role of museum curators, preparing and installing artwork throughout the school for our Revel Art Gallery Exhibition next Thursday!
Additional Highlights
PE at the Pump Track was a huge success and we wanted to give a special shout out to one of our Discovery Rebels for taking the initiative and time to organize the event! We have been so lucky to watch the learners who are working on their Independent Learner Badges work through their weekly challenges and assignments, especially since this week saw so many of those Rebels working on the bread baking challenge! Rebels have done an incredible job so far navigating one of the toughest obstacles of the transition from Discovery to Exploration Studio. We look forward to seeing all that they accomplish in the final weeks!
Exploration Studio
Mindfulness & Launch
Monday morning, learners worked on the very last lesson in their Becoming a Critical Thinker workbooks entitled “Open Artificial Intelligence: Making AI Work for You.” Rebels learned about the pros and cons of AI, such as ChatGPT, and used it to generate a series of prompts before reflecting on the role they feel AI should play in their education. At our closing, we played the Gesturing Game. Learners took turns coming to the front of the room to act out a common public speaking topic without using words, noises, or props. The activity aimed to build confidence by allowing participants to gesture freely in front of the group. After a call and response warm-up in Boomwhackers, we played “Mythical Magical,” “Wake Me Up,” and “Waka Waka” on Tuesday morning. Rebels were then asked to imagine they started reading a book they didn’t enjoy at all, but they’d already read 100 pages. Do they keep reading because they’ve already spent time, or do they stop and choose a different book? For this week’s Logical Fallacy lesson, we learned about the Sunk Cost Fallacy, which is when you don’t want to give up on something because you have put time or money into it, even though it will probably not pay off. After our “Yes, Let’s” warm-up, Rebels explored and performed poetry through drama and movement on Wednesday. In groups of three, learners read through a poem and then devised three or four freeze frames to represent significant phrases. After their read-through and planning, teams came up and performed as the poem was read aloud. Rebels performed “Jabberwocky,” “The Right Word,” “Wanted: Wizard’s Assistant,” “Cosmic Disco,” and “Night Flight.” Despite the rain, most of the studio still went out for a walk on Thursday morning, while a small group stayed in to work on mindful art. Friday morning, the Rebels sped through their puzzles until getting stuck on Contexto, solving it right at the end! In our Current Events presentation, we heard about movies coming to theatres this summer, the ban on energy drink sales to those under 16 in Quebec, a 16-year-old beatmaker for Drake, and the 250th celebration in the United States.
Poetry Workshop & English Core Skills
We focused on form and imagery in this week’s Poetry workshop. Rebels reviewed various forms of poetry, listened to a slam poet, and learned about concrete poems. Rebels then used the remaining time to write a concrete poem, beginning with visualizing an object they’d like to write about and then listing sensory details for the object. Learners then wrote their poem with the text layout in the shape of their object.
This week, Rebels had a choice to write one of two poem options. The first was inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem “Mother to Son.” Hughes wrote a poem about what a mother would say to her son about her life, so Rebels were asked to write a poem from themselves to a parent or other influential adult in their life, saying thank you, sharing the joys in their life, or confessing their trials and troubles. The second option was to write a Confession poem inspired by “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams.
Adverbs describe a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. They often tell us how something happens. The most common mistake is using an adjective instead of an adverb to describe how something is done. After our lesson, Rebels completed this week’s grammar challenge, correcting the adverb-adjective errors in a series of sentences and paragraphs.
Math Lab - Game on!
This was the last full Math Lab allocated to working on our math review games. Next week, we will break into groups and use our time to play one another’s games before displaying them at Exhibition!
Civilizations - Museum Exhibit
This week in Civilizations, Rebels could be seen researching for more information on their chosen topic, creating artifacts, editing their pieces, and working on the layout for their exhibit boards. With only one work period left next week to pull it all together for display at Exhibition, we reviewed the requirements, were reminded about the Works Cited, and suggested having all components ready before gluing anything down.
Quest - Art & Creativity
It's time for the learners to get creative and work on their own personal art projects! On Monday, we went over the number of work periods remaining, and then they made a plan for what they want to accomplish before the Exhibition, how they will achieve this goal, and how they will judge their excellence and success. After completing their plan, the Rebels gathered their materials and got right to work! Some are learning to carve, others are knitting, working on their photography, sewing doll clothes and building diaramas. We can't wait for you to see their projects at next week's Exhibition!
Additional Highlights
On Thursday, we celebrated the graduation of six learners, five of our Exploration Rebels and one from Launchpad! We would like to thank all the family, friends, and alumni who made the day special and trusted us to care for, support, and learn from your Rebel during these important years. It has been an honour to get to know them, guide them and watch them grow in so many ways.
Rebels, remember that you are capable, kind, and, most importantly, brave. Continue to stand up for yourself and others, use the tools you've learned to manage your time and your stress, and advocate! You have shown the importance and value of strong friendships and even stronger character. Next year, surround yourself with people who care about you and challenge you to be your best version. We can't wait to see what you do with your one wild and precious life, and whatever you do, remember that once a Rebel, always a Rebel.
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:
Spark Studio
What makes you a good egg?
What math material did you use from the shelves this week?
When designing your egg carton flowers, how did you design it?
What personal goals did you set for yourself this week?
Discovery Studio
How do you create space in art?
What is a vanishing point?
Can you explain what foreground, midground and background is in an art piece?
Which art piece are you most excited to have on display at Exhibition next week?
What was your favourite part about the field trip to the National Art Gallery?
French: What changes or improvements did you make to your game this week?
Exploration Studio
What is the hardest part about being your age?
How do you push yourself out of your comfort zone? Is it important to you to do that? What holds you back from doing things that are hard or are scary for you?
Are you feeling ready for Exhibition? How are your big projects going? What is your biggest priority before June 25th?
What types of activities or experiences would you put on a Summer Bucket list?