Revel Recap: Sept 21-25
Important Upcoming Dates:
Monday, September 28th - Terry Fox Run
Wednesday, September 30th - Truth and Reconciliation Day (Wear Orange!)
Grade 5-6 Soccer Tournament - Boys — Tuesday, October 6 from 9:30–2:30 Girls — Wednesday, October 7 from 9:30–2:30
Session 1 Exhibitions:
Tuesday, October 6th - Discovery Exhibition, 4:00-5:00
Wednesday, October 7th - Spark Exhibition, 4:00-5:00
Thursday, October 8th - Exploration Exhibition, 4:00-5:00
October 13th to 16th - Session Break Camp with Ms. Megan
Thursday, October 22nd- Revel Pumpkin Run, 2:45-3:30pm
October 29th Revel Community Book Club: The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud & Ned Jo
Spark Studio
Mindfulness/Launch
On Monday, we began with an emotion check-in. As a group, we reviewed a range of feelings on our emotion poster, and each learner took a turn pointing to the emotion that best matched how they were starting their day. Afterwards, we shared stories from our weekends, giving everyone a chance to speak and listen. In anticipation of the arrival of autumn, we wrapped up our mindful morning with a directed drawing of a cute fall goose! On Tuesday, we welcomed the arrival of autumn with a cozy seasonal read-aloud of The Leaf Thief. Rebels loved spotting the silly moments throughout the story, and afterwards, they created beautiful fall leaf sun-catchers. On Wednesday, we read I Promise and began thinking about the commitments we want to uphold in our Studio this year. We started by revisiting last year’s promises and using them as inspiration to reflect on what matters most to us now. After reading through them together, Rebels brainstormed new ideas, with each Spark Rebel writing down one promise they believe is important for our Studio community. Over the next few days, we will vote on which promises to include in our final set. During our Revel Showcase, learners will proudly sign these promises in front of their families, demonstrating their commitment to trying their best and helping shape the culture of our Studio. On Thursday, we started our morning with the Boomwhackers! Rebels enjoyed experimenting with rhythm and sound as we practised simple patterns together to build musical confidence. On Friday, we celebrated Franco-Ontarian Day with a short Launch exploring the day’s meaning and history. Rebels then coloured the Franco-Ontarian flag, taking time to notice its colours and symbols.
Reader/Writer Workshop
This week, we introduced our new Two Words of the Week activity, inspired by a lunchtime discussion last week about the meaning of the word compromise. Rebels heard the full definition, brainstormed rhyming words, and explored synonyms. Next week, we will add antonyms to our word work, too! We then jumped into a group activity exploring three main types of phrases that can make up a sentence: the “who” phrase, the “did what” phrase, and the “where” phrase. Our three team leaders helped Rebels create silly sentences using the word and picture cards they chose at each station. The available words incorporated sounds we are currently practising. Each Rebel then read their newly created sentence aloud and was celebrated with plenty of claps from the group! We had so much fun that we missed Chapter 3 of Magic Tree House, so we will have to wait until next week to find out what happens with Jack and Annie!
Math Workshop
This week in Math Workshop, we continued exploring a variety of Montessori math materials. Rebels spent time colouring and building the 1–10 bead stair, a material that helps learners see number order, quantity, and the relationships between numbers. Other Rebels practised addition and subtraction using our math boards, which allow learners to move number tiles as they solve, making each equation something they can physically build and check. Another pair of learners explored multiplication with the Stamp Game, a material that uses small wooden tiles to represent units, tens, hundreds, and thousands. It provides a wonderful bridge between concrete materials and more abstract written math.
We also had Rebels working with both the long and short 5 skip-counting chains, laying out the beads, counting aloud, and noticing patterns. These chains help Spark Rebels explore skip counting, early multiplication, and the concept of grouping numbers. Ask your learner what they were working on in Math Workshop this week!
French
This week in French, we stepped into the world of the book Le voleur de feuilles (The Leaf Thief) and explored the story through a variety of activities. While colouring our leaves, the Rebels practised asking for colours in French and using polite expressions such as “s’il vous plaît” and “merci.” We also learned the names of different animals in French and played a body-part Bingo game to practise vocabulary for different parts of the body. On Thursday, we headed to the gym for one of our favourite ways to review: learning through movement and play! The Rebels had lots of opportunities to listen, understand, and use their new French vocabulary while having fun.
Geography
As Spark Rebels become more familiar with the continents and their names, we began our Geography workshop with This Is My Continent, a story that explores places around the world. We then placed the puzzle pieces from our Continent Map around the Studio. A Guide called out a continent name, and Rebels travelled to that continent using different movements, hopping, tiptoeing, marching, or even flying like birds! It was a lively way to reinforce continent recognition while getting our bodies moving.
Art
This week’s Art workshop was inspired by the changing seasons and our Studio’s love of animals. Spark Rebels coloured adorable hedgehogs and then created colourful autumn leaves to match the shades we are beginning to see outside. Rebels used their leaves as the “spines” on their hedgehog designs, creating a sweet blend of fall colours and woodland charm!
Quest
This week’s Quest was all about emotions! On Tuesday, we read The Colour Monster, a story that helps learners understand feelings by imagining each emotion as a different colour. We then played Emotion Echo, a quick circle game where one Rebel showed a feeling using their face and body while the rest of the group mirrored it. Together, we named the emotion and discussed strategies that might help us feel calm and regulated. To wrap up the day, Spark Rebels drew pictures representing several emotions, exploring how feelings can look and feel different for everyone.
On Thursday, we read The Grand Hotel of Feelings, a story that imagines each emotion as a “guest” in a hotel, helping Rebels understand that all feelings are welcome and temporary. We then played Pass the Emotion, a circle game where Spark Rebels mirrored a feeling before passing a new one to the next Rebel. Our activity for the day was creating a regulation toolbox for moments when big emotions show up. As a group, we brainstormed strategies that help us feel safe, calm, and regulated. Rebels then drew six things they can do when they are feeling angry, sad, excited, or experiencing another strong emotion, building a personalized set of tools they can use when they need them. On Friday, we read The Worrysaurus, a story about a little dinosaur who learns how to calm his worries by using helpful tools and remembering that he is safe. We then explored the idea that not all problems are the same size. Together, we brainstormed real-life examples and sorted them into tiny, small, medium, big, and huge problems. We discussed what kinds of responses might match each size and practised noticing when a problem feels big on the inside but may actually be small on the outside, as well as which strategies can help us in those moments.
This week, we also reviewed how to use our Peace Table. We talked about times when Rebels might choose this tool, such as when feelings are strong, when a disagreement needs care, or when two Rebels want to solve a problem together. We revisited our Peace Table recipe:
Hold the talking rock: Only the Rebel holding the rock speaks while everyone else listens with calm bodies.
Take a calm breath: Both Rebels pause and breathe to get ready for peace.
Share feelings: “I feel... because...”
Pass the talking rock: Give the other Rebel an opportunity to share their feelings.
Find a solution together: Think of ideas that help everyone move forward.
Ring the peace bell: When both Rebels agree on a plan, ring the bell to celebrate the resolution.
Rebels then practised several sample scenarios, taking turns with the talking rock, sharing their feelings, and working together to find peaceful solutions. This week, all three Studios also gathered for a special schoolwide Quest workshop as we prepare for an exciting visitor! Next week, local artist Robbie Larivière from Fall Down Gallery will join us as we begin the process of creating a Revel mural together. Spark, Discovery, and Exploration Rebels spent time brainstorming the symbols, words, and images that represent who we are as a community. Learners then sketched their own mural concepts to share with Robbie, who will draw inspiration from ideas across all three Studios as he develops the final design. We are so excited to see our Rebels’ ideas come together and leave their mark on our Revel space!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness/Launch
This week, Discovery Rebels began their mindfulness workshops by continuing to work on their All About Me Badge pennants. During our Monday morning meeting, we focused on executive functioning by looking ahead at our weekly schedule and highlighting some exciting additions, including Coach Jenna Croteau joining us for PE and Franco-Ontarian Day. Rebels learned about the history and significance of Franco-Ontarian Day and explored some of Coach Jenna’s history in the soccer world. On Tuesday, Rebels kicked off the morning with a mindful stroll around the baseball diamonds, followed by a new Rebel-led team-building game. During Launch, we continued building our executive functioning toolkit by learning what it means to “eat the frog” and reviewing how SMART goals can help us prioritize, plan, and follow through on our goals.
Wednesday morning, we caught up with our favourite penguin, Steve! Rebels noticed patterns in penguin feeding routines, learned what happens as older chicks gain weight and become more independent, and met another Antarctic threat: skuas! We also made time for an important conversation about Truth or Dare during recess. Rebels discussed ways to ensure everyone feels safe and supported during the game, including having the choice to participate, skip a question, or pass on a dare whenever they want to. This led to a thoughtful conversation about consent. What does consent mean? How can someone give consent? What does consent look and sound like? Rebels agreed that consent needs to be an enthusiastic “yes.” Otherwise, it is a no. They also agreed that, as a listener, no means no the first time, and we do not ask again.
Our usual Thursday NYT puzzles were pleasantly interrupted by Fat Bear Week! We turned our attention to Alaska to meet this year’s semifinal contestants in the annual weight-gain competition and checked out the Hall of Champions from previous years. Rebels cast their votes and will continue following along until the 2026 champion is revealed on September 29! This week’s Thank You for Sharing questions had Rebels reflecting on how they navigate difficult conversations with friends, debating where they would rather vacation for a week with their family, Disney World or an all-inclusive beach trip, and tackling a sneaky math question that put their multiplication skills to the test. Finally, Friday’s Boomwhackers featured Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” to celebrate the arrival of fall, while Current Events took us around the world with an update on Fat Bear Week, an Australian desert bursting into bloom, and the discovery of a new species of wild cat!
Reader/Writer Workshop
This week in Reader Writer, Discovery Rebels began our third and final writing challenge of the session, exploring how we represent ourselves through writing and communication. With Studio Jobs up for grabs, Rebels considered what makes someone ready for responsibility and how they can communicate the strengths, skills, and qualities they would bring to a role. Together, we created a Job Application Word Bank with vocabulary for describing personal qualities, skills, responsibilities, teamwork, and leadership. Rebels then selected a Studio job they were interested in applying for through ClassBank and began a written application, using it as a first introduction to résumé writing. We also watched a mock interview and explored the question, “How are you always communicating?” considering how our words, body language, preparation, and actions all contribute to the impression we leave on others.
Next week, Rebels will choose one of the communication challenges from this Session to revise, strengthen, and elevate into an excellent written piece for our Exhibition.
Math Lab
This week in Math Lab, the Rebels went to war... with products and sums!
Rebels kicked off the week with an exciting mental math challenge using a classic deck of cards. Working with a teammate, Rebels flipped cards and raced to calculate the sum or product of the numbers shown. After several rounds of adding and multiplying numbers from 1 to 11, the teammate who collected the highest total of winning sums or products took the victory! For the remainder of the workshop, Rebels jumped back into their operations challenges in their duotangs. Some teamed up to tackle addition and subtraction with four and five digit numbers while practising regrouping, while others worked through multi-step word problems and strengthened their problem solving strategies.
Rebels are also working on our Problem of the Session: the Revel Arena Arrows Tour! This real-world stadium math challenge invites Rebels to work independently or with a partner to solve a series of problems connected to purchasing concert tickets. Using an arena map, Rebels are comparing seating sections, ticket prices, crowd sizes, and different purchasing scenarios. Each challenge asks them to dig a little deeper, choose the operations they need, and apply their math skills to increasingly complex, multi-step problems. It has been so much fun watching the Rebels bring operations off the page and into a real-world challenge where there is plenty of room for strategy, collaboration, and creative problem solving!
French
This week in French, Discovery Rebels put their dictionary and Bescherelle skills to the test with a friendly competition. The goal was to practise finding information quickly and confidently, while becoming more comfortable using French reference tools independently.
After the competition, Rebels worked in teams of two to begin creating their own French reference posters for our studio. Each team chose a topic they thought would be useful to have on hand throughout the year, including numbers, masculine and feminine nouns, the calendar, and other French concepts. They began organizing their ideas and thinking about how to make their posters both helpful and easy for their classmates to use.
Civilizations
This week in Civilizations, Rebels continued their adventure through the Middle Ages as we travelled to the Byzantine Empire and the beautiful city of Constantinople. We began with an imaginary tour through the bustling capital, exploring its busy merchants, thriving economy, opportunities for education, and impressive architecture, including the magnificent Hagia Sophia. Rebels considered what their favourite part of living in Constantinople might have been: the bustling population, the economy, education, or the incredible monuments and architecture. As we continued reading, Rebels learned about Emperor Justinian, explored his leadership, and mapped the impressive size of the Byzantine Empire. Rebels especially enjoyed debating Justinian’s set of laws and considering which law would have been most important for creating a functioning society at the time. We wrapped up the chapter with an old, familiar tale that may have contributed to the legend of Saint Nicholas, involving a generous man, a family in need, and gold coins delivered in secret!
During Wednesday’s workshop, Rebels began bringing their Civilizations project plans to life. We finalized our Amazon purchase list for medieval and Middle Ages craft supplies, while Rebels began sourcing materials from the Maker Space for their projects. Dioramas started taking shape, and some Rebels even began designing model shields and swords. We are excited to see where their creativity takes these projects over the coming weeks!
Quest
This week in Quest, Discovery Rebels focused on growth mindset, Challenge Zones, neuroplasticity, and continuing to refine our Studio Contracts ahead of our end of Session deadlines. We kicked off the week with a clip from How to Train Your Dragon featuring Hiccup’s first flight. Rebels loved watching Hiccup move through different emotions as he shifted between his Comfort Zone, Challenge Zone, and Panic Zone. We connected these experiences to our own Challenge Donut and looked at Revel’s daily and weekly schedule. What goals or parts of our day might put us in different areas of our Challenge Donut? Why? And what can we do to keep ourselves in that productive Challenge Zone? This led us into a fascinating discussion about what is actually happening in our brains when we are challenged by a new skill or concept. Rebels explored the science of neuroplasticity and how our brains create and strengthen pathways as we practise, make mistakes, try again, and eventually master something. We connected this back to growth and fixed mindsets, discussing how our thinking can either support or limit the learning process and why choosing goals that appropriately challenge us is so important.
Rebels also revisited our Studio Contracts this week, force ranking the agreements they believe are most important as we move closer to finalizing them. They also began developing options for additional Tech Rules of Engagement, with a particular focus on AI and the question of how, if at all, it can meaningfully support our learning without doing the learning for us.
Finally, all three Studios came together for a special schoolwide Quest workshop in preparation for an exciting upcoming guest. Local artist Robbie Larivière from Fall Down Gallery will be joining us next week as we begin creating a Revel mural! Spark, Discovery, and Exploration Rebels brainstormed the symbols, words, images, and ideas that could make a Revel mural uniquely ours. Rebels then created their own designs to pitch to Robbie, who will select submissions from each Studio to help inspire and shape the final mural. We cannot wait to see some of our Rebels’ ideas come to life on the walls of Revel!
Additional Highlights
We were so lucky to have Coach Jenna Croteau join us for Tuesday’s PE! After hearing a bit about her background, playing at the university level and competing abroad, the learners jumped into a series of drills she led. They practiced key soccer skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting, and defensive footwork. Afterwards, everyone was thrilled to play a full game with our special guest. Thank you, Coach Jenna, for sharing your time, energy, and expertise with us!
Exploration Studio
There was lots of excitement in the Exploration Studio this week as we officially launched our new Studio jobs and announced our first hires! We hired two Heads of Culture, who were immediately given their first big responsibility: helping to hire Rebels for our remaining open positions. Successful applicants received an official email announcing their new role and will now begin earning a weekly salary in Revel Bucks, paid directly through ClassBank. We’re excited to continue developing these opportunities and giving Rebels meaningful ways to take responsibility, build leadership skills, contribute to their community, and help make our Studio a great place to learn and grow. Let’s get to work, Rebels!
Quest: What Makes a Revel Learner?
This week in Quest, we took a deeper dive into competency-based education and what it means to be a Revel learner. We explored the difference between a skill and a competency, what transferable skills are, why they matter, and how competencies can grow through practise and experience. Working in groups, Rebels were challenged to unlock three missions connected to one of Revel’s core competencies. They researched evidence and studies demonstrating why their competency matters, created a short self-assessment to help other Rebels reflect on their current level, and developed a presentation to share their findings with the Studio.
As we begin creating more detailed competency badges in upcoming sessions, our goal is for Rebels to understand not only what these competencies are, but why they matter, how they can develop them, and what concrete evidence might demonstrate their growth.
Big History: What Makes a Great Leader?
In Big History, Rebels explored the stories of several well-known Canadian leaders and reflected on what leadership actually means.
Rebels were given 20 leadership qualities and challenged to rank them from most to least important. The real challenge wasn’t simply choosing an order. It was justifying their decisions with concrete examples, listening to different perspectives, and considering how different situations might call for different kinds of leadership.
Through these conversations, Rebels began thinking more deeply about the qualities they value in a leader and the kind of leadership they hope to demonstrate themselves.
French
This week in French, Exploration Rebels challenged themselves with a Bescherelle and dictionary competition. They practised using French reference tools to find information, check spelling, and look up words and verb forms independently. The activity was also an opportunity to think about when it is more useful to reach for a dictionary or Bescherelle rather than immediately turning to AI or a translation tool.
We also began preparing for an upcoming group presentation. Rebels started brainstorming possible topics, discussing their ideas with one another, and thinking about what they would like to share with the group. Over the next few weeks, they will develop their topic and begin building their presentation in French.
Math Lab: Understanding Our Math Story
This week in Math Lab, Rebels took some time to reflect on their personal relationships with mathematics.
Through a self-assessment, they considered their most positive and challenging experiences with math, the beliefs they currently hold about themselves as mathematicians, the people and experiences that have influenced those beliefs, and where they would like to grow.
The goal was to help Rebels recognize that becoming stronger in math isn’t only about developing mathematical skills. It’s also about building confidence, perseverance, effective strategies, and a growth mindset. By better understanding their own “math story,” Rebels can begin identifying the habits and approaches that will help them continue moving forward.
Reader & Writer: Music!
This week, we continued exploring the world of creative writing, this time through music!
Rebels listened to a variety of songs and identified lyrics that showcased some of the creative writing tools we’ve been practising, including imagery, metaphors, similes, repetition, and rhythm. They then selected a song from an artist of their choice and analyzed the different techniques the songwriter used to make their lyrics creative, meaningful, and memorable.
It was a fun opportunity to recognize that creative writing exists all around us and that some of the songs we listen to every day are filled with intentional choices made by writers!
Additional Highlights
We were so lucky to have Coach Jenna Croteau join us for Tuesday’s PE! After hearing a bit about her background, playing at the university level and competing abroad, the learners jumped into a series of drills she led. They practiced key soccer skills such as dribbling, passing, shooting, and defensive footwork. Afterwards, everyone was thrilled to play a full game with our special guest. Thank you, Coach Jenna, for sharing your time, energy, and expertise with us!
Questions to Ask Your Learners:
Spark Studio
Can you think of a time when you might need to visit the Peace Table? What is the Peace Table Recipe?
What were the two words that we learned to define this week? Do you remember a synonym for this word?
What helps you feel better when you are having big emotions? What tools did you add to your toolbox?
Discovery Studio
What does it mean to “eat the frog”? What is one “frog” you had to tackle this week?
What does neuroplasticity mean? Can you explain what is happening in your brain when you learn something new?
What promise on your studio contracts do you think will be the most important for the Discovery Team this year? Why?
Can you show me how to play the math game version of War? Do you prefer to play using sums or products?
What idea are you working on for your Civilizations project? What are you hoping to create, and what materials will you need?
Exploration Studio
What is one skill or competency you feel you’re getting stronger at right now? What have you done recently that shows your growth?
What do you think makes someone a great leader? How could you show that kind of leadership at school, at home, or with your friends?
What is something you once thought, “I’m not good at this,” about but are starting to see differently? What helped change your thinking?