Build Week 11: Cardboard Boat Regatta 2.0

Build Weeks are an important part of life at Long-View, but the parameters of Covid presented many complexities and for over a year we were not able to gather together as a full community or in teams that crossed bands. But last week the teachers came up with a plan to safely pull off a Build Week. As always, the dates and project challenge of the upcoming Build Week were kept secret, and the teachers carefully crafted a “reveal” last Monday so as to provide a level of authenticity to the Build Week challenge and to deeply invest the learners in the work for the week.

On Monday morning, the first day of the yet-to-be-revealed Build Week 11, Campfire started off in a slightly unusual way….

Artifact Portfolios: Reports of Progress

Currently our teaching team is in the midst of one of the most reflective, collaborative, and important processes we undertake throughout the year: we are writing our learners’ “Artifact Portfolios.” We don’t give grades. We don’t issue a simple report card every six weeks. We don’t simply provide parents with general comments on their child’s progress. Instead, twice a year our teaching team works together to craft a lengthy narrative report on each child, which is captured in a portfolio-style layout that is positioned around “artifacts” of the child’s work. Artifacts are captured throughout the semester and take the form of photos, screenshots, excerpts of writing, short videos, and transcripts and most of the time are captured through the regular, every day work cycle, and not necessarily just through more high-stakes assessments or on-demand activities.

Remaining true to our learner-centered identity, the goal of the Artifact Portfolio is to report on the hard work of learning….

Build Week 9: An Enriching Endeavor

Build Week 9 began with an unusual sight: two yellow school buses parked outside of Long-View. The kids arrived bundled up for the sub-freezing weather and brimming with guesses about where the buses were headed. But the tight-lipped teachers weren’t about to let the cat out of the bag. Instead they ushered the kids inside to find the lanyards designating their team names.

Summer Remodel and Expansion Brings Opportunity

It’s the start of a new school year at Long-View and things feel familiar, but at the same time, everything looks a bit different. Summertime was busy with a remodel of new space we recently acquired. We pulled out walls, re-thought the flow between rooms, and added our signature décor that looks more akin to a creative work space than an elementary and middle school, all in preparation for a larger student community and faculty team.

Getting new spaces ready for our expanded community meant another opportunity to continue to deepen our thinking about how space affects learning and how design of space can positively influence our community….

GeneralLisa ZapalacAugust 29, 2018Long-View Micro Schoolremodel, culture, work spaces, collaboration, new year

Build Week#3: Cold Case #T8523-15 Solved!

An incredibly high-level and high-energy week just concluded at Long-View: Build Week #3 brought together work on chemistry, argument, forensics, logic, collaboration, and critical thinking, with a hint of mystery mixed in.

Build Weeks are a part of the rhythm of the yearly calendar at Long-View, opening our schedule up to allow us to dive into special activities and challenges. Build Weeks help us grow intellectually, help us make connections between disciplines, give us a chance to break the “routine” of school life, and give us an opportunity to try new things.

Build Week #3 also gave us the chance to meet new people. The week began with crime scene tape surrounding one classroom door and Detective Julie Long of the Austin Police Department showing up with a locked briefcase....