This is what we live every day, from Day 1 of Build the Tribe. The schedule is a teacher - it teaches that time is real, that transitions matter, that we honor what we said we'd do. Hard cutoffs are non-negotiable. Everything else has a little breathing room.
Same skeleton every day. What changes is the variable block (11:20–12:00) and the afternoon programming.
| Time | Block | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 – 8:25 | Arrival & Free Time | 25 min | Settle in, social, optional reading |
| 8:25 – 8:30 | Settle | 5 min | Transition to launch |
| 8:30 – 8:50 | Morning Launch hard cutoff | 20 min | At 20 min we move on. Extra thoughts go to a guide at snack. |
| 8:50 – 9:00 | Habit & Character Goals | 10 min | Goal-setting and check-in |
| 9:00 – 9:40 | Math Time (IXL) | 40 min | Personal Working Guide in use, focused work, video lessons OK |
| 9:40 – 9:50 | Rocket Math exit ticket | 10 min | Rocket Math locks after 10 min. Complete → wash hands → snack. |
| 9:50 – 10:20 | Snack | 30 min | Free time, social |
| 10:20 – 11:20 | ELA Block | 60 min | DEAR / Free Write / NoRedInk / Nessy / Read-Along (varies by day - see below) |
| 11:20 – 12:00 | Variable Block | 40 min | See day variations below |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch | 60 min | Full hour - hand-washing first, guide eats with studio |
| 1:00 – 1:50 | Civ / Read-Along / Improv | 50 min | See day variations below |
| 1:50 – 2:40 | Quest | 50 min | Mon–Thu. Fri = Quest Catchup + Language + Art/PD |
| 2:40 – 3:00 | Studio Maintenance | 20 min | Keep the space sacred. Posts the next day's Thinking Puzzle near the cubbies. |
| 3:00 – 3:10 | Character Callouts | 10 min | Studio script - see Character Traits |
| 3:10 – 3:15 | Reflection | 5 min | Be grateful · name one thing from the day |
| 3:15 – 3:30 | Pickup | 15 min | Send-off by name at the door · share adventures |
The standing schedule gives Studio Maintenance 10 minutes. During BTT we give it 20 - and we take those 10 minutes off the front of Quest. That is deliberate. A studio that learns to clean at 60% will clean at 60% in May. We would rather spend six weeks doing it at 100% and build the muscle.
The 10 minutes are earned back, not given back. Name this out loud to the studio in Week 1: "Right now maintenance takes us twenty minutes because we're learning it. When the studio can hit the Standard of Excellence in ten, those ten minutes go back to Quest - and they're yours." Once the studio holds it consistently (usually somewhere in Week 4–5), make the handover a real moment. Quest goes back to 1:50–2:50 and maintenance to 2:50–3:00.
Time has to be real. If 8:50 sometimes means 9:05, the studio learns that the schedule is decorative. If the cutoff lands clean every day, the studio learns that what we said we'd do is what we do - and that becomes its own kind of trust. The same logic applies to Rocket Math, lunch, and every transition.
Three slots vary day-to-day: the 11:20 variable block, the afternoon programming, and the post-snack ELA cluster.
Continue the ELA block. Last 10 minutes = Typing Club (locks after 10 min, exit ticket to lunch).
40 min. Posted agenda. Rotating learner leader (the guide leads Week 1 as a narrated demonstration). Topics submitted in advance via the topic box.
40 min, all studios together. Runs every Thursday and it is not Extended ELA - all six BTT weeks have it. If there's a slot for a studio update, a D2 learner takes it; ask at breakfast rather than on the walk over.
11:20–11:40: ICEE survey + 360 reflection. 11:40–12:00: Share Chair (voluntary writing share with the Share Chair Standard observed).
| Day | Block | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Civilization | Lorem ipsum - confirm curriculum |
| Tue | Civilization | Lorem ipsum |
| Wed | Read-Along | Unplugged time. Physical books preferred when possible. Class-voted titles. |
| Thu | Civilization | Lorem ipsum |
| Fri | Improv (Clare) | 40 min, runs into Quest catchup block |
Friday's afternoon runs differently - Improv takes the Civ slot, Quest becomes a catchup block, and the last 30 minutes are flexible programming. During BTT that 2:10–2:40 slot doubles as makeup time: anything bumped earlier in the week gets plugged in here.
| Time | Block | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 – 1:40 | Improv (Clare) | 40 min | Runs straight into the Quest catchup block |
| 1:40 – 2:10 | Quest Catchup | 30 min | Finish the week's Quest work · unfinished artifacts get closed out |
| 2:10 – 2:40 | Language + Art/PD makeup slot | 30 min | BTT flex. Default is Language + Art/PD. Override it to make up anything the week bumped. |
| 2:40 – 3:30 | Maintenance · Callouts · Reflection · Pickup | 50 min | Standard closing rhythm |
The ELA cluster rotates across reading, writing, and skills practice. Computer vs. unplugged is marked on the day schedule.
Drop Everything And Read. Silent independent reading. DEAR Defender role active.
Everyone has the same book (or PDF). Reading is a great time to unplug - physical books when budget allows.
Model good posture and structure at the start of the year; lean into the free aspect as the habit lands.
ELA software stack - leaning toward NoRedInk as primary (clean, mature, empowering). Final stack TBD.
Every block is clearly marked. Default to unplugged when both options exist. The studio benefits from screens-off time.