First day. The studio is watching everything. We model the year on Day 1 - the schedule runs as designed, transitions happen cleanly, the Hero's Journey gets named, and the standards we'll live by all year get spoken into existence by the guide, alongside the learners, with full presence and warmth.
By 3:30 today, every learner should be able to say "I know what tomorrow looks like, I know what excellent looks like, and I know I belong here."
Every learner has walked through every block of the day with the guide. The schedule poster is on the wall.
Every learner has the first page of their Personal Working Guide started. The guide shared theirs first.
The warmth was real. The standard was clear. Both can be true. New learners feel safe. Returners feel trusted.
The full day, block by block. Each block links to the guide notes for that activity below.
Guide moves: Greet every learner by name at the door. New learners get a warm "I'm so glad you're here" and a quick wayfinding ("your name card is at that spot - that's yours for today").
Gather to the launch space. Today, model the transition slowly and explicitly: "We're going to move to the launch space. When the bell rings, we stop what we're doing, put things back where they belong, and walk - not run - to the carpet. Let's try it."
Talking points, not a script. Hit these in your own words - the studio can tell the difference, and the ones that land are the ones you actually mean.
The opener (3 min):
"Everything we do this year is part of something bigger. It's part of your Hero's Journey - and today we start it together."
The Hero's Journey wheel (8 min):
Walk through the four stages using the wheel on the wall:
Then make the turn into the name game. Two beats:
The name game (8 min):
Roll a ball. Whoever catches it says their name + one thing they like + one thing they're excited about this year. Pass it on. At the end, see if anyone can recall every name. (For older returners - make it a challenge: "Can you say everyone's name + their one excitement?")
The close (1 min):
The hard cutoff at 8:50 is a teaching moment, not a constraint. The studio watches whether you actually hold it. Hold it. Even if the conversation was great. Especially if the conversation was great - that's when the lesson lands.
Today's version is intro-only. The full version starts tomorrow.
This is not a math-content day. This is a "how we do math" day.
Watch for: any learner whose computer doesn't work. Note it. Tech Helper role will be introduced Week 2 - for now, the guide solves it.
"Rocket Math locks after 10 minutes - so it's an exit ticket. When you're done, you wash your hands and go to snack. That's the rhythm every day."
Free time, social, eat. The guide uses this time to check in with any learner who looked nervous earlier, and to actually eat their own snack alongside the studio - guide is part of the tribe.
Mirror the math block, for ELA. Today's structure:
Watch for: any learner stuck. The Writing Coach role is later - today the guide circulates. This sets the bar for what writing time feels like.
Same protocols as snack. The guide eats with the studio. Hand-washing happens before lunch - model it.
Norm to introduce: kitchen use. "Some of you will use the kitchen this year. We'll talk about how next week - for now, only with a guide."
Default if curriculum not yet locked: use the time as Studio Tour Round 2 - the parts of the school you haven't seen yet. Cafe, kitchen, outdoor space, where the other studios are.
The activity (45 min):
The close (15 min):
"The Call is coming. This year, the Call is: What kind of hero do you want to become? You don't have to answer that today. But notice it. Carry it. We'll come back to it."
Post the constellations on the wall. They stay up all week.
"Every day at 2:40 we make the studio sacred again. We put it back the way we want to find it tomorrow. This is how we say thank you to the space."
"Every day before pickup, we give Character Callouts using the studio script:
"I have a character callout for [learner(s)] for [what they did] and I call that [character trait(s)]."
Specific. Named. The trait matters - see the character traits reference for the working list. We resist "friendship and fun" as a catch-all - that's Spark territory. D2 names the actual trait at work: courage, perseverance, generosity, self-control, integrity, etc."
"Take a breath. We did it. First day of the year. Pack up. When your grown-up arrives, tell them one thing you loved about today."
Send-off at the door - by name, with eye contact, "see you tomorrow." Repeat for every learner.
Send a short end-of-day note to all D2 families. Keep it warm, brief, and concrete.