The week closes with co-creation. We've lived 4 days of the schedule. Now we ask: what does each of these blocks look like at its best, by May? The answers go up on the walls and stay there all year. We also kick off three weekly rituals that will hold the studio together: the 360 reflection, the ICEE survey, and the Share Chair.
By 3:30 today, the walls of the studio reflect the studio's own vision - and every learner has practiced the rituals that will close every week of the year.
Clumsy phrasing stays. A tidied-up version posted on Monday tells the studio the Standard is the guide's, not theirs.
See, hear, feel, and how we'd know we're doing it right. A Standard that only covers what a room looks like is half a Standard.
You rated yourself out loud and low first. If the studio's first survey is a wall of top marks, honesty hasn't been modelled hard enough yet.
Standard rhythm. Friday vibe - the studio knows what to do now. Let them.
Bell, tidy, walk to the launch space. In Week 1 this still gets narrated - name what you're doing and why, because the studio is learning the shape of a transition, not just doing one.
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):
"We've lived four days of the schedule together. You know what Morning Launch feels like. You know what Math Time feels like. You know what Town Hall feels like. Today we ask the next question: what could these things look like at their absolute best - by May?"
The framing (8 min):
"This is what we'll call the Standard of Excellence. Every block in our schedule gets a poster. Each poster answers one question: What does this block look like when we're showing up to it the way we want to be remembered for?"
"This is NOT a list of rules. Rules are 'don'ts.' The Standard is 'this is who we're becoming.' The posters go on the walls and stay there all year. When we forget, the walls remind us. When we're doing it right, the walls cheer for us."
The first sketch (8 min):
Together as a studio, sketch Math Time as the live example. Ask:
Capture as a sketch on the Math Time poster. Don't finish - they'll finish in groups during Quest.
"Last day of Week 1. Open your notebook to Monday's goal. Did you take any tiny actions toward it? What did you notice? Write one line."
Real practice. By now the rhythm is felt - see what learners do without prompting.
Standard rhythm.
Standard rhythm.
The free-write today is also Share Chair material. Prompt: "What does it mean to be a hero in your own life?" (Or whatever feels right for the studio.)
Last 15 min: anyone who wants to share at the first Share Chair drafts what they'll read aloud. Voluntary.
"Every Friday we do the 360 and the ICEE. The 360 is where we look at ourselves and our tribe and ask honestly how the week went. The ICEE is the survey - Intentionality, Civility, Excellence, Energy - that gives us the numbers."
Don't analyze the numbers today. The ICEE Tally Keeper will post results - for now, just baseline.
"This is the Share Chair. Anyone who wants to read what they wrote can sit (or stand) here. The rest of us listen with our whole bodies. Today is voluntary."
Before sharing starts, do a 5-min Share Chair Standard discussion: "What's appropriate to share publicly? What should we keep private?" Land on a few principles together (capture as a poster):
Then open the chair. Guide shares first if no learner volunteers.
Standard.
Friday's Quest catchup is 30 minutes, not 50 - plan for that, not for the usual block. Improv sits in the Civ slot and doesn't eat Quest; Friday is simply built differently).
Activity: divide the studio into 5 groups. Each group gets ONE poster to finish:
Each group has ~18 min to fill in: SOUND, LOOK, FEEL, SIGN we're doing it right. Then 12 min of gallery walk - each group presents their poster in under two minutes, others ask one question. The block is 30 minutes, not 50, so the gallery walk is fast by design; refinement happens Monday, not today.
By end of block: 6 posters are up on the wall (v1). They will evolve all year.
Why it's here: Tuesday's start cost us a day, and this activity closes the loop on Day 1's Ordinary World constellations. It's the bridge into Week 2's guiding question - who is on this journey with me? Language + Art/PD picks up next Friday.
Setup (2 min): Pair learners deliberately - new learner with a returner wherever possible. Point everyone at the constellations still on the wall from Day 1.
The interviews (20 min · 10 min per side):
"Your job is not to talk. Your job is to get curious about someone else." Each learner interviews their partner about their Ordinary World constellation. Three starter questions on the board:
The rule: you must ask at least one follow-up question that wasn't on the board. That's the whole skill. Call it out when you hear a good one.
The introductions (8 min):
Round the circle. Each learner introduces their partner in one sentence: "This is ___, and what I learned is ___." Fast, warm, no commentary between.
The close:
"You just did the thing this whole year runs on. You got curious about somebody. Monday we start Week 2, and the question for the whole week is: who is on this journey with me, and how do we help each other? You already started answering it."
Thirty minutes is tight for this. Hold the 10-minute halves hard - a timer on the board helps. If a pair is deep in a good conversation when the bell goes, that's a feature: name it ("you two clearly weren't done - go find each other at lunch on Monday").
(15 min) Maintenance: standard rhythm.
(10 min) Character Callouts: today, take an extra moment. Friday callouts should look back across the whole week. Encourage learners to call out something from MONDAY they're still thinking about.
(15 min) Week 1 Closing Ceremony:
Friday is when you confirm who's leading Town Hall #2. Pull them aside before pickup. "I've been watching you this week - would you lead Town Hall on Wednesday? I'll help you prep on Monday."
Some won't share for weeks. That's fine. The point is they get to watch others share safely. If a learner is anxious, offer the alternative: they share with you privately during buffer. Honor that as real participation.
The Week 1 posters are v1 - rough sketches. Plan a "v2" pass during Week 4 ("The Long Build") after the studio has lived it longer. The posters should evolve as the tribe does.
Saturday morning: write 5 lines about Week 1. What worked. What surprised me. One learner I want to support more next week. One systems-thing to tweak. One thing I'm proud of. This becomes the foundation of your end-of-session reflection in Week 6.
Send a week-summary email to all D2 families on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Keep it warm, specific, and concrete.