Day 5 · Friday — Standard of Excellence v1

Minute by minute

8:00 – 8:25 · 25 minarrival

Arrival & Free Time

Standard rhythm. Friday vibe — the studio knows what to do now. Let them.

8:30 – 8:50 · 20 minnon-negotiable launch

Morning Launch — Standard of Excellence introduction

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:

What does excellent Math Time SOUND like? (focused quiet, occasional whispered help)
What does it LOOK like? (heads down, PWG out, screens on math)
What does it FEEL like? (calm intensity, productive)
What's the SIGN that we're doing it right? (you don't notice the time pass; you finish more than you expected)

Capture as a sketch on the Math Time poster. Don't finish — they'll finish in groups during Quest.

8:50 – 9:00 · 10 mindaily rhythm

Habit & Character Goals — first week reflection

"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."

9:00 – 9:40 · 40 minmath

Math Time

Real practice. By now the rhythm is felt — see what learners do without prompting.

9:40 – 9:50 · 10 minexit ticket

Rocket Math

Standard rhythm.

9:50 – 10:15 · 25 minsnack

Snack

Standard rhythm.

10:15 – 11:20 · 65 minela block

ELA Block — Share Chair prep

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.

Lorem ipsum — adjust prompt as needed. The first Share Chair should be voluntary and low-stakes. The point is the ritual, not the content.

11:20 – 12:00 · 40 minfriday rituals

11:20 – 11:40: 360 Reflection + first ICEE survey

"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."

Hand out (or open) the ICEE form. Walk through each letter once. Self-rating + studio-rating, 1–10 each.
5 min of silent reflection + filling out.
5 min of voluntary verbal share-outs: "Anything you want to name about the week?"

Don't analyze the numbers today. The ICEE Tally Keeper will post results — for now, just baseline.

11:40 – 12:00: First Share Chair + Share Chair Standard discussion

"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):

Writing about your own life: yes
Writing about other named people: ask them first
Writing that might hurt someone if read aloud: share with a guide first
You always have the right to read OR pass

Then open the chair. Guide shares first if no learner volunteers.

12:00 – 1:00 · 60 minlunch

Lunch

Standard.

1:00 – 1:40 · 40 minimprov with clare

Improv (Clare) — first session of the year

Lorem ipsum — coordinate with Clare on first session format. Probably classic improv warmups: "Yes, and..." circle, name games, low-stakes scene work. Friday improv is a gift — protects energy and builds tribe.

1:40 – 2:20 · 40 minquest catchup · btt

Quest — Standard of Excellence poster sprint

Friday Quest is shorter (Improv ate the first 10 min — buffer accordingly).

Activity: divide the studio into 5 groups. Each group gets ONE poster to finish:

ELA · Quest · Town Hall · Snack · Studio Maintenance (Math was already started together)

Each group has ~20 min to fill in: SOUND, LOOK, FEEL, SIGN we're doing it right. Then 15 min of gallery walk — each group presents their poster, others ask questions, refine.

By end of block: 6 posters are up on the wall (v1). They will evolve all year.

2:20 – 2:50 · 30 minlanguage + art/pd

Friday afternoon programming

Lorem ipsum — confirm Friday afternoon language and art/PD logistics. Pedro language slot details TBD.

2:50 – 3:30 · 40 minweek 1 close

Studio Maintenance · Character Callouts · Week 1 Closing Ceremony

(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:

Stand in a circle.
Each learner finishes the sentence: "This week I learned ___." One sentence. No pressure to be deep.
Guide closes: "We made it. Week 1 of the year. The walls reflect us now. The schedule is in our bones. We know what excellent looks like. Heroes — well done. See you Monday."

Standard of excellence v1.

The day's purpose

Supplies & setup