LAUNCH!
At Greenfields Academy, We Believe Everyone Is A Genius.
As educators, it’s our job to help young people discover their strengths and passions, and develop the mindset and skills to leverage them.
Our Launcher Program is a mixed-aged studio for five and six-year-olds. It embodies this philosophy, creating a foundational experience for children to stay in love with learning while becoming the best versions of themselves. Children are filled with wonder, curiosity, and incredible potential that should be nurtured, not confined.
We celebrate children for who they are and whom they may become: makers, inventors, artists, entrepreneurs, innovators, thinkers, and leaders who will pave the way and define their own paths in life.
LEARNER-CENTERED
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Caring adults that love each student for who they are. A low student-to-guide ratio of no more than 10:1 ensures that Guides have the time to help your Griffin thrive.
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Core Skills time is where they work on foundational skills like reading, writing, and math, is designed to be flexible and inclusive of each child’s personal learning needs. Each Launcher can move quickly through material they excel at and are given the time and support to master the materials they find difficult.
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There are lots of opportunities for Launchers to lead class sessions and discussions, or even run their own workshop for the community. Yes, even five-year-olds!
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A caring and joyful community of Launchers who develop the skills to self-advocate, be kind, and support one another. We believe emotional development is just as important as academic progress.
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The family is welcomed, not just the learner, into a community that emphasizes having adventures together and getting more involved in their child's learning. We have picnic days, happy hours, and game nights, as well as camping trips out west and international trips for the community to do together.
You can expect all of this and more by enrolling your child in our Launcher program!
Griffins in our Launcher Program will have a powerful learning experience, including:
HANDS-ON PROJECTS
The school year is neatly divided into seven sessions, each focusing on a unique class project—building toy cars, designing houses, cooking a three-course meal, and so on—that culminates with a public exhibition for students to showcase their learning. Here are some examples of past projects:
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Journal of Entomology: Each Launcher created their own insect using their group’s research, logical thinking, and the powers of inference based on the insect’s ecosystem and physical characteristics. This journal ended up being published!
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Shakespeare Ain’t Here: Launchers helped produce, direct, design, perform, and manage a historical play. This project was school-wide, so Launchers collaborated with Griffins of all ages.
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There’s No Place Like Home: Launchers built their own model homes and learned more about architecture, exploring math, science, and design.
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Build a Business: Every year, all of our Griffins work together in groups to develop a brand, create a product/service, build a marketing strategy, and then pitch their “business” to hundreds of customers at the Chicago Children’s Business Fair.
These projects are fun, collaborative, and help students broaden their horizons about what they can accomplish both inside and outside of the classroom.
Personalized learning
Cognitive science tells us that children learn best when they are in their Challenge Zone—that learning sweet spot sandwiched between being too comfortable and feeling panicked. We use small class sizes and technology to keep each Launcher in their challenge zone as much as possible. This helps our learners deeply absorb these skills beyond that of standardized memorization and move along their learning path at a quicker, intuitive speed.
Greenfields Academy uses the latest in educational technology, multi-age studios, diverse learning materials, and mastery-based badges in order to challenge students, foster a learning community, and help them develop their own unique learning paths. Exploring subjects that interest your child is a fundamental part of the customized learning experience.
At Greenfields, our learners earn badges, not grades. There’s also no assigned homework or high-stakes tests. We’ve found that grades, homework, and traditional testing are limiting and discourage students from trying new things and learning from their mistakes. On the contrary, our learner-oriented badge system allows Launchers to demonstrate mastery of important skills in a fun and unique way that celebrates all their hard work.
Personalized learning means that no two Griffins’ experience is the same. This adventure is all about discovery and growth, with your child leading the charge. They are launching towards who they’re meant to be and we can’t wait to watch their journey unfold.
Essential Skills
At Greenfields, we believe in cultivating skills that will help young people effectively navigate the world outside the classroom, such as interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.
Launchers work on building personal and community standards and sticking to them.
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They are kind to each other.
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They stand up for themselves and others.
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They create a learning support system and learn how to give and receive feedback.
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They practice socialization and having good, intentional conversations with one another.
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They learn how to regulate their impulses.
The Launcher studio promises to uphold these standards in order to have the kind of community everyone feels welcome to participate in.
The skills learned here will not only help them during their time at Greenfields, but also for the rest of their life.
A Better Way
At Greenfields, we help young people stay curious, challenge themself, and strive to make a difference.
We want them to fall in love with learning and get started on the right foot. In our eyes, conventional schooling is no longer that “right foot” or relevant (if it ever was) to the world our children will inherit.
Are you willing to walk away from the traditional path and embrace a better way? Do you want your child to have an education that caters to their needs and prepares them for the real world? Do you want to see them thrive instead of survive?
Set up an appointment to speak with us and decide if you’re ready to embrace your Hero’s Journey.