Prepare

Self-advocacy, leadership, and grace are practiced continually as students rise to be the role models for the younger students on campus and prepare to enter their high school experience.

Three students sitting at a table in a classroom

 

Learning for the Future

Students learn and practice Shared Responsibility, Human Interdependence, Dynamic Creativity, and Global Empowerment throughout their journey at Ancillae.  Experiences both in and out of the classroom help them realize the skills necessary to be successful and realize their potential as 21st century contributors.  See how we make that happen!

Newton's Law

6th graders built origami grasshoppers of different sizes to demonstrate Newton's Second Law of Motion.

 

Breaking Out

Eighth grade completed a digital breakout to learn about lab safety in science class.  Breakout EDU is learning game platform that brings the challenges of an escape room experience to the classroom.  Students need to work collaboratively to solve clues and answer questions in sequence to unlock the breakout boxes.  

Global Collaboration

8th graders are engaging with students from A Coruña, Spain. They are using SeeSaw as a platform to send videos and messages about interesting things happening in our school, city, and country!

Homemade Cheer

Middle school and junior high students made Christmas cards and sewed travel tissue covers for the Villa residents.  The students had the opportunity to distribute them during the community service concert they shared during the holidays.

Happy Holidays from Gator Life

This episode captures the Christmas spirit and traditions of Ancillae!

Old School Meets New School

When you think of students in the STEM Lab what do you picture? Open laptops, robotics, students with VR Headsets? This week all devices were put aside as a 7th and 8th grade student-run chess competition took place.

Several years ago, our current Commissioner of Technology, Danny, designed chess pieces to represent the Ancillae community and printed them on our 3D printer.  Pieces included a teacher (king of course), Handmaid building, gator mascot, cross, apple, and student pawns. 

This year, seventh grade students initiated the idea of a chess tournament for 7th and 8th graders. They designed a bracket similar to sporting events and sent out a sign-up sheet. To their delight, the sign-up sheet was filled within several minutes. This led to a second sign-up sheet that was also filled within hours. The chess craze had begun!  Boys, girls, beginners, and seasoned players all gathered to enjoy the game. 

In a time where many parents are concerned about the increase in device use at school and at home, we are reminded that the best learning environments are a balance between traditional learning experiences and emerging technologies. The game of chess exposes students to the same computational thinking as coding or robotics. It is the exposure to both mediums that gives our students at Ancillae-Assumpta Academy such a well-rounded learning experience; an experience that includes student voice, initiative, and responsibility.

 

Just Because I...

After discussing stereotypes and assumptions, students created Just Because poems to explore and express stereotypes about their own identities.

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Grateful

Eighth graders created pumpkins with paper strips naming all the things they are thankful for this Thanksgiving.  

First Episode!

Ancillae's media team has been hard at work this fall getting together the first Gator Life episode of the year.  The students demonstrate ownership of community engagement through this student news program. Take a look!

 

Self-Knowledge

Each year our fifth graders take the Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children.  School counselor, Amy Hubley, met with parents to review their child's personality type, what it means, and how we use this data here at school. We appreciate the opportunity to work closely with families to help our students gain a better understanding of the ways they learn and the best ways for them to study.

 

Mindful Breathing

Fifth grade students benefit from Mindfulness classes presented by the Center of Mindfulness and Wellness.  This week they focus on Mindful Breathing and use a stretch tool to visualize the air filling their lungs.

Robotics Academy is Open!

This self-paced Robotics Curriculum uses the Lego Mindstorm EV3 robot kits. Students learn how to code the robot to move and make decisions. Based on the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy program, students will discover through failure and multiple attempts to engage their robots in Sumo Wrestling and perform a simulated Search and Rescue Mission. 

Permission to Fail

Students in our 6th-8th grades recently received certificates of failure in Advisory class!  This session helped students see that it was okay to actually fail and that by "failing forward" they can use each failure as a step on the journey of learning.

Excel Training

One of the important skills practiced during the Science Fair process in junior high is understanding and presenting data.  Students learn to carefully record observations while performing their experiments to ensure good data.  Keeping track of results is critical to preparing relevant and meaningful graphs.  Students receive training in Excel during math classes to convert data into charts and graphs that demonstrate their experiment findings.

World 1:1 Program

1 to 1 World Initiative logo for Ancillae-Assumpta AcademyAncillae-Assumpta Academy proudly offers our 1:1 World Program in which all fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students are issued an iPad for use in school and at home. This program provides students with a digital device to maximize their opportunities for learning and to empower students to become self-directed learners. The 1:1 World Program promotes access, engagement, individualization, and authenticity in the learning process. The program engages students in personalized, student-centered learning. Inherent in the collaborative and creative use of the iPad are the RICE values of shared responsibility, human interdependence, dynamic creativity, and people empowerment.