Wow, time really flew by over the past four months! Just like that, we’ve reached the end of cycle 1. We began this cycle by setting our community standards, which have guided us through every step:

• We dare to learn outside our comfort zone.

• We care for our well-being.

• We are a diverse and caring community.

• We listen actively to one another.

• We take care of our space.

With these standards in mind, we celebrated our Community Heroes and reminded each other what it means to be compassionate friends and bold risk-takers in our learning.

This cycle was all about well-being, and we experienced a lot of exciting “firsts”! We had our very first Colònies retreat, where we spent three days and two nights immersed in nature. We also kicked off the Building Block Adelante — a special moment where anyone in our community can share their passions. And last, but not least, we had our first 360s, as a moment of reflection of learners’ learning journey for cycle 1.

We stretched our learning even further with visits to the Design Museum of Barcelona and the Bricoteca, linking these experiences to our Imagine theme. And of course, we made wonderful memories during our Halloween celebration, the Mercadillo event and our beloved Showcase.

We would like to thank all the parents who got involved with us — whether as guest speakers, Adelante facilitators, or event organizers. A special shout-out to our Parent Hub for fostering collaboration and coordination between parents and the Learning Team. And speaking of which, a huge thank you to all our staff for the endless love and care they pour into each learner and every learning experience.

We are in constant awe of this amazing and caring community. Our learners never cease to amaze us with their creativity, curiosity, kindness, and eagerness to try new things. We are looking forward to what cycle 2 has to offer.

Thank you for your continued trust, for being such a valuable part of our community, and for sharing your passion and excitement with us. We wish you all a very happy and restful holiday break!

✨Learning Highlights
In this section, you'll find highlights from our Building Blocks and programs

Overview of cycle 1's Building Blocks and outputs

From developing creative problem-solving skills to honing collaboration and communication, learners tackled a variety of outputs across their Building Blocks. Please find in the following link the overview of key skills and outputs per Building Block that learners have covered in cycle 1.

Expect to receive the same document for key skills and outputs, for cycle 2, in January’s newsletter!

📣 Announcements
In this section you will find relevant announcements

End of cycle survey

We value your feedback! As we wrap up cycle 1, we’d love to hear from you about your experiences and thoughts. Your insights help us refine and improve our learning environment and practices. Please complete this short survey below. Thank you in advance for your collaboration and support!

Learning never stops

The learning journey extends beyond Eco Hub! Here are some ways to nurture curiosity and growth at home:

For families with learners in the Spanish native groups (Discoverers and Pioneers), learners have the option to work on the Libro de Superletras and the Libro de Lectura. Many learners have taken these books home, while others have chosen to leave them at the Hub. Superletras is a flexible resource — we select specific pages rather than completing the entire book, which helps us focus on key skills. Feel free to ask your learner how they’re using these resources! 

• For families with learners in the non-native Spanish groups, we recommend tools like Duolingo or Lingokids, encourage short daily conversations or labeling household items in Spanish to reinforce vocabulary, explore bilingual books or simple Spanish stories to build confidence, or listening to Spanish music or age-appropriate podcasts can help with pronunciation and comprehension.

• For Adventurers, we recommend letter formation and daily reading practice.

• For Mathlab, learners can use the Innovamat app at home.

• To get ready for the next cycle, learners might want to dive deeper into concepts like “entertainment and history” and “the science of sound”. They will find out more when we start the cycle!

📆 Key dates
Save the date! Here you will find important dates and events

• January 8 - First day of cycle 2

• January 9 - All Hub trip to Pixar Exhibition (Explora) - More info on Edvoice.

• January 10 - Discoverers trip to Design Museum (Imagine) - More info on Edvoice.

• January 31 - Parent Coffee (9:30 - 10:30)

📌 Parent Hub corner
A note from Parent Hub

This month Parent Hub has no reminders, but the whole Eco Hub staff would like to thank parents for your thoughtful Holiday gift and specially for your ongoing support, involvement, and dedication. From helping out at events to offering valuable feedback and encouragement, their contributions help make Eco Hub the special place it is.

We’re so grateful to have all of you, parents, as close partners on this journey. Thank you for being part of our Eco Hub family!

👀 Snippets of Learnlife
In this section you will find key aspects of our model, so you have a better understanding and can become a Learnlife expert!

Listening beyond the story

During our last Parent Coffee workshop, we discussed the importance of staying open-minded when learners share something that might spark concern. Instead of jumping to conclusions, we encourage listening deeply, asking clarifying questions, and remembering that there are often two sides to every story. This approach helps build trust, communication, and a stronger partnership between families, learners, and Learning Guides.

It’s natural for our brains to default to making quick judgments or assumptions — we’re wired to categorize and make sense of the world around us. For learners, whose brains are still evolving, it can be challenging to see beyond their own perspective. When something happens — whether it’s an event, a conflict, or a rumor — what they share with you is, in most cases, their truth and their reality.

Our role as guides is to help them develop critical thinking skills and see beyond their immediate experience. To do this, we sometimes need to become true journalists — asking key questions to uncover a fuller picture:

What happened from your perspective?

Allow your learner to share their version of events without interruption.

How did you feel about it?

Acknowledge their emotions to show empathy and understanding.

What do you think the other person might say happened?

Encourage them to consider another perspective and reflect on the situation holistically.

What do you think led to this situation? What happened before?

Help them explore the context and contributing factors.

What could you do differently next time?

Guide them toward self-reflection and growth.

How do you think this could be resolved?

Empower them to brainstorm solutions and take ownership of their actions.

By asking these questions, we help learners navigate challenges thoughtfully, fostering trust, resilience, and critical thinking skills.

We wish you a great holiday season!

– Guille & the Eco Hub Team