Dear Eco Hub families,

As November comes to a close, we’re reflecting on a month filled with exploration, connection, and growth. One of the highlights was our much-anticipated Colònies and Hub Retreat, where learners and Learning Guides had the chance to immerse themselves in nature, build new friendships, and engage in hands-on, outdoor learning. The experience was a reminder of the joy and inspiration that come from stepping outside our usual routines and connecting with the world around us.

Back at the Hub, the energy has been equally inspiring. From diving deeper into projects and Building Blocks to embracing new challenges and opportunities, our learners have continued to shine with curiosity and creativity.

This month’s newsletter captures the heart of these moments and more. We hope you enjoy catching up on all the wonderful things happening in our community!

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

Spanish as a second language: getting into the groove of it! 

Final Adelante sprints for cycle 1

As we wrap up Cycle 1, the last round of Adelante sprints has brought an incredible variety of workshops that continue to inspire creativity, collaboration, and skill-building. Here's a look at this round’s offerings:

• Drama Club (Special thanks to Emma Buckle and Yael Maftsir): Learners have been exploring their theatrical side through fun and dynamic improvisation games. This workshop has been a wonderful outlet for self-expression and confidence-building.

• No-Bake Cooking II: Back by popular demand, this delicious workshop has learners creating fun recipes without the need for an oven—perfect for little chefs!

• Entre Telas e Hilos (Special thanks to Adriana): Learners are putting their sewing skills to work by crafting beautiful heart-shaped cushions. A hands-on activity full of creativity and love!

• Scrapbooking Vol. III: The final chapter of scrapbooking has learners finishing their unique creations, combining memories, designs, and plenty of personal flair.

• Bike Activists: Taking to the streets around the Hub, learners have been biking together to spread love and positivity with handwritten messages. A powerful demonstration of kindness in motion!

Thank you to our dedicated facilitators for bringing these passions to life and making the final Adelante sprints such a memorable part of this cycle!

Coming up... Real Talk: Body basics & healthy boundaries

Curiosity about topics like body basics and boundaries is a natural part of growing up, and at the Eco Hub, we’re committed to addressing these questions thoughtfully and age-appropriately. While we typically schedule these discussions later in the year, this time, interest has sparked earlier than expected.

To respond to this curiosity in a timely and supportive way, we’ve decided to move up our "Real Talk" sessions on Body Basics and Healthy Boundaries to start on January 20th. These sessions will provide learners with important tools to understand their bodies, develop self-awareness, and establish healthy personal boundaries.

We will share the full session outline with families in advance, ensuring transparency and an opportunity for you to review the content. Families who prefer to address this subject at home will have the option to opt out of these sessions.

Thank you for your trust as we navigate these important learning moments together.

📣 Announcements
In this section you will find relevant announcements

Learners’ 360s: A reflection and celebration

From December 9th to 13th, we’ll be holding learner-led conferences, or 360s, which are a key part of our reflective learning process. These sessions are led by learners, with their mentors and parents participating in a collaborative discussion.

What is a 360?

Simply put, a 360 is an opportunity for learners to reflect on their growth, celebrate achievements, and engage in meaningful conversations about their progress and goals for the next cycle. It’s as much a celebration of learning as it is a moment for thoughtful self-assessment and planning.

Structure of the 360:

• Learner Presentation (10 min): The learner shares their key takeaways and reflections in literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional development, along with personal goals.

• Questions (5 min): Parents and mentors can ask open-ended, strengths-based questions that encourage the learner to dive deeper into their thinking and processes. For example: “I loved how you approached X—can you share how you came up with that idea?”

• Tops and Tips (5 min): Celebrate the learner’s successes and offer constructive, supportive suggestions. Tops are for recognizing achievements or positive traits, while Tips provide encouragement for areas of growth, focusing on the work rather than the learner personally.

Your point of contact should have already reached out to schedule your learner’s 360. If you have any questions or haven’t received the scheduling details yet, please let us know. We can’t wait to celebrate your learner’s journey with you!

Expected behaviors

As part of our alignment process across all Hubs, we’re excited to introduce a unified approach to behavior expectations and protocols. This framework is designed to ensure consistency, clarity, and fairness, supporting a positive and respectful environment for all Learners and Learning Guides.

Additionally, we’ve streamlined behavior protocols to provide clear steps for addressing challenges. The process prioritizes restorative practices, encouraging learners to reflect, recognise responsibility, and find constructive solutions.

By unifying these guidelines, we aim to create a cohesive experience across all Hubs, reinforcing our shared values and commitment to a nurturing, learner-centered community.

Showcase cycle 1

For those of you who are not familiar with it, Showcase is our end-of-cycle celebration where learners share their projects, insights, and creative processes with the Eco Hub community. It’s a moment to reflect on the incredible growth and learning that has taken place over the cycle.

This year’s Showcase will be held on Tuesday, December 17th, with the following schedule:

• 3:00 - 3:45 PM: Gallery Walk – Explore learners’ work and projects displayed around the Hub.

• 3:45 - 4:30 PM: Show-Show – A dynamic Open Mic where learners present selected outputs or processes from their Building Blocks.

• 4:30 PM onwards: Celebration – Join us for some light refreshments and a chance to connect as a community!

For the Show-Show, we’re inviting learners to submit their participation by December 5th. Participation is reserved for outputs or processes they’ve been actively developing during a Building Block, ensuring that the work showcased reflects their learning journey.

We’re so excited to see the amazing creativity and hard work come to life during this event—mark your calendars!

Secret Santa

The Holiday Season is here, and with it a perfect opportunity to show kindness. In order to keep strengthening the group's cohesion, we have organized a Secret Santa among each program group. 

Together, we have co-created the rules:

• No buying gifts (but you can buy the material), learners are making the gifts.

• It's a secret. Don't tell anyone! (Only your parents - optional)

• Gifts need to be kind and appropriate.

• You can not exchange names.

• Think of what your peer might like (or ask, secretly!).

• Being thankful for the gifts we receive.

• List of ideas: bracelets, cookies, Christmas decorations, drawings, cards, plants, typical food from your country, bookmarks...

DEADLINE: Friday, 13th of December. We will share the gifts during Comunitat (9am), so we would appreciate punctuality. 

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

• December 5 - Imagine trip to Bricoteca (subject to bus strike)

• December 6 - Bank holiday

• December 9 - 13 - Learners’ 360s

• December 17 - Showcase (3:00pm - 4:30pm) + Family celebration (4:30pm - onwards)

• December 18 - Half day (1:30pm dismissal)

📌 Parent Hub corner
A note from Parent Hub

After the successful Mercadillo and Autumn Celebration, the Parent Hub is already working hard to organize the post-Showcase party. Please remember to pay your Parent Hub dues (which will finance the party and staff holiday gifts, among others) and also to fill out the survey that we sent out in several Whatsapp groups.

Thank you in advance and we are looking forward to celebrating our kids and community together!

👀 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!

Stages of Readiness

At Eco Hub, our Stages of Readiness are closely linked to our Community Standards, providing a framework to help learners grow the skills needed to honor these shared agreements. By recognizing each learner’s unique journey, the Stages of Readiness ensure that they are supported in their current stage while being encouraged to develop in areas like emotional growth, social responsibility, and academic progress.

Want to hear it straight from the learners? Check out these three videos where they explain the Stages of Readiness and how they guide their learning experience and connection to our community standards.

Hope you have a great weekend! 

– Guille & the Eco Hub Team