Dear Village Hub Families,
We’ve had a wonderful month of learning, creativity, and connection across the Hub! From spooky storytelling and hands-on math experiments to meaningful Real Talk reflections and exciting new Adelantes and Studios, our learners continue to grow in so many inspiring ways. Thank you, as always, for your support and partnership,. We couldn’t do it without you!
Our young writers have been exploring the art of storytelling in all kinds of creative ways! They wrote spooky tales for our Scary Story Contest, brought their own shadow puppet stories to life (to be judged by professional writers!), and even dove into the world of creepypasta legends. Now, they’re shifting from fright to reflection as they craft 100-word memoirs for a New York Times writing competition.
Our math time is full of hands-on learning! Learners rotate through targeted workshops to build strategies, stations to practice skills, and studio experiences that connect math with the real world. In the STEM Studio, we’ve been exploring forces and energies — like tension, compression, potential energy, and kinetic energy — by building a collaborative chain reaction! We started by experimenting with popsicle stick chain reactions to see tension and compression in action, and then took things to the next level by designing our own Rube Goldberg machines.
We’ve kicked off a new round of Adelantes, and learners are now creating these mini workshops. This round includes exciting options like bike riding, detective club, and gardening — giving everyone a chance to explore new interests, build skills, and collaborate across age groups. It’s wonderful to see so much enthusiasm in every activity!
Our new round of Studios is off to an exciting start! Led by our talented studio experts, learners are diving into expressive art, 3D design, and acrobatics. For our explorers and creators, there’s also cooking and digital illustration — a perfect mix of movement, creativity, and innovation!
Our Halloween celebration was full of creativity, laughter, and just the right amount of spookiness! Learners shared their original scary stories, artwork, and shadow puppet performances before enjoying pumpkin carving, coloring, and some tasty treats. A HUGE thank you to all the parents who helped make this such a special event!
Excursion to Can Grau – November 11
We are excited to announce our upcoming excursion to Can Grau — a special day of nature, teamwork, and fun! This will be a wonderful opportunity for team building and connection across the whole Hub. Learners will be dropped off and picked up directly at the house from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. We will send an email with more information to the families who have signed up!
Join us for our next Parent Coffee session on November 7th at 9:00am (in person) at Kismar. It will also be a great opportunity to meet Saika, the newest member of our team!
The Urban Hub recently hosted an information session about GESO (Graduado en Educación Secundaria para Personas Adultas). Many Village Hub families may find this information helpful as it explains the steps learners can take who are not following the traditional track.
The presentation is in English, and the Q&A is in Spanish.
You can access the presentation, summary document, and recording below.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a short meeting to discuss your learner’s specific situation, please feel free to reach out to us directly.
GESO Presentation + GESO Info Document + Recording Link
Real Talk is our social-emotional learning block, where learners explore who they are, how they connect with others, and how their actions shape the world around them. This month, Explorers and Creators designed original emojis to express teenage emotions that they will submit to Unicode. They also began to explore philosophy and ethics — including how our words can affect others.
Recently, we’ve noticed that some learners have been using the word “autista” as a joke or nickname. Through our discussions, we’re guiding them to understand that using a word that describes someone’s identity — even when it isn’t directed at a specific person — can still be harmful. When we turn identity-based words into insults, we send the message that there’s something wrong with being that way, which can deeply hurt others.
We kindly ask families to help reinforce this understanding at home: that every person deserves respect, and our words have power to either build others up or tear them down. Together, we can nurture a culture of kindness, inclusion, and empathy.
Warm regards,
– The Village Hub Team