1. Today marks the self-imposed, initial deadline for students to sign up for Innovation Lab. We’re close to two-thirds full and will keep accepting students on a first-come first-serve basis. The feeling among the team is positive about where we’re at; we will keep spreading the word and educating freshmen all spring.

2. Mike and Christina spoke about Innovation Lab at the PTAC forum today. Plenty of GPS parents, staff, administration, and others discussed important questions about persevering, the growth mindset, and making thinking visible. The support of the PTA has been strong from the beginning and that continued today. It’s made rolling out this initiative a lot easier. The Greenwich Alliance was also represented – their support for Innovation Lab cannot be overstated. We wouldn’t be here without them.

3. We are planning a welcome/kickoff event for students who signed up by today. They can also invite a friend and it will take place during school at the beginning of February. We are still working on communication to students and staff, but if you are a student or teacher at GHS, look out for that early next week. We want to start forming a community and also explore what it means to be a trailblazer. We’re letting students invite a friend both to make them feel more comfortable and also to encourage others to consider Innovation Lab.

4. We added studio assignments on to the seminars that we posted before break. Examples:

• Superheroes (SC/EN): create a contemporary example, whether it’s a comic book cover, storyboard, or trailer for a superhero reflecting current events using the examples from the 1940s as a model
• Different Approaches to history (M/SS): analyze domestic data from the WWII era (women at work, food production, etc.) and write it into a magazine article in a style that would fit for that era
• Elements of War (SC/SS): pick an element and put it into historical context (how was it used in a positive or negative way?), including a description of the fundamental properties of the element

Onward!