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"One thing that I will miss is missing school with my friends!" Izzy

"One thing I will miss about the team is all the laughing." Chase

"Avery and I loved the pickle chips!" Gwyneth

Advice to teachers: "Do the same things!"

"We made social connections by building ideas and working together." Gwyneth and Sydney

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Setting up, practicing for parents, and presenting to the jury

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The Hudsonville Future Prep'd group about to present in front of the judges.

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During our final team meeting before the adventure at Community College Lakeshore Campus, the Team worked to create event plans for their connection parties, maps of events, and surveys to accompany each event.

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The Team around the fireplace at Royal Technologies. 

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Touring the beautiful facilities of Royal Technologies

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After sharing a video about what Royal Technologies does, the team went over to the production center. Mr. Donovan explained how plastic goes from granule form to pieces that are used to build items.  

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Throughout the entire Royal Technologies facilities, we saw numerous examples of ways employees work to connect, as well as examples of how administration looks to build strong foundations of trust and well-being in the teams. 

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Royal University is where new employees get on the job training so that they become confident, effective employees. There are many steps of team-building to get them to this point. 

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How plastic becomes something special!

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noticing the ways the folks at Royal Technologies make connections: a daily board of interesting facts

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Meeting with Engineers and learning about the technology used 

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Our friends at RT have a library with books about how to connect with others, as well as some awards and plagues to show how they support the community.

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Greeted by Legos and K'nex to wake up our brains! 

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BLURB FOR OUR FAMILY NEWSLETTER:

56G has an incredible futurePREP'd team that meets weekly to solve the driving question: How might we improve social connections within our school to support wellbeing and a sense of belonging? The team relies on Design Thinking as they work to find creative solutions, meet with community business partners for guidance and feedback, and consult with 56G staff to make sure that ideas mesh with our school culture. Our team members are Chase, Gwyneth, Finn, Austin, Kyrie, Avery, Izzy, and Sydney. Shout out to Allan for his help with some early team planning!

This week, our futurePREP'd team traveled to the Ottawa Area ISD to present their project ideas to high school students at the Careerline Tech Center, as well as to teams from neighboring school districts. They presented their "Project Party" social connection ideas numerous times throughout the day, adjusted their notes based on feedback they received, and honed their public speaking skills with each new presentation. They impressed audiences with their professionalism, knowledge, inclusivity, and creativity! One of the highlights of the day was taking a tour of the Tech Center and learning about the wide variety of classes offered. Near the end of the adventure, the team sampled fabulous cookies made by the Culinary Arts students! It was a fantastic day of fun and learning.

Next week, the team heads to Royal Technologies to present to local business people before taking their idea to competition at the Lakeshore Campus of GRCC in mid-December. Wish the team good luck!

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Avery's Turtlecorn and its cute car built by Izzy

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Presenting to the Environmental Learners

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How might we improve social connections within our school to support wellbeing and a sense of belonging?

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Working on our Google survey together during snack time

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After completing our Google survey for Mrs. Bellers, the team broke into their two groups to prepare notecards and finalize speeches as we get ready to take our presentations to the ISD later this week. After working in individual groups for a bit, the two teams presented information to one another, received feedback, and updated notecards to improve speeches. We learned that we have time to say a lot more (!) and will work to add additional details. It will be helpful to see what the high school students at the ISD offer us, as well.

We also found a calendar pattern on Etsy that we want to use as our protype for event planning and used AI to help make an activities mock-up to present with the sample calendars.

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1. Calendar for events

2. AI generated ideas for activities and crafts at events

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Royal Technologies has a massive gym and workout center that is open to all employees. Games build community, and movement creates healthy employees. 

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Mrs. McClure and Mrs. Horodyski help us with some details today. 

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Today, our fabulous principals joined us to help figure out some time-frame details that we needed in order to plan our events. Not only did they answer our questions, they helped to push our thinking to consider factors that we had not yet considered. We are thankful for their combined teaching experience and their willingness to help us be successful.

We also had a special visitor, Mrs. Bellers, from the ISD. She participated in our planning work and took our daily walk with us. It was lovely seeing her and hearing her input on our project.

The last part of our meeting was spent completing the NUF Test and beginning to create our presentations.

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Our team has decided on four Super Switch "connect days" and three seasonal all-school events. The Super Switch connects would be a one hour time block during the school day when kids from various teams could meet to play games, eat lunch together, and hang out with friends. We will be meeting with our principals next week to talk about the logicstics of timing to make this possible. These days would offer specific events in core teacher classrooms. For example, crafts in the English rooms, board games in the math room, treats in the science rooms, and movies in the social studies rooms. We would like to make the craft options make-and-take, as well as donations to various organizations such as those who support soldiers, senior citizens, and childrens' hospitals.

The three seasonal events would be activitites for fifth and sixth grade students. Both the fall festival and the spring event would take place in the evening, but the holiday party would be during the afternoon on the final school day prior to the two week winter break. These events would have board gaming rooms, a school dance, movies, and more!

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beautiful snow flakes and drawings❄

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Plans for the indoor snowball fight arena

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This is a calendar. We used this to plan all of our events for the school year, and it's cool.

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We are half way done with planning our fun super switch games!

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Sydney, Chase, and Kyrie coming up with minute to win it games.

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Avery has a idea about the holiday party 🎄

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working on a Holiday poster 🥳

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The students have decided to answer the driving question by adding socially connecting events to our school calendar. They have created a sample school year calendar with the engaging and exciting events they would like to have added onto it. There is at least one event per month September through May. The team has also begun to plan out each event in detail. So far they have planned the afterschool events for October and March. They have started working on the events for September, November, January, and February which will occur during the school day and allow friends from opposite teams and lunches to eat together and enjoy fun activities together.

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Celebrating the birthdays of Sydney and Finn! 

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The team wrapped up the tour by presenting our information to Mr. Donovan. 

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My mom made me this bracelet so that I would remember to come today. I think the school should make these for each club.

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Today, the team spent quality time sifting through the plethora of ideas that they created last week to respond to the driving question. Our first step was to dot-vote favorite ideas. Then, a team sorted the votes and narrowed down to top picks. From the top picks, we started to put a variety of incredible ideas into All-School Event ideas.

For example, one of the current favorite ideas is to have an all-school event during the school day on the Friday before winter vacation. Classrooms would host minute-to-win-it type games, an indoor snowball fight would take place in the gym, a dance area would be set up, a crafting area could be available, board games could be in a location, etc. We could end the day with popcorn and a movie in the gym. This activity would allow students, staff, and parents/guardians to connect as they work together to make the day successful.

Another idea was to rearrange some of the events that our school currently hosts. We would spread out the "connection" activities throughout the year. For example, in the autumn, we could host an outdoor carnival of sorts with food trucks, a yard-game area, and a team sports area on our campus. December would have the day as noted above, as well as a second one in January/February. In May, the sixth-grade students traditionally go to The Three Mile Project, and fifth-grade students go to camp.

A final idea that we discussed (but there are more to chat about!) would be to have "Fun Fridays" once each month. The lunch and Super Switch time lines would be blurred so that students of all teams could meet to play games and hang out together.

The team has many more great ideas to consider before making a final decision.

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After creating a number of solutions to the driving question, we were dot-voting for our favorite ideas.

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Chase, Allan, and Austin voting on ideas

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Chase, Allan, and Austin voting on ideas

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WHY AM I SO SHORT? (You're just right for you!)

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The aftermath of people voting using dots

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Sydney and Gwyneth working on sorting out the ideas

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Sydney and Gwyneth working on sorting out the ideas

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They are taking the ideas and writing them on the board.

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She looks like an evil video game character.

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Allan: I think I looked awesome.

Finn: We took a photo?

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Sydney and Avery sorting out the most voted ideas

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Sydney and Avery sorting out the most voted ideas

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They are sorting out ideas that the school could consider.

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Preparing to WOW! Mr. Donovan from Royal Technologies

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Our meeting started today in a flurry. We had thirty minutes to get ready to meet our special guest, Mr. Donovan from Royal Technologies, our community business partner.

We divided ourselves to explain each part of the process that we have accomplished so far. When Mr. Donovan was present, Sydney opened the conversation with an explanation of the driving question and our kick-off event at the Grandville Robotics and Engineering Center. Chase shared ways that we have been observing the problem here in our building. Avery explained the stakeholders and why it is important to consider their feelings when working to solve the problem. Kyrie shared the hopes and fears of the stakeholders. Finn discussed the investigations that we have done, both of Royal Technologies and of local schools to learn how they help students connect. Izzy explained the 200 Solutions protocol and gave a brief summary of some of the ideas. Finally, Austin shared our Padlet with Mr. Donovan and highlighted some of the important events that have been captured on it.

Following the Team's presentation, we asked a series of questions to Mr. Donovan to find out how Royal Technologies uses Design Thinking and what they do to encourage connections with employees. He shared a variety of ways people work to connect, from new hire orientations and meetings with the CEO, to buddy pairs in the manufacturing team. All of his words about team members were kind and thoughtful; the best part of his job is the people with whom he works! They are "smart people" who are "good at their jobs", and his "team does well together"!

Finally, Mr. Donovan shared an A-3 with the Team. He explained the value in getting your response to a problem narrowed down to ONE piece of paper. "If you can't do that, you don't understand your problem." This is great advice as we move forward. THANK YOU, Mr. Donovan!

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Sydney talking about the driving question and the kickoff

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Sydney talking about the driving question and the kickoff

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helping Finn read my hand writing

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Thinking of ideas to share

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Mr. Donovan listening to the Future Prep'd group explaining the different answers that our past guests answered.

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Avery is sharing about are amazing people/stakeholders who will be affected by our solution.

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Ideas on how parents, students, and new teachers and students might feel if there are social connecting problems

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Austin, Finn, and Chase share their empathy map.

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Kyrie, Avery, and Gwyneth share their empathy map.

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On our way to Grandville's Robotics and Engineering Center.

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On our way to Grandville's Robotics and Engineering Center.

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This is the 5/6G team on their way to the robotics center for the futurePREP'd kickoff.

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Right here we learned about the whole idea of Future PREP'D and what we were going to do.

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The final activity: Lockbox . . . How well did we pay attention today? Treats and treasures inside! 

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Kyrie is holding up our our design thinking poster for Mr. Donovan.

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Kyrie creating a pie chart of solution ideas! 

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Kyrie creating a pie chart of solution ideas! 

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Kyrie is intensely studying a pie chart.

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Today, we first started by eating YUMMY SNACKS. After that, we did a Pains and Gains protocol for stakeholders. This is where we wrote what pains these people or what makes them happy/gains. Then we went on our walk. This is when we played four square, not related at all to our goal, but it's fun. :) Team building!

After this, we did the 200-solutions protocol. This is where we write down solutions to our problem and just get them off our chest. We wrote these on sticky notes. We sorted the sticky notes into categories of ideas and will start to make a decision next week about how we can solve the problem of our driving question.

After that, we did what I am doing right now, updating our Padlet. :) Now we are about to leave. ):

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Many creative ideas were noted for how we can help students and staff connect at 56G!

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This team works to sort the ideas into similar categories. 

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Fin is putting up his sticky notes for 200 solutions

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Chase laughing the whole time as we explain our stakeholder. It is a parent we are explaining

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This is Allan and Izzy explaining the new students pains and gains

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This is Allan and Izzy explaining the new students pains and gains

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This was a cool idea. Btw Allan said he wanted to grow.

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Looking cool like a cool Person.

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Mrs. VanHouzen announced that she was the fourth grade 4-square CHAMPION of her elementary school, shocking Mrs. Weberg! 

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We LOVE our daily walks this particular day we played four square.

It was fun :D

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MY PHOTO WITH MRS WEBERG GOT photo bombed BY OTHER PEOPLES.

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austin cooked

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The thank you notes to the teachers that came to listen to us!

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The thank you notes to the teachers that came to listen to us!

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Mr. Arnoys is an expert at helping kids connect, and he shared many ways that it is possible to do so at 56G. One example is the Renaissance Club that meets each week to "make school a place you want to come to".

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The thank you notes to the teachers that came to listen to us!

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The thank you notes to the teachers that came to listen to us!

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We loved having Mrs. Horodyski spend time with us as we chatted about ways students and staff can connect at 56G. Thank you, Mrs. Horodyski!

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We worked on researching our business partners, Royal Technologies. We also researched other schools and what they do to help improve social connections in their schools. We asked Royal Technologies if we could meet them in person or zoom as well.

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Finn and Izzy craft an email to Mr. Donovan, our soon-to-be new friend at Royal Technologies, our business partner. 

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WORK HARD! YOU CAN DO IT, I BELIEVE IN YOU!

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WORK HARD! YOU CAN DO IT, I BELIEVE IN YOU!

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Learning to draft an email is a wonderful lesson for sixth-grade students to learn.

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Sydney creates a fabulous update to our team Padlet!

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Each week, a student will summarize our meeting time and put the information on our Padlet. Additionally, team photos will be posted. Everyone's job is to add captions and/or notes to the photos to help tell the story of our creative process.