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Acera’s Pop Up School returns for 2020-21 school year
For parents looking for a substantive and engaging virtual learning option during the continued need for social distancing, Acera’s Pop Up School is a fully remote program open to all students in grades 4-10. Families may register for one… Read More
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One response to the Covid crisis? A Pop Up School
By Courtney Dickinson “It is Lord of the Flies, over here. I have a job, and I am not an educator.” “The assignments being sent by school do not engage my child. They don’t fit him, and they… Read More
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Scenes from Acera Summer Camp
Happy summer! Though we wish we could see all of our wonderful campers in person, we couldn’t be prouder of our instructors and students, who have shown true creativity, flexibility, and resilience in designing and actively participating in… Read More
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What to look for in a remote summer camp
By Courtney Dickinson Covid has dramatically changed the summer of 2020. Programs that parents painstakingly identified are cancelled outright or transitioning to remote summer camp models. How can we, as parents, ensure that our kids have an engaging… Read More
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10 netiquette & remote schooling norms families need to know
By Courtney Dickinson @CourtneyofAcera In this era of remote schooling, there are new tech platform norms and social coaching advice that we, as parents and educators, need to expressly spell out for our children. Framing “netiquette norms” and… Read More
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Enrichment at Home: Snail Mail
We’re all finding new ways to stay in touch with loved ones these days: Zoom and other video conferencing tools are now home to our family game nights, birthday parties, pizza parties, scavenger hunts (i.e. “Find something in your… Read More
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Remote learning is the new normal, now what?
By Courtney Dickinson Seemingly overnight, schools everywhere have transitioned to a remote educational model for the foreseeable future as we enter a period of extended social distancing. For school leaders and families who are trying to adapt to… Read More
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Enrichment at Home: In the Kitchen!
The kitchen is full of possibilities for connecting as a family. While we continue to stay at home together, we’ve made all kinds of things – only some of them edible! – in the kitchen: The Marchesano family,… Read More
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Enrichment at Home: Make, Move, Connect
In this uncharted territory of extended time at home, families all over are finding creative ways to nurture an “enriching” experience for their children. The stories of kitchen counter science experiments, living room dance parties, and virtual game… Read More
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How to stay connected during extended social distancing
Kids (and adults!) need to feel connected during this time of extended social distancing. Many of us are mourning the loss of gatherings, concerts, on-site classes, and other events that we love. These feelings are real and valid…. Read More
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AceraEI offers free STEAM content during distance learning
For schools, teachers, and parents looking for free educational content during this period of distance learning, AceraEI is offering downloadable lessons for students in grades K-8. The content includes activities in life sciences, art, math, engineering, architecture, and… Read More
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Five steps to successful remote learning
By Courtney Dickinson As schools nation-wide quickly transition to remote learning in response to COVID-19, many administrators, teachers, students and parents are experiencing distance learning for the first time. In addition to curriculum and content, schools must also… Read More
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Parents as coaches: Tactics to support your child during remote schooling
By Courtney Dickinson @CourtneyofAcera What are best-in-class teaching tactics you can adopt – as the in-person adult – now that so many schools are converting to remote schooling? It will be tempting for all of us to replicate… Read More
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Acera’s 10-hour flip turn to remote learning
By Courtney Dickinson At 10 pm Wednesday, March 11, Acera School’s board voted unanimously to move to a remote education model, effective immediately. With humility, I share steps and philosophies we employed for remote learning, hoping that this… Read More
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April Vacation Camps: If your children love that, they may enjoy this!
April Vacation is around the corner! Acera School offers fun, STEAM-rich day camps for kids ages 4 and up in art, electronics, music, crafting, and more. Based on your children’s interests, there’s an Acera vacation camp for them!… Read More
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Jane Moulding joins Acera’s Board of Directors
Acera: The Massachusetts School of Science, Creativity, and Leadership, is proud to announce that Jane Moulding has joined its Board of Directors. Moulding is a principal at SmarterWisdom Consulting, and served as Head of School at The Cambridge… Read More
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Ipswich River all-school field trip
On Friday, February 28, Acera students spend a day at Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, to hike, play, and learn about the maple sugaring process!
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Helping kids understand cardiovascular health
February is Heart Health Month. Earlier this year, Acera students participated in hands-on, STEM-infused activities designed by School Counselor and Mindfulness Lead Edye Caine. The stations aimed to teach kids about cardiovascular health, and how they can proactively… Read More
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Our 2019 Annual Report
By Courtney Dickinson We are celebrating the ten year mark of our school! I write this sitting in the middle of our Commons. I hear conversation threads emerging from math classes – discussions about existentialism and universal quantifiers,… Read More
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Join us for Acera’s 2nd Annual Trivia Night!
Join us on Thursday, February 6, 2020 from 6:30-9:30 pm for Acera’s 2nd Annual Trivia Night to benefit the Reed Hollett Enrichment Scholarship Fund! Acera’s 2nd Annual Trivia Night for adults only (pizza, beer and wine will be… Read More
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Registration for Acera’s 2020 Summer Camp is open!
Unleash your curiosity…follow your passion…invent your future. Summer 2020 camps are here! Acera is offering more than 75 half day and full day camps for kids, including: Fun and engaging classes for 4-7 year olds, like Carnival Design,… Read More
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Scenes from Acera School’s Museum Walk
Creativity was on display at Acera’s annual December Museum Walk! Students displayed the computer games, living wall, robotics, bioplastic sculptures, woodshop constructions, artistic mobiles and comedy skills developed during Creativity Mornings this fall. Well done, students – we’re… Read More
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Acera’s all-school day of service
On Thursday, Dec. 5, faculty and staff came together with students in the spirit of the holidays to give back to our local community. The day of service aligns with Acera’s year-long theme of Human Needs. Throughout the… Read More
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Math students reinvent Acera’s Annual Fund tracker
When students in Ms. Nic’s math class studied the Acera Annual Fund tracking poster in the school’s lobby, they weren’t satisfied with its accuracy and scale. The kids came up with a better one, using their math skills… Read More
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AceraEI offers free workshops for public school science teachers
Acera’s Education Innovation Initiative (AceraEI) is pleased to announce its 2019-2020 Life Sciences Change Agent Teacher (LSCAT) Workshop series! Gene Editing with CRISPR: February 7 & March 6, 2020 June 24 & 26, 2020 The Human Microbiome:… Read More
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Measuring what matters at school
By Courtney Dickinson What indicates a school’s success? Is it simply a standardized test score, like MCAS? It isn’t. The decades-long standardized testing movement has failed to close the equity gap in education, which was its entire intent…. Read More
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Scientific thinking and creative problem solving in action
The Pyne Arts first grader wasn’t satisfied with the results of her first experiment. “I added a big water and a big glue the first time, and I did three small Borax,” she noted, having written her first… Read More
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Inside, Outside: Linking in-class content to real world issues and innovations
By Courtney Dickinson @CourtneyofAcera Jake, age 13, sits and experiments with circuitry and Arduino, figuring out how to connect and code in his “Robotic Bling” hands-on elective class. The 10-week course occurs once a week for 2 hours,… Read More
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Scenes from the 2019 Innovator Symposium
On Thursday, October 24, Acera School buzzed with activity. In the Commons, parents and kids interacted with computers, explored soft robotics, and watched self-driving cars in action. In the Innovation Hub, they dissected flowers, took on design challenges,… Read More
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Halloween Costume Parade!
There were devils and s’mores, Mario Brothers and mad scientists (of course!). Check out the amazing creativity on display during Acera’s annual Halloween Costume Parade!
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Save the Date! Acera’s Innovator Symposium is October 24
What does an ocean-going robot do? What really is the secret life of bees? What does super-resolution microscopy look like? What can we learn about the earliest stages of heart disease? How can artificial intelligence help people make personal decisions? What will healing therapies… Read More
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Middle school students bring a modular classroom to life
“It’s really cool to see this built…and real!” The excitement and pride was palpable as students, teachers, and parents gathered on a sunny morning in June. Behind them, brightly colored ribbons – awaiting the ceremonial cutting – surrounded… Read More
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Parents to Acera: our kids are the best versions of themselves!
Ten years ago, the Acera team set out to nurture the problem solvers, creative thinkers, and innovators of tomorrow. Guided by its core values of community, openness, curiosity, innovation, integrity, and leadership, the school has evolved from an… Read More
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AceraEI secures $50k Amgen Foundation grant towards life sciences training for public schools
The Amgen Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the global biotechnology company Amgen, has awarded $50,000 to Acera: The Massachusetts School for Science, Technology and Leadership and its public outreach division, Acera Education Innovations (AceraEI). The grant will support… Read More
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Join Us For Assessment Day!
Saturdays: November 16 & December 7, 2019; January 11 & March 14, 2020 Assessment Days offer an opportunity for parents to find out more about their child’s learning style, and gain knowledge to advocate for their child more… Read More
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If your kids loved that, then they’ll enjoy this!
What a wonderful summer! Hundreds of kids came to Acera to make, discover, inquire, write, design, and create. The journeys can continue after school with Acera’s Enrichment Programs. Space is filling up quickly, so register for Trimester 1… Read More
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Top five free actions to make schools better, and students happier
By Courtney Dickinson Kids often dread their return to school in the fall, and we – as adults – let them. Societally, we have made it a rite of passage to hate school, and we joke with students… Read More
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What I did on my summer vacation: the teachers’ version!
We love hearing about what students are up to over summer vacation, be it a cool STEM camp, a great trip with family, or time spent at the beach or in a park. And we’re equally interested in… Read More
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Registration for After School Enrichment Programs is Open, and Girls Who Code is back!
Are your kids excited to learn? We’re excited to help! Registration for Acera’s 2019-2020 After School Enrichment Programs is open. Our hands-on, STEAM-based after-school enrichment programs are open to all kids ages 4-15. Classes include programming and robotics,… Read More
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Courtney Dickinson on what’s possible in education
Courtney Dickinson sits down with Allen Saakyan of Simulation Series to discuss why she founded Acera, her 10 Tools to Transform Schools, and her mission to help build the next generation of scientists, innovators, and leaders.
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Passion projects on display at IMPPosium!
Inquiry, Making, and Passion Projects were on display at Acera’s June 4 IMPPosium. Student projects spanned a variety of subject areas, including woodworking, game design, art, fashion, computers, history, works of fiction and nonfiction, life sciences, and more…. Read More
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Acera students place first in state – and 15th worldwide – in math meet
Students at Acera: The Massachusetts School of Science, Creativity and Leadership in Winchester placed first in the state – and 15th worldwide – in the Middle School 1-400 Division of Purple Comet Math Meet. The spring 2019 event… Read More
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Creating a sense of purpose at school
By Courtney Dickinson I read an insightful piece in the Boston Globe this week on the link between happiness and having a sense of purpose. Simply put, people with a sense of purpose live longer, happier, and more… Read More
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Biomes and Butterflies!
How do land and water ecosystems interact? How are their food webs structured? What role does a pollinator play? These are the questions studied by Acera students in Mr. Michael’s “Biomes and Butterflies” elective. The kids created their… Read More
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Five Ways to Spark Flexible Thinking and Courage in Math Class…and Beyond
By Courtney Dickinson What if math was a place where kids’ problem solving and deep thinking skills could come alive, and a place where they grow in their confidence and adaptability? Mathematics learning at school can be… Read More
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Special Delivery: Science!
KIPP Lynn high school is among the first cohort of teachers to receive Acera’s free life sciences training, curricula and equipment, enabling biology students to edit a gene with CRISPR. This is part of our effort to reinvent… Read More
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“Teaching by Tinkering” at Lowell Public Schools
More than 50 teachers across the Lowell Public Schools spent an afternoon with Alisha Collins, Acera’s SEEDS StudioLab Manager, for a lesson in “teaching by tinkering.” The teachers learned how to hack toys — a hands-on, creative, and… Read More
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Exploring the science of candy!
Watch as students in Ms. Alisha’s “Choreography of Matter” class discover how materials like sugar, cornstarch, and vinegar interact while making hand-pulled “dragon’s beard” candy.
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Creative projects and tapping a sense of purpose leads to girls’ engagement in STEM
She rotates the table of projects, rapt. There’s a critter bot creation which moves with its robotics component, a 3D printed structure – customized by a young elementary peer – that lights up and looks magical, and an… Read More
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Celebrating ideas, accomplishments, and people at March School Assembly
Acera School enjoyed an amazing School Assembly on March 8, with thoughtful contributions from all classes! Ms. Jen’s LE class told the school about the impressive progress they’ve made on their classroom loft idea. Noticing a need for … Read More
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Connecting Heart with Imagination and Innovation
By Courtney Dickinson @CourtneyofAcera Could motivating positive habits and self awareness around pulse rates, exercise, and stress/anxiety prevention help students’ well being and help avoid cardiovascular disease later in life? Last spring, Acera students created product… Read More
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Girls Who Code comes to Acera!
Acera School is proud to announce we will host weekly Girls Who Code clubs beginning Tuesday, September 24 from 6:00-7:00pm. One club is for girls in grades 3-5, and the other for girls in grades 6-12. Meetings will… Read More
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Teaching history through games
Acera School students Kai, Moe, and Liam took the stage at LearnLaunch Institute’s 2019 Learning Innovation Showcase at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on February 1. The trio presented “Hail Caesar?” — an online multiplayer game they… Read More
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Create your own “Lab in a Backpack” during February Vacation!
Are you a Citizen Scientist? Do you like the idea of exploring and investigating the air, water, and soil around you using scientific instruments that you made yourself? In this hands-on class, kids create their very own “Lab… Read More
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Acera receives $50,000 from Bristol-Myers Squibb to reinvent high school biology
Global biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb has invested $50,000 in Acera School’s education innovation initiative. The funding supports Acera’s “Life Sciences Change Agent Teachers” workshop series, which offers free training in innovative STEM curricula to teachers in public schools…. Read More
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Nobel Laureate visits Acera
Some students might dread the return to school following the long holiday break. For kids at Acera School, it was different. Students of the K-8 STEM school in Winchester spent the first morning back in the company of… Read More
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Creativity on display at Acera’s Museum Walk
Acera’s Museum Walk is an opportunity for kids to share the creative risks they’ve taken. It’s never about perfection; it’s about celebrating the act of trying something new and finding your voice!
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https://vimeo.com/306429995
First cohort of teachers visits Acera to reinvent high school biology!
They came from schools across Greater Boston, from Littleton to Lynn, and from Cambridge to Gloucester. Nearly a dozen high school biology teachers sat in Acera’s life sciences lab for the first of three sessions in gene editing… Read More
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Survivor: The Goldfish Edition
Math comes alive for Acera Students in Mr. Michael’s life sciences lab, where students play a math game to understand sustainability in ecosystems.
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Acera students get a glimpse of Antarctica
Anna Ruth Halberstadt, a geoscience Ph.D. candidate from UMass Amherst, recently visited Winchester’s Acera School to share her research in sea level rise and sedimentology, and discuss her upcoming expedition to Antarctica. Halberstadt led the elementary school students… Read More
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“Try it Out” Week is back!
Area parents looking for afterschool enrichment programs for their kids can “Try it Out!” at Acera before committing to a full 9-12 week session. From November 26-30, children can sample the K-8 STEAM school’s afternoon activities for just… Read More
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A vision for what’s possible in education
These days, schools educate students based upon norms set up for an industrial era, reflecting the goals and societal needs from more than a century ago. What’s needed today is a new generation of educated citizens defined by… Read More
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Scenes from Acera’s Fall Innovator Symposium
From nanomaterials and neuroscience to c-acnes and chatbots, science and innovation was on display at Acera’s Fall Innovator Symposium. Take a look at the presenters, the experiments, and the maker stations from this unique and engaging event. Would… Read More
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Acera students shine at Model UN Global Leadership Conference
Students enrolled in Acera School’s Model UN Afterschool Enrichment program participated at the Global Leadership Conference on September 30. The event — which was focused on the global health issue of malaria — was held at Suffolk Law… Read More
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Scenes from Afterschool Enrichment, October 2018
StoryBook Projects – Tuesdays – 5-7 year old Students gather around Ms. Jen’s table, reading their individual “Chapter 1”s. Precious, furry mice are tucked in children’s hands, as they deliberate their next chapters. Each child continues their storybook,… Read More
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Science on display at Acera’s Innovator Symposium
Would your kids like to make an electronic Halloween mask? Or meet makers of drones and creators of clothing inspired by NASA? These and other innovators will be on hand at Acera’s Innovator Symposium on Thursday, October 25,… Read More
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Open House for Prospective Acera Families
On Saturday, December 1 from 10 AM to 12 PM, Acera School will open its doors to prospective students and their families. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet and mingle with faculty, staff, and current students to… Read More
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Acera Founder Courtney Dickinson to present at Robbins Library in Arlington
On October 11, Robbins Library in Arlington will host “Gifted 101,” a free presentation and discussion with Courtney Dickinson, a leader in gifted education in Massachusetts. The event will take place on Thursday, October 11, from 7:00 PM… Read More
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Class of 2018 Graduation
For Acera’s 8th-graders, the end of the school year is a bitter-sweet moment: As they spread their wings and move on to various High Schools, they say goodbye to Acera in a ceremony they design and run themselves,… Read More
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Museum Walk 2018
Sometimes it is hard to describe, in a few sentences, the wealth of what happens at Acera. (Most of the time, actually!) This spring’s Museum Walk is a perfect example: so many strands of learning, creative exploration and… Read More
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From Passion Projects to Field Day
Creativity, innovation, play: The last few weeks of school at Acera are always filled with intense activity, from students and entire classes finishing up their culminating projects to our fun end-of-year celebrations such as Field day and Wacky… Read More
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Acera Announces Major Research and Education Partnership
One Brave Idea, an innovative research project funded by Verily, the American Heart Association and Astra Zeneca, partners with the Acera School, connecting education with real-life science and technology. Students sample and sequence their own skin microbiome, hack… Read More
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Celebrate the Acera Experience
On May 19, join us for an adults-only evening of delicious hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, silent auction and a chance to socialize with others who love to learn. Plus, you’ll have a unique chance to experience STEAM the way… Read More
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Acera Student #Walkout
It’s the movement of their generation, and Acera students are on it: On Wednesday, March 28, 2018, a group of Upper Elementary and Middle School students walked out of school for 17 minutes, occupied a corner on Cross… Read More
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Backyard Ninjas, Potion Masters & More: Join us for April Vacation
Registration is now open for Acera’s April Vacation Camp: From Tuesday, April 17 through Friday, April 20, 2018, we will offer morning, afternoon, and full day options in a variety of STEAM programs, including Woodworking (make a Wooden… Read More
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Summer STEAM Camp Schedule is up!
Good news: Our Summer 2018 STEAM camp schedule is up! Browse through 161 amazing offerings. Yes, that’s right, 161 morning, afternoon or full day programs. Because, you know, who wants to do the same thing every week?! While… Read More
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Register now for February Vacation STEAM Camps!
Learn how to draw and explore in Virtual Reality. Solve a design challenge in our wood shop. Create your own enchanted electronics project. Learn math by diving into sports statistics. Join our Mini-Maker School for 5-7 year olds. Try… Read More
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How to Make A Prosthetic Leg
Students in Ms. Kim’s class have been working on an engineering design challenge this spring related to their theme for the year, “What Makes us Human?” In teams, they designed prosthetic legs. See their creations, and reflections on… Read More
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Student Opinion: How Augmented Reality can Revolutionize Education
By: Yash A. Yash is a middle schooler at Acera, this blog post is part of his tech elective What is Augmented Reality? Augmented Reality can be used for many different purposes. One of those purposes is for education….. Read More
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Can’t Stop The Feelin’!
Sometimes, all it takes is one student, one idea, and a little tenacity, and you get a whole community to come together and discover each other in new and wonderful ways. When Jackson Gamache (Ms. Nic’s class) first… Read More
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Raising adolescents: Why we need to be better historians of our kid’s successes
In his 40 years helping students and their families navigate the teenage years, Rick Irving has dealt with so many aspects of adolescent behavior: the shoulder shrugs, the one-word answers, the storming out of the room, the topic-shifting… Read More
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Lessons in Design Thinking
It is Tuesday afternoon, right after recess – project time in Miss Christine’s MS1 class. Huddled around tables in different corners of the room, students work in groups as small as two and as big as five children…. Read More
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At Acera, we believe a school’s success can be measured far beyond its standardized test scores. How happy are its students? Do they feel a sense of purpose at school? Are they developing a capacity for perspective taking and problem solving? Are teachers using evidence-based approaches to pedagogy? Acera’s Education Innovation team is working to change how we measure education to include students’ core capacities, faculty’s use of evidence-based practices, a positive school culture, and standards and achievement.
Tech Hub enables students to emerge as community-minded technologists able to solve problems to benefit the whole school. More a philosophy than a place, Tech Hub can start as simply a cart in a cafeteria with one student fired up to be a knowledgable, technically skillful community member. Concurrently developing emotional intelligence skills and a wide array of technological abilities, Tech Hub members model and spread an attitude of fearlessness at using STEM tools to solve real problems.
Small children can understand big ideas, and computer science is no exception. Acera’s hands-on “Computers and Me” curriculum introduces early elementary students to computer science concepts, and is one example of many creative ways computational thinking and technical fluency can be developed throughout K-12 education, starting at age 5. Pilot-tested and ready to translate for adoption by public schools, these computer science learning approaches help students become facile and fearless.
What if math classes are organized based on what each student is ready to learn, rather than by age? This f
How can educators unleash the initiative and creativity inherent in all children? 