Starting Strong: Incoming 6th Graders at TAF@Saghalie Jump into Project-Based Learning Summer Program
TAF@Saghalie 6th graders pose for a photo op before heading to lunch. Jumpstart provides an opportunity for students to work together with their new classmates, and familiarize themselves with the TAF project-based learning model (PBL)
Summer might mean a break from the regular academic routine for other schools, but at TAF@Saghalie, the joy of learning doesn’t stop. From June to July, Jumpstart is in full swing: a program designed to help incoming TAF@Saghalie 6th graders get acquainted with their new school and with TAF’s project-based learning (PBL) model before that first day of school. It’s a chance to explore the building, meet future classmates, and start building camaraderie in a low-pressure, high-fun environment — all while easing the nerves that can come with starting somewhere new.
For students who’ve never experienced project-based learning before, it’s a gentle, engaging introduction to the project structure that will define their time at TAF@Saghalie. For students coming from TAF partner schools, like Brigadoon Elementary, it’s a welcome reminder that this is familiar territory.
This low-stakes introduction comes to life through projects that blend classroom academics with hands-on, real-world experience. However, different from the regular school year, the hands-on experiences coordinated by TAF are attached to field trips that are reminiscent of summer camp.
During this year’s Jumpstart, students took a trip to Oxbow Farms, learning how dyes, color, and textiles originate from natural sources. They read to dogs in partnership with Read with Rover, a program helping build literacy confidence in a relaxed, judgment-free setting. They learned how to support native bug populations, which included a scavenger hunt at the Bug and Reptile Museum in Bremerton. Students discovered what bugs use to camouflage, what bugs eat, and had up-close interactions with some animal ambassadors — including holding a ball python named Cole.
For some students, holding Cole was a first; it was a chance to face a fear of reptiles head-on in a safe and controlled environment. For others, it was a chance to share the extensive knowledge they had about snakes as pet owners of their very own. Moments like this opened the door to great questions: What does Cole eat? How do you take care of him? What does his behavior tell us about what he feels? These experiences make for an easy and playful entry point into core aspects of the PBL cycle — observation, inquiry, and curiosity. TAF recognizes that the incorporation of fun and play aren’t distractions to learning; they’re essential to it. To make learning devoid of tactile experiences and activities that excite means losing a key piece of what helps kids recall facts and retain information.
At the end of Jumpstart, students have a chance to speak about each lesson and field trip during a final presentation of learning, showcasing all their final projects in teams. Students’ families are invited to participate and see everything their students learned and created. For many, it’s their first glimpse into what their child has been up to and to engage in the TAF model, which includes bringing families in to participate in the cycle of learning.
For this year’s Jumpstart cohort, students had built bug houses to be placed in the TAF@Saghalie garden, tie-dyed t-shirts using natural dyes from plants, 3D-printed art, and laser-cut night lights. By the time the school year officially kicks off on September 2nd, incoming 6th graders will have Jumpstart fresh in their minds — ready to “jumpstart” their creative juices for the bigger, longer term collaborative projects ahead. .
TAF believes students deserve an education that validates who they are and honors their unique genius, no matter their background, and recognizes this shift in thinking does not happen overnight. It requires care, patience, and intentionality; one student, one teacher, and one school at a time.
Jumpstart is a simple but powerful example of that belief in action.
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