athlos 3 pillar playbook

3 PILLARPLAYBOOK

BALANCING MIND AND BODY. Athlos teachers and performance coaches effectively support students while simultaneously inspiring them to develop the autonomy and integrity necessary to be successful as independent, self-motivated learners. Teaching methods at Athlos ensure students receive systematic, explicit, and efficient instruction that can then be applied to relevant, real-world situations.

A T H L O S

T he unique Athlos approach empowers students to live fulfilling, responsible, and

successful lives by building on the three foun-dational pillars: Prepared Mind, Healthy Body, and Performance Character. The vision of the Athlos school model is to produce students who are well-prepared to face life’s challeng-

es. Athlos students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as a broad knowledge base and healthy lifestyle habits. Each school culture celebrates high academ-ic achievement, fosters individual growth in fitness and Performance Character, and promotes regular family engagement.

PREP

ARED M

IND

HEALTHY BODY

PERFORMANCE CHARA

CTER

2 | BALANCING MIND AND BODY | ATHLOS

P R E P A R E D M I N D

A Prepared Mind is ready for any task and always interested in diving deeper to learn, grow, and tackle challenges. Thus, at Athlos, students are being stretched, pulled, pushed,

and molded through a variety of engaging tasks. A Prepared Mind is also fertile and rich, and electrical impulses fire like a raging thunderstorm. Athlos students are not only full of knowl-edge but full of know-how, using their learning for both individual and group benefit.

Curriculum at Athlos• Follows state standards

• Integrates relevant, contextual connections

• Promotes rigor through:

• Science connecting the Healthy Body pillar (i.e. focus on nutrition; physiology; biomechanics; genetics; etc.)

• Mathematics instruction filled with context that gives attention to concrete, spatial, and symbolic problem solving

• Social Studies that connects students’ personal history and roots to specific global events and time periods

• Literacy skills facilitating dedicated readers, purposeful writers, and engaging presenters

• Fine Arts that connect and enhance learning while modeling craftsmanship and precision

Instruction at Athlos• Involves all students in learning through workshops,

protocols, and collaborative tasks

• Incorporates quality data that helps teachers differ-entiate and align instruction in order to meet all students’ needs

• Is well planned and displays a developmentally-appropriate flow

Assessment at Athlos• Teachers are consistently using formative assess-

ments to support and build understanding. Frequent check-ins allows for accurate data that informs instruction.

• Summative assessments vary in their scope and design and are used to track student progress. Teachers are cognizant of the implications of ques-tions and the accuracy of data that summative assessments provide.

• Assessment at Athlos schools promotes a growth mindset, holds students accountable, and supports

learning.

ATHLOS | BALANCING MIND AND BODY | 3

Science shows a positive correlation between increased physical activity

and high academic achievement.


Physical ActivityThe Athlos Athletic Curriculum combines conventional physical educational standards with cur-rent scientific sports performance methodology. Athlos schools fa-cilitate an educational environ-ment that highlights the strengths of physical education teachers, while also incorporating the exper-tise of degreed and certified sports performance coaches. Students participate in at least 45 minutes of age-appropriate athletic activity four days a week focused on long-term athletic development. This integration of fitness professionals provides an unparalleled athletic experience for Athlos students.

Health & Nutrition EducationAthlos understands that developing a healthy body is much more than just focusing on the importance of increased physical activity. It is vi-tal that students understand basic health and nutrition concepts in or-der to embrace the idea of develop-ing a body conditioned for success. Core subject areas such as Science and Social Studies are used as a vehicle to learn more about health and nutrition principles. The Athlos school lunch program highlights core values around proper nutri-tion that students are learning in the classroom and on the turf.

Culture of WellnessAthlos defines wellness as an active process of becoming aware of and making positive choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. Each Athlos campus strives to create a culture that embraces this ideal. Through core subject integra-tion, culminating campus events, increased daily physical activity, and a conscious campus effort to emphasize healthy choices Athlos schools aim to create a culture that places a spotlight on what it means to live a healthy lifestyle.

Athletic curriculum

Classroom movement breaks

Unstructured play

Core beliefs

School lunch program

Core subject integration

Health & nutrition expos

Community involvement

Staff fitness program

Physical Activity

Health & NutritionEducation

Culture of Wellness

HEALTHYBODY

PILLAR

Science shows a positive correlation between increased physical activity and high academic achievement. At Athlos, students of all athletic abilities participate throughout the week in

professionally developed, age-appropriate fitness curriculum. Health and nutrition are integrat-ed throughout the school, creating an educational experience focused on a culture of wellness.

H E A L T H Y B O D Y


Athlos believes that Performance Character

traits are the greatest indicator of the future success of a student.


Trigger Lesson[trig-er] [les-uh n]

A Trigger Lesson helps activate each student’s prior learning and cultural knowledge about a character trait, and prepares them to explore more deeply. These 15-30 minute lessons kick-off the study and integration of a new trait in an exciting, provocative manner.

Huddle[huhd-l]

Huddles engage students in actively learning about character traits. Games, stories, and examples help to illustrate concepts. Teachers and coaches engage stu-dents in higher level thinking and multi-sensory learn-ing as they explore what it means to develop Perfor-mance Character.

Reflection[ri-flek-shuh n]

Reflections utilize a variety of graphic organizers that help students articulate their thoughts in age appro-priate ways. Taking time to reflect on learning helps to develop long term memory. Reflections are collected throughout the school year and help students see their own growth over time.

Athlos Scorecard[Ath-lohs] [skohr-kahrd]

The Scorecard offers an opportunity for students, teach-ers, coaches, and parents to collaborate on Performance Character assessment. The Scorecard provides students a subjective measure of performance, with emphasis placed on extensive commentary. The purpose of the scorecard is to engage each child’s whole support team in encouraging them towards growth.

P E R F O R M A N C E C H A R A C T E R

S P E A K T H E A T H L O S L A N G U A G E

Performance Character is the foundation of school culture at Athlos schools. The program promotes 12 key character traits, including Grit, Social Intelligence, and Leadership.

Indicators of SuccessProviding a high quality Perfor-mance Character program is as important to Athlos as providing high quality programs in math-ematics and literacy. In fact, re-search indicates that the develop-ment of character traits such as optimism and courage may be more closely linked to a student’s long term success in college and career than GPA.

Building School CommunityThe Performance Character pro-gram helps students feel more con-nected to their peers and teachers and to the school community. This leads to greater levels of engage-ment and motivation. Athlos Acad-emy students are well equipped to overcome obstacles in a relentless pursuit of success and turn mo-ments of failure into learning op-portunities from which they grow.

Engaging FamiliesAlong with an academic report card, students and their families receive regular feedback on a stu-dent’s growth in each trait. This information serves as a community wide opportunity to discuss a stu-dent’s successes and challenges, to hold each other accountable, and to build strong and positive relationships as students develop Performance Character.


Visit www.athlosacademies.org for more information

A T H L O S

athlos 3 pillar playbook

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