Well, things are going strong here at Odyssey for the 2017-2018 school-year! We are settling into the new year, our first Progress Reports have been sent out, Science Fair was a big success, and our first Service Learning Day is just around the corner.

Service Learning is part of our curriculum here at Odyssey School. Yes, we are a non-profit, but we also want to instill in our students the value of giving back. We have served several of the same non-profit organizations for many years in a row. This year’s organizations are: Meals on Wheels, Central Texas Food Bank, Capitol School, Creek Cleaners, and Austin Animal Center. Students were able to hear about each organization at an all-school assembly recently and then they chose their top 3 choices. Our first Service Learning Day is Friday, October 27th. We love giving back!

At Odyssey, we understand that each student is unique in their own way. They all learn differently and demonstrate that they have mastered content in different ways, and we are proud of and excited about that! It makes for a dynamic learning community. There’s no better outlet than a SCIENCE FAIR to present some interesting theories, cool demonstrations, and exciting research. Science Fair was held on October 17th.

Some of the projects students presented during the Science Fair:

What will happen when I mix Coke and Mentos?
What are the best plants to grow near a WiFi router?
How does an airplane take off with a submarine?
Could the flight range of a (flying) train be improved with revisions?
How can you inflate a balloon with baking soda and vinegar?
As you can see, our students have wide and varied interests. Thank you goes to Mr. Stephens and Ms. Varma for organizing this and assisting the students with their projects.

We support all of our students in the unique ways they learn, and we cater to their individual abilities and needs by offering them a non-traditional learning environment, while also guiding them through “traditional” academic options and careers, such as next steps (beyond Odyssey): job interviews, possible careers, community college, and 4-year college. As with any year, this year at Odyssey, we have students who are earning high school AND college credits within the Dual Credit Program at Austin Community College. Our staff, as well as the students and their families, all work hard to ensure the right supports are in place for each student. We are proud of that and proud of our students.

It’s been a great start to what’s going to be another great year!