Planning calendar
When to run a cohort.
A month-by-month calendar for running a VIBE cohort in fall or spring. Built to fit any US school system and its breaks. Pick the semester that works for your school and slot in the twelve weeks around your local holidays.
Months, not dates.
School calendars vary — Labor Day, fall break, Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break, and end-of-year testing all land on different weeks in different districts. This calendar plans by month and builds in buffer, so you can fit twelve weeks of programming around your school's schedule without stress.
Twelve active weeks
The program runs for twelve 45-minute sessions. One per week.
About sixteen calendar weeks
Plan for the program to span roughly four months, giving you buffer for breaks and weather days.
Showcase before break
Fall cohorts finish before winter break. Spring cohorts finish before end-of-year testing and summer.
Fall cohort
September — DecemberIdeal for schools that want a public showcase before winter break. Start the week after Labor Day. Finish by mid-December.
Early September
Confirm tools with IT, collect parent consents, and brief your first two guides. Reserve the room and the time.
First build, then learn to iterate. Students make something with AI in their first session.
First and second guide visits. Brainstorm and scope. Every student has an approved project by end of month.
First working version, then core features, then midpoint review. Skip Thanksgiving week.
Feature complete, showcase prep, and public showcase. Aim to wrap by the second week of December.
- Labor Day (first Monday in September) — use the week before program week 1 for setup.
- Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day (second Monday in October) — some districts have the week off.
- Thanksgiving week (fourth week of November) — skip. Use as a buffer week.
- Winter break (usually starts around December 20) — showcase should happen at least a week before.
Spring cohort
February — MayIdeal for schools that want a spring showcase before end-of-year testing and summer break. Start in February after schedules settle post-winter. Finish by mid-May.
Confirm tools with IT, collect parent consents, and brief your first two guides. Reserve the room and the time.
First build, learn to iterate, first guide visit. Students make something with AI on day one.
Second guide, brainstorm, and scope. Plan for spring break in this window — skip the week if your district has one.
Four consecutive build sprints. First working version through feature complete.
Showcase prep and public showcase. Wrap by mid-May, well before end-of-year testing and summer break.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday in January) — this is why the program starts in February rather than late January.
- Presidents Day (third Monday in February) — some districts have the week off.
- Spring break (varies by district, usually late March or early April) — skip the week. Use as a buffer.
- Easter / Good Friday (varies) — some districts close.
- End-of-year testing and summer break (late May / early June) — showcase should happen before testing ramps up.
Picking your start date.
These are the questions every champion works through before week 1. Most of them are district-specific.
Check your district calendar first
Pull your school's academic calendar and mark every non-instructional day. Then pick your twelve session dates around them.
Pick the same day every week
Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday usually work best. Monday loses to holidays. Friday loses to events and weekends.
Lock the room first
Reserve your space for all twelve dates before recruiting students. A confirmed room makes everything else easier.
Build in a buffer week
Plan for at least one surprise — weather, a school event, an illness. A thirteenth available slot means one session can slip without breaking the showcase.
Confirm guide dates early
Guides for weeks 3, 4, and 9 are your most important recruits. Book them at least three weeks out so they can put it on their calendar.
Announce the showcase early
Families need at least two weeks of notice to attend. Send save-the-date invitations by week 8 at the latest.
This calendar pairs with the session-by-session curriculum. The curriculum tells you what happens in each session; this page tells you when to run them.