Olympic Mania!!!
Date: Nov 6, 2009
Entry: Where to start? I guess our OLYMPIC CELEBRATION CENTER is the best place to begin. Picture an open concept school with a center area for group gatherings. In this area is a PODIUM, custom built by our Grade One Teacher's Dad over the summer and hand painted by the students, a back drop of flags representing all the Nations of the world, and our version of the Olympic torch in the middle of it all. Each Friday the Olympic Anthem begins our celebration ceremony as the children gather in the center area to cheer for this week's winners (based on social responsibility/effort/citizenship). Our Queen attends and the Master of Ceremonies is a delegate from a different country each week. There is a Medal winner chosen from each grade (Kindergarten to Grade three)- each one announced with an explanation of exactly how they contributed and were chosen. They shake hands with the Queen, accept a Certificate of Achievement from their Teacher, receive flowers and proudly stand on the podium while the crowd cheers wildly. When all the Medals have been announced we wrap up the celebration with an increasingly rousing rendition of 'Oh, Canada'. And this is just the beginning ... .
All students from K - grade 3 are collaborating in building 3-D representations of most of the Olympic Villages in the Sea to Sky Corridor with Paper Mache mountains, plasticene trees, rivers, buildings ... and best of all each student will make themselves in miniature out of modelling clay - as an olympic athlete of course! This project is incorporating all sorts of learning outcomes for all grades - AMAZING!
They have made tiles to contribute to a community-driven Olympic -themed mural which will be in place when the Torch passes through Lions Bay.
They have created beautiful works of art to be entered in the Student Welcome Cards competition for cards to be given to every guest staying at the Vancouver and Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Villages.
Every other Wednesday our teachers share an Olympic or Paralympic Athlete's Profile with the children and we are working very hard to have a Paralympic Athlete come and visit our school some time in the near future.
We will be tracking the Torch Relay on our Canada carpet in the center area using Velcro dots to mark each stop along the way.
Lastly (for today), we are hoping to take ALL our students to a Sledge Hockey game in March.
We are, without a doubt, a SPIRIT SCHOOL!
Olympic Enthusiasm
Date: Oct 30, 2009
Entry: Gleneagles School is excited by the prospect of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver/Whistler. Gleneagles Elementary School is closely connected to the location of the Olympics, and is developing ways to get its students excited, informed, and participating in the approaching games.
The Olympic Flame arrived from Greece today, into Victoria's inner harbour. Vancouver Mayor, Gregor Robertson, was the first to emerge from the plane, with flame in hand. After a brief ceremony acknowledging B.C's First Nations and attending dignitaries, the torch was passed to Olympic gold medalists Simon Whitfield and Catriona LeMay Doan. These two Olympic gold medalists ran the first legs of the Trans Canadian Olympic torch relay. From Victoria, the flame will now go north through Vancouver Island before continuing its journey throughout the rest of Canada.
We intend to follow the flame's progress throughout the following 104 days of the torch relay, using a large map centrally located in the school. All students will be able to follow its progress, with different classes completing various projects, sharing what they learn along the way. Some classes will hold a mock torch relay, to further understand the distances and locations the torch will reach.
Horseshoe Bay will be a celebration location, and we hope to include some celebration to coincide with this event.
Olympic Enthusiasm
Date: Oct 30, 2009
Entry: Gleneagles School is excited by the prospect of the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver/Whistler. Gleneagles Elementary School is closely connected to the location of the Olympics, and...
more
GamesTown 2010 Email Alerts
