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Partnerships Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary School - Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board Norman G. Powers Public School -
Family Wellness Night -
Parents/students and their family attended (approx. 250-300 people) – all ages -
Staff and community partners led students through a wide variety of activities (e.g. Right to Play games, yoga, lacrosse, etc.) -
Families had the opportunity to ask questions at the health fair portion of the evening, again involving community partners. J.R. Henderson Public School -
Yard Vision The biggest accomplishment of J.R.Henderson over the past 18 months has been the transformation of the school yard. The underpinnings for the idea were based on creating student-friendly, active play areas that were appropriate to different age levels. It was designed to promote healthy, active lifestyles and a genuine respect for the environment while developing student ownership and community partnerships. Over a few short weeks, each class sent their ideas to the school office, and quickly, a Yard Vision began to take shape. Blueprints were drawn up by a parent in the community who was a landscape architect. There was already a portaplex being brought in that summer to replace the existing portables so the opportunity to maximize machinery, materials, etc. was there. Included in the Yard Vision were trees, gardens, a facelift for the front of the school, complete with benches and new sidewalks, a stone amphitheater at the back of the school with a gazebo, new basketball courts, new painted-on asphalt games, a mini-putt, a sand volleyball court and a brand new dome climber. The Kindergarten area underwent an “extreme makeover” with the removal of a portable and the installation of a tricycle track, and new pea gravel under the play structure. Picnic benches, murals painted by the children and a sandbox under a canopy. The second phase of the project is happening this summer. A permanent Fitness Trail around the yard to include permanent fitness equipment will be built. The fundraising for all of this has been a team effort by all members of the community. -
Fitness Parent Nights This was the second year doing Family Fitness Nights. We created an active game of Bingo called FITGO and we invited families to join us in participating in an active way. Prizes were donated by community partners. It was used as a fundraiser and tickets were sold for each card. Student Fit Break leaders demonstrated the moves to the families as they were called out. -
Recreation Programs Our recreation partner ran certain recreation programs out of our school site. They were able to offer half of the spaces to our students at a reduced price. Activities such as hip-hop and cartooning were extremely popular. The plan is to continue this next year and include a hip hop program for staff. Gateway Public School -
Key Achievement #1: Health and Nutrition Gateway encourages wellness and optimum nutrition through our snack program and One-on-One Mentoringsponsored by Toronto Public Health. Everyday students receive a healthy snack, which includes a fruit, grain and vegetable. The program has expanded this year to include a serving of milk once a month. This program is an excellent way to reinforce the concept of healthy and balanced eating. In April 2007, our school participated in Oral Health Month. Gateway launched this initiative with the Brush-a-maniaassembly. A dentist demonstrated how to properly care for teeth, and subsequently students were given the opportunity to practice this skill. Families were given booklets about the importance of brushing and were asked to monitor and record the number of times their child brushed each day. -
Key Achievement #2: Community Events and Partnership Gateway participated in the Toonies for Terrycharity run in September. Students from kindergarten to grade five walked, jogged and ran in support of cancer research. Students felt inspired to make a difference through their participation as they engaged in classroom discussion and activities prior to the run. Gateway also participated in iWalklast October. Students were encouraged to walk from home to school in the morning instead of coming to school in a car or bus. The most memorable part of the event was not only witnessing a great number of students converging from all directions to walk to school on mass, but being joined by Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education. She demonstrated her support and served as a role model for all students involved as she also participated in the Health Hustle, which concluded this great event. We were also fortunate to be joined by our trustee, Gerri Gershon, and supervisory officer, Gloria Baxter, along with other community partners. What a great success! This year Gateway introduced a new initiative called Everyone Jump Program for the grade five students. This program enlightened students about Diabetes through songs and games. One of our students, Kashfi Manji, winner of the Everyone Jump Contest made this event a special success by providing our school with a ball storage cage, a plaque for the school, engraved thermoses and pens for every student. Also $600 in Wintergreen credit was given to buy equipment for lunchtime. Our community liaison with Parks Forestry & Recreation has given Gateway students the opportunity for free play time at Paradise Playground. Classes sign up once a month for half hour sessions of playing on equipment such as slides, climbers and the ball pit. This is an excellent way to promote physical activity for all our students.
The Toronto Police Department has also been involved in partnering with our school community through physical activity. Every Thursday, grade five students participate and play alongside local police officers in a game of their choice. This program has made a positive impact on our students, as they are privy to interact with the police in a fun, relaxed way. This has helped to establish a rapport and build links between the school and our local police force. -
Key Achievement #3: School Events Gateway continuously seeks new ways to involve students in school-wide events and activities. This past February, we welcomed our first annual Winter Active Play day whereby students from kindergarten to grade five enjoyed an exciting, fun-filled day of outdoor play in the snow. We have also maintained well-established favourites such as Summer Playday and Jump Rope for Heart. The success of these events is directly attributed to the contributions of our school community, which include volunteers, staff, students and teachers. It is a unique experience to witness the awe-inspiring sight of 1000 students, who participate on mass in such events in a cooperative and safe manner. We greatly appreciate the tireless efforts of our dedicated team of professionals who plan, organize, and implement these events each year. Gateway is also fortunate to be conveniently located within walking distance from a variety of amenities for school excursions. Students regularly participate in walking field trips throughout the year to places such as Paradise Playground (indoor playground), the Ontario Science Centre, libraries, and bowling. Students not only benefit from an academic standpoint, but are also afforded the opportunity to learn more about the community and participate in leisurely walks. St. Margaret School -
On Wednesday February 14th St. Margaret students from J.K. through Grade 6 participated in our 2nd Annual St. Margaret Moves It Valentine Dance-a-thon.The goal of this event was not only to raise money for the school but to engage all students in physical activity and to have fun! All classes spent 30 minutes in the gym dancing to various songs played by a D.J. There were prizes for each class, draws for those students who raised pledges and healthy refreshments when their time in the gym was finished. The Canadian Red Cross has granted $1772 to the school for a healthy snack program this year. Parent volunteers order fruit weekly, wash it, and then put it in baskets that are then distributed to each classroom. The students love being able take a snack from the basket and eat it during recess. The City of Thunder Bay Recreation and Culture Division offers an After School Program on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 pm in the school gymnasium. Approximately 50 students attend and play various games. They really enjoy being active, and learning and playing new games. New Lowell Central P.S. -
The impact of the Living School on this rural community has been truly astonishing. Before we were a Living School, there was very little communication between ourselves and the catholic school in the same town. Now, we meet regularly and have common goals which impact the entire community. Our school policies now reflect what is being taught in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum. Prior to changing our school policies to reflect healthier choices, a health lesson on making wise choices from the four food groups could be interrupted by an announcement to “get your hot dog at lunch” or “don’t forget to bring in your extra chocolates from fundraising”. The message wasn’t getting through. Now, we have students who line up anxiously awaiting hot homemade soup at lunch and nobody asks about hot dogs at all. Through our funding as a Living School, we were able to start several initiatives. With this support, we went forward and secured a further $20,000 from the Communities in Action Fund from the Ministry of Health Promotion. An influx of this amount of money in a small rural community is huge. So many programs will be able to start because we have support to complete these. More connections in the community are being made weekly. -
Healthy Living Fair Targeted at the community as a whole, the Healthy Living Fair brought together all of the health related businesses and workers in the Clearview Township area. Without a community center, New Lowell is at a disadvantage for community-wide events. Being able to hold the Healthy Living Fair for the entire community really sent a positive message to the residents of New Lowell. The fair was situated in the school’s gymnasium where businesses had booths and talked about their services. The goal was to have everyone doing something hands-on so that it became a very interactive exhibition. In addition to booths, there were several presentations which allowed some exhibitors to talk more in depth about an issue. The fair was successfulonly because of the committee involved in planning. The committee consisted of parents, teachers, administrators and educational assistants. The best part of the process was bringing such a great group of committee members together as well as creating an event that reached out to so many people. -
Active Kids Afterschool Program In a rural setting, parents drive kids for at least 20 minutes to get them to a sports program. Obviously, there is a lot of time spent in a vehicle on nights when the program is running. As a result, there are notes coming to school saying that the homework didn’t get done because the child had hockey or gymnastics or skating. This becomes more of a problem as the child gets more homework and starts to do well in a particular area. As teachers, we often receive phone calls from parents stating that ‘Dance is more important than school right now.’ (substitute the name of the sport for different kids, but you get the idea). There are several sports teams available for kids in grade 4 through 8 but none for anybody in kindergarten through 3. As we analyzed the needs of the community, we focused on students in grades 2 to 4. These children needed a program to go to after school which would expose them to several skills and keep them active for 40 minutes. We started one night per week in October and ran the program for 8 weeks. The response was overwhelming. We are running the program again this spring and again, the kids and parents are ecstatic about having a great, active program for kids this age. -
Walking/Running Club People live very far from each other in our community. It is difficult to meet people on a regular basis to go for a walk to get some exercise. To meet this need, parents in the community took the Living School idea and applied it to themselves. They made the school a meeting place for a walking club. It started out every Wednesday. Soon, it was going on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Now, the Walking Club meets daily for a walk and some people have made Tuesdays and Thursdays ‘Running Days’. This program was successful only because of the desire of the parents to have a social outlet as well as getting some exercise.
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CIAF grant for recreation programs We partnered with the Parks and Rec. Department for this funding. There are certain guidelines for the funding but they are quite excited about the Living School idea. The majority of the funding is based on the idea of involving the community as a whole. The programs are: Fitness is fun for Adults: includes fitness programs for adults that take place at the school after 6 pm; a walking/running club for parents during the school day; Sneakers and Speakers -- a program run in conjunction with the library to get adults out and active but also to educate them on topical issues Fitness is fun for Kids: includes signage for the town for being aware of kids biking; equipment for an after school program for kids ages 6 - 8; snowshoes. Nothing but Nutrition: the fund does not give money for food but we will buy crock pots and utensils for our soup days; a cookbook (this was written by the grade 4 class and published on Microsoft Publisher, then sold at our Healthy Living Fair) Marketing: money for getting the word out about all of our initiatives Greensborough P.S./John McCrae P.S. -
Summer Playground Drop in - We offered a summer drop in for ages 6-13 during the month of July every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00-3:00 pm. We were able to advertise in the school newsletter and the Economist & Sun newspaper. We are offering it for the summer of 2007 at Greensborough P. S and John McCrae P. S. The Summer Playground Drop in gives Markham Recreation the opportunity to continue the Living School initiative with the students and the surrounding community in the summer months. It allows the school to become the community centre in the neighborhood. We are also able to offer the drop in at a reduced price since we are not charged for permit costs.
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P.L.A.Y Program- Peer Leadership for Active Youth - For the 2ndyear running we, the facilitators, met with students in grades 5 & 6 who expressed interest in becoming a PLAY leader. Several returning and some new leaders signed up for our 1/2 day Leadership and games training event, which we conducted in combination with our other Living School also involved in the PLAY program (John McCrae PS). The PLAY leaders were trained to lead the grades one’s in fun games and activities during noon recess once a week every week. The PLAY program is an excellent program in providing leadership opportunities for students. It gives the younger students an opportunity to connect with older positive role models and it promotes healthy and positive peer interaction and cooperation for both the PLAY leaders and grade 1 participants. The success for Markham Recreation is the opportunity to participate in and be a part of the school community. Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary School - Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board
- The Playground has become active as a result of the new basketball court, running long jump pit and general improvements to the yard. The school board has a three year plan to develop the soccer field.
Greensborough Public School~ York Region District School Board ~
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Greensborough’s Healthy Snack Daysare used to model what a good, healthy snack looks like. York Region Food for Learning largely funds our snack program. A York Region nutritionist is consulted to ensure snack choices are appropriate. To help with the cost of the food, a relationship with the local independent grocery store has been established, and food is sold to Greensborough “at cost”. Some parent volunteers help prepare the snacks if necessary (ie. washing fruit, cutting pitas) and many students help in the organization and distribution of the snack. Student involvement also included the completion of a survey last month, to get student feedback in regards to favourite healthy foods; keeping in mind that the snacks should be easy to prepare, and have little waste (ie. wrappers etc.) The entire student body enjoys the snack during our school wide nutrition break (10:55 am). Successful snacks have included milk, mozzarella (low fat) cheese strings and crackers (low sodium)/whole wheat pitas, carrot sticks, apples and bananas. The program has been running since Spring 2006, with a monthly healthy snack for the entire school population. We are working towards 2 healthy snacks a month in addition to other special LivingSchoolevent days. The month of May 2007, has included a weekly snack to build excitement within the student population, their parents and the school staff, about having a healthy snack. It is a work in progress, but we’re getting there! -
GreensboroughLivingSchoolTeam Leads DPA Workshop: The GreensboroughLivingSchoolteam shared their expertise and experience by presenting a Daily Physical Activity workshop for other YRDSB schools. The staff from CedarwoodPublic Schooldescribed it as “the most informative, fun and practical in service of their careers”. -
Gator Games Day: Greensborough started the school year with their first annual Gator Games Day on Sept. 15th. The staff wanted to start the year off with some team-building activities combined with a kick-off to Daily Vigorous Physical Activity. All students in the school (gr. 1-8) were divided up onto about 16 teams of 14 kids and were led by a grade 8 leader through 16 physical activities and challenges throughout the day outside on the tarmac and field. The activities went from 9:30amtill 12:30pm, started with some opening ceremonies akin to the Olympic Games in the gym and concluded with a celebration in the gym of our accomplishments through some spirit awards and a slide show. We came inside for a healthy nutrition break at 11am, which acted as a model for students to follow in the weeks to come. It was a great day! -
Daily Physical Vigorous Activity Room: A Daily Vigorous Physical Activity Room has been set up with TV/VCR, stereo, posters, activities, etc…for classes to use when incorporating 20 DVPA into their days. Each class is scheduled into the room 3 times a week (on the days they do not have gym) to support the requirements of the DPA mandate. Our DVPA team planned and set up the room and the kids and staff are enjoying their fitness breaks in a classroom outside of their own which does not resemble a traditional classroom structure. We have done some staff PD on DVPA and how to use the room effectively. Very successful to date! - Grade 7 students have been trained to be Fitness Ambassadors by the physical activity promoter from York Region Health Services. The Fitness Ambassadors facilitate fun and creative daily vigorous physical activity to every class in the school.
Greensborough Public School~ York Region District School Board ~
- Grade 7 and 8's enjoyed an active, team-building day at a local community center supported and staffed by the local parks and recreation coordinator. The day, which was free of charge, included broomball, group challenges and team building games... and they even walked there and back (20 min. each way!)
Our Lady of Victory School~ Toronto Catholic District School Board ~
- A new Student Leadership Initiative is also underway with 20 Intermediate students, and 1 junior rep, who have volunteered to organize and promote school spirit days, special events, dances and support the School Advisory Counsel and Snack club initiatives.
West Oak Public School and Mother Teresa Catholic School~ Halton District School Board and Halton Catholic District School Board ~
- Both schools hosted the health unit in presenting "More to Me" to the students and "Triple P" to the parents at night.
Concord Public School~ Greater Essex County District School Board ~
- A steering committee of teachers, students, parents, representatives from the public health unit, the YMCA, and the city of Windsor's Parks and Recreation Department has been established. This collaborative planning has led to the identification of a number of new initiatives. Some of the great ideas planned include a "Try It at Recess Food Fair", a "Swim and Gym Program", "Pro Days" where local sport celebrities speak to students, and an "Adopt a School" program to partner with local business.
- The YMCA is also a partner on a twice weekly after school mentoring club, which involves physical activity, nutritious snacks and homework assistance.
St. Mary's French Immersion School and Parkland Public School~ Huron Superior Catholic District School Board & Algoma District School Board ~
- The Sault Ste. Marie Living School Action Team has successfully been developed and has diverse representation from both St. Mary's French Immersion School and Parkland Public School, both the public and Catholic school boards, public health, the city's recreation department, the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, and the FOCUS coalition. Focus groups with students from both schools have been held so that they can have an influence in Living School planning. Meetings have also been held to educate parents on the benefits of the Balanced School Day, particularly as it relates to active living and healthy eating. Parents and youth in the school community are on board with this initiative and will be actively involved in future planning and implementation.
St. Andrew Catholic School ~ Halton Catholic District School Board ~
- St. Andrew Lives It Up! - A full day of activities! We had skipping workshops, Quality Daily Fitness (QDF), Speedstacking, Laps for Lungs, Nutrition workshops, veggie tastings and an Activity Circuit. Older students helped in planning and running the activities. All had a great day! Students, staff, parents, public health, the Lung Association, Skip 2 be Fit, and Food for Thought all worked together to make this an enjoyable event!
Back Tobacco and Substance Use and Abuse
Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary School - Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board St. Mary's French Immersion School and Parkland Public School~ Huron Superior Catholic District School Board & Algoma District School Board ~
- Grade 7 student leaders joined Students Without Borders, an anti-smoking group
Sanford Avenue School ~ Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board ~ - Dance Your "Butt" Off Anti-Tobacco Dance: Youth from Sanford Avenue School participated in the first ever anti-tobacco campaign in their community and participated in the pledge form activity to reduce smoking and raise awareness about tobacco comsumption and the negative benefits of smoking. The pledge form consisted of three levels. Gold: they never have nor will smoke; Silver: will stop smoking today; Bronze: will cut down. The youth had the opportunity to gather these commitment pledges from family, friends and surrounding community. In fact, over 1000 pledges were collected. This was also an incentive for the youth so that they could attend the anti-tobacco dance and have the opportunity to attend for free if they collected a minimum of 5 pledges. This grass roots movement enabled the youth to speak out against unhealthy living styles and reaffirm the anti-tobacco campaign with facts (provided on the sheet) and their motivation. The reward for the youth was an anti-tobacco dance which featured great music and an ongoing LCD slide show of anti-tobacco videos, slogans and experiences of other youth. Each youth received a red band bracelet that is marked with "tobaccofreekids.org" and the number '1200' which is the number of Americans that die each day from tobacco. Other anti-tobacco prizes were issued like t-shirts and hats. The Living School vision was carried out by the youth in the following categories: "is the comprehensive solution to improving the health of Ontario's children and youth". They were advocates for healthy living and promoting the anti-tobacco campaign. Our youth embodied the powerful intervention and their commitment to finding pledges was the symbol of youth helping youth. Their responsibility was to raising awareness to those around them in the school setting and in their community; they created vital partnerships that not only reflected healthy living but the sustainability of the campaign has effects until this day. Dance also created a sense of community among the youth who participated and let them enjoy the physical activity of dancing their "butts" off.
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Healthy Eating
Our Lady of Charity School -
Our snack programme is quite successful. We have fruit everyday as the children go out for recess. Last year I had a group of girls who I dubbed “fruitildas” distribute fruit. Then the boys got jealous so they dubbed themselves “fruitilmans” and so I pick a group that is in charge for the whole week. The school looks forward to the snack and even though I only teach French in the school everyone recognizes me because I am the fruit lady. We also have the breakfast club and an aboriginal youth worker who comes to make lunches at noon and do after school activities with the students who have signed up. At lunch recess, a group of junior students are in charge of Active playgrounds and they prepare and supervise games to keep the primary students busy at recess. Mother Teresa Catholic School -
We promote healthy living on a daily basis at this school. This also includes the social aspect of growing and developing well.This year at Mother Teresa School we have participated in a Living School Winter Carnival Day with the following activities.
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- outdoor activities
- art activities
- nutritional information session
- dance-a-thon
Students rotated through the various stations for a funfilled day. We are planning a similar play day in June. We held a Living School Art Contest in the fall with the intent of transforming our forum into a Living School Art Museum. The winners worked along side a number of our teachers to paint a living school mural where the winning art pieces would be displayed. The final product is a display of our commitment to continually remind our students of the importance of this worthwhile educational endeavour. John McRae Public School -
From Our Nutritionist Partner: In November 2006, John McRae P.S. held a Living School Community Event. All school community members were invited to attend during a weeknight evening. Various partners (e.g., Public Health, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Heart and Stroke, Parks and Recreation etc), were invited to have store front displays and answer questions that school community members had. One unique activity that took place during the evening was a South Asian cooking demonstration put on by a local chef that specializes in this type cooking. The chef worked with our Registered Dietician from Public Health to ensure that the recipes chosen reflected healthy choices. Overall the evening was a super success. Many parents tasted the prepared dishes and went home with a new recipe to try with their family. -
From a Parent and Partner: John McCrae public school in partnership with Markham Parks and Recreation and York Region health invited all the parents in the community to attend a Living School Fair. It was a great success and the turn out was well over 200 in 2005 and 150 in 2006. The best part of this fair was to have a demo on how to make a healthy lunch. Having the Fair encouraged all parents to work with the school to increase access to active, healthy living for all children. -
From students: The meaning of being in living school in my community is gratefully honoured because as a school we bring our achievements towards home and our community has a great impact on it. It is a great feeling being in a living school. The best thing about being in a living school is that we have good options to follow. As a school we can move well towards each other as a community. “Being in a living school helps everyone in different ways” “I like the apple program because I can get free apples which are good for me” “The living school kick off was fun. There were prizes and I learned a lot about eating healthy.” “In DVPA, I like doing squats and ski jumps” “Sometimes I can buy from the food stall! Healthy snacks and I like the chips” -
From Our Principal: Wednesday Walks Recess is best at John McCrae P.S. At John McCrae, recess is on the move. Each Wednesday students from grades 1-8 have an opportunity to go for a 25 min. walk with the school principal. We get a very good turn out each week. On the average we get 35-45 students to go for a brisk walk around the school community. Apart from the obvious fitness benefits to each walker, this is a great opportunity for students to chat with the principal and build positive and healthy relationships. The students also bring their healthy snacks on the walk with them. The Wed. Walk is communicated to our students through morning announcements and is also posted on our Living School Calendar on the main hallway. Children look forward to this activity each week. Each week the principal leads the students to a different route.
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From Teachers: The exercise the students get from being part of a Living School helps their bodies andtheir minds. I notice it especially in the girls. As they get involved their confidence level rises. It benefits them not only with sports but academically they are more confident with themselves. As the past couple of years have progressed, I see the students taking initiative on their own to get involved because they see everyone else involved and it becomes a part of their ‘daily’ routine. ~Ms. Deacon – Grade 4 teacher Being a part of Living School there is a community feel. Everyone is on the same page. There is also a link from home to school and vice versa. The students are making better choices in the food they bring in and we discuss what healthy eating is across cultures. Gateway Public School -
Key Achievement #1: Health and Nutrition Gateway encourages wellness and optimum nutrition through our snack program and One-on-One Mentoring sponsored by Toronto Public Health. Everyday students receive a healthy snack, which includes a fruit, grain and vegetable. The program has expanded this year to include a serving of milk once a month. This program is an excellent way to reinforce the concept of healthy and balanced eating. In April 2007, our school participated in Oral Health Month. Gateway launched this initiative with the Brush-a-mania assembly. A dentist demonstrated how to properly care for teeth, and subsequently students were given the opportunity to practice this skill. Families were given booklets about the importance of brushing and were asked to monitor and record the number of times their child brushed each day. -
Key Achievement #2: Community Events and Partnership Gateway participated in the Toonies for Terrycharity run in September. Students from kindergarten to grade five walked, jogged and ran in support of cancer research. Students felt inspired to make a difference through their participation as they engaged in classroom discussion and activities prior to the run. Gateway also participated in iWalk last October. Students were encouraged to walk from home to school in the morning instead of coming to school in a car or bus. The most memorable part of the event was not only witnessing a great number of students converging from all directions to walk to school on mass, but being joined by Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education. She demonstrated her support and served as a role model for all students involved as she also participated in the Health Hustle, which concluded this great event. We were also fortunate to be joined by our trustee, Gerri Gershon, and supervisory officer, Gloria Baxter, along with other community partners. What a great success! This year Gateway introduced a new initiative called Everyone Jump Program for the grade five students. This program enlightened students about Diabetes through songs and games. One of our students, Kashfi Manji, winner of the Everyone Jump Contest made this event a special success by providing our school with a ball storage cage, a plaque for the school, engraved thermoses and pens for every student. Also $600 in Wintergreen credit was given to buy equipment for lunchtime. Our community liaison with Parks Forestry & Recreation has given Gateway students the opportunity for free play time at Paradise Playground. Classes sign up once a month for half hour sessions of playing on equipment such as slides, climbers and the ball pit. This is an excellent way to promote physical activity for all our students.
The Toronto Police Department has also been involved in partnering with our school community through physical activity. Every Thursday, grade five students participate and play alongside local police officers in a game of their choice. This program has made a positive impact on our students, as they are privy to interact with the police in a fun, relaxed way. This has helped to establish a rapport and build links between the school and our local police force. -
Key Achievement #3: School Events Gateway continuously seeks new ways to involve students in school-wide events and activities. This past February, we welcomed our first annual Winter Active Play day whereby students from kindergarten to grade five enjoyed an exciting, fun-filled day of outdoor play in the snow. We have also maintained well-established favourites such as Summer Playday and Jump Rope for Heart. The success of these events is directly attributed to the contributions of our school community, which include volunteers, staff, students and teachers. It is a unique experience to witness the awe-inspiring sight of 1000 students, who participate on mass in such events in a cooperative and safe manner. We greatly appreciate the tireless efforts of our dedicated team of professionals who plan, organize, and implement these events each year. Gateway is also fortunate to be conveniently located within walking distance from a variety of amenities for school excursions. Students regularly participate in walking field trips throughout the year to places such as Paradise Playground (indoor playground), the Ontario Science Centre, libraries, and bowling. Students not only benefit from an academic standpoint, but are also afforded the opportunity to learn more about the community and participate in leisurely walks.
Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary School ~ Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board ~
- A "no pop" policy has been implemented and the Tuck Shop has been revamped to include only healthy options like fruit, yogurt, pretzels, corn nuts, crispers, raisins, cheese sticks, water, juice, and milk.
Shanty Bay Public School~ Simcoe County District School Board ~
- Nutritious snacking is provided each morning for students who are hungry.
- Bagels and juice are donated and the Primary Muffin Makers bake each Tuesday with their Nutritional Nannies (senior citizens in their community).
- Special presentations have included "Take a Bite"; a nutrition-based play, and Dorota Urbaniak, a bronze medalist rower courtesy of the Esteem Team.
- School guidelines have been rewritten and implemented in the areas of nutrition, sun safety and fundraising.
Greensborough Public School~ York Region District School Board ~
- A hot lunch "order-in" program has been implemented, with a service provider called ABC Alphabet Kids. The menu was developed with support from the York Region Public Health Nutritionist to ensure it met nutritional standards as set out by the School Nutrition Advisory Committee, of which the nutritionist is the chair.
West Oak Public School and Mother Teresa Catholic School~ Halton District School Board and Halton Catholic District School Board ~
- Students across all grades have been bringing in healthy lunches and snacks in order to provide healthy fuel to energize their minds and bodies. Our student government members randomly visit classes during lunch times to distribute Fuel For Life Coupons to worthy recipients. All coupons get entered into a draw each month where winners get awarded free play time with two friends in the gym during lunch hour.
Concord Public School~ Greater Essex County District School Board ~
- The hot lunch food that is made daily by Concord School parent volunteers has been reviewed for nutritional value. The milk program supplements the initiative with healthy hot lunches at Concord.
St. Mary's French Immersion School and Parkland Public School~ Huron Superior Catholic District School Board & Algoma District School Board ~
- Snack Baskets, with granola bars and fruit, are available in each classroom for any student who is hungry
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Physical Activity
Ellen Fairclough P.S. - Playground Leaders Program
- Trained student playground leaders played games with primary students during recess times. They took out equipment and engaged the younger students in tag and skipping games and taught them how to use the hop scotch and four square courts.
- The Gr. 6 – 8 playground leaders were trained by the people at MarkhamParksand Cultural Services and Public Health and they work with 20 to 30 primary students each session.
- The best part was that the playground leaders had the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and to interact with our younger students. Our younger students were engaged and active during the lunch hour and had the opportunity to learn new games and activities.
- The commitment of our playground leaders helped to make this program a special success. Their enthusiasm and commitment makes all the difference.
HolyCrossSchool - Hallowe’en Dance-a-thon: HolyCrossSchoolin Thunder BayOntariohad its 3rd Annual Hallowe'en Dance A Thon. The school's student body, teachers and parents danced in the gym all day on Hallowe'en Day to raise money for many of the schools initiatives: Literacy/Numeracy, Outdoor Play Equipment, Excursions, Physical Education Equipment and Living School Program. The primary students danced in the morning and juniors in the afternoon. Last year they raised approximately $ 6000 and this years totals were approximately $7500. Prizes were given for the top 3 fundraisers and numerous other prizes were drawn at random from ballots students received for each $5.00 in pledges.
Sherwood PS - Our success story with DPA starts with the flexibility provided to us by our administration. They have created a schedule that allows our Phys-ed department to run DPA in the morning as our students enter the school. We have created a morning period dedicated to DPA Monday-Thursday and for assemblies on Friday. The students enter the school at 8:55and DPA runs from 9:00-9:25. Recess follows DPA. All intermediates (100 students) participate in DPA on Tuesday and Thursday while all juniors (110 students) have DPA on Monday and Wednesday. These days coincide with days these classes do not have phys-ed. DPA is run by our 2 full time phys-ed teachers. We have created a 25 week long DPA activity schedule utilizing our gym as well as outside areas. This gives our students a fair amount of variety with DPA activities. Over the year(s) we have equipped ourselves with all the necessary cardio and fitness equipment in order to run our DPA more like fitness classes. Stability balls, medicine balls, cardio steps, bosu balls, reaction balls, yoga mats, dyna-bands, light weights among other things have contributed into making our DPA program a success. Our school is now approaching a QDPE model. Our whole school has phys-ed everyday. Including DPA, our Intermediates receive 3 hours and 40 minutes of physical activity per week, our juniors receive 2 hours and 40 minutes per week, while our primary classes have 2 hours and 30 minutes per week.
Our Lady of VictoryCatholicElementary School - Live it Up Challenge! February 13th, 2007.
Our Lady of Victory Catholic Elementary School had all 800 students (from JK to 8) participate in this year’s Live it Up Challenge. We tied this event in with the Heart and Stroke Association’s Jump Rope and Shoot Hoops for Heart event. The event was divided into 3 sections. The first half of the gym was organized for Shooting Hoops for Heart and the second for Jump Rope. Gr.8 student leaders facilitated the activities while music played in the gymnasium. The third station took place in our atrium as a rest station. Once again, gr.8 student leaders provided activity sheets (re: healthy eating habits and being physically active). Students completed these worksheets and took water breaks while they brought down their heart rate following the previous two activities. Each station ran for 30 minutes from gr.4-8, 20 minutes for gr.1-3 and, 15 minutes for JK-SK. Teachers provided students with an incentive at a previous assembly. Some teachers agreed to dye their hair red if students reached the $5000 goal, while another agreed to shave his head if they reached the $7000 mark. Students surpassed both goals by raising $8700 for the Heart and Stroke Association. We then held an assembly for the entire student body while 28 teachers, the VP and Principal dyed their hair red and, a male teacher had his head shaved!!! The students thoroughly enjoyed seeing their teachers participate in the event with them. Not only did we all learn the importance of leading healthy, active lives and, help support a great organization but, we also showed a great deal of school spirit! This was an amazing event, successful on many levels!
Divisional assemblies are held every month where students celebrate each other’s successes. Every month, two students are selected by each teacher to receive the “Student of the Month” Award. These students serve as positive role models for their peers, and are acknowledged for the successes they achieved that month. These assemblies also serve as educational forums. We take a proactive approach to anti-bullying by bringing in guest speakers, watching informative videos and holding discussion on the topic. These monthly, divisional assemblies have proven to be quite beneficial to the students by celebrating current achievement and planting the seeds for future success through our informative, pro-active approach. St. Michael School
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As part of the Living School project, we have launched several challenges to our students, staff and families. Teachers have been discussing these initiatives in the classrooms and we have been promoting the ideas over the p.a. announcements and monthly assemblies as well as through displays throughout the school: -
- B.L.A.S.T. Fitness Program (10 week physical conditioning program)
- Family Fun Nights (Volleyball, Pilates, Dances, Skating and Bowling)
- Fit for Life Weekly Draw Coupons (recognizing students participating in fitness activities outside school)
- Food for Life Weekly Draw Coupons (recognizing students eating healthy meals each week)
- Healthy Snacks (Food for Thought and Milk Programs)
- Intramural Programs at Lunch Hour (Volleyball, Indoor Soccer and Floor Hockey)
- Living School Website (see our school website to access our Living School Events)
- Monthly Theme-Based Activities (Laps for Lungs, Jump Rope for Heart and Nutrition)
- PROPS program - Grade 6 Peers Running Organized Play Stations at recess times
- DPA (Daily Physical Activity - sustained moderate to vigorous physicalactivity for 20 minutes a day)
St. Michael School is synonymous with wellness. We are excited about taking on the challenge of becoming more physically active as well as promoting healthier eating habits and nutrition. Promoting physical activity in this way is a great method of instilling in our children the benefits of becoming and staying active.
Live It Up Day School Challenge Opening Assembly in the gym with speeches by 3 divisional student representatives and a demonstration by our Grade 6 students of Quality Daily Fitness exercises. A vigorous 20 minute neighbourhood walk in the fresh winter air followed by a nutritious snack provided through our Food for Thought program. In the afternoon, "Go Active! Canada" - 60 minute special interactive show presented by McDonald's Restaurant which focuses on healthy, active living and self-esteem. 350 participants (students, staff and parents (and invited guests) The best part was seeing the active participation and involvement of our entire school community in this special event. The students and staff were engaged in the day’s activities and the speeches delivered by our 3 students were very inspirational, challenging all students to embrace an active, healthy lifestyle. Evening Wellness Fair Sponsored in collaboration with Living School Partners * ( St. Andrew, St. Bernadette and St. Michael ) * Display Booths from a variety of Health & Wellness Organizations * Over 500 participants (students, staff and parents (and invited guests) * Door Prizes & Raffles * Refreshments * * B.L.A.S.T. Fitness Clinics (Library) * * Interactive Golf Course (Gym) * * Quality Daily Fitness & Speed Stacking Demonstrations * St. Maragret School
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On Wednesday February 14th St. Margaret students from J.K. through Grade 6 participated in our 2nd Annual St. Margaret Moves It Valentine Dance-a-thon.The goal of this event was not only to raise money for the school but to engage all students in physical activity and to have fun! All classes spent 30 minutes in the gym dancing to various songs played by a D.J. There were prizes for each class, draws for those students who raised pledges and healthy refreshments when their time in the gym was finished. The Canadian Red Cross has granted $1772 to the school for a healthy snack program this year. Parent volunteers order fruit weekly, wash it, and then put it in baskets that are then distributed to each classroom. The students love being able take a snack from the basket and eat it during recess. The City of Thunder Bay Recreation and Culture Division offers an After School Program on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 pm in the school gymnasium. Approximately 50 students attend and play various games. They really enjoy being active, and learning and playing new games. St. Andrew Catholic School
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Canada Games Day: see DVD and photographs Whole school involvement (650 students + 50 staff) Committee of teachers organized the Canada Games Play Day, which included the pageantry of opening and closing ceremonies - all stations students participated in were geared specifically to the historical, economic, cultural uniqueness of each province/territory
- incorporated World Teachers Day into the celebration
- healthy snacks were provided throughout the day
- Public Health Nurses set up Triple P Parenting and Asthma kiosks
- visitors included superintendent, phys. Ed. Consultant., Bob Soroko, trustees, OECTA president Richard Brock, parent volunteers
- enthusiasm and energy of staff and students and parents
- cross curricular learning and connections
- amazing weather for October!
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Catholic Cup All Ontario Volleyball Tournaments - held in late October over two weekends
- involved 25 girls teams from across Ontario and 20 boys teams as well (approximately 500 students and 90 coaches + hundreds of parents)
- high level caliber volleyball
- Mr. Ceelen, teachers from St. Andrew and parent volunteers organized the event completely; eighth year of the tournament; extremely popular tournament
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Speed stacking Tournament - St. Andrew hosted the first ever interscholastic speed stacking tournament involving 4 schools and over 250 students
- exciting, enthusiastic students and parents were very happy with the event
- opportunity for more students to represent their school, possibly students who otherwise might not be “athletic enough” to make a school team
- this inaugural tournament has led to St. Bernadette hosting a tourney, with more and more schools involved
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St. Andrew Volleyball Camp - on Thursday nights in mid January to late February, I ran a volleyball camp for Grades 3 to 6 and For Grades 7 to 8.
- fun camp, development of skills, t-shirts, pizza party, healthy snacks each night
- built community spirit in the school
- promoted fitness and healthy living
- approximately 70 students involved; plus teachers and parent volunteers helping
Prince Charles Public School
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Our Healthy Active Living School quilt was designed by our school’s Living School committee. The squares on the quilt represent a number of the student leadership committees, special events and policy changes that are ongoing in our school. The interconnectedness of a quilt represents the interdependence of school staff, students, parents and community working together, to create the school environment of which we are so proud to celebrate.
Squares on our quilt were prepared by and represent the following:
- Student Leadership & Intramurals
- Student Leaders as Bus Monitors and Lunch Monitors
- Student Leadership – Social & spirit committee
- Student Leadership – Financial committee ( fundraising and charity events)
- Student Leadership – Earth Care
- Student Leadership – Academic Services ( Peer tutors and academic success celebrations)
- Student Leadership – Students Against Violence Everywhere
- Student Leadership – Reporting committee
- DPA – Daily Physical Activity
- Grand Pal’s Day – A day of literacy and healthy active living
- Celebration of Dance – School and District Wide dance event and Dance Club
- School Fundraising – healthy alternatives with great success!!
- Art Club (who put the quilt together with ribbon!!)
- Healthy Eating – healthy snacks, breakfast club, milk program
- Assessment and Evaluation in Physical and Health Education
- Talent Show – with a healthy active living theme
- Live It Up Challenge – Celebration of our commitment!
(We already have ideas for more squares to add – more things to celebrate!) Parkland Public School
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The Parkland Path is a 1 km walking path developed around the perimeter of the school yard. A 6-week challenge encouraged students to walk the path. Teachers tracked the daily path walks and prizes were presented to different age groups and consistent walkers. The challenge involved teaching staff, over 300 students, the student teacher who measured the path and the principal who provided the prizes. The best part is the eager participation of students who do not involve themselves in other sports. This was a special success because we recognized students who had not been previously acknowledged as being physically active. New Lowell Central P.S. -
The impact of the Living School on this rural community has been truly astonishing. Before we were a Living School, there was very little communication between ourselves and the catholic school in the same town. Now, we meet regularly and have common goals which impact the entire community. Our school policies now reflect what is being taught in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum. Prior to changing our school policies to reflect healthier choices, a health lesson on making wise choices from the four food groups could be interrupted by an announcement to “get your hot dog at lunch” or “don’t forget to bring in your extra chocolates from fundraising”. The message wasn’t getting through. Now, we have students who line up anxiously awaiting hot homemade soup at lunch and nobody asks about hot dogs at all. Through our funding as a Living School, we were able to start several initiatives. With this support, we went forward and secured a further $20,000 from the Communities in Action Fund from the Ministry of Health Promotion. An influx of this amount of money in a small rural community is huge. So many programs will be able to start because we have support to complete these. More connections in the community are being made weekly. -
Healthy Living Fair Targeted at the community as a whole, the Healthy Living Fair brought together all of the health related businesses and workers in the Clearview Township area. Without a community center, New Lowell is at a disadvantage for community-wide events. Being able to hold the Healthy Living Fair for the entire community really sent a positive message to the residents of New Lowell. The fair was situated in the school’s gymnasium where businesses had booths and talked about their services. The goal was to have everyone doing something hands-on so that it became a very interactive exhibition. In addition to booths, there were several presentations which allowed some exhibitors to talk more in depth about an issue. The fair was successfulonly because of the committee involved in planning. The committee consisted of parents, teachers, administrators and educational assistants. The best part of the process was bringing such a great group of committee members together as well as creating an event that reached out to so many people. -
Active Kids Afterschool Program In a rural setting, parents drive kids for at least 20 minutes to get them to a sports program. Obviously, there is a lot of time spent in a vehicle on nights when the program is running. As a result, there are notes coming to school saying that the homework didn’t get done because the child had hockey or gymnastics or skating. This becomes more of a problem as the child gets more homework and starts to do well in a particular area. As teachers, we often receive phone calls from parents stating that ‘Dance is more important than school right now.’ (substitute the name of the sport for different kids, but you get the idea). There are several sports teams available for kids in grade 4 through 8 but none for anybody in kindergarten through 3. As we analyzed the needs of the community, we focused on students in grades 2 to 4. These children needed a program to go to after school which would expose them to several skills and keep them active for 40 minutes. We started one night per week in October and ran the program for 8 weeks. The response was overwhelming. We are running the program again this spring and again, the kids and parents are ecstatic about having a great, active program for kids this age. -
Walking/Running Club People live very far from each other in our community. It is difficult to meet people on a regular basis to go for a walk to get some exercise. To meet this need, parents in the community took the Living School idea and applied it to themselves. They made the school a meeting place for a walking club. It started out every Wednesday. Soon, it was going on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Now, the Walking Club meets daily for a walk and some people have made Tuesdays and Thursdays ‘Running Days’. This program was successful only because of the desire of the parents to have a social outlet as well as getting some exercise.
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CIAF grant for recreation programs We partnered with the Parks and Rec. Department for this funding. There are certain guidelines for the funding but they are quite excited about the Living School idea. The majority of the funding is based on the idea of involving the community as a whole. The programs are: Fitness is fun for Adults: includes fitness programs for adults that take place at the school after 6 pm; a walking/running club for parents during the school day; Sneakers and Speakers -- a program run in conjunction with the library to get adults out and active but also to educate them on topical issues Fitness is fun for Kids: includes signage for the town for being aware of kids biking; equipment for an after school program for kids ages 6 - 8; snowshoes. Nothing but Nutrition: the fund does not give money for food but we will buy crock pots and utensils for our soup days; a cookbook (this was written by the grade 4 class and published on Microsoft Publisher, then sold at our Healthy Living Fair) Marketing: money for getting the word out about all of our initiatives Mother Teresa Catholic School -
We promote healthy living on a daily basis at this school. This also includes the social aspect of growing and developing well.This year at Mother Teresa School we have participated in a Living School Winter Carnival Day with the following activities. -
- outdoor activities
- art activities
- nutritional information session
- dance-a-thon
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Students rotated through the various stations for a funfilled day. We are planning a similar play day in June.
We held a Living School Art Contest in the fall with the intent of transforming our forum into a Living School Art Museum. The winners worked along side a number of our teachers to paint a living school mural where the winning art pieces would be displayed. The final product is a display of our commitment to continually remind our students of the importance of this worthwhile educational endeavour. John McRae Public School -
From Our Nutritionist Partner: In November 2006, John McRae P.S. held a Living School Community Event. All school community members were invited to attend during a weeknight evening. Various partners (e.g., Public Health, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Heart and Stroke, Parks and Recreation etc), were invited to have store front displays and answer questions that school community members had. One unique activity that took place during the evening was a South Asian cooking demonstration put on by a local chef that specializes in this type cooking. The chef worked with our Registered Dietician from Public Health to ensure that the recipes chosen reflected healthy choices. Overall the evening was a super success. Many parents tasted the prepared dishes and went home with a new recipe to try with their family. -
From a Parent and Partner: John McCrae public school in partnership with Markham Parks and Recreation and York Region health invited all the parents in the community to attend a Living School Fair. It was a great success and the turn out was well over 200 in 2005 and 150 in 2006. The best part of this fair was to have a demo on how to make a healthy lunch. Having the Fair encouraged all parents to work with the school to increase access to active, healthy living for all children. -
From students: The meaning of being in living school in my community is gratefully honoured because as a school we bring our achievements towards home and our community has a great impact on it. It is a great feeling being in a living school. The best thing about being in a living school is that we have good options to follow. As a school we can move well towards each other as a community. “Being in a living school helps everyone in different ways” “I like the apple program because I can get free apples which are good for me” “The living school kick off was fun. There were prizes and I learned a lot about eating healthy.” “In DVPA, I like doing squats and ski jumps” “Sometimes I can buy from the food stall! Healthy snacks and I like the chips” -
From Our Principal: Wednesday Walks Recess is best at John McCrae P.S. At John McCrae, recess is on the move. Each Wednesday students from grades 1-8 have an opportunity to go for a 25 min. walk with the school principal. We get a very good turn out each week. On the average we get 35-45 students to go for a brisk walk around the school community. Apart from the obvious fitness benefits to each walker, this is a great opportunity for students to chat with the principal and build positive and healthy relationships. The students also bring their healthy snacks on the walk with them. The Wed. Walk is communicated to our students through morning announcements and is also posted on our Living School Calendar on the main hallway. Children look forward to this activity each week. Each week the principal leads the students to a different route.
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From Teachers: The exercise the students get from being part of a Living School helps their bodies andtheir minds. I notice it especially in the girls. As they get involved their confidence level rises. It benefits them not only with sports but academically they are more confident with themselves. As the past couple of years have progressed, I see the students taking initiative on their own to get involved because they see everyone else involved and it becomes a part of their ‘daily’ routine. ~Ms. Deacon – Grade 4 teacher Being a part of Living School there is a community feel. Everyone is on the same page. There is also a link from home to school and vice versa. The students are making better choices in the food they bring in and we discuss what healthy eating is across cultures. Essex Public School / Hawthorne Alternative Bilingual School
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Youth Leadership through Future ACES The best thing about our Living school is the emphasis we place on Leadership. As a school we participate in Future Aces. Future ACES promotes a healthy attitude, cooperation, education and sportsmanship. Because of the Future ACES celebrations at our school we are able to promote leadership, and through a partnership with public health we are able to have a Youth Leadership team composed of grade 6, 7 and 8. They were trained in areas of nutrition, anti-tobacco, and peer leadership. They were able to teach phys. Ed classes to other classes in the school and as a result really enjoyed and cherished being a part of the program. -
Terry Fox Run A massive Terry Fox Run in the Fall of 06: The Essex Hawthorne Community was out in full force last October as students throughout the school moved in any way they could around our huge block to raise money for the Terry Fox foundation. Since Essex has a large Special Education component, it was especially gratifying to see these students participate. Our afternoon run underscored not only exercise and healthy living but also the sense of community that make us all ACES! -
DD Classes win Swimming Championship This just in! Our two Intermediate Developmental Disability classes made a splash at Rosedale Heights pool, Thursday May 24, sweeping up many first place finishes to capture the area title for Essex. Both of our schools were so proud of these students who brought home a huge trophy for our display case. Again, it’s not just skills, but how we fit into our community that counts. Dewson Street Public School
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Our last P.D day had a Numeracy focus. Our Phys. Ed teacher organized an opener to the day. To launch the day every staff member participated in a 6 activity Round-Robin (focusing on a variety of new and innovative DPA activities.) They ranged from scarf-skating, to dancing, to a variety of cooperative games. This warm-up was culminated with a handout for all teachers with a recap of each activity and game. The staff participated in the Numeracy P.D. with a new found enthusiasm and energy. At lunch, during fine weather our staff has gone to a local park for organized physical activity. It has been a bonding activity and an important part of our healthy lifestyle. People come back to work refreshed. St. Mary's French Immersion -
For ourLive It Up Day, our whole school participated in a winter play-day with 13 different activities, on being a ‘healthy snack’ rest station. All 420 students participated, with every teacher and aide officiating the stations. The whole school playground was used with the equipment needed to provide smooth transitions. The grade 8’s took on the roles as leaders and led their teams of 16 people to each station. The best part was seeing all the smiles and laughter from the students and the teachers. It was great to see the grade 8’s lead the teams with chants and cheers. Goodlife Fitness Centre provided our intermediate students the opportunity to participate in a Body Pump and RPM class. These visits allowed our students the opportunity to see other methods of exercising and keeping their bodies healthy other than team sports or dancing. Our whole school participated in skating at the John Rodes Arena. For over an hour, every student, some teachers and family members participated. The best part was seeing the older students help the younger students and how everyone demonstrated their patience on the rinks with the varying skating skills. Our Living School committee performed the play “Lunch As You Like It” in front of the rest of the school. This allowed everyone to see, in a comical performance, the importance and benefits of eating healthy on a regular basis. The student members of the committee really enjoyed performing for their school mates with the assistance from the teacher members and school nurse. St. Bernadette School -
S.W.O.L.E.
- self respect
- work hard
- overcome adversary
- lead by example
- excellence
- The key components of this leadership program include:
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- Get Fit
- Get Wise
- 1 Voice 1 Team
Former professional athletes present a motivational assembly to students based on one of the above mentioned components. This is followed up by a full day or series of sessions for JK through to Grade 8.
- Cyber bullying - This year our Grade 7 and Grade 8 students participated in a cyber bullying information session, based on Ophea’s Internet Safety Resource called “CyberCops”. Two students from each grade volunteered to complete the “CSI” format so that they could present to their respective grade the PowerPoint presentation.
The students appreciated the fact that the information came from their own peers.
Following the session with our own staff we invited a police officer to come to the school and he presented a second DVD and reinforced the consequences of cyber bullying.
Next year we will continue with Ophea’s new program for Grade 8 students, “Air Dogs.”
For more information, visit www.ophea.net/cybercops
- Skipping Club is an activity that all grades can be involved with. Our school had gym time available for the primary grades. Each week we would focus on one skill and a fun activity such as: long rope, routines, speed skipping, pogo balls, hoops, record breaking, YMCA, etc.
The club culminates with a skipping show where all members show their personal routines with some group work in between. Great music and fun make this a great club to belong to.
In past years, we have also had the Brampton AcroRopers perform for us and have raised thousands of dollars for Jump Rope For Heart.
- P.R.O.P.S. - Peers Running Organized Play Stations- Gr. 5 students running stations for our Gr. 1-3 students during the lunch recess.
- Peer Mediation - Gr. 6 students trained to assist our Gr. 1-5 students solve issues on the playground.
Shanty Bay Public School -
In February, our Gr. 2, 5 and 7 classes and teachers participated in the filming of eWorkshop videos for outdoor DPA. This was a joint project between the Ministry of Education and TVOntario. It was exciting to have a film crew at our school for 2 days and to participate in the planning for this event. The videos can be viewed at www.eworkshop.on.ca, choose “Daily Physical Activity”, then “Outdoors”. Our activities are entitled Dogcatcher, Mini-Soccer and Chuck the Chicken, which is also available in French. The Simcoe County District School Board uses Liaison Committees to provide a forum for the interaction of Superintendents, Principals, Managers and representatives from other employee groups to discussion particular issues, processes and policies. As the Principal of a Living School, I sit on the Healthy Schools Liaison Committee. The objectives of this committee include the development of policies and guidelines supporting Sun Safety, Nutrition and DPA. This year, our representative from purchasing created a handbook of fundraising opportunities that included a large number of healthy and non-food based vendors. As well, this year has focused on the development of healthy food guidelines for schools and the movement to a new food service provider for our cafeterias. The food guidelines are still in Draft format at this time. Perth Avenue Public School, Toronto -
Future Aces Program: A safe learning environment is of utmost importance to ensure that healthy, active learning takes place at Perth Avenue Public School. Towards this goal, we implement the Future Aces Program which encourages students to make responsible choices through the ACES conduct: A = Attitude
C = Cooperation, citizenship
E = Education
S = Sportsmanship, service -
Daily Physical Activity: At Perth Avenue Public School, we ensure effective curricular practices that include physical activity every day. This has been reinforced and supported with an Ophea Daily Physical Activity (DPA) workshop facilitated by the Living Schoolconsultant. Students and staff enjoy doing DPA in classrooms, hallways, in the gymnasium and outdoors. Our Lady of Assumption -
Winter Play Day – Our entire school has a whole school initiative in March. We divide the students into teams and rotate through the events for a full afternoon. The students enjoy the winter season and it encourages the spirit of teamwork. It also promotes leadership, especially in our Grade 7/8 students who are the role models for the school. We incorporated new equipment (snowshoes specifically) that are a direct result of our participation as a Living School. -
Classroom Initiatives – We have implemented some new activities. We use the snowshoes for playing outside at recesses and in structured lessons. The teachers have played a variety of snowshoe sports such as snowshoe baseball. We have continued to use our local community resources to engage in healthy activities. Our junior grades cross county ski at Nordic Hyland Centre as part of the physical education program. The school has also purchased additional equipment for outside use. Two new hockey nets and two Schlockie games are used by all grades for the winter months.
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Living School has brought a heightened awareness to our school. It promotes a more conscious attempt to plan more regularly in our instructional day. We continue to participate in the Terry Fox Run and this year, we are participating in the Jump Rope for Heart. This is a partnership with the school and community services. In our monthly newsletters, there is an update on our Living School initiatives for parents and school community. We also include recipes for healthy eating that can be made at home. We are working at relooking at Healthy Snacks which we incorporate into our different activities. -
Our treats are healthier, such as cheese whiz and celery. We also introduced a new initiative into our Physical Education program. We invited a dance company to teach a series of lessons on Hip Hop and Basketbeats to our entire school at the local community centre. New Liskeard Public School -
Recess Carts We have purchased 3 Recess carts for our 3 various playgrounds. These carts are filled with non-traditional and traditional equipment to use in the playground. This equipment includes: hula hoops, skipping ropes, tennis balls, footballs, rubber balls, pylons, scoops and balls, etc. The carts are rolled out each recess break by the teacher on duty so that students can borrow equipment to use during that time. This involved staff, students (490), and community businesses. A few volunteers took on the task of purchasing and setting up the carts. Community businesses were also helpful in supplying equipment at discounted prices so we could buy more for the money. The best thing about this activity is that it is ongoing, and it gives all the students something to do. It promotes a variety of physical activity, and allows the students to try new things on their own or with friends. It is so great to see ALL the equipment being borrowed during the recess breaks... that is a success! -
Indoor Athletic Equipment District School Board Ontario North East has given full support to this program and together we have purchased Eveque Indoor Athletic equipment for grades Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6. After some staff being trained on the equipment, we have had many opportunities to use it within our gym period. It is equipment that is soft and durable, and lends itself well to students at the Primary and Junior levels to have experience using it. We have used it extensively at the school. It gets setup in the gym for a week at a time, and the classes use it during the daily physical activity time. We also organize small "Olympics" where students are put into teams (JK-6 mixed) and they get to experience some friendly competition with their peers, and put their practice into experience on the equipment. Everyone always has a great time! This activity involves 300-350 students, 20 staff, and parents as well. This equipment is shared by the schools within the southern region of the Board, so each school gets a designated amount of time to use it. This is a great way to make sure that resources get used by all! The southern district now does yearly tournaments – fun is emphasized throughout and teams cheer their schools on with loud cheers (no unsportsmanlike conduct is allowed). -
Family Fun Night Once a month on a Friday or Saturday night, the school opens for an hour of family activities run by school personnel. This activity is organized in order to encourage activity on a family level. Parents must attend with their children, and one staff member is there to run the activity. Each month a different activity is offered (i.e. Fun with Pool Noodles, Indoor Track Equipment, SnowShoeing, Dodgeball Games, etc.). This equipment adds a whole new element to fitness for the students because their parents are participating as well. It is a great way for students to have extra time together doing something fun, and FREE! This success of the Family Fun Nights has been growing and growing. We usually get a turn-out of 30-40 children & adults together which is a pretty good success since so many families lead such busy lives. The effort that those participants put forth to attend, and the fun that they have while they are playing is what makes this event a success! It is a great way to bring the community and the school together in our quest for Healthy Living. -
Staff Fitness The staff of the school felt it was important for them to become fit and active. By minimally subsidizing fitness classes, all staff have the opportunity to participate in after-school fitness classes. The fitness instructors come into the school and teach on-site so that it is convenient for anyone interested – usually 4:00-5:00. Classes that have been offered include low-impact aerobics, yoga, high-impact aerobics, and dance. Staff have also been provided with golf equipment (carpet pieces, plastic balls) so that during recess breaks they can practice their swing, especially during the winter months. The best part of this event is that the staff are getting more physically fit and they understand the importance of being physically fit at all times. -
Mini-Putt Course This year we have put into place the plans for a Mini-putt course on site. One of our Specialized classes in the school is organizing and building the individual holes. This will be completed by May 2007 and we hope it brings another activity for the students to participate at recess as well as an activity to do as a class. This will also be open to the public on weekends and after-school hours. J.R. Henderson Public School -
Yard Vision The biggest accomplishment of J.R.Henderson over the past 18 months has been the transformation of the school yard. The underpinnings for the idea were based on creating student-friendly, active play areas that were appropriate to different age levels. It was designed to promote healthy, active lifestyles and a genuine respect for the environment while developing student ownership and community partnerships. Over a few short weeks, each class sent their ideas to the school office, and quickly, a Yard Vision began to take shape. Blueprints were drawn up by a parent in the community who was a landscape architect. There was already a portaplex being brought in that summer to replace the existing portables so the opportunity to maximize machinery, materials, etc. was there. Included in the Yard Vision were trees, gardens, a facelift for the front of the school, complete with benches and new sidewalks, a stone amphitheater at the back of the school with a gazebo, new basketball courts, new painted-on asphalt games, a mini-putt, a sand volleyball court and a brand new dome climber. The Kindergarten area underwent an “extreme makeover” with the removal of a portable and the installation of a tricycle track, and new pea gravel under the play structure. Picnic benches, murals painted by the children and a sandbox under a canopy. The second phase of the project is happening this summer. A permanent Fitness Trail around the yard to include permanent fitness equipment will be built. The fundraising for all of this has been a team effort by all members of the community. -
Fitness Parent Nights This was the second year doing Family Fitness Nights. We created an active game of Bingo called FITGO and we invited families to join us in participating in an active way. Prizes were donated by community partners. It was used as a fundraiser and tickets were sold for each card. Student Fit Break leaders demonstrated the moves to the families as they were called out. -
Recreation Programs Our recreation partner ran certain recreation programs out of our school site. They were able to offer half of the spaces to our students at a reduced price. Activities such as hip-hop and cartooning were extremely popular. The plan is to continue this next year and include a hip hop program for staff. Greensborough P.S./John McCrae P.S. -
Summer Playground Drop in - We offered a summer drop in for ages 6-13 during the month of July every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:00-3:00 pm. We were able to advertise in the school newsletter and the Economist & Sun newspaper. We are offering it for the summer of 2007 at Greensborough P. S and John McCrae P. S. The Summer Playground Drop in gives Markham Recreation the opportunity to continue the Living School initiative with the students and the surrounding community in the summer months. It allows the school to become the community centre in the neighborhood. We are also able to offer the drop in at a reduced price since we are not charged for permit costs.
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P.L.A.Y Program- Peer Leadership for Active Youth - For the 2ndyear running we, the facilitators, met with students in grades 5 & 6 who expressed interest in becoming a PLAY leader. Several returning and some new leaders signed up for our 1/2 day Leadership and games training event, which we conducted in combination with our other Living School also involved in the PLAY program (John McCrae PS). The PLAY leaders were trained to lead the grades one’s in fun games and activities during noon recess once a week every week. The PLAY program is an excellent program in providing leadership opportunities for students. It gives the younger students an opportunity to connect with older positive role models and it promotes healthy and positive peer interaction and cooperation for both the PLAY leaders and grade 1 participants. The success for Markham Recreation is the opportunity to participate in and be a part of the school community. Dovercourt Public School Cathy Wever Elementary School
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The Cathy Wever community has accomplished numerous successes through activities run by the school and the recreation centre. With the rec. centre starting a focus on fitness developing a “Bingo to Better Health” program, the school carried on the idea by creating a “fitness room” in the new building. Using community and rec. centre support our students from grades 1 to 8 now receive 1 fitness period per week in a fully equipped fitness room. The room(s) holds 15 pieces of cardio equipment (5 bikes, 5 treadmills, 2 ellipticals, 3 stairmasters) and 8 weight machines. It also has 25 stability balls, exercise bands, ladders, small hurdles, fitness games, a 42” t.v., videos, etc. The students also have HRM to wear during cardio sessions to track their workout progress. Money was set aside from the new school budget to purchase the equipment. Used equipment was bought but all equipment is less than 18 months old. The supplier was from the Hamilton area. We partnered with and received help from another school in the area that had a fitness room. Really the partnerships are starting now with volunteers becoming active, McMaster University getting involved, the teachers (staff) pushing fitness and other community members. We are holding other fitness related activities and getting support from the Rotary Club, Police and Fire Department. Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary School ~ Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board ~
- The entire school participates in Morning Energizers led by trained students.
Shanty Bay Public School~ Simcoe County District School Board ~
- Daily Physical Activity (DPA) has been adopted by all classes, in various age appropriate forms, over and above the three and four scheduled gym classes each week. Parents have assisted the students in grades 4-8 to take resting and active heart rates for personal monitoring of the building of endurance.
- Walking, Wheeling Wednesday is a house league challenge for students and staff to ride their bikes or walk to school at least once each week. The school crossing guard now assists five times as many pedestrians as she had last year at this time!
Greensborough Public School~ York Region District School Board ~
- The Row Together Program teaches grade 4 - 8 classes to use rowing machines and perform 4 minute tests to assess and chart their fitness level, rowing distance and speed
Our Lady of Victory School~ Toronto Catholic District School Board ~
- Teachers participated in a workshop around strategies for building vigorous movement and activity into every school day and intermediate students are being training to lead daily vigorous activities for the whole school.
- A new drama and dance club is underway with 100 participants in Grades 2 to 8. Students meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 40 minute sessions. Numbers of participants continue to grow and one of the goals of the group is to participate in the Christmas concert and assembly for parents in December.
West Oak Public School and Mother Teresa Catholic School~ Halton District School Board and Halton Catholic District School Board ~
- In term one, Grades 1 to 3 classes are participating in Primary Indoor Soccer, refereed and coached by Grade 7 and 8 students. Not only is this providing great exercise for younger students, it is also building healthy, positive relationships between senior and primary students.
Prince Charles Public School~ Hastings Prince Edward District School Board ~
- Targeting increased participation in physical activity and school events, Prince Charles has launched a House League system this year. All students and staff have been assigned to one of six houses, complete with house colours, mascots and cheers. Student participation in intramurals and school spirit events result in increased physical activity, school spirit and of course, house points. The competition is friendly, fun and engaging.
- Staff and students have joined the "Wildcats Walking Club" at Prince Charles school. Every day over the lunch hour staff lead the way as they walk their way to increased physical activity, improved health and maximum readiness to learn in the afternoon.
- Playground games have become a very popular student-initiated activity during recess and lunch hours. New outlines were painted on the blacktop pavement areas for games such as hopscotch, four square, wall ball, circle soccer, basketball and tetherball! In addition, each classroom has been given a large container of balls and equipment to use on the pavement and on the grass playing field areas.
St. Margaret School~ Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board ~
- Live It Up Challenge - Music was played over the intercom. Grade 6 students went into each classroom and led the students in aerobic activities for 20 minutes. Afterwards everyone enjoyed a healthy snack and drink. 330 students and staff exercised for 20 minutes and had fun doing so. Many students asked when we will be doing this again because they had such a great time.
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Community Support
West Oak Public School
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Our annual Wellness evening: All families in our community (parents, children, grandparents, friends, neighbours) were invited to participate in our third wellness evening, held the evening of our live it up challenge day. We annually have about 50 community partners, with a wellness focus, who set up storefronts, do demonstrations, hand out samples of their products, offer information and advice about programs for children and parents to become involved in that are in our local community. We have a staff organizer who works with volunteers to co-ordinate the event and communicate with all of our partners. We have a guest speaker who speaks on a topic of interest to families and our students lead the guests in a QDF routine. The best part this year is that, despite the blustery weather, we had an excellent turn-out! A lot of great living school things going on here! I think that healthy living is quite important in these days of recognition of the obesity issue in children. Teaching our students about healthy eating and active involvement will hopefully lead them to lead healthy lives, stay within an appropriate weight range and avoid contracting weight-related diseases. Environment focus: This year, one of the members of our living school action team has started an environmental club. She has organized environmental activities for the month of April as our living school theme for April is the environment. The students in the club make announcements, do skits at monthly assemblies that reinforce an environmental message, model recycling habits that we are trying to teach and monitor the events in the school. We have purchased motivational posters and have made them into plaques. They illustrate the living school messages that we give each month and link the message to our living school theme for the month. Students have become very accustomed to the monthly challenges and look forward to the recognition of themselves or their peers if they are recognized that month. This is what one of our school team coaches has to say:
“I have noticed that our teams come in better shape than previous years. Also, being a girls’ coach, I have also noticed that it is now "cool" to get sweaty and fit. When I first started, I had to convince the girls it was okay to do that. I think our school’s view on being active helps eliminate some of the roadblocks for active girls.” Our Living school link on our school website:
We are very proud of the living school link on our school website. It has a chronological listing of all of the activities that have been offered to our students since the beginning of September. Anyone can access our website and see how active we are and how many things are offered for our students of all ages. We are especially proud of our Living school art club. The students are creating murals on ceiling tiles that we hang in our school and in our neighbouring schools or offices of our partners. We are also very proud this year of the response to our mileage club. Students walk, run, jog around the schoolyard and have a card that is stamped for the number of circuits they complete. They receive small feet as tokens and hang these on their shoelaces. Each colour of foot signifies a mileage total. Once they achieve 100 km in a month, they are recognized in our 100 km club. Each year, our school team has generated a living school scrapbook that has been completed by all of the grades in the school. The teacher organizers decide on a theme for each grade and each class is given a single page (the size of the scrapbook) to complete. The grade level determines the complexity of the theme. For example, the kgt classes have themes such as healthy foods and they cut out pictures of healthy foods. The other themes have included: favourite healthy snacks, let’s get active, healthy minds and stress reduction. Each year, the teachers and their classes have become more and more creative with their theme. Some teachers have used acrostic poems to illustrate their themes; others have used song lyrics depending on the focus in their classroom at the time. These scrapbooks are proudly displayed in our library. St Thomas Cluster: Balaclava Street Public School, Scott Street Public School, Locke’s Public School
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Community Partners Host Family Activity Days
This year we offered Family activity days involving the YMCA, Healthy at Heart Elgin and the Health Unit. We offered a free family day with an hour of swim time, activities in the gym, healthy food choices, information on subsidized programs at the YMCA, nutrition information and prizes. Free one month memberships were offered. The program increased with popularity every time it was offered. The last school had 129 in attendance. We offered it on Sunday afternoons from 1-4 pm. We supplied free bus transportation from the school to the YMCA. The principal and staff were sharing the experience with their own families. Many smiling faces left each afternoon. Many of the families have never been to the YMCA.
The families were able to share an afternoon with their family and friends in a non-threatening environment. It was wonderful to see the happy smiles of parents and children together. -
Family Activity Nights at the school For an hour and a half, we opened up the gym for a family activity night. The families register ahead of time. The participants are grouped in their family. They start their evening with parachute games. They divide into their groups and are rotated through 4 different activities. Afterwards, they return to the gym for healthy snacks including fruit, vegetables, and water bottles. They end the evening with a group dance. Fun is had by all. We had over 75 children, parents and grandparents participating. Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary School - Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board Gateway Public School -
Key Achievement #1: Health and Nutrition Gateway encourages wellness and optimum nutrition through our snack program and One-on-One Mentoring sponsored by Toronto Public Health. Everyday students receive a healthy snack, which includes a fruit, grain and vegetable. The program has expanded this year to include a serving of milk once a month. This program is an excellent way to reinforce the concept of healthy and balanced eating. In April 2007, our school participated in Oral Health Month. Gateway launched this initiative with the Brush-a-mania assembly. A dentist demonstrated how to properly care for teeth, and subsequently students were given the opportunity to practice this skill. Families were given booklets about the importance of brushing and were asked to monitor and record the number of times their child brushed each day. -
Key Achievement #2: Community Events and Partnership Gateway participated in the Toonies for Terrycharity run in September. Students from kindergarten to grade five walked, jogged and ran in support of cancer research. Students felt inspired to make a difference through their participation as they engaged in classroom discussion and activities prior to the run. Gateway also participated in iWalk last October. Students were encouraged to walk from home to school in the morning instead of coming to school in a car or bus. The most memorable part of the event was not only witnessing a great number of students converging from all directions to walk to school on mass, but being joined by Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Education. She demonstrated her support and served as a role model for all students involved as she also participated in the Health Hustle, which concluded this great event. We were also fortunate to be joined by our trustee, Gerri Gershon, and supervisory officer, Gloria Baxter, along with other community partners. What a great success! This year Gateway introduced a new initiative called Everyone Jump Program for the grade five students. This program enlightened students about Diabetes through songs and games. One of our students, Kashfi Manji, winner of the Everyone Jump Contest made this event a special success by providing our school with a ball storage cage, a plaque for the school, engraved thermoses and pens for every student. Also $600 in Wintergreen credit was given to buy equipment for lunchtime. Our community liaison with Parks Forestry & Recreation has given Gateway students the opportunity for free play time at Paradise Playground. Classes sign up once a month for half hour sessions of playing on equipment such as slides, climbers and the ball pit. This is an excellent way to promote physical activity for all our students.
The Toronto Police Department has also been involved in partnering with our school community through physical activity. Every Thursday, grade five students participate and play alongside local police officers in a game of their choice. This program has made a positive impact on our students, as they are privy to interact with the police in a fun, relaxed way. This has helped to establish a rapport and build links between the school and our local police force. -
Key Achievement #3: School Events Gateway continuously seeks new ways to involve students in school-wide events and activities. This past February, we welcomed our first annual Winter Active Play day whereby students from kindergarten to grade five enjoyed an exciting, fun-filled day of outdoor play in the snow. We have also maintained well-established favourites such as Summer Playday and Jump Rope for Heart. The success of these events is directly attributed to the contributions of our school community, which include volunteers, staff, students and teachers. It is a unique experience to witness the awe-inspiring sight of 1000 students, who participate on mass in such events in a cooperative and safe manner. We greatly appreciate the tireless efforts of our dedicated team of professionals who plan, organize, and implement these events each year. Gateway is also fortunate to be conveniently located within walking distance from a variety of amenities for school excursions. Students regularly participate in walking field trips throughout the year to places such as Paradise Playground (indoor playground), the Ontario Science Centre, libraries, and bowling. Students not only benefit from an academic standpoint, but are also afforded the opportunity to learn more about the community and participate in leisurely walks. Prince Charles Public School
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Our Healthy Active Living School quilt was designed by our school’s Living School committee. The squares on the quilt represent a number of the student leadership committees, special events and policy changes that are ongoing in our school. The interconnectedness of a quilt represents the interdependence of school staff, students, parents and community working together, to create the school environment of which we are so proud to celebrate.
Squares on our quilt were prepared by and represent the following:
- Student Leadership & Intramurals
- Student Leaders as Bus Monitors and Lunch Monitors
- Student Leadership – Social & spirit committee
- Student Leadership – Financial committee ( fundraising and charity events)
- Student Leadership – Earth Care
- Student Leadership – Academic Services ( Peer tutors and academic success celebrations)
- Student Leadership – Students Against Violence Everywhere
- Student Leadership – Reporting committee
- DPA – Daily Physical Activity
- Grand Pal’s Day – A day of literacy and healthy active living
- Celebration of Dance – School and District Wide dance event and Dance Club
- School Fundraising – healthy alternatives with great success!!
- Art Club (who put the quilt together with ribbon!!)
- Healthy Eating – healthy snacks, breakfast club, milk program
- Assessment and Evaluation in Physical and Health Education
- Talent Show – with a healthy active living theme
- Live It Up Challenge – Celebration of our commitment!
(We already have ideas for more squares to add – more things to celebrate!) St. Michael School
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As part of the Living Schoolproject, we have launched several challenges to our students, staff and families. Teachers have been discussing these initiatives in the classrooms and we have been promoting the ideas over the p.a. announcements and monthly assemblies as well as through displays throughout the school: -
- B.L.A.S.T. Fitness Program (10 week physical conditioning program)
- Family Fun Nights (Volleyball, Pilates, Dances, Skating and Bowling)
- Fit for Life Weekly Draw Coupons (recognizing students participating in fitness activities outside school)
- Food for Life Weekly Draw Coupons (recognizing students eating healthy meals each week)
- Healthy Snacks (Food for Thought and Milk Programs)
- Intramural Programs at Lunch Hour (Volleyball, Indoor Soccer and Floor Hockey)
- Living School Website (see our school website to access our Living School Events)
- Monthly Theme-Based Activities (Laps for Lungs, Jump Rope for Heart and Nutrition)
- PROPS program - Grade 6 Peers Running Organized Play Stations at recess times
- DPA (Daily Physical Activity - sustained moderate to vigorous physicalactivity for 20 minutes a day)
St. Michael School is synonymous with wellness. We are excited about taking on the challenge of becoming more physically active as well as promoting healthier eating habits and nutrition. Promoting physical activity in this way is a great method of instilling in our children the benefits of becoming and staying active.
Live It Up Day School Challenge Opening Assembly in the gym with speeches by 3 divisional student representatives and a demonstration by our Grade 6 students of Quality Daily Fitness exercises. A vigorous 20 minute neighbourhood walk in the fresh winter air followed by a nutritious snack provided through our Food for Thought program. In the afternoon, "Go Active! Canada" - 60 minute special interactive show presented by McDonald's Restaurant which focuses on healthy, active living and self-esteem. 350 participants (students, staff and parents (and invited guests) The best part was seeing the active participation and involvement of our entire school community in this special event. The students and staff were engaged in the day’s activities and the speeches delivered by our 3 students were very inspirational, challenging all students to embrace an active, healthy lifestyle. Evening Wellness Fair Sponsored in collaboration with Living School Partners * ( St. Andrew, St. Bernadette and St. Michael ) * Display Booths from a variety of Health & Wellness Organizations * Over 500 participants (students, staff and parents (and invited guests) * Door Prizes & Raffles * Refreshments * * B.L.A.S.T. Fitness Clinics (Library) * * Interactive Golf Course (Gym) * * Quality Daily Fitness & Speed Stacking Demonstrations * Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary School ~ Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board ~
- The parent council coordinated the Fruity Friday Program. Each Friday morning students are given a whole fruit to eat before class starts. The owner of a local market provides the fruit at his cost less 10%. The Parent Council is running a Christmas Orange Fundraiser to support the Fruity Friday program.
West Oak Public School and Mother Teresa Catholic School~ Halton District School Board and Halton Catholic District School Board ~
- One parent has offered to run a Grade 4 fitness class twice per week during the afternoon recess break. Interested students will dance/move to the beat of music to get active and fit.
Greensborough Public School~ York Region District School Board ~
- The School Nutritional Advisory Committee (SNAC) and the School Sports and Recreation Advisory Committee have set school nutrition and physical activity policies, and planning events and programming for students, staff and parents of the Greensborough P.S. community. Committees have representation from the public health department, the local parks and recreation department, school staff and parents.
Dufferin Mall Cluster~ Toronto District School Board ~
- All schools participated in the Dufferin Mall Community Health Fair, an annual one-day event hosted by St Joseph's Health Centre which draws over 40 health-related exhibits. Information on the Cluster's Active Healthy Living Project, TSM and the Living School Project were all made available to the record crowds that flocked to Dufferin Mall's Centre Court area on November 6th.
- A Family Gym Program was launched as part of the Active Healthy Living Project, an initiative co-sponsored by Dufferin Mall and the City of Toronto Parks and Recreation Department - South District, West Region. Each week, at three local Community Recreation Centers, families are invited to play together for FREE. Response to this program has been very positive, and there are hopes that it will continue into the new year.
Concord Public School~ Greater Essex County District School Board ~
- The Windsor YMCA, a community partner with the Living school initiative, is providing weekly gym and swim days at the Y. Each student will be involved in this program on a monthly basis.
St. Mary’s French Immersion School and Parkland Public School~ Huron Superior Catholic District School Board & Algoma District School Board ~
- The local Husky restaurant and gas bar operators held a fund raiser for Parkland Living School
- In December and January, primary students will be attending Swim and Fitness classes at the YMCA
Holy Cross School~ Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board ~
- Live It Up Challenge - Four Living Schools along with two others joined together to celebrate the Live It Up Challenge by participating in a 5 km walk around Boulevard Lake. The kids enjoyed themselves and the parents were all very supportive. Everyone is looking forward to the next event!
Bishop Gallagher Sr. Elementary ~ Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board ~
- Living in Perfect Four Part Harmony! - Canadian Half Pints Presentation (anti-bullying) and Demonstration basketball game vs. the teachers; Walk around Boulevard Lake with three other schools; Healthy snacks and class mural painting; Laps for Lungs fundraiser - raised $3,200.00 for Asthma research.
- Positive messages about: anti-bullying, overcoming obstacles, how fitness makes you feel good, appreciating winter and how walking can be so rewarding, how fitness is social, eating healthy and how role modeling for younger students can be beneficial.
St. Michael Catholic School~ Halton Catholic District School Board ~
- Live It Up Day School Challenge - Opening Assembly in the gym with speeches by three divisional student representatives and a demonstration by our Grade 6 students of Quality Daily Fitness exercises. A vigorous 20 minute neighbourhood walk in the fresh winter air followed by a nutritious snack provided through our Food for Thought program. In the afternoon, "Go Active! Canada" - a sixty minute special interactive show presented by McDonald's Restaurants which focuses on healthy, active living and self-esteem. The best part was seeing the active participation and involvement of our entire school community in this special event. The students and staff were engaged in the day's activities. The speeches delivered by our three students were very inspirational, challenging all students to embrace an active healthy lifestyle.
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