October, 2007 - Glebe Report

SCHOOLS Glebe Report October 12, 2007 33
Mutchmor cross country 2007
Mutchmor’s cross country team 2007
BY BLYTHE BEYNON AND
DAVID PAGUREK VAN MOSSEL
Hurray! Cross country started
last Monday in the field at Mutchmor
Public School. Every morning
of the week, except for Fridays, we
get out there and run. Students in
grade 6 (like us) started at three
laps around the field, then, as we
built endurance, we went up to five
laps a day. We also have a few other
practices such as training for the
“last-hundred-metre sprint,” for
staying at the front of the pack, and
more.
Starting on the third day of training
we went around the corner to Brown’s
Inlet. This creek, somewhat larger
after the canal was built, gives us
something nice to focus on and inspire
us along our long runs. We would veer
off the path as it turned into a sidewalk,
then off the sidewalk as it blended into
the road. We would then go back on
the start of the path, and go around and
around the number of times assigned
by the one who sets the pace. Usually,
the grade 5s and 6s would run three
laps around our home-made course.
The grade 4s do two laps.
For the meet last year, we went to
the Terry Fox Centre at Mooney’s
Bay. It rained the day before, leaving
puddles all over the course. We
are all hoping for great weather this
year!
For the grade 5s last year, we
had to run off the 400-metre track
and through the trees. Everyone
was so focused, we splashed
through puddles up to our ankles
and didn’t notice the wetness of
our shoes or that our white socks
were getting a brownish tint from
the mud.
PHOTO: LARRY STONEBRIDGE
“This guy next to me slipped on
the wet grass, then slipped down a
hill and landed in a puddle!” Luka
Lawford of Mutchmor exclaims. He
has participated in cross country
since the first year he was allowed
to, in grade 3. “Other people would
sprint at the beginning, then be out
of breath for the rest of the way.”
The course led us up a hill, and
down again. To keep our hopes up,
they put up a friendly sign with The
Little Engine That Could on it, saying,
“You can do it! You can do it!”
After the hill, we went through a
field behind the track, then onto the
track itself. We raced down the last
200 metres, to have our friends greet
us at the finish line before we
dunked our sweaty heads in the
bathroom sink.
Overall, everyone we talked to
said the experiences in the past have
been great, and we’re definitely
looking forward to our upcoming
meet. We’ve enjoyed sharing some
of the great news about cross country
here at Mutchmor!
A big thank-you to the fabulous
Mutchmor parent volunteers who
have come out in support of the
team practices at Brown’s Inlet and
to assistant coach Ian Austen. A very
special thanks to our Mutchmor’s
cross country school coaches, Mrs.
Pamela Paciocco and Mr. Sean
Aston, for their time and dedication
to the team.
Worms, Terry Fox, hot air and more at First Avenue
Grade 6 students discover elements of flight while making hot air balloons
in science class.
BY LYNN MAINLAND
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said,
“I think we consider too much the
good luck of the early bird and not
enough the bad luck of the early
worm.” But some worms are very
lucky indeed, particularly those in
Deena Shankman’s grade 3 class,
who apparently get a steady diet of
egg shells and other goodies. They
are the star players in a vermicomposting
experiment, happily turning
lunchtime leftovers into lush fertilizer,
without any of the unpleasant
odours that accompany regular composting.
The worms, which can eat
more than their own body weight in
leftover food everyday, make quick
work of the kids’ apple cores and
bread crusts. And the kids learn how
to participate in nature’s cycle, and
cut down on garbage going into burgeoning
landfills.
Another opportunity for the kids
to make a difference this month was
the Terry Fox National School Run
day, which took place on Sept. 28.
As they ran, jogged or walked their
way around Patterson Creek, they
knew that thousands of other school
kids all across Canada were similarly
marking the incredible achievements
of one man. While learning a powerful
lesson about what can be
achieved with courage and determination,
they also raised money to
support cancer research. Asked what
her inspiration was for running many
laps, one grade 3 student said, “Terry
Fox was brave and he didn’t want to
fail, and that made us want to run further
even when it was hurting.”
While September wrapped up
with a charity run, Oct. 1 kicks off
First Avenue’s third annual charity
read-a-thon. Last year’s event raised
PHOTO: SUSAN DUBOIS
$7,000 for a twin school in Africa,
the Kagoua School in Mali. The
money was used to buy school supplies,
sports and school equipment,
as well as hiring more teachers:
while Ontario is trying to reduce
class size to fewer than 23 children,
the pupil-teacher ratio in Kagoua
was a mind-boggling 67:1! More
broadly, the money is also used to
promote literacy and numeracy, provide
basic health care and food for
children unable to attend school
because of illness or malnutrition,
and to encourage girls to attend
school instead of working as servants
to help support their families.
The read-a-thon is the first of three
fundraising events this school year.
It has often been said that when it
comes to changing the world, the
pen is mightier than the sword. The
33 students who have signed up for
the journalism club will get a chance
to sharpen their skills and wield
them to keep the First Ave community
in the know. A contest will be
held to find a name for the newspaper,
and Dalya Goldberger is working
with her band of scribes to determine
what will go into it. Other students
looking to get a head start on a
Pulitzer Prize may want to sign up
for the club, which will be meeting
every Thursday after school.
Finally, Susan Dubois’s grade 6
class has found a use for hot air –
balloons! With political rhetoric
taking flight as we experience an
Ontario – and perhaps federal –
election, this is arguably a very
timely project!
420 rue Cooper Street
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2N6
www.centretownchc.org
HOURS OF OPERATION (EXCEPT FOR HOLIDAYS)
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday ..........8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Wednesday..................................................8:45 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
MEDICAL & SOCIAL SERVICES WALK-IN:
Monday – Friday ........................................1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Evening Appointments Available for Medical & Social Services
Monday ......................................................5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday ......................................................5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday ................................................5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
For 24-hour on-call medical emergency service call 233-4697
Building healthier communities... together
Ensemble... pour bâtir des communautés en meilleure santé