Calvert's exercise and fitness room

This winter, the 7th graders have spent some time in Calvert's exercise and fitness room.  For each free weight exercise, students spot each other.  All of my 7th graders truly worked hard at each station.  Please see some highlights below:

 

 

bench press

 

 

plank

 

Airdyne bike

 

 leg extentions

 

Smith Machine assisted squats

 

row machine (erg)

 

 

elliptical trainer

 

bench press

 

bench press

 

 

 plank

 

 

5th graders work hard

Recently, the 5th graders worked on improving their core strength, cardiovascular endurance, and teamworking skills by racing down the court pulling a partner on a small inverted doormat.  Each duo came up with a different tactic to best race down to half court and back.  I am proud of my 5th graders' effort! Highlights below:



 

 

Students also made it across the gym on the doormats on their own.  Students' hands stayed on the mat while running their feet beind them.  It proved to be a challenging and fun activity.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Cross-fit circuit

Please see below for highlights of some 7th graders working hard during a cross-fit circuit.



 

Mrs. Lears wrote up the "W.O.D" (work out of the day), which included six stations:

 

 

Rope

 

 

Kettlebell

 

 

Push-ups

 

 

Jump rope

 

 

 Squats

 

 

Bear walk



Push-ups, pyramids, and polo

Last Thursday, the 6th graders had an eventful P.E. class.  We started with a dynamic warm-up which included 25 push-ups:

Next, students were broken into even teams for a speed stacking relay race.  The relay emphasized both sprinting, and hand-eye coordination.  During the relay, students were charged with "up stacking" and "down stacking" a six, and a ten-stack pyramid:

For the final 15 minutes of P.E., the class was split in to two teams for a game of pillow polo:





Great work everyone!





Fall Family Day of Service

On Saturday October 13th, Calvert hosted the Fall Family Day of Service.  MS Assitant Head, and community outreach coordinator, Mollie Williams, summed up the day, "Over 125 members of the Calvert community participated in our Fall Family Day of Service! The morning would have not been such a success without the leadership of both the faculty and parent leaders. Many thanks to Casey Briggs, Molly Shattuck, and Stacey Krebs, Stone Soup Leaders; Nettie Washburn and Greg Hagel, Calvert Campus Leaders; Helen Anderson and Lori Wlodarczyk, off campus Tree Planting Leaders. Please know that your time, energy and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated by the Calvert community and the greater Baltimore community."  Hightlights below:

 

 

Echo Hill

After returning from Camp Letts last week, I drove out to the Eastern Shore and spent Wednesday through Friday (October 10th - 12th ) with the 6th graders at Echo Hill.  The students had been at Echo Hill since Monday.  The five day, four night  trip was an amazing experience for all.  Students stayed in tents, and participated in two 3-hour classes per day.  Classes included Bay Studies, Pond Studies, Mystery Tours, Night Hikes, Opinions Class, Early American Studies, Sensory Environment Exploration, Adventure I (low ropes) and II ("big swing" and zip line), "Garbology," Survival, "Scanoe," Hayrides, and Orienteering.  

Students also learned the importance of not wasting their food at each meal.  The acronym, S.L.O.P, "stuff left on plate," became a pertinent theme for the week.  Campers learned to be more responsible with their portions, to consider sharing food, and to be aware of how much food they waste.

Chaperoning this trip for the second time, a few things became clear to me.  All Echo Hill staff members have a true passion for their specific concentration.  Each member also has expertise at teaching and keeping students engaged, and has the ability to make significant connections with young people.  What a week!  Highlights below: