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:



Camp Letts

Our 5th graders spent last Monday and Tuesday (October 8th and 9th) at Camp Letts in Edgewater, MD.  This was the 5th graders' first over night field trip as middle schoolers.  Eight teachers, including myself, chaperoned the trip, which proved to be a huge success.  Led by the knowledgeable Camp Letts's staff, the campers learned canoeing, archery, zip lining, and team building.  Please see below for highlights from Camp Letts!