Final week of preparations for Make IT Healthy 2012

It's the last week of term, and pupils are working continuously to pull together all the various projects we have undertaken to form our submission to Make IT Healthy- this year's topic for the competition. 

Make IT Happy 2012 is the 6th annual  UK-wide technology challenge for schools organised by the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum (PICTFOR), in partnership with e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology.

As a school we have focused on looking at healthy minds and healthy bodies : including projects concerning eating well, sleeping well, becoming involved in sport and dealing with bullying.  It's been a huge undertaking - but we couldn't have hoped for more enthusiasm and interest.

Well done to the pupils in our 3rd, 4th and L6th forms who have been the co-ordinators of these projects (the entries are from the age group 9 to 11 Years). 

Just this week left to assemble and then submit all our work.   

Healthy Living - Fruit Smoothies...

On Monday pupils participated in a 'Smoothie Making' day - to promote healthy living and eating.

This is our focus this term as we prepare our submission to the Make IT Healthy 2012 competition.

We hired the bicycle from Elmbridge Borough Council and set it up in the school grounds.


Garsons of Esher supplied us with the fruit - juicy strawberries, blueberries and bananas - and throughout the day pupils worked in small groups to prepare their own recipes for healthy drinks.

No sugar - just a drizzle of honey for those with a sweet tooth!

Pupils piled their fruit high in the blender and then pedalled in turn to transform their mix into a frothy smooth and delicious drink. It was wonderful to see how much everyone enjoyed their Smoothies.

The aim of the day was also to raise funds for the Red House charity - the Woodlarks Campsite in Surrey.  Drinks were sold at 50 pence each and a substantial amount of money was raised during the day with pupils and staff alike queueing to make their donation and choose their fruit.

Although Monday started out  grey and misty within a couple of hours the sun had broken through the clouds and we were treated to blue skies throughout the afternoon.

Pupils in 4a filmed and photographed the event and are now working to edit their footage using the iMac in the ICT suite.  

A resounding success and a huge thank you to everyone , especially Elmbridge Borough Council and Garsons of Esher for their support of this event. You can view footage of the day here - on Vimeo

Smoothie Bike - Monday March 12th

 

Form 1.... Talk Healthy Living

Before half-term,  Form 1 pupils each wrote a letter during their ICT lessons, to someone they thought wise within their immediate family and asked them for some 'top tips' about living a long and healthy life.  Again, this is part of our central theme of 'Make IT Healthy' for this spring term.

Recently we began to compile and edit these replies into a series of short scripts, which each pupil typed and learnt (!) before recording a short piece to camera in the garden today.

A lot of fun - as you will see.  How wonderfully and utterly natural everyone was in front of the camera.  Well done Form 1 - and enjoy.

You can see the results on our Vimeo Channel www.vimeo.com/channels/mlcreative

2012 Olympic Park - 4B take the tour....

Form 4B were treated to a tour of the 2012 Olympic Park at Stratford in East London this week.

For me one of the most interesting snippets of information I learned from our - very well briefed - tour guide is that tickets to the 'Park Only' will shortly going on sale : which I am led to understand means that even if you haven't got tickets to individual events during the Olympic and Paralympic Games this Summer you will still have the chance to attend and watch the events unfold on giant screens set up around the Olympic Park.

It's all very much a work-in-progress  right now and doesn't look very  cosmetically  'pretty' : however all the main structures (Stadium, Velodrome, Aquatic Centre, Basketball arena etc) are complete and the outline of where everything else will slot into place is clearly visible.

There's also the viewing tower : a mighty steel structure with a snaking staircase (some 452 steps I think) and a lift to the double height viewing galleries at the top. The stucture - The Orbit - was being 'unwrapped' yesterday.  It looks.... well.... different against the skyline!

In some ways it's wonderful to see the project now as a construction site : knowing that in a very short space of time the butterfly will emerge from its chrysalis.

There's a huge international media centre, and the athletes' village looks as if it's nearly ready.

The stadium itself will  be entirely surrounded by water, and the wildflower meadows should shortly become a thing of beauty.

Pupils who took the tour yesterday and also have tickets for events this summer are looking forward to be able to see the difference between what they saw this week and what they will see this summer. 

As well as the outline of the BMX area, we could see work on the hockey area and got a brief glimpse into the Stadium itself.  Apparently one thing yet to be announced is exactly where on the site the Olympic Flame will live for the duration of the games. 

Pupils got a chance to tour the entire Park, and took numerous photographs which will now be used to complete their project work on the topic.  We learnt more yesterday about the history of the site, and how our competitors have fared in recent Summer Olympic Games : and what we hope them to achieve this summer.

All in all a very interesting and informative day.  Once all the transport links are in place Public Transport will definitely be the way to and from the venue!

As ever you will find further digital photographs of the day on our Vimeo Channel just click on the image below to follow the link to  www.vimeo.com/channels/mlcreative