Ormstown: Cycle Development for Teachers and School-Wide Fitness for Students

In spring 2003, the QESN-RÉCIT team visited Ormstown Elementary School to document their school-wide, year-long project "The Funtastic Circus". We met with principal Gail Atkinson and with the teachers who talked about their experience in implementing cycle-based instruction and working with the QEP.

About Ormstown
Ormstown Elementary is located in the Chateauguay Valley and is a rural school with approximately 196 students. They have a bilingual program in which the students work half the time in English and half in French. They are a lead school in the Reform for New Frontiers School board. The children often face both the beauty and isolation of country living. It is the aim of the school to give a bilingual education in a healthy school setting where they will have every opportunity to thrive physically, academically and socially.

Key points of Ormstown's Educational Project

• self-image and learning are linked to success. Students need appropriate skills to understand and live this concept.
• the school is working towards becoming a community of lifelong learners with that community including parents as partners.
• their model for Reform implementation and learning can be shared with other schools.

The School Theme:
Together: we move, discover, grow