K9 Unit Visits PPP!

On June 14^th El Paso County Sherriff’s Department visited the Pikes Peak Prep students with the K9 unit for a demonstration.  The Pikes Peak Prep students enjoyed seeing the dogs in action and were provided information on how these dogs are used on a daily basis.

The Olympics Come to PPP

One could say Pikes Peak Prep students deserved a “gold medal” for an outstanding Olympics themed Field Day this past June 22nd. From “Leap the Mississippi River” to the “Italian Pasta Pull” aka tug of war, the kindergarten through twelfth grade students had a thrilling day. Some events students could receive awards while others were just fun and exciting. Overall, PPP’s Field 2012 was a huge hit! Read below the descriptions of the events during the day. Some of them are a hoot!

Description of PPP Olympic Events
Grades K – 6

1. Discus throw – this is an award event.

2. Mexico Sponge Relay –  6 relay (adjust this number depending on class size) teams. 1st person has sponge, dips it in pool of water and has to run and squeeze the water into their teams bucket and run and hand off the sponge to the next person in line. First team to fill their bucket wins. After all buckets have been filed have the winning team empty the buckets back into the pools. Race again if time allows.

3. Ireland Potato Sack Race – this is an award event.

4. Greece Torch Relay – 5- 6 (adjust if needed) equal teams lined up on the edge of the blacktop facing the fence,  1st person in line holds the “torch” on the signal GO! 1st person runs with the torch touches the fence and hands off the torch to the next in line.  All grades have practiced this many times and are experts at it. After one team wins have them go again and try and beat the winning team as long as time allows, or get a water break.

5. Australian Kangaroo Hop – students compete and see who can jump the most consecutive jumps without missing. They may choose their choice of jumping. Ex. Single foot, both feet, crisscross etc.

6. Mr. Potato Head Relay – 6 relay teams Each team has an equal amount of 9 Mr. Potato head parts. Teams’ lines up by the parts, on the signal GO! 1st person in line grabs a potato head part and runs to put it on the potato head, they then run back and high five the next person who grabs the 2nd part to help complete Mr. Potato Head. Game continues until everyone has completed Mr. Potato Head, with the 1st team done being the winning team. If time allows do another relay where they disassemble Mr. Potato head part by part.

7. Capture the Brazilian flying fish and pigs- the students know this game. It is like capture the flag. Make 2 teams, teams try to capture the opponent’s fish out of the water. If tagged they go the other person’s jail until they are walked free. First team to capture the other teams fish or pigs wins. Reset the game for fun and play again if time allows.

8. Leap the US Mississippi River – the students know this well. The 2 jump ropes are placed about 1ft. apart. Students line up behind the “river”. 1st person leaps over, then next in line etc. After everyone has gone through and it is the 1st person turn again, the river is made couple inches larger. If a student lands between the 2 ropes “the river” they are out. Keep going until only one person is remaining then repeat the activity if there is time, or get a water break.

9. Italian Pasta Pull – Good old fashioned tug-o-rope here. The scarf on the rope has to pass the other team’s cone. The students have practiced staggering on the rope and know it well. Mix it up, co-ed, by b-days, alphabetical order EX. A-N on one side M- Z on the other.

10. England Soccer Shoot – 6 cones are placed as the target, 6 students at a time line up in front of a cone with other students in line behind the starter. On the signal GO! Each student tries to aim and knock down the cone in front of them. After all the starting students have shot at their cone have them run and set the cone up if needed and give it to the next in line. For safety do not let them run and retrieve their soccer ball until all have shot. They all need to run and retrieve their ball at the same time. For fun keep track of how many times each team has knocked down their cone.

11. USA Track & Field25 yd. dash – this is an award event. Boys line up at the starting cone and race to the end cone. They are use to the phrase “gentlemen get ready” and after you see they are ready the start is “ready set go”. Please be at the finish and record 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for boys. Repeat for the ladies and record 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Please record it on your index card for me.. They may have a few trial runs before the actual race and after just race for fun with co-ed races, shortest to tallest, Jan to June b-days racing etc.

12. USA Track & Field3 legged race – bands are in the box. Students get into pairs facing the end cone and place a band around 1 left leg and the other’s right leg. 4 pairs go at once. They start at the cone, race to the end cone and back. After everyone has had a turn let them mix up their partners and race again.

Description of PPP Olympic Events
MS/HS

1. Basketball Games – half court, boys vs. boys on one side, girls vs. girls other side

2. Mexico Sponge Relay –  6 relay (adjust this number depending on class size) teams. 1st person has sponge, dips it in pool of water and has to run and squeeze the water into their teams bucket and run and hand off the sponge to the next person in line. First team to fill their bucket wins. After all buckets have been filed have the winning team empty the buckets back into the pools. Race again if time allows.

3. Greece Torch Relay – 5- 6 (adjust if needed) equal teams lined up on the edge of the blacktop facing the fence,  1st person in line holds the “torch” on the signal GO! 1st person runs with the torch touches the fence and hands off the torch to the next in line.  All grades have practiced this many times and are experts at it. After one team wins have them go again and try and beat the winning team as long as time allows, or get a water break.

4. Australian Kangaroo Hop – this is an award event. Let each individual student practice jump roping for a few minutes. Then on the signal GO! Have them start jumping rope. When they miss a jump they are done. Awards go to the last 3 female students and 3 male students that jump the most jumps. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

5. Mr. Potato Head Relay – 6 relay teams Each team has an equal amount of 9 Mr. Potato head parts. Teams’ lines up by the parts, on the signal GO! 1st person in line grabs a potato head part and runs to put it on the potato head, they then run back and high five the next person who grabs the 2nd part to help complete Mr. Potato Head. Game continues until everyone has completed Mr. Potato Head, with the 1st team done being the winning team. If time allows do another relay where they disassemble Mr. Potato head part by part.

6. Capture the Brazilian flying fish and pigs- the students know this game. It is like capture the flag. Make 2 teams, teams try to capture the opponent’s fish out of the water. If tagged they go the other person’s jail until they are walked free. First team to capture the other teams fish or pigs wins. Reset the game for fun and play again if time allows.

7. Leap the US Mississippi River- this is an award event – the students know this well. The 2 jump ropes are placed about 1ft. apart. Students line up behind the “river”. 1st person leaps over, then next in line etc. After everyone has gone through and it is the 1st person turn again, the river is made couple inches larger. If a student lands between the 2 ropes “the river” they are out. There is 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for girls and 1st, 2nd and 3rd for boys.

8. USA Volleyball Teams- put students in teams play for fun.

9. Italian Pasta Pull – Good old fashioned tug-o-rope here. The scarf on the rope has to pass the other team’s cone. The students have practiced staggering on the rope and know it well. Mix it up, co-ed, by b-days, alphabetical order EX. A-N on one side M- Z on the other.

10. USA Track & Field25 yd. dash – this is an award event. Boys line up at the edge of the sidewalk and race to the fence. Use to the phrase “gentlemen get ready” and after you see they are ready the start is “on your mark get set go”. Please be at the finish and record 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for boys. Repeat for the ladies and record 1st, 2nd and 3rd place Please record it on your index card for me. They may have a few trial runs before the actual race and after just race for fun with co-ed races, shortest to tallest, Jan to June b-days racing etc.

11. USA Basketball Knockout

12. USA Track & Field3 legged race – bands are in the box. Students get into pairs facing the end cone and place a band around 1 left leg and the other’s right leg. 4 pairs go at once. They start at the cone, race to the end cone and back. After everyone has had a turn let them mix up their partners and race again.

REACH Summer Program

The Colorado Springs School (CSS) is launching an innovative program in order to prepare students to gain entry to and succeed in college. The three-week summer program is called REACH.  This program is designed for students entering 8th grade. REACH will enroll 33 students from Atlas Preparatory School (District 2) and Pikes Peak Prep. “CSS is reaching out so that students may reach higher,” states Kevin Reel, CSS Head of School.

“CSS is very good at getting students into college. 100% of our students are accepted to college, and more than 70% of CSS students get into their first-choice college. We know that colleges look for students who communicate well, can collaborate and work together, demonstrate strong critical-thinking skills, and display a strong work ethic,” said Reel.  “CSS provides students unparalleled experiences, and we want to expand our impact.”

REACH will go beyond simply covering traditional classroom lessons with students. Instead, REACH draws upon interdisciplinary experiences to deepen a student’s skills directly, a style of teaching that CSS has used successfully for its 50-year history. Using a theme of exploration and discovery, students will study the traits of explorers who reached beyond their comfort zone, practice writing and public speaking, work together on robotics and geo-caching challenges to build teamwork and critical-thinking skills. Additionally, these students will visit mentors in the community who will inspire them to explore and discover what their future might be like if they obtain a college education. The students from the two charter schools are selected by the administrations at Atlas Prep and Pikes Peak Prep.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with a renowned independent school like CSS. Many of our scholars who will be participating in the REACH program will be the first in their family to graduate from college. REACH is an amazing partnership and opportunity for them to continue on the college path they are currently on at Atlas," states Zach McComsey, Founder, Executive Director and Principal of Atlas Preparatory School.

REACH is modeled after successful summer programs at other independent schools in other cities, but it is the first of its kind in Southern Colorado.  The Colorado Springs School believes REACH is a strong example of a motto embraced by several independent schools --- “private schools with a public purpose.”   REACH director, Anne Taylor, a teacher at CSS, attended such a program at The Lakeside School in Seattle, and after graduating from Stanford University, she worked in a similar program at the Head Royce School in Oakland. Her deeply personal experience positions her to shape and lead REACH.

In addition to Ms. Taylor’s teaching and leadership, the program will be further staffed by three other teachers. There will also be 7-8 interns and assistants from CSS who will provide added mentorship to the rising 8th graders.  The REACH program is funded by local donors who want to see such a program in the Colorado Springs region. CSS intends to expand the program and eventually have it be open for qualified students from all across the region.

“REACH is positioned for success with several key components in place --- a director who has benefited from and worked in similar programs, partner schools with college-bound visions for their students, a host school that succeeds in preparing students for college,  a national network of mentor schools, and visionary donors.” states Reel.

REACH will take place on the CSS campus June 11-29, 2012.

“This is yet another way that CSS is exercising its mission in a manner that strengthens the entire region and exercises leadership that shows responsibility for others,” states Reel.