Welcome from Marcel
Dear Educators, Parents and Students,
Welcome to the 2012 edition of the Canadian Olympic School Program (COSP) Challenge: Passport to London.
During the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, our nation witnessed a Canadian Olympic Team that was first-class, not just in gold medals, but in character. As we look towards the London 2012 Olympic Games and strive to continue to be best in class, we hope you will inspire your students to be their personal best through this year’s Challenge.
We are excited to share with you the Athletes Stories from Jennifer Abel (Diving), Mary Spencer (Boxing) and Simon Whitfield (Triathlon). Exploring the values of leadership, respect, and healthy active living, your students will have the opportunity to exercise their mind, body and character by following the lead of some of our finest athletes. Driven by their values, commitment, and quest for excellence, your students will be inspired by some of our nation’s greatest role models and ambassadors of these values.
In this document, you are provided the support materials to create an unforgettable Olympic-themed learning experience for your students. This year, students will set out to achieve character stamps in their Passports to London. Along the way, students will experience values-based stories about our athletes, personal best challenges and have the opportunity to record their exercise in the COSP Training Log, and perhaps experience the COSP Summer Sports Day. Upon completion of the overall challenge and their Passports to London, students will receive an electronic COSP Letter of Achievement personalized by one of our feature Olympians.
Through the Canadian Olympic School Program Challenge and the inspiring examples of our athletes, we have a unique opportunity to reach our students and make a significant impact in the way they view sport, physical activity and individual excellence. In a time when we are becoming increasingly sedentary and obesity rates are on the rise, it is increasingly important to empower our students to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle that views sport as not just a school or youth activity, but rather a lifetime passion.
We hope that you and your students will join the Canadian Olympic Team as we set out to be our personal best at the London 2012 Olympic Games and strive to support the development of a healthy, active, literate nation.
Dare to make a difference. Take the Challenge today!
Sincerely,
Marcel Aubut
President
Canadian Olympic Committee
STEP 1: Passport to London
Take the Canadian Olympic School Program Challenge with your students and encourage them to exercise their mind, body and character through values-based Athlete Stories, the COSP Training Log and Personal Best Challenges from our athletes. Use the Passport to London (pg. 6-7) found in this guide to track their progress and ultimately obtain their personalized electronic COSP Letter of Achievement from one of the featured athletes. Inspire your students by exercising their mind, body and character with our nation’s finest athletes.
STEP 2: Exercise Your Mind
Download and experience the Athlete Stories of Jennifer Abel (Leadership), Mary Spencer (Respect) and Simon Whitfield (Healthy Active Living). Offered at three different reading levels – Gold (Grades 6+), Silver (Grades 4-5) and Bronze (Grades 2-3) – the stories offer students age-appropriate literacy activities to connect with the Canadian Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. Each story will connect students to values-themed challenges from our athletes encouraging students to achieve their “Personal Bests”.
STEP 3: Exercise Your Body
Get your students active with the Canadian Olympic Team through our COSP Training Log and COSP Summer Sports Day. Provide students with the skills and knowledge that will enable them to enjoy being active and healthy throughout their lives, through opportunities to participate regularly and safely in physical activity and to learn how to develop and improve their own personal fitness.
STEP 4: Exercise Your Character
Inspire students to exercise their character and achieve their Personal Best with our “Personal Best Challenges” from our athletes (pg. 9-11). Connected to the values and themes within the Athlete Stories, students will commit to Personal Best Challenges set by Canadian Olympians and Olympic hopefuls. Make Personal Best Challenges come alive in your classroom and school by accessing these messages via podcasts available at http://www.olympicschool.ca/resources/podcasts/ and/or challenge cards (pg. 9-11).
STEP 5: Celebrate Achievement
Celebrate your students’ achievement once they have recorded their key learnings and personal actions in their Passport to London. As they complete their passport for each value, grant them their Values Stamps to validate their passport. Once your students have completed their passports for all three featured values, go to www.olympicschools.ca to download an electronic COSP Letter of Achievement personalized by one of our featured athletes.