Poetry in Motion

Several years ago the music teacher, librarian and p.e. teacher have choreographed

A Kindergarten Family's Virtual Tour of the Gym...

Hello there,

Yes, I am a big glacier bear writing to you. Welcome to my school. I am the mascot here at Glacier ValleyI understand you are here to take a tour of the gym. We are currently in the entryway of the school, but just a few steps forward to the left and we will be at the gym door.

Follow me.

Here we are...

Let me introduce you to Ms. Denton. She is the P.E. Teacher here at Glacier Valley. The gym is her classroom, and she will be happy to give you a tour.

Welcome to the gym. We have lots of fun equipment to help students use their bodies and their brains to their potential. There are also some things in my classroom that no other classroom in the building has... a huge sound system, with microphones that allow my voice to be heard in this big classroom. That sound system is just behind the single door.

This is the warm-up board in the gym. This is
where I write the number of laps and motor skills that the students use to get their bodies ready for movement. Most of the time the motor skills become sight words by the end of the year for primary students.



On the left you will see the two sets of double doors; these are the equipment rooms. All of the equipment for teaching physical education is stored in these rooms. The first set of doors also displays cards with the basic locomotor skills printed and illustrated. In the corner are all of the mats that are used for stunts and climbing. The long wooden rectangle is actually 3 sets of bookcases I hinged together to hold the gym shoes for the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.

This is a view of the front of my classroom. While planning for the renovation of our school, the mirrors were my dream element. I took ballet for 14 years... I know how movement can be refined when children can watch themselves. Most of my students will never have the opportunity to dance in a real studio, but they will see themselves move, kick and dance in the gym of their elementary school.

My office is in this front corner. The cart just outside my office holds the extras for the climbing walls.






A view of the two traverse climbing walls. These walls are magnetic, and make for a great tool for integrating. Last year one of the 4th/5th grade math classes reset the climbing wall for practical application of graphing on the x, y axis.






This is the back wall of the gym. The bleachers pull out for assemblies or community schools activities.
Classes exit through the doors in this picture, while another class enters through the doors on the opposite end of the bleachers.

The pictures posted above the bleachers are symbols that go with each movement in Brain Dance. I will try to post a little slide show of the individual symbols another time.

Thanks for visiting the gym, please come again.
Ms. Denton

A Virtual Glacier Valley Elementary School - Part 2

The print in the older post showed Glacier Valley School as it looked
when it opened in 1963. These pictures show GV after 3 summers of
renovations. This summer will be the last to complete the total renovation...
she will get a playground makeover!

A Virtual Glacier Valley Elementary School

This watercolor print of Glacier Valley Elementary School has been around since before I started teaching at the little community school. It was painted brown when I started, and had the front porch with the bike rack in the front.