Anyone interested in participating in classroom visits to share your experience in Cuba and invite others to participate in next year's trip has to attend an organization and sign up meeting on Monday, April 12th at lunch in room C205 (Ms. Cooper's)
Friday, April 9, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
MCMATH CUBA 2010 PREMIER SCREENING
Save the date!
Tuesday, February 9th at lunch in Mr. Lalonde's room to watch the Power Point Presentation of McMath's 2010 trip to Cuba. We'll discuss a post trip wrap up gathering then!
Mark your calendars . . .should be great!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
POST TRIP MEETING TUESDAY, JANUARY 26th at Lunch
Hola everyone!
WOW! What an experience we had in Cuba. Thanks again to each of you for being so fantastic and enjoyable to work with over the past few months, and in particular, during our week long Eco-Edventure to Cuba. Now the real journey is beginning as we each take those experiences and learnings and apply them to our own lives.
Please join us for a follow up meeting next TUESDAY, JANUARY 26 at LUNCH time in Mr. Lalonde's room. Essential post trip details, trip feedback, parent surveys and sign ups for school and classroom presentations will take place during this meeting. Please ensure you can attend (email us now if you know you can not make it). We will also discuss the idea of a post-trip celebration to share our photos and continue to relive our experiences in Cuba.
See you Tuesday at lunch!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Final Countdown . . .almost home
Hola
We FINALLY had some sun and everyone had a jump in the pool and the ocean! We finished up our tour today with a visit to the Museum of Revolution, the Capitol building, and the Morro Fortress. We have been so impressed with how wonderful our students have conducted themselves throughout our stay in Cuba. They will have wonderful experiences to share with you.
Our flight home tomorrow leaves Varadero at 11:35pm. Please check the YVR website to confirm our arrival time back in Vancouver. We look forward to seeing you in the International Arrivals Terminal.
Thank you
Adios
We FINALLY had some sun and everyone had a jump in the pool and the ocean! We finished up our tour today with a visit to the Museum of Revolution, the Capitol building, and the Morro Fortress. We have been so impressed with how wonderful our students have conducted themselves throughout our stay in Cuba. They will have wonderful experiences to share with you.
Our flight home tomorrow leaves Varadero at 11:35pm. Please check the YVR website to confirm our arrival time back in Vancouver. We look forward to seeing you in the International Arrivals Terminal.
Thank you
Adios
Thursday, January 14, 2010
We're all OK!
Further to the last post...
Because we have been so disconnected from technology (TV, computers etc.) , we did not realize that the Haiti earthquake had made such headlines.. and that Cuba was mentioned too. We would like to assure you that we are all fine and have not at all been affected by the earthquake.
We will try to post again in a few days.
Because we have been so disconnected from technology (TV, computers etc.) , we did not realize that the Haiti earthquake had made such headlines.. and that Cuba was mentioned too. We would like to assure you that we are all fine and have not at all been affected by the earthquake.
We will try to post again in a few days.
Hola
We're back in Havana after two exciting days in the Vinales Valley. We started our tour of the valley with a visit to Las Terrazas Eco-Center where our guide, Justo, took us on a nature hike. We learned all about all the medicinal properties of Cuba's diverse flora and fauna. We reached the summit and saw incredible views of this sustainable community which was once almost completely deforested. We sampled the fresh coffee at Cafe Maria and (despite the cold!) swam in the San Juan river. We then headed to our phenomenal hotel located atop a mogote in the Pinar del Rio province. With breathtaking views of the valley we ate a hearty breakfast before heading into the Santo Tomas caves. Every single one of us donned hardhats and headlights and began trekking up the mountainside to the 6th level of the caves. Upon entering, we learned about the karst topography and saw spectacular examples of stalagmites and stalagtites. We even braved a "black out" when everyone turned off their headlamps in the farthest reaches of the caves! Next stop was the Mural of Pre History . . you'll see some psychadelic photos we're sure . . . before visiting a working tobacco plantation and learning all about the cigar industry from seedling to cigar. Perhaps the most touching part of our day was our visit to an art center where we got to interact one on one with inspiring artists with Downs Syndrome.
Tomorrow we begin work on an urban farm in downtown Havana and we'll be visiting a Cuban highschool.
The students tell us that they've been pleasantly surprised with the Cuban food . . . not so pleasantly surprised by how cold it has been :) No tans yet . . .
As teachers we're not surprised, but we are appreciative, of just how terrific our travellers have been! We have enjoyed watching them take in this new world, participate in unique experiences and grow from their exposure to Cuban life and culture.
We're back in Havana after two exciting days in the Vinales Valley. We started our tour of the valley with a visit to Las Terrazas Eco-Center where our guide, Justo, took us on a nature hike. We learned all about all the medicinal properties of Cuba's diverse flora and fauna. We reached the summit and saw incredible views of this sustainable community which was once almost completely deforested. We sampled the fresh coffee at Cafe Maria and (despite the cold!) swam in the San Juan river. We then headed to our phenomenal hotel located atop a mogote in the Pinar del Rio province. With breathtaking views of the valley we ate a hearty breakfast before heading into the Santo Tomas caves. Every single one of us donned hardhats and headlights and began trekking up the mountainside to the 6th level of the caves. Upon entering, we learned about the karst topography and saw spectacular examples of stalagmites and stalagtites. We even braved a "black out" when everyone turned off their headlamps in the farthest reaches of the caves! Next stop was the Mural of Pre History . . you'll see some psychadelic photos we're sure . . . before visiting a working tobacco plantation and learning all about the cigar industry from seedling to cigar. Perhaps the most touching part of our day was our visit to an art center where we got to interact one on one with inspiring artists with Downs Syndrome.
Tomorrow we begin work on an urban farm in downtown Havana and we'll be visiting a Cuban highschool.
The students tell us that they've been pleasantly surprised with the Cuban food . . . not so pleasantly surprised by how cold it has been :) No tans yet . . .
As teachers we're not surprised, but we are appreciative, of just how terrific our travellers have been! We have enjoyed watching them take in this new world, participate in unique experiences and grow from their exposure to Cuban life and culture.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Hola from Cuba!
Hola!
We have arrived in Havana, safely, and we are having a ball! Today we had a lovely tour walking on the cobble stone streets of Havana visiting museums, cathedrals, historic plazas, local eateries and local cubanos. The students have been great and everyone is excited for our hike and tour of the Eco-Center tomorrow. The only downside is that we're turning blue, not brown, because of the cold (16 degrees!!!)
We have arrived in Havana, safely, and we are having a ball! Today we had a lovely tour walking on the cobble stone streets of Havana visiting museums, cathedrals, historic plazas, local eateries and local cubanos. The students have been great and everyone is excited for our hike and tour of the Eco-Center tomorrow. The only downside is that we're turning blue, not brown, because of the cold (16 degrees!!!)
Monday, January 11, 2010
AIRPORT DELAY to 3:55pm
According to the YVR website our flight has now been delayed to 15:50 (3:50pm) for departure to Varadero. Therefore please revise your arrival time at the aiport to 12:30pm. We will still meet at the Sunwing Check in Counter in the International Departures terminal.
If this poses a significant problem for any traveller, please contact us.
See you at 12:30pm.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
CLARIFICATION: AIRPORT DEPARTURE TIME
Just to clarify the time we'd like to have all the students arrive at the airport
10:30 am.
This is the time they should meet the group at the Sun Wing check in counter in the International Departures terminal.
Please keep checking back with this blog over the next couple of days in the unlikely event we may need to make changes to this time.
See you Monday, January 11th at 10:30 at the aiport.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Donations Update
Time is running out for signing up and collecting donations. All donations are due at Tuesday evening's meeting, where they will be distributed to all travelers for packing in their suitcase.
For those who have yet to sign up or if you're looking for a few more last minute ideas, we're still in need of the following items
glitter glue
glue sticks for glue guns
****cardstock or cardboard
****sketch books and art paper
Thanks so much! See you at 7pm on Tuesday evening.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
MEETING REMINDER JANUARY 5TH
Hola and Happy New Year!
This is a reminder of our final pre-trip meeting to take place on the evening of Tuesday, January 5th at 7pm in Mr. Lalonde's room. This is a mandatory meeting for students and their parent(s).
Please remember to bring along the donations you've been collecting over the break as we'll be distributing them to everyone for packing that night.
McMath Cuba 2010 Parent Meeting Agenda
January 5th, 2010
1. Sign in and handouts
2. Final Itinerary and flight details
3. Expectations for Students - Mr. A. Campbell
4. What to pack
5. Donations
6. Spending Money
7. Documents and Safety
8. Questions
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)