2008 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Quebec City
Special Olympics Oath: "Let me win, but if I cannot win let me be brave in the attempt."
On February 25th - March 2nd, 2008, more than 900 athletes and coaches from across the country traveled to Quebec City to participate in the 2008 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games. Athletes participated in the sports of alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, and short track speedskating.
Representing Team BC, Clayburn Middles’ Paige Norton blazed to three Gold, one Silver and one Bronze medal in five out of five races at the speedskating oval. The youngest competitor on Team BC at the Games, and only one of two Team BC female skaters Paige crossed the finish line for Gold in the 111m, 222m and 333m races. Paige skated to a hard earned Silver in the 500m distance after first taking a tumble in her qualifying heat and latched onto a Bronze medal along with her team mates in the 4x880m relay.
Next stop on the circuit for Paige is the chance to be selected as a team member for the 2009 World Winter Games in Boise Idaho but the competition will be tough along with the Coach. Donna Bilous, Paige’s mom and Assistant Coach for Team BC has already been named at Head Coach for the World Games in 2009 for Team Canada in Short Track Speedskating.
The Ministry of Education changed the protocols for administering this year’s FSA’s. Beginning this year the FSA’s were written by students in February instead of May, the multiple choice section of the test was completed on-line, and the writing sections were marked in the district by district teachers. To prepare for the marking of the FSA’s a team of district Helping Teachers were trained as markers and they in turn trained classroom teachers. Every effort was made to have consistent scoring throughout the district.
As part of the Ministry of Education’s agenda to keep parents informed about their child’s progress, student test booklets are being sent home. This is a great opportunity for parents to review the test and to discuss it with their child. Please note the back page of the test will assist you with understanding the marking criteria. On the outside is the Performance Standards rubric used to score individual questions on a scale from 1-4. A score of “4” indicates a student is exceeding expectations for that task in this test. The inside of the back cover also provides answers to many frequently asked questions about the FSA’s.
It is very important to keep in mind that the FSA is just one measure in a whole year’s work of your child’s progress. The FSA is meant to be a system measure used to assess skill levels for schools and districts in the province. Scores are not meant to be used for report card marks. At a school and district level, the test results will assist with developing school and district plans to support student achievement.
If you have any questions, please contact your school for more information.
2008 Special Olympics Canada Winter Games Quebec City