TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -03/04/12)- The Fraser Institute today published its annual ranking of Ontario elementary schools, allowing parents to review the academic performance of their child's school over the past five years and compare it to that of other schools in their community and across the province.

"Using long-term, provincewide school performance data, our school rankings let parents monitor the performance of their child's school over time and also help educators identify key areas for improvement in their classrooms," said Michael Thomas, Fraser Institute associate director of school performance studies.

"Our report card is the only objective, reliable tool that shows which schools across Ontario have improved, or fallen behind, in terms of reading, writing, and mathematics over the past five years."

The Report Card on Ontario's Elementary Schools 2012 rates 2,695 public, Catholic, and francophone elementary schools across the province based on nine key indicators using data from the annual provincewide tests of reading, writing, and mathematics administered by the Ontario government's Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO).

The report card also includes key information about each school's make-up, including parents' average income, the percentage of ESL students, and the percentage of special needs students. Results of the report card are available in an interactive and searchable format or as a free PDF at http://www.compareschoolrankings.org.

According to the rankings, the 20 Ontario elementary schools showing the fastest academic improvement over the past five years include 16 schools where parental incomes are below the provincial average. At one of these schools, ESL students make up 32.7 per cent of the total student enrollment; at another, 36.6 per cent of the students are special needs. The complete list follows.

The report also notes that, of the 19 schools tied for first in the provincewide rankings, seven have parental incomes lower than the provincial average.

"In fact, of the 2,695 schools included in the report card, 565 performed above average academically despite having parental incomes lower than the provincial average," Thomas said.

"These results show that both academic excellence and continued improvement in academics is possible in any school, regardless of the personal and family circumstances of its student population."

Data contained in this year's report card also shows that 29.5 per cent of exams written in 2011 scored below provincial expectations, compared to 30.1 per cent in 2010.

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Fraser Institute Ranks Academic Performance of 2,695 Ontario Elementary Schools

The London Olympics just got personal for Marlburians.

The naming of five Marlborough rowers in the New Zealand team on the road to London has given rowing, and sport, in our little province a massive boost. This is almost certainly our greatest representation at an Olympics.

Definitive records are hard to find but the collective wisdom of those in the know suggests Marlborough has never been represented by so many Olympians at any one time.

In fact, our Olympians have been few and far between.

Rowers have stood out. Our previous best effort came at the 1932 Los Angeles Games where John Hoani (Jack) MacDonald, Lawrence "Jumbo" Jackson (from the Picton club) and Charlie Saunders wore the black singlet.

MacDonald and Jackson rowed in the eight, MacDonald being the New Zealand team's flagbearer at the opening ceremony, while Saunders finished fourth in the coxed four final.

In Montreal in 1976, Ivan Sutherland claimed the province's first, and so far only, Olympic medal when the New Zealand eight won bronze.

Cantabrian George Keys, who rowed for Wairau for several years, attended the Games of 1984 and '88, while Rob Hellstrom, who also wore Wairau colours to national success, competed at the 2000 Olympics.

Our most recent Olympian was cyclist Robin Reid, who competed in the road race in Athens in 2004.

Fellow cyclist Graeme Miller made it to three Olympics 1984, '88 and '92 his best result being eighth in the 1988 road race.

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Rowers provide personal stake in Olympic bid

4 March 2012 Last updated at 09:30 ET By Beth Rose BBC News

The chance to play with international musicians does not come along very often, especially if you packed your instrument away years ago thinking that your concert days were over.

But Music Nation changed that as 200 adults and children, including me and my father, came together as the BBC Devon and Cornwall Family Orchestra.

Joined by the BBC Concert Orchestra, the 270-strong group performed the world premiere of Tim Steiner's 'Hunter Gatherer'.

In under 30 hours, the four-movement piece - based around some of the region's folk songs including The Helston Furry Dance and Widdecombe Fair - was brought together, reflecting the South West and the musicians involved.

The final rehearsal, on the day of the concert, was the first time the Family Orchestras had played with the Concert Orchestra and, in short, it was the one chance for the 270 musicians to get it right.

While our rehearsals had been noisy and chaotic, things were very calm and measured at the BBC Concert Orchestra, where all conductor Matthew Coorey had to do was instruct sections to replay the odd bar.

Rehearsing with these professionals is an experience like no other - they create a sound so pitch perfect it is as though someone has turned on the radio.

But at no point did we run through the entire piece - that was left for the performance.

'Hunter Gatherer' is allegedly 15 minutes long, but it went in a flash as everyone played to the best of their ability while listening to the Concert Orchestra, following four conductors and absorbing the experience.

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Music Nation fulfils personal ambition

When Gary Berglund became an adult, he turned to drugs and alcohol as a social outlet.

"I grew up very sheltered, so the friends I made, well, I thought everybody did drugs and drank," said Berglund, 33. "I thought that was just what you did."

Lesley Young/Special to The Commercial Appeal

"I'm interested in sharing fitness with others the same way someone shared it with me," says Gary Berglund.

Before long, Berglund was addicted.

"I was 26, and I found myself working three jobs and selling everything I had and even things I didn't own to pawn shops so I could avoid withdrawals and so I could get high," he said.

Fortunately, Berglund's girlfriend, who is now his wife, invited him to join a gym with her.

"I immediately loved the feeling that lifting weights gave me," he said. "I automatically knew it would be a replacement for my negative behaviors."

When he started going to the gym, he was already in an addiction treatment program. Going to the gym turned into running, which turned into yoga, which eventually motivated Berglund to get three personal training certifications -- from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and from the National Federation of Professional Trainers. He uses those certifications as a personal trainer at Life Time Fitness in Collierville.

"I was at the gym so much, I lived at the gym, I thought I might as well get a job there," he said. "I'm interested in sharing fitness with others the same way someone shared it with me."

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Success Story: Gary Berglund

John Spencer Ellis and Jairek Robbins Offer Free Rapid Results Video Training for Achieving Fitness and Life Goals

In a free new video training, John Spencer Ellis and Jairek Robbins offer secrets for rapid goal achievement. The online training helps people take action on their dreams.

Anyone interested in rapid results for achieving business or life goals can benefit from a free online training video, 6 Steps for Your Rapid Results in Business and Life. The free online video was developed by personal development and fitness guru John Spencer Ellis and Jairek Robbins, the worlds foremost authority at developing creative solutions for achieving results; it is now available online at John Spencer Ellis website.

The six steps are designed to help people achieve their goals more efficiently and effectively. They include: know exactly what you want, know why this goal is an absolute must and add to it every day, create an extensive action plan, measure and fine-tune your plan, and more. The video offers a six-pronged plan for goal achievement and ideas for tackling each step in the process.

This is a full-length training, mentoring and coaching lesson that can truly enhance your life and your ability to realize your dreams, said Ellis, founder of John Spencer Ellis Enterprises, a personal development and fitness solutions company. We offer a surefire personal development plan that will allow you to quickly take action and live the life youve dreamed about.

In addition, the free training discusses the four main obstacles people need to overcome in achieving their goals and ways to overcome each of these: Not knowing what you want or where you are going; Knowing what to do, but failing to consistently do what you know; Failure to communicate goals, vision and life purpose; The ongoing battle between the head and the heart.

My goal is to assist people in the process of rapidly achieving their goals, so they are able to live the life of their dreams. My hope is that they will eventually pay it forward and help those that they care about the most do the same, Robbins added.

About John Spencer Ellis Enterprises and the Rapid Results Video Training John Spencer Ellis Enterprises is a solutions provider for fitness and coaching professionals around the world, providing education, turn-key business programs, coaching and resources for new and advanced fitness and coaching professionals. For more information about John Spencer Ellis Enterprises or the Rapid Results Video Training, please visit http://johnspencerellis.com/jairek-robbins-and-john-spencer-ellis-6-steps-for-your-rapid-results-in-business-and-life/

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John Spencer Ellis and Jairek Robbins Offer Free Rapid Results Video Training for Achieving Fitness and Life Goals

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSfkZgGQw08

16-11-2011 17:05 See: http://www.attractitude.com A dream that can come true, seems almost just like that... When you find out about the secret methods that we get you anywhere you want to be, you too will experience the magic. The Attractitude is about helping you improve the way you think and act; improve your attitude so that you can attract all the best in your life; without having to leave the comfort of your home. I have encountered many people that asked me the same type of questions and also faced the same kind of obstacles. The obstacles and objections I heard are 1- I want to go to a seminar but: - it is far - it is costly (trip + price of seminar) - I don't have the time (I can't leave my kids or my job) 2- I went to a seminar and - when I got back home, I went back to the same old, same old - it was easy when I am away from my everyday concerns but when I am back home, I go back to my usual self - having a coach for a week-end is not enough to improve my life in a long term 3- I don't go to seminars but I buy books - I never come around to reading them - It is easy for them but how do I implement those in MY life - I can't get the answers to my questions Do you feel somewhat the same? After many years, I realized that I cold make a difference in your lives by bringing the coaching to you. I know for a fact that you can change a thought, an attitude, a habit only by practicing over time and most of you need someone who will guide them through. I wanted to provide online training on ...

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Thomas Suarez - 12 year old App Developer.. - Video

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02-03-2012 06:16 Education For A Sustainable Future newfuturemedia.net SYNOPSIS: Education For A Sustainable Future presents information on how today's practices in schools are socially unsustainable. The documentary film critically analyses what is considered socially relevant in a new education system which brings out the most potential in all of humanity whilst also detailing specific educational methods from a wide range of sources on how to nurture social skills, critical thinking techniques and a larger variety of important practices to positively reinforce from our earliest years onwards. It must be recognised that a sustainable education is one of the most critical components of any advanced society. Education For A Sustainable Future is an independent film production and has been uploaded online for free download and distribution. The views expressed in this documentary are not necessarily shared by the originators of source material presented.

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Education For A Sustainable Future - Video

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIayaCFB9ew

03-03-2012 18:29 If you are planning to become a millionaire and have been looking for an easiest method then you have reached the best place by clicking millionairesociety.com. Profit bank by Millionaire Society as the name states, is definitely a very good place that generates profits for you and this will help you to become a millionaire very soon. As there are many people who are looking for an opportunity, but you have got access to profit bank which itself will indicate that you are now going to be very successful by using profit bank. http://www.wemillionairesociety.com

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How to become a millionaire with Millionaire Society - Video

They're young and healthy and they work out at the gym several times a week. But Yorktown newlyweds Christa and Alan Riley felt they needed to do better.

The 20-somethings were afraid that their eating habits would catch up with them down the road. Both commute to work at the shipyard in Newport News, where Alan's a supervisor and Christa is in the Apprentice School. They routinely rise before dawn and put in 10-hour work days, punctuated by a brief 30-minute lunch break.

Neither gave much attention to breakfast, they drank sodas constantly, and regularly took the convenience route eating frequently at fast food restaurants and heating up ready-made frozen meals.

"We were eating a lot of chicken nuggets, a lot of processed food," says Christa. "We needed to get away from the 'potato and corn diet'." Alan adds, "We wanted to get fitter. I was bored with the gym." They felt overwhelmed by the pace of their lives and dissatisfied. Something was out of whack.

So they did some research on the Internet and found Rhonda Greene of Body-in-Balance in Newport News, who had just launched a health coaching component as a supplement to her exercise studio. She had all the qualifications they were looking for, says Alan, and the couple signed up for the six-month health coaching program (see sidebar) and once-a-week personal training. The latter has given them both more confidence in the gym they attend. They no longer just do cardio but mix up their workouts with strength training and stretching and have seen improved results already.

NEWPORT NEWS: At the studio

Using the principles of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Greene works with Christa, while her employee Tirza Rampolla works separately with Alan.

In their second session, the talk of nutrition and eating habits quickly segues into a discussion of other areas of their lives. After following the digressions carefully, each coach deftly steers the duo back to their diets what they're eating, when, and how they feel about it and how that fits with their lives and reflects what's out of balance.

Alan's challenge is to start eating breakfast, to take time to enjoy his lunch instead of wolfing a sandwich for 10 minutes then napping and to select foods for enjoyment in order to gain weight. He's already decreased his soda intake and is drinking orange and apple juice. "It's probably more sugar than anything," he muses.

Christa needs to prioritize all her activities and learn what's important, what's OK to let slide and how to set effective boundaries. Already, in the first two weeks, she has made strides in her diet. "We were really potato people," she says, noting that she hasn't had one since starting the program. At Greene's urging, they're both incorporating more greens and kale specifically into their diet.

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Yorktown couple takes path to better health through life coaching

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmFggRk3Zz8

29-02-2012 19:31 Health and fitness channel: http://www.youtube.com Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com Like my fan page: http://www.facebook.com Blog: http://www.luvndanaturalme.com Camera Used iPhone4 Editing Software: iMovie '11

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