September Happenings in PE

September  2013

Physical Education News

We have spent the month of September getting to know our students.  Our focus for the month is getting baseline data on skill levels in grades 1-2 and fitness levels in grades 3-5.  With a few weeks of practice, we have now completed our testing and parents should look for this information in the November report cards.  Please take some time to review this material and share the information with your child.

We can lead the child to the path of success, but it will take a team effort with your help at home.  On the back of the skill sheet, there are a number of suggestions to assist you at home with skill development.  The key is to be consistent and patient.  Please feel free to contact us if you need further assistance.

Our fitness testing is so valuable and important.  We are able to identify individual weaknesses and specifically show each child what they need to work on.  Maintaing a good fitness level is not an easy task and we get resistance for this very reason.  Reinforce to your child that hard work pays off and maintaing a healthy lifestyle depends on them rising to meet the challenges they face.  Please do everything you can to support us in our efforts to develop your child's fitness levels.

Our goal for Memorial students is to have everyone strive to reach the national average as outlined by the President's Council on Fitness.  No matter what level your child is at there is always room for improvement.  We will recognize the efforts of each student who reaches the National and Presidential levels as this is quite and accomplishment.  However, we emphasize achieving personal records at all levels in the hope that all students at every level of fitness make small improvements to attain their physical best.  Everyone's overall fitness level is important to us and we are challenging our students to shoot for the stars.  We ask for a little more that we think we can get and get a little more than the student thought they could give. 

Please feel free to contact Mr. Peterson and myself if you have any questions or concerns. We love the smiling, sweaty faces that leave our gymnasium everyday. 

Happy Exercising Ms. Bannon and Mr. Peterson





Make Plans to Beat the Winter Blues

Our first marking term has come to a close and all Memorial students have received individual reports on gross motor skills (grades 1-2) and fitness reports (grades 3-5). 

Parents are encouraged to utilize these reports to ensure the best possible skill and fitness levels for their son/daughter.  No matter what level your child is at, there is always room for improvement. 

Remember everyone needs exercise. 

Play catch or get your children to go for a walk or run with you. 

FYI:  A recent Newsweek cover story cited recent brain research that showed how exercise is not only good for overall general health but also for learning, memory and higher-order thinking.  Less than an hour after a vigorous workout, your brain is working better.

Important Tips to Remember:

A healthy body needs daily exercise... 

60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise

(bike, run, swim, walk)

Exercise once a week is NOT enough!

Make a game plan and stick to it for the best results...

A body in motion tends to stay in motion, a

body at rest tends to stay at rest.

Activity ideas for the Winter months:

Sledding- walking up hill

Snow Shoeing

Cross Country Skiing

Brisk walking (mall walking) 

Join a Health Club (Swim)

Please Do Not Go into Hybernation...

Good Health and Fitness require consistency

Happy Exercising



Welcome Back... Let's Get Ready to Move!!!

LET'S GET READY TO MOVE...

With each new year comes new challenges and goals to meet.  Our goal is to have each student maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.

                               Getting started on the right foot: 

1.  A notice will be sent home to remind students what days they have PE.

2.  Well fitted sneakers with laces are the best for physical activity.  Sneakers are required for participation.

3.  All children should be able to tie their sneakers.  This builds necessary connections in the brain and strengthens muscles in their fingers which will aid in school work and fine motor control.

4.  Loose, comfortable clothing is required.  

5.  No jewelry such as earrings that hang out of the ear or necklaces to prevent injuries.

Moving Forward 

All students should be getting a minimum 60 minutes of cardiovascular (bike, swim, run, jump rope) exercise daily.  Physical education class will help develop skills that will enable students to be physically active for a lifetime.  Please ask your child to share their exercise experiences with you and try to make exercising a family affair.

In September, students will be tested, grades 1 and 2 will be basic skill tested, while students in grades 3-5 will be tested on the Presidential Physical Fitness Test.  Students who score low in basic skills may be picked up for an extra half hour of PE to work in a small group setting.  The Presidential Fitness Test has Average and High values to shoot for.   Mr. Peterson and I hope that each student attain at least an average level of fitness according to the National Standards.  All students will receive an individual report on their progress with the first term report cards.  Please utilize this information to work on skill weaknesses at home.  Students in grade 3 will be running a 1/2 mile while students in grades 4-5 will be running a mile.  An average time is roughly an 8 minute mile, 4 minute 1/2 mile.  All students have been informed about this requirement.  It is important that the student works at this gradually so that their body has time to adapt to the demands being placed on it.  Please encourage your child to exercise everyday. Together we CAN make a difference.

Eating Healthy

As someone who has struggled with a weight issue my whole life, I came upon a very helpful free app that has helped me simplify and balance my eating and exercise.  It is a very easy, useful tool and I encourage everyone to utilize it to make healthy choices easier.  

The link is: www.myfitnesspal.com

 Mr. Peterson and I are looking forward to another fun and rewarding year.  Please check back for more updates.