Sunday, March 27, 2011

The Best Parts of My Week....3/21-3/25

Hi everyone,
Those who are a part of our community know that it has been a very difficult week as we mourn the loss of a young life. I thought about how I could possibly write about the best parts of my week, when so many, including myself, were so sad and upset by the tragic events of late. Part of me wanted to leave out this week, but another part of me knows that in difficult times it is even more important to recognize every day as a gift, and find the good where you can. It is for that reason that I decided to write about those moments this week that reminded me to always look for the best, even in the face of the worst.........

.....hearing the thunderous applause when I brought Fitness Frankie to the class that had been chosen to take care of him.

.....playing Artery Avengers with my primary students. This is a game that teaches them how fat can clog arteries and that exercise and good nutrition can help to keep arteries clear. The best part was pretending to be a super hero as we shouted "ARTERY AVENGERS".

.....playing tag with one of my students who sometimes comes to PE a little early for some extra activity.

.....sharing our Healthy Highway events in our monthly tune-up with the creator of Healthy Highway.

.....listening to a primary student explain to me that she and a friend were practicing for a one mile race in their living room and that the practice was helping their hearts get healthy just like Healthy Highway.

.....spending time on nutrition lessons to celebrate March as National Nutrition Month and being impressed at how much students knew and how much they quickly learned.

.....smiling as a fifth grade class asked if they could play another round of Nutrition Concentration.

....taking Fitness Frankie on a road trip with me as I shared him at a Care to Share event sponsored by the SEZ of NYSAHPERD.

I hope you enjoyed reading about "The Best Parts of My Week".

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program.

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Best Parts of My Week....3/14-3/18

Hi everyone,
I am not sure how it can get any more exciting here at North Park! I hope you enjoy the "Best Parts of My Week"!

.....Fitness Frankie spent the week in a primary classroom. The students were so excited! While waiting for the bus after school on Monday they told me that they had given him a hug and were very happy to be taking care of him!

.....While doing a warm-up with a rope on the floor, I asked students to make a heart, rather than a circle with the ropes as we had done before. I asked the students why they thought I wanted them to make a heart. They enthusiastically responded: "Because Jump Rope for Heart is this week"!

.....We held our sixth annual Jump Rope for Heart this week. It was a terrific event that lasted all day! Each group arrived excited and ready to jump! Many of the "Best Parts of My Week" came during this event!
.....watching the "sea" of red and pink shirts jumping in the gymnasium!
.....being given a pink silly band by a student as he arrived at JRFH!
.....enjoying the looks on the faces of students as they heard their heartbeats while using a stethoscope!
.....enjoying the smiles of adults while they jumped with students!
.....being humbled as I opened an donation envelope with coins that obviously came from a personal piggy bank and definitely from the "heart".
.....being overwhelmed by the generosity of our community as they embraced and supported our Jump Rope for Heart!

.....At the end of this week I had some visitors from another district. These visitors were fellow PE teachers whose district had a conference day and they had the opportunity to visit another school. I was flattered and honored that they chose North Park! When I introduced these visitors as special guests, I was able to show our students that adults are always learning too! It was a treat to be able to share some lessons and share our school!

I hope you enjoyed reading about "The Best Parts of My Week"!

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program!

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com


Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Best Parts of My Week....3/7-3/11

Hi everyone,
There was so much excitement this week it's hard to know where to begin!!!!!

....Monday began with enjoying listening to students read the "Fitness Frankie" poem during morning announcements!

.....As we continued to get ready for Jump Rope for Heart, I continued to enjoy students making progress as they improve their jumping skills!

.....On Tuesday I was invited to attend the monthly PTA meeting as a guest speaker to talk about our PE program. I LOVE to talk about our program and I had a great time talking about pedometers, heart rate monitors, Healthy Highway, lessons on nutrition, Fitness Frankie, our upcoming dance program, Jump Rope for Heart and more! I appreciate so much the support our PTA has given in the past and continues to give on a daily basis!

.....This week we were treated to a dance program provided by Peter, Paul, and George of Homespun Dance. They have been to North Park a few times in past years and students are always excited to see them. In fact, when I told students that they were coming back to North Park this week they said "YESSSSSSS!" Peter, Paul, and George are an absolutely amazing group and bring a terrific energy that easily transfers to our students and staff! (Visit their website! - Homespun Dance.) They played a variety of instruments which included the fiddle, several different kinds of banjos, a clarinet, recorder, tin whistle and more! Paul taught us many, many traditional dances from China, France, England, Germany, and Colonial America! Our students and I danced with joy and laughter, (so did Fitness Frankie!) and we did not want to see the days end! They even made up a song about Fitness Frankie! Luckily, Peter, Paul, and George came back to host a Family Dance Night and many families, students, siblings, teachers, and our principal, danced the night away! We had so much fun! This program would not have been possible without the support of our PTA and I am so grateful for their willingness to make this event happen!

.....At the end of this week I was exhausted in the best way possible - feeling grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a wonderful school community that provides a tremendous learning environment for our students through partnerships of parents, teachers, administrators, and the students themselves!

I hope you enjoyed reading about "The Best Parts of My Week"!

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program!

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com


Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Best Parts of My Week....2/28-3/4

Hi everyone,
There was a hint of Spring in the air this week! (I am being optimistic as the forecast for tonight is sleet, freezing rain and maybe some snow!)
I hope you enjoy the best parts of my week!

.....I was greeted on Monday morning with a wonderful project from the class that took care of Fitness Frankie the previous week. The previous Friday happened to be the 100th day of school and that is a really big deal in an elementary school! There were many activities that day with the number "100" as the theme. This class decided to color in 100 bears labeled with an "F" for Fitness Frankie! The project was laminated and presented to me at the start of the school day! What a great way to start the week!

.....On Monday we also held our kick-off assembly for our annual Jump Rope for Heart event. We decided to combine it with our Healthy Highway assembly. Our school is driving down "Have a Heart Way" this month and we talked about how we can all work to "Have a Heart" by being kind to one another, eating heart-healthy foods, exercising to keep our own hearts healthy, and participating in Jump Rope for Heart to help others to keep their hearts healthy! The students were very excited as they watched pictures of themselves during last year's Jump Rope for Heart, and as they learned from the American Heart Association about how to be a "Heart Hero"!

.....Our principal announced how many miles we have earned since our last Healthy Highway assembly. We almost doubled our miles to more than 850!

.....As we get ready for Jump Rope for Heart in PE class, students are working very hard to learn how to jump and jump rope. This week second graders were especially excited to learn how to turn the rope for each other and also learn how to jump in!

.....Fitness Frankie attended PE again this week and learned how to use a "hippity hop" ball!

.....I am always impressed by how creative my students are. This week several students made up variations of jump rope tricks that I had taught them! They are very skilled and not only made up tricks using a single rope, but also using double ropes and partners!

.....After school on Friday I was talking with a parent who shared with me how much her child had enjoyed snowshoeing during PE class. I am always thrilled to know that students are enjoying the activities enough to go home and share them with their families!

.....My week was slightly extended this week as I attended a conference on Saturday sponsored by NYSCATE (New York State Association for Computers and Technology in Education). It was a terrific conference and while I was one of only a few PE teachers in attendance, I learned some new ways to use technology in my program. I can't wait to try some of it out!

I hope you enjoyed reading about "The Best Parts of My Week"!

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program!

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com