The Best Parts of My Week! 11/19/12--11/23/12

Hi everyone,
     It was a week to be thankful for so much........my family, my friends, my health, my school, and the wonderful opportunity to teach Physical Education!

.....It was a very short week due to the Thanksgiving holiday and parent/teacher conferences.  We had early releases this week and as a class was leaving the gymnasium, I encouraged the students to go out and play that afternoon.  One of the students responded enthusiastically that everyone should definitely "GO OUT AND PLAY!"  He went on to talk about how kids should go out and play every day instead of playing video games!  I thought it was great and said he would be a great spokesperson for healthy choices!

.....As I was getting ready for my day, a student stopped by my office to ask about Wellness Wednesday.  A question came up about whether or not a particular snack was healthy and he came to ask my opinion!  I was very flattered that he wanted to know what I thought!  I am always hopeful when I hear that the conversations about healthy choices continue beyond PE class!

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  http://classrooms.hydeparkschools.org/webpages/MRobelee/

See you next week!

The Best Parts of My Week 11/12/12-11/16/12

Hi everyone,
     This week I had opportunities to pay tribute to our veterans, begin some new activities, and collaborate with colleagues across the state at a NYS AHPERD conference!

.....At the end of last week I was quite sick and lost my voice.  After a restful weekend, I was ready to get back to school.  Several students from kindergarten on up asked me if I was feeling better!  One of the students even said:  "Yea!  You got your voice back!"  It is so nice to be thought of!

.....As I was demonstrating a balance activity to a class, the noodle I was trying to balance fell.  One of the students remarked:  "Even the master makes mistakes!"  I guess I never thought of myself as a master of noodle balancing!

.....I spent the last part of the week at the NYS AHPERD conference where I had the opportunity to present sessions and share some of the fun activities and programs that we have here at North Park as well as learn new ideas.  I am always thankful for the opportunity to attend this conference.   Not only did I have the chance to interact with some of the best Physical Education teachers across the state, but this year I was able to attend sessions led by NASPE National Teachers of the Year!  I learned so much and am energized and ready to bring some new activities back to North Park!  The best part of the conference was getting a chance to see a former professor of mine.  She taught a course on Elementary Physical Education and I have not seen her since I graduated from college in 1983.  She actually remembered me!  Many of the conference attendees were students of hers as well and we were proud to show her the influence she had in our careers.......

 I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  http://classrooms.hydeparkschools.org/webpages/MRobelee/

See you next week!

The Best Parts of My Week - 11/5/12--11/9/12

Hi everyone,
     An exciting week!

.....More often than I would like, students are not prepared for PE class and must watch instead of play. I always tell my students that I feel bad that they can not play if they are not wearing sneakers, but I will feel worse if they get hurt.  That being said, it is important that their time on the side is productive and as a result, I provide my students with nutrition and Physical Education word searches and puzzles, books on different activities and sports, and coloring pages about vegetables, fruits, and activities.  This week one of my students was coloring a page about vegetables and took it upon herself to write a story on the back about her favorite vegetable!  She is a first grader and I was very proud of her!

.....Students return completed Fitness Calendars at the beginning of the month and are designated as "Fitness Fanatics" in our newsletter and website as well as a chart at school.  The response this year has been amazing!  This week I received a fitness calendar from a student who is now in the middle school but sent her calendar in with a sibling!  Fantastic!

.....Students in second grade learned for the very first time how to spot their classmates as they climb our traverse rock wall.  It is a tremendous responsibility and I was proud of how these students learned the spotting commands and kept their classmates and friends safe!

.....As we come to the end of our cooperative activities unit, our fifth graders were participating in an activity during which only non-verbal communication was allowed.  At the end of the activity, I asked the students how silence helped contribute to their success.  They were absolutely correct in their answer that silence helped them to focus and pay attention!

.....I introduced the "Magic Microphone" to my third and fourth grade students this week.  This is a plastic microphone that is "magic" because it only allows the person that has it to speak.  I use this tool to de-brief some cooperative activities when I ask students to share at the end of class.  It is a simple, but very effective tool.  This week one of my third grade classes enjoyed using the "Magic Microphone" and one of the students used it to thank me for helping with their strategy!  Another student used it to say that she liked it when her team trusted her!

.....As I was helping a younger group at the rock wall, other students were working independently at different stations.  One of the stations contained "noodle bits" and some other equipment for students to build creative structures.  One of my students was excited to show me her "healthy castle"!  It had a blueberry river, and was made of strawberries and healthy vegetables!  How cool is that!

.....As exciting as this week was, it was also a challenge because I was not feeling well and did not have much of a voice for most of the week.  I asked students to be helpful so that I did not have to talk any more than was necessary and they were very helpful indeed!  One of my students wondered why I was even at school when I was not feeling well and I explained to her that sometimes you have to do things that are important even when you do not feel your best - a teachable moment for sure!  Several other students wished me well as they left the gymnasium and encouraged me to "feel better".  It felt great to know that others cared!

  I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  http://classrooms.hydeparkschools.org/webpages/MRobelee/

See you next week!

The Best Parts of My Week - 10/29/12--11/2/12

Hi everyone,
      It was a very difficult week in the Northeast......and it continues to be difficult as so many are still dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.  My thoughts are with all those who have been affected.....

.....I was proud of a fourth grade class this week when they were asked to work together to complete a task.  Our exit question this week was "Did you cooperate today?" and when I asked the question at the end of PE class one of my students replied:  "Yes, especially during the planning time!"

.....The culmination to our cooperative activities unit is the use of our traverse rock wall.  The excitement was amazing this week as students walked in to find the wall open for climbing!

.....Physical Eddie is one of our mascot bears who spends time in each of the classrooms learning about Healthy Highway and healthy choices.  He was in a third grade class this week and the students brought him to PE class.  We were playing a Project Adventure game called "Peek-A-Who?" where students stand behind tarps and figure out which of the students is hiding behind the opposite tarp.  The students included Physical Eddie in this game and during one of the rounds he was the one who was hiding!  The other group figured it out!  At the end of class when we were sharing our feelings about the activity, one student helped Physical Eddie share that he felt good that the other group noticed that he was missing!

.....My primary students were playing a warm-up game called "Cleanies and Messies".  The "cleanies" like the cones set up and the "messies" like the cones down.  All students take turns being a "cleanie" and then a "messie" but some like one role better than the other.  When I assigned one student to be a "cleanie" she exclaimed "YESSSSS!"

.....At the end of the week we held a Healthy Highway assembly during which we introduced our new "road" that we will travel on for the month of November.  We will be traveling down "Responsibility Road" and we had a great time teaching students about the meaning of responsibility in terms of behavior, physical fitness, and nutritious choices, and recognizing students for their responsible choices.  We always end our assembly with a dance and this month a fourth grade class volunteered to be the leaders on stage for the dance!

      I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  http://classrooms.hydeparkschools.org/webpages/MRobelee/

See you next week!