What an amazing week! It was "jam-packed" from beginning to end and then some!
.....This week was "Teacher Appreciation Week". Our PTA does so much for our students and our school and they go above and beyond to show their appreciation for us! The week began with a wonderful breakfast and continued with each teacher receiving a bucket labeled with his/her name. The theme of the week involved filling the buckets based on a book that encourages filling up everyone's "bucket" with kind words and actions. Classroom teachers read the book to students and then student spent the week literally "filling our buckets"! I received so many kind notes, flowers, and treats and at the end of the week my bucket - and my heart - were full of joy! One of the flowers that was delivered by a first grade student was orange in color. She told me that she decided on that color flower because it was the color of a vegetable and that was healthy! The week ended with a delicious luncheon. I truly feel appreciated! Thank you so much!
.....Since May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month we plan several special events to celebrate! Our Operation Healthy North Park is going strong and we are beginning to fill our race car bags! I appreciate all of the hard work and many teachers are promoting the idea in their classrooms and encouraging students to fill out a "Coop Car" each day - collaboration in action!
......North Park Project ACES (All Children Exercising Simultaneously) was scheduled for the middle of the week. This is a nationwide event started by Len Saunders and has grown to include thousands of students! Find out more about Project ACES by clicking on the link! Although we have participated in this event for years, I wanted to expand on it this year and an opportunity presented itself to do just that! I was able to invite Erica Ruge - a Team USA duathlete - to our event! She was terrific and spoke to our students about the importance of exercising, making healthy choices, and drinking water. Her message was well received and our students were so excited to meet her! Not only were the students excited but our staff was impressed as well! She brought her bicycle with her and explained how it was different from their bicycles. We all danced together and had a terrific time! It was a great event to continue to highlight the need for physical activity and healthy choices!
.....After our Project ACES event concluded I was in the faculty room and a kindergarten teacher commented that her class had the best writing and math lesson that morning right after ACES. She said that she was certain that the children were so engaged in the learning because they exercised right before it! I agreed with her and told her that the research shows that exercise stimulates the brain and improves academic performance!
.....One of my first grade students brought a book to PE this week to show me a connection she had made in her classroom to our PE program. The book was all about Yoga. We just finished several Yoga classes during PE! She was thrilled to share her connection and I was thrilled that she made the connection and her teacher was there to support it!
.....The week ended with our Family Fitness Night on Friday night. What a night! We had about 100 students, families, and staff in attendance. I had so much help from my colleagues, our parent volunteers, and our PTA! Students were treated to a carrot-themed healthy snack station that was run by one of our parents - a Culinary Institute of America Chef! He and his family were so gracious and helpful! I could not have done that station without them! One of the students was reluctant to try the carrot smoothie but after trying it wanted more! I had help from colleagues and parent volunteers to set up, run the stations, and then clean up at the end of the evening. I am so fortunate to work with such caring and dedicated individuals. We had fun playing Let's Move in School, Jump Rope, Speed Stacks, and My Plate Bingo! Students and families also participated in a QR Code Scavenger hunt featuring questions about fitness and healthy choices! It was so much fun I can't wait to do it again next year!
.....Even though the school week ended the "Best Parts of My Week" continued into the weekend! On Saturday I attended the Southeastern Zone of NYS AHPERD Elementary/Middle School Awards Ceremony. This was a fantastic event during which more than 450 students were recognized for their outstanding leadership, cooperation, and participation during Physical Education class. Eight of our students were being recognized! I am actively involved in this organization and I was proud to see our students recognized! It was wonderful to see the parents and family members as proud as I was! You can view pictures of this event by clicking on North Park SEZ Elementary/Middle School Awards.
I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!" To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website: North Park Physical Education
See you next week!
