While we are reminded at this time of year to be thankful, it is easy to forget about all of the things - big and little - that we should be thankful for all year long.....I am so thankful for so much professionally and personally. I ask my students to show their "attitude of gratitude" and I am going to attempt to practice what I preach every single day.......
.....We celebrated the 50th Day of School this week! Our primary students and teachers dressed up as if it were the 1950's and at the end of the day I organized a Sock Hop in the gym. It is a wonderful tradition and this year did not disappoint! Students and adults were so enthusiastic as we danced the Twist, Hand Jive, Lollipop Dance, and even worked on our hula hoop skills! We are so thankful to be able to continue this tradition. Our administration believes in the positive connection between physical activity and academic achievement and fully supports these special and creative projects. I am grateful.....
.....As part of our efforts to create a healthy environment, we encourage students to bring healthier alternatives to birthday cupcakes when they celebrate a birthday at school. This week one of my students brought in the most wonderful treat! It was a basket of bananas and each banana had a small party hat! Each banana was decorated with a cute face and the basket also contained just the right amount of dark chocolate to accompany each banana! How amazing is that?
.....Our Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador program is going well! We have a great group of students and this week they were so helpful with our "Stuff the Bus" program. Students and families were asked to donate items for our local food pantry in anticipation of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Our Student Ambassadors "adopted" a younger classroom to help with this task and many times this week I saw the ambassadors using teamwork to carry donated items to the bus!
.....As I work on my questioning techniques (a building wide goal this year) I began to use a poster that has three statements: What I know, What I want to know, What I learned. While this technique may not be knew to the classroom, it is new to me and I was excited to try it out. Since we are just beginning a unit on volleyball, I asked my students to talk to a friend about what they already know about volleyball as well as what they want to know about volleyball. I was so impressed with the responses! Not only did students know more than I thought, they were very thoughtful about what they wanted to know. Some wanted to know about the history of volleyball, others wanted to know about the rules and skills necessary to play, and still others wanted to know about the referee's hand signals, what the ball is made of, and what team rankings mean!
.....I had an amazing professional opportunity this week as I attended and presented at the NYS AHPERD Annual Convention in Verona, NY. I am fortunate to work in a district where professional development is valued. I have attended and presented at this convention for many years, and each year I return with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and energy! This year seemed special as I connected with many National Teachers of the Year, colleagues I have not seen in awhile, and young and future professionals eager to begin their careers. NYS AHPERD put on a fantastic conference with motivational keynote speakers and I am ready to get back to school and try out some of the lessons that I learned while there! The conference theme was Pride, Passion, and Partnerships and I could not be more proud to be a Physical Education Teacher in NYS!
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
