Hi everyone,
It has been SO busy the last two weeks that I decided to combine two weeks of "Best Parts"! I hope you enjoy!
.....The week before last I had some amazing opportunities to present at two different conferences. The beginning of the week I spent in Long Branch, NJ at the NJAHPERD annual conference. It was a fantastic conference with many wonderful Physical Educators, Health Educators, Dance Educators, and others willing to spend time advocating for quality Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance programs! I presented three different sessions and was so grateful for those that attended and participated! So many others were willing to help me with equipment, etc. and I felt so welcome! Special thanks to the Executive Board of NJAHPERD for their hospitality! At the end of the week I presented at the Nassau Zone of NYSAHPERD conference at LIU Post on Long Island, NY. Again, I met so many wonderful professionals willing to learn and share! It was a great week of professional development!
.....In between conferences last week we celebrated Heart Month at my school by offering "Hands Only" CPR and AED training for our fifth grade students. Our local paramedic group volunteered their time and our building provided financial support for the educational materials for our students. It was the first time that we were able to provide this training and I could not have been happier with the results! The students were serious and focused and learned these important life skills! At the end of the day students were asked what they learned and one student responded that they learned how to save a life. It does not get any better than that! Pictures of our event can be seen at the following link: 5th Grade CPR-AED Training at North Park.
This week was full of "Best Parts" too!
.....We are getting ready for Jump Rope for Heart and this week spent some time working on jumping and jump roping stations. Students are getting excited about our event as it is a highlight of the year. One student remarked that he had heard that the stations help you get better at jumping! Who knew??
.....Cardio Cal has had a terrific adventure with a fifth grade class for the last few weeks and this time some of the students wrote up his journal entry. They read it to the class at the end of PE recently and it was amazing! I was very impressed with the vocabulary and writing talent! The students were very proud of their journal and so was I! You can view the journal entry by clicking on this link:
Cardio Cal's 5th Grade Adventure!
.....I love to teach my kindergarten students to jump rope in a long turning rope for the first time. Many think that they can't do it and when they are successful the joy on their faces is priceless! I had the privilege of seeing that joy quite a bit this week!
.....After a fourth grade class this week I was invited to the classroom to see that the Go Noodle champ for the class had graduated to the next level. It was very exciting and as students were getting out their snack for the day one student passed by me and showed me the spinach that she had for snack. That's right - Spinach! She was enjoying it and munching away and asked me for a high five because she had a healthy snack! YES!
.....Fitness Frankie to Go came back after weekend adventures of sledding and healthy eating! He is having a great year! I delivered him to this weekend's student hosts and they were so excited that it was their turn!
.....At the end of the week the entire school participated in an assembly to kick off our Read Across America program and to remind students that we are traveling down Have a Heart Way as we get ready for Jump Rope for Heart. The second segment of the assembly involved pairing older and younger students together as Reading Buddies. It was so heartwarming to see students engaged. We are truly a community of learners and it was wonderful to see it in action......
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
