The Best Parts of My Week - 3/9/15--3/13/15

Hi everyone,
     There are some weeks when I wonder if I will have enough to write about (I always do......), and there are other weeks when there is so much to write about I don't know how to begin!  This past week was one of the latter.  It was an amazing week!  

.....I began the week counting up the total Healthy Highway miles that we have accumulated so far.  Students earn miles both individually and as a class for healthy choices during the year.  I am proud to say that we have traveled 947 miles so far this year!

......As I reminded students that we were getting ready for Jump Rope for Heart early this week, the response was YES!!!!!

.....One of my fifth grade students shared that she had been getting ready for Jump Rope for Heart by practicing at home!

.....Tuesday morning we began the day with a Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador meeting.  Students are earning points by making healthy choices and leading healthy plays and one of the students asked if we were going to do this next year.  When I responded that we were definitely going to continue the program I also asked if they were interested in continuing.  They responded enthusiastically with smiles, nodding heads, and YES!  I asked if any of their friends had asked about joining the program and several said that lots of their friends wanted to join and be an ambassador too!  Part of our meeting was spent in the cafeteria with our cafeteria manager asking some questions to complete our School Wellness Investigation.  Later in the week one of the ambassadors told me that she thought it was cool going to the cafeteria and learning about all of the healthy food that the cafeteria serves!

.....As we continued to get ready for Jump Rope for Heart by teaching students using a variety of jumping stations, one of our kindergarten students was jumping across a pretend river on the floor.  She said:  "This is tough but fun!"  A first grader said:  "I'm an Olympic jumper!"

.....Early in the week the PE Password was "Achievement".  We asked students to think about one of their achievements and share it with a friend.  The discussions were wonderful!  Students shared achievements big and small and were proud of each one!  

.....Several honor hearts came in with donations to be displayed during our Jump Rope for Heart event.  I was touched by the heartfelt messages on the hearts.  Many students were honoring family members that they have lost due to heart disease........

......Jump Rope for Heart was held on Wednesday and Thursday this week and during the two-day event all 500+ students and staff participated in the event.  It was a truly amazing two days and while I was exhausted at the conclusion of the event, I can't imagine not doing it.  This was our tenth year and I was so proud of our students, staff, and our community.  Students brought in change, honor hearts, and donations large and small.  One student even created his own fitness bear:  "Muscle Matt" and brought him to the event with a red hoodie and shorts!  Another student painted her nails red to show her support!  Each session began with a reminder that we do JRFH to help others who might not have a healthy heart by supporting the work of the American Heart Association as well as to keep our own hearts healthy.  Each session ended with smiles and tired students who jumped their best.  During the event I noticed a fifth grader making sure that a third grader had a fair turn, joy on the face of a first grader who jumped the most times in a row that he ever had jumped, teachers proud of the accomplishments of their students, the surprise on the faces of students who used stethoscopes and heard their own heartbeat for the first time, and pride as we unveiled this year's banner!

.....The day after Jump Rope for Heart I was chatting with one of my fourth grade students in the hallway and he said that he wished he could do Jump Rope for Heart again!  He said that he loved it!  Another student stopped me in the hallway to ask how much money we raised!  Donations are still coming in........

.....Thursday afternoon I was putting up the new PE Password in anticipation of "A" day on Friday.  Students were leaving for the day and were excited to have a "Sneak Peek!"  (P.S.  The new PE Password is "Traverse")

.....Friday we began some lessons regarding nutrition to celebrate National Nutrition Month.  I was so impressed with the nutrition knowledge that students have.  Even our kindergarten students knew about so many different fruits!  We had a great time pretending to eat a rainbow of fruits!  

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