The Best Parts of My Week - 2/22/16 - 2/26/16

Hi everyone,
     As we look forward to Spring I decided to try some new things this week.   They were pretty successful so they are definitely included as some of the "Best Parts!"

.....We held our annual Science Fair this week and as the "Digital Media Coordinator" (basically the webmaster of the school website) I had the chance to take some pictures of the event in action.  The projects were fantastic and one of them was called:  "Get Moving!"  It was all about using a pedometer to measure how active you could be doing different sports, games, and exercises.  It caught my eye as I was taking pictures and I was impressed that it was done by a second grade student!  I guess he already gets the message that it is important to move!

......I was taking pictures as the older students were being judged on their projects and I ran into one of the judges who asked me if I remembered her.  Our judges are high school students who are in advanced Science classes and I said "Of course I do"!  It was great to see her and catch up!  I am certainly proud of her accomplishments and it is so great when students come back to school and are excited to be there!

.....Some of the Science Fair projects are set up in the gymnasium so as a result, PE classes are held in the classroom on Science Fair day.  While this is not ideal I always try to make the best of this day.  I have been wanting to try out Kahoot and took this opportunity to set up a Kahoot for my older classes.  Kahoot is an online game and students enter answers on tablets or smartphones.  Students earn points for correct and speedy answers.  I told my fourth grade class that I know that they are open to new ideas so they are my "go to" class when I want to try out a new idea.  They seemed excited and after I explained the basics we began the game.  We had a great time!  We played a twenty question game which included questions on nutrition, muscles, physical fitness, and even Fitness Frankie!  At the end of the game I asked students for feedback and I was impressed with their thoughts.  I explained that I was proud of how they worked together and took turns with our iPad minis.  I said that it would be nice to have more devices but that I am grateful that we have three to use.  One student said that she thought it was good that we had large groups because it helped them to work together and another said that he like the game because it helped him learn the knowledge!  This is why they are my "go to" class!

.....Fitness Frankie was invited to be a part of the evening Science Fair activities this year!  He was part of a scavenger hunt.  Students were asked to look for him based on some clues.  Parents took pictures and a great time was had by all!  I love that he is involved in everything - not just PE activities!

.....We finished Jump Rope for Heart a couple of weeks ago but this week one of my students made a special poster celebrating our efforts and offered it to the American Heart Association!  It was such a thoughtful gesture.....what a great heart........

.....One of my first grade students who was waiting to be picked up came over to me with a worried look on her face.  I asked her what was wrong and she told me that her friend who always gets picked up too was not in the gym and she was worried.  I told her I would help and we figured out that this student had been picked up a bit early that day and all was fine.... I was struck by the fact that this student was so caring and wanted to make sure a friend was ok.......

.....I tried a new Tabata warm-up with my students this week.  Older students did a Tabata with four exercises using a basketball and younger students used a scarf for their Tabata warm-up.  The warm-ups were challenging but fun and I used a special Tabata timer on my iPad.  Kindergarten students enjoyed counting down out loud, older students enjoyed using the basketball to exercise, other students enjoyed the challenge, and a first grader told me:  "This is so awesome I could do this forever!"  How can you not love your job when you have days like this!

.....One of my third grade students was smiling from ear to ear at the end of class one day this week.  I asked her why she was so happy and she said that it was the first time she had logged more than 1,000 steps on her pedometer.  She had met the goal and she was so proud of herself!

.....Speaking of happy.........As students in grades K-2 are improving their ability to bounce and dribble a ball I asked them to spell words using letter tiles and letter spots on the floor.  After spelling a word, students were asked to come to me at the whiteboard and tell me the word that they spelled so that I could write it on the white board and add it to the list.  Second graders were asked to spell PE words, first graders were asked to spell words that they know, and Kindergartners were asked to spell their names and also words that they know.  I was blown away by the word selections and spelling ability!  One of my kindergarten students came to me with a grin on his face and said that he spelled happy!  He sure was!!!!  When classroom teachers came to pick up their classes I was happy to share the list and classroom teachers were very proud!

.....I am honored and proud to be the president of the Southeastern Zone of NYS AHPERD and this week our zone sponsored a Co-Ed Volleyball Tournament.  While all of the work to organize and run this event was done by other members, I wanted to go to the event to support it.  What a great event!  I was so impressed by the energy in the gymnasiums, the hard work of the teams, the sportsmanship of the teenagers, and the quality of the event!  I am so glad that I went.   Our young people of today are our future and what an impressive group it was and will continue to be I am sure!  

.....We finished up the week with a Friday morning Fitness Friday activity.  We got the whole school moving at once and when I asked students about it later they said that they had so much fun!  What a great way to start the day! 

.....On Friday afternoon I was treated to a healthy birthday treat that one of my students left for me.  This student brought cantaloupe in for his birthday snack!  Can you say HEALTHY?

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week"!  Visit my website:  North Park Physical Education to find out more about our Physical Education program.  

Follow me on Twitter!  @mrobPE

The Best Parts of My Week - 2/15/16--2/19/16

Hi everyone,
    Many school districts were on vacation for a mid-winter break but in our county teachers worked during a conference day on Tuesday and students were in attendance from Wednesday-Friday.  After a jam-packed Jump Rope for Heart last week it was a quieter week, but still, there were some amazing "Best Parts"!

.....On Tuesday I had the opportunity to present a professional development session on Plickers to my district PE colleagues.  I learned about Plickers on Twitter about one year ago and I have been experimenting with it ever since.  I absolutely love using it to assess my students and I shared that excitement with my colleagues.  They got pretty excited about it too!

.....We started a Basketball/Ball Handling unit with our students this week and used a YouTube video about a young boy who is amazing at basketball to begin the unit.  He has some incredible moves and shots and he put on quite a show.  It was fun to watch the look on my students' faces when they saw him dribble and make some terrific shots!  It got them excited but it also gave me the opportunity to remind them that practice is important when you want to achieve a goal!  (PS....the PE Password is Achievement!)

.....I shared the book SWISH by my friend Lynn Hefele (LEPE, Inc.) this week as my younger students were beginning our ball handling unit.  They loved it and Fitness Frankie loved it too!

.....I spent a good part of this week cutting out what I am calling "Honor Hearts".  My students completed these as part of a Jump Rope for Heart station activity.  The idea was that students were honoring themselves and others for their hard work in getting ready for and participating in Jump Rope for Heart as well as those whom they were jumping for.  Since the station times were brief there was not time for everyone to cut them out.  Cutting out more than 400 hearts is no small task but while I was doing it (in shifts.... of course) I had the chance to enjoy the work that the students put into the task.  I originally thought that I would put some on my bulletin board in the hallway but they were so amazing that I could not choose which to display so I decided to glue them on poster paper and hang them all up.  I saw some students looking for their heart on the bulletin board later in the week and they were so proud when they found their own heart displayed!  These pictures show just some of the amazing hearts! 

.....I received a new key chain this week that one of my fourth graders made.  I am so touched when a student takes time to think of me.......

.....Fitness Frankie had a great adventure at a birthday party last weekend!  He went rollerskating with a bunch of classmates!  This second grade program has been so fun this year!  In one class, the student whose turn it is to take him home on the weekend gets to keep him on his/her desk all week.  One student decided to bring him to PE one week and now everyone does!  He has a great time and so do I!  

....We had a Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador meeting this week.  The energy is incredible and these students have such great ideas!  We are planning some spring events, completed a School Wellness Investigation by asking our Cafeteria Manager some questions, and scored some points on our dashboards by completing some mini-lessons.  It was a busy meeting!  

.....Unfortunately some students miss Jump Rope for Heart each year due to illness.  One of my first graders missed the event but wanted to complete an Honor Heart because she worked so hard to get ready for the event.  I gave her one to take home and it came back the next day!  It was colorful and held great meaning for her......  The benefits of Jump Rope for Heart do not end when the event is over....

.....As I was walking down the hall during student arrival one morning a student took time to tell me how she stuck up for a friend of hers - our character education program in action!

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week"!  Visit my website:  North Park Physical Education to find out more about our Physical Education program.  

Follow me on Twitter!  @mrobPE

The Best Parts of My Week - 2/8/16--2/12/16

Hi everyone,
     This week was all about Jump Rope for Heart!  It is a very big event in our school and most of the "Best Parts" this week revolve around the event.  There were so many great moments that I ran out of space on my notes page this week!

.....As the week began on Monday we were putting the finishing touches on our practice for Jump Rope for Heart.  My kindergarten students were learning how to use a piece of equipment that I call a "ball hop" and others call a "skip-it" but basically it is a ball on a string attached to a small hoop that goes over the foot and around the ankle.  The idea is to turn it in a circle with your foot and hop over it with the other foot as it goes around in circles.  It is a challenging task but after some practice most students are successful.  I was ready to help one of my students who was having trouble with it when another student who had just mastered the skill said:  "I can help her".  I left them to it and she indeed helped!  I love it when students take ownership and become the teachers!  Of course, not everyone embraced the idea as one of my kindergarten students came to tell me that it was too tricky for her since she is only 5 1/2!  Then she said maybe she would be able to do it when she grows up!

.....Another jumping activity early in the week involved a station that I called "alphabet soup".  Using the circle in the gym I placed letter tiles on the floor.  Students were asked to spell their names and words that they know by jumping three times on each letter.  One of my kindergarten students came over to me and asked me how to spell my name because that's the word that he wanted to spell!  I helped him out and he was very proud to have spelled it!

.....Our Jump Rope for Heart event was scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.  I strongly believe that all students should have the opportunity to be a part of this event, regardless of their ability to donate money so we hold our event during the school day and include everyone.  Our school is quite large and in order to accommodate all classes, we need two days to fit everyone in.  Planning any event in the northeast during the winter months is tricky because you never know what the weather is going to be like.  This has been a mild winter so far and up until Tuesday we had not even had a delay, let alone a snow day.  Unfortunately this week winter decided to return and we had two days of delays in a row!  I was proud of my students because even though they were disappointed they knew that I would reschedule the event for those that missed it.  As a result, a two day event became a two and a half day event so the gym was hopping (or should I say jumping....) Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!

.....The first day of the event was Wednesday and we had some special guests participate in our event.  Our interim PE Director, our Youth Market Director for the American Heart Association, and a reporter from a local paper all came to see the event and everyone had a great time!

.....One of the stations at our event allows students the opportunity to use stethoscopes to hear their heartbeat.  One student had a hard time hearing his heartbeat and I noticed that he did not have the end of the stethoscope in the correct spot.  When I told him that he had to move it to the other side to hear his heartbeat he said: "I'm a lefty!"  I smiled and told him that everybody's heart is in the same place and that it doesn't matter whether you are a lefty or a righty.  He seemed skeptical but when he heard his heartbeat he realized that I was correct!

.....Students are so excited about Jump Rope for Heart and so proud of the banners that represent 11 years of JRFH at North Park.  After Wednesday's event, a student stopped by on the way down to her classroom to tell me that she really liked Jump Rope for Heart!

.....Thursday morning I was setting up for Jump Rope for Heart when a teacher brought a student into the gym to show me the shirt that she was wearing.  It was amazing!  This student and her family created her own JRFH shirt!  On the front it had a heart with Jump Rope for Heart in the middle and on the back it had "In honor of......" and then it listed her family members that she was jumping for!  I had goosebumps...........

.....Thursday's JFRH event brought another visitor to our gymnasium - our Superintendent!  It was a great honor to have her there and she is a great supporter of Physical Education in our district.  Not only did she visit but she also joined one of the groups and participated in the entire event!  She jumped and jumped rope, used a heart rate monitor and stethoscope, turned ropes for the jumpers, and immersed herself in the experience!  I have been in education long enough to know that this kind of support does not happen everywhere and I am grateful.......

.....When I create the schedule for Jump Rope for Heart I usually schedule two classes at a time that are of the same or close to the same grade level.  Scheduling is never simple as I try to work around other specials (Art, Music, Library), recess, lunch, etc.  For some reason this year was particularly challenging and I was left with two classes of different grade levels to schedule.  I thought it might work well to have an upper grade and lower grade work together and so I decided to put these two classes - a third grade and a kindergarten class - together.  I spoke to the third graders earlier in the week and explained that they would be "buddies" to the kindergarten students and that I was expecting them to be helpful and to be good role models.  I was very impressed with their reaction and excitement and I was even more impressed when I saw them in action!  These third graders were so incredibly helpful and kind and they helped to make a great first Jump Rope for Heart experience for these kindergarten students!

.....A teacher came to me about a student who told her that he was going to miss Jump Rope for Heart because of a doctor's appointment.  She then asked me if we could work something out so that he could come to the event at a different time.  I was thrilled that she asked and was willing to make this work for her student.  We indeed worked it out and he came with another class the next day.  He was so happy to be with friends from another class and we were proud of him for asking!

.....After a third grade class attended the JRFH event this week one of the students who is new to our school told her teacher that:  "this was the funnest PE class ever!"

.....As I was wrapping up the JRFH session that a fifth grade class attended I was pointing out all of the banners on the wall and told them that they were a big part of all of those banners.  One of the students said that when he was old enough to drive he was going to come back and see all of the banners on the wall!  Then he asked me if the middle school does JRFH.  I said that at this time they do not but there was no reason not to start it up when they get there next year!  I told them to let me know and if they are able to hold an event I will come to support it!

.....I found some heart glasses in the dollar store and decided to wear them during JRFH.  The smiles and giggles were terrific!

.....During JRFH I asked students to color in their own "honor hearts" to honor their hard work to help themselves and others.  My plan is to cut these out and place them on a bulletin board in the hallway next week.  On Friday I was cutting them out and I noticed that one of the students had written "Jump Rope for Heart makes me proud."
Wow.......me too!

North Park Jump Rope for Heart 2016 Pictures

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week"!  Visit my website:  North Park Physical Education to find out more about our Physical Education program.  

Follow me on Twitter!  @mrobPE

The Best Parts of My Week: 2/1/16--2/5/16

Hi everyone,
     In many ways this was a challenging week, which is precisely the reason why I write this blog.  Focusing on the many, many, positive moments helps me to keep everything in perspective and reminds me that the positive always outweighs the challenges!

.....I was out of school on Friday 1/29 because I was presenting at a conference.  I am not absent very often and I usually let my students know when I have the opportunity to go to a conference and share some lessons that we enjoy. When I was absent I missed one of my third grade classes.  When they arrived at the gymnasium this week one of the students smiled and said:  "It's back to normal!"  When I asked him what he meant he said that because I was back everything was where it was supposed to be and everything was back to normal like it should be!  It was so nice to be missed!

.....Physical Eddie is being taken care of by a second grade class for a few weeks and he came to PE this week.  While he was on the floor one of the students bumped into him by accident.  While another student and I checked to make sure Physical Eddie was OK, another student did not seem so worried because he said Physical Eddie was not real.  As a result of that statement a very nice discussion began about the importance of imagination and the fact that Physical Eddie is indeed real to me and to my friends at North Park!

.....We have a new employee in our building and I met her this week as she was stopping to see what was happening in PE.  I invited her to come into the gymnasium and she smiled and said that she feels a "good vibe" every time she passes by the gym doors!  I am so happy that the "vibe" is positive and is felt right through the doors and walls!

.....As we get ready for Jump Rope for Heart students are using heart rate monitors to check their heart rate when warming up and jumping rope.  Students were so excited this week to share their heart rate with me to show me that they were warming up at the right level and exercising to make their hearts stronger!

.....I have had a variety of jumping areas set up for my students so that they could practice and get ready for Jump Rope for Heart.  Students are allowed to choose their activity as long as they are working on the goals for the day.  I encourage creativity and challenge and I was so happy to see that some of my students were creating their own ways to jump and land with balance!  One of my second grade students used a scissor jump successfully to jump while turning her own rope and another was able to do a hop while turning his own rope.  He was so excited (and surprised I think...) he shouted:  "I hopped!" .....A first grader was jumping in my long turning rope as I was turning it.  She had just come from the Hippity Hop station and told the rest of the jumpers that it was "crazy fun!"

.....At various times during the year I have students who are medically excused for one reason or another.  Most are only excused for a short period of time but once in a while a more serious injury or illness prevents students from participating for a more lengthy period of time.  Each student handles the situation in his/her own way and some are more patient than others.  (I would probably be far less patient than some of my students are!)  I have a student right now who has been excused for quite some time but is now able to participate with limited mobility.  She is not allowed to jump and this week she and one of her friends came up with a new rope trick so that she could turn one end of a short rope and her friend could turn the other end and still jump in it.  Not only was it an amazing trick but it was also a true testament to friendship and inclusion!

.....As I challenged my students in grades 3-5 with some pretty fancy jump rope tricks I was impressed with their perseverance and skill.  While I still can't do it (I am practicing.....), one of my third graders showed me that he learned how to do a double-under (rope turns twice while the jumper only jumps once)!

.....I asked my students to help advertise our upcoming Jump Rope for Heart by creating posters to hang in our hallways.  I received SO MANY posters this week and each one had a terrific heart healthy message!  One student even asked one of her friends to make a poster and her friend goes to school in an entirely different school district!

.....On Friday some of our classes were invited to attend a taping of Master Chef Jr. - Hyde Park at the Culinary Institute of America.  The CIA is right in our own backyard if you will, and we have been fortunate to have CIA chefs be a part of our Family Fitness Nights in the past.  When I heard about the opportunity I asked if I could go along.  I was thrilled to be a part of it and our students were so excited about the opportunity too!  Some of our students were selected to be a part of a friendly competition during which students made healthy sandwiches and raspberry lemonade as well as a sweet cupcake treat!  It was so great to see that students were engaged in this opportunity and that this kind of alternative learning situation was embraced and supported by the administrators in our building and district!  Fitness Frankie went along too!

  

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week"!  Visit my website:  North Park Physical Education to find out more about our Physical Education program.  

Follow me on Twitter!  @mrobPE