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.  

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