The Best Parts of My Week - 12/19/16--12/23/16

 Hi everyone,

    I am a bit late on the writing of this entry but in my defense I have been enjoying the winter break!  It has been a wonderful week of time with family and friends, snowshoeing, enjoying the winter weather here in the Northeast, and taking some much needed time to rest and relax!  Now, on to the “Best Parts!” 

…..This week I taught my students how to play Castle Ball.  We have played some versions of it in the past, but not with the hoop structure.  Truth be told, I had tried it in the past but was not doing it correctly and it was frustrating for me and for my students.  Now that I know how to build it correctly (you need hoops of the exact same size…..) my students were incredibly excited!  I had made one and placed it in the middle of the gym and when students walked in they were so intrigued!  Students worked together to build and defend the structures.  In one of my second grade classes I had to make a group of three and after playing and enjoying the group one of the students said:  “three is not so bad!”  Another group even compared their work to an art term because of the way they put the colors together.  This was cross curricular learning at it’s best! Fitness Frankie wanted to play too!

…..We held our holiday staff breakfast this week and my good friend always organizes a wonderful morning during which we enjoy each other’s company, share some delicious food, and give thanks to those who help us along the way each day.  This year my friend added a component to the breakfast.  I have kept this under wraps so far this year but I am going to let the cat out of the bag so to speak…...I am retiring at the end of this school year.  I am excited and terrified at the same time!  I have never worked anywhere else professionally and am in the middle of my 34th school year.  It will be incredibly hard to leave but I know it is time to move on.  I am still going to stay involved in the profession and hope to continue presenting and offering professional development.  Well….back to the breakfast…….My friend wanted to acknowledge that there are four of us retiring this year and she wanted to begin the celebration by giving us each a key.  This is a special key which is sold by an organization that helps people who are homeless and when you buy a key you are promising to “pay it forward” by giving the key to someone else who needs the message on the key.  Our school theme is all about “Courage” and we were given a key with the word “Courage” on it.  We were told that we all exemplified the word courage in so many different ways and we were asked to wear the key for the rest of the year and then pass it on to someone else who needed courage.  I was almost in tears…...only my friend could have thought of this idea and delivered the message so eloquently.  The rest of the year is going to fly by but now I have the “courage” to finish my career at North Park and move on to the next phase of my life…...

…..My student teacher finished up during the previous week and I always like to do something as a thank you from my students.  This week I asked students to finish the sentence:  “Thank you Mr. Cooper for_____________.   Students came up with some wonderful thoughts!  One student mentioned that she liked his color coordinated outfits, another said thank you for helping Mrs. Robelee, and many others said thank you for being awesome!  I am excited to finish these and deliver them when we return to school next week!

…..We always finish the week before Winter break with a day called Winter Workshops.  This idea came from our principal twelve years ago.  The entire day is spent participating in different workshops.  Thirty different workshops are offered and students sign up ahead of time for four different one-hour workshops.  Everything from chess to woodworking to holiday crafts and games are offered and it is a wonderful way to spend the last day before vacation.  A colleague of mine and I offered a new workshop this year and we had a terrific time!  We offered a Creative Games workshop during which students worked in groups of about four people and could choose from a variety of equipment to create a new game.  Students had to come up with an awesome name, choose equipment, write rules, play the game, and then teach it to the other groups.  After all games were taught students could choose to play their own game or one of the other games.  It was so much fun!  Students were so creative and were really good at teaching other students their game.  They were so proud of their work and I loved the names they came up with!  We had an hour for each session and it was the perfect amount of time.  I mentioned to my colleague (a classroom teacher) that I would love to do this during PE but our class time is not long enough.  It was great to have an extended period of time with a smaller group!  At the end of the first session one of the students commented to the incoming group that they were going to LOVE this workshop!  

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.

The Best Parts of My Week: 12/12/16--12/16/16

Hi everyone,

    We are so close to the holidays and winter break!  It is probably the most exciting and energetic time of the year!  There are so many wonderful activities and special celebrations going on and they all contribute to the "Best Parts of My Week!"

….As a kindergarten class was working hard on some exercise stations one of the students said:  “I just want to fade!”  I guess she was pretty tired!

…...Fitness Frankie has been having some wonderful adventures in our second grade classrooms with our “Fitness Frankie to Go” program.  This week he came back right on time and I discovered that he went shopping for a Christmas tree!  The student journal entry said it was the best tree ever!  (Every year I seem to have the “best tree ever”!)

….Physical Eddie is being taken care of by a kindergarten class and he came to PE only to find out that one of the animal exercise stations was a Bear Crawl!  I suggested to the students that he is an expert!  They smiled!  :-)

…..We held our monthly Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador meeting this week and the energy of this group never ceases to amaze me!  We came up with our Physical Activity Play for the program and we are going to create an exercise movie for a Fitness Friday activity.  The students brainstormed a list of activities that can be done in the classroom, signed up for an exercise with a partner, and we began to film the video.  It was a busy morning!  The hour long meeting just flew by!  I can’t wait to see how this project turns out!  

…..I commented on a new pair of sneakers that a kindergarten student had on this week.  It is always a bit of a challenge to have students prepared for PE during the winter because they need boots for recess.  When I see a student with sneakers who has not had them on recently I try to make sure that I am reacting very positively to reinforce the behavior.  When I said that the sneakers were really cool he said:  “these are gym shoes!”

…..I have mentioned our connection with a class and a PE colleague in Texas in recent blogs.  We are having such fun!  I have been taking some video clips to share and this week I put it together in a short movie.  I shared the video with 4th grade prior to sharing it with our friends in Texas and I was pleased at their reaction!  They were very proud of it and I even got a few thumbs up from my fourth grade friends!  They are also working on introducing themselves to our friends in Texas by working on a project that will include a drawing, information about what they are good at, what they are trying to get better at, their favorite PE activity, and a question they are wondering about.  I was so impressed with the quality of their work!  I can’t wait to send them!

…..One of my former students is working on his Eagle Scout project which will benefit the PE program and students at North Park.  I have been working with him for awhile and his project has recently been approved and is ready to begin.  I received an email this week from him and suffice it to say that it brought tears to my eyes.  We don’t often know the impact we have on our students and his kind words in this email not only made the list of the Best Parts of My Week, it also made the list of the Best Parts of My Career!

…...Students were working on some Winter-themed activities toward the end of the week and one of these activities was a Snowman building project.  Students were given a variety of equipment and asked to work in small groups and build a snow person.  They were so adorable!  One group named their snow person Lily!  Another one found an extra pair of sneakers that were left behind and used them for feet!  Another group commented that they added "details" which is a credit to our art program as well as our writing program and all of the snow people were creative and cute! What do you think?

…...We held our annual Pageant for Peace this week.  This is always a highlight of the holiday season at my school because it involves giving to those in our own school community who are in need.  Students, staff, and our PTA donate huge amounts of food including turkeys, hams, potatoes, canned goods, and desserts and then we sing holiday songs from many different cultures.  It is an uplifting, solemn, emotional, and wonderful event that has been part of the fabric of our North Park community for many years.   After the event many volunteers box up the food so that it can be distributed.  During the event our principal reminded us that one idea of Peace is making sure that everyone has enough.  We worked hard to make that happen for our very own families and it felt wonderful…..

…..My student teacher finished up this week and so I spent some time on the side as he fully took the reins.  As I was on the side during a class a second grade student came up and gave me a random hug!  It was so nice and she did it so quietly so that the class was not disrupted at all!  As he finished the day the students were sad to see my student teacher leave.  (Me too!)  He made a positive connection with the students and I hope he learned much during his time at North Park.  I had the chance to let the students know that I still remember the school where I student taught and that they should be proud that they have helped Mr. C learn to be a teacher.  I know he will remember us too!  

…..On Fitness Fridays this year I have been going into different classrooms right after the announcements and organizing a quick activity to start the day.  This week I had the chance to visit a kindergarten that I do not have for PE class because they are taught by another PE teacher who is at our school only in the afternoons.  It was wonderful!  I have many of their older brothers and sisters in class but it was a great chance to meet these students.  Their behavior was excellent and we had so much fun doing some Go Noodle!  Later in the day I saw them and they were so cute as they waved hello!

…..Each week I keep notes on the “best parts” and then I use these notes to write this blog.  As I was writing this blog on Sunday night as I usually do, I found myself questioning some of my notes because it seemed impossible that these things happened only last week.  Do you ever have a week that is so full and busy that time passes in an odd way?  Sometimes I get home after a long day and say:  “Is it still Tuesday?”  This week was so full and so much happened that it seems like all of it could not have happened in only one week!  

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.

The Best Parts of My Week - 12/5/16--12/9/16

It is holiday time and students are so excited they can barely contain themselves!  We started off the week with some snow which had students singing holiday songs and thinking that our school festivities are right around the corner…...they are!  

…..This is my student teacher’s seventh week and he finishes his experience next week.  The time has flown by and this week I had the privilege of seeing him be successful and more independent.  It has been gratifying to see the growth.  The contrast between the opposite stages of our careers while he begins his and I am close to ending mine as I move toward retirement has made me think back and enjoy some memories…..

…..After the conclusion and success of Circus Week last week I had fun congratulating our 5th grade students on their amazing Circus Show!  I could see the pride on their faces and they even seemed to walk a little taller this week……

…..As a result of a data team meeting that I attended a few weeks back I decided to create a “Sensory Corner” for students who need a break with some sensory input.  We have so many students who have so many needs and I am constantly trying to find out what I can do to meet these needs.  After talking with our Occupational Therapist, Kindergarten teachers, and our principal, I came up with a corner that includes a small play tent and a variety of tactile, visual, and sensory equipment for use by students.  I decided to call it the “Vacation Corner” and students must “work” in order to take a vacation (don’t we all???).  Included in the corner is a sand timer and students must use the timer and when it is finished they must come out and try again (work).  While this certainly does not meet the need of every student I was pleased at the success of this relatively simple idea.  I’m still learning after all these years!

…..While having a student teacher involves work and is a labor of love, there are advantages to having one.  This week I was able to help out some individual students while my student teacher led the class.  I was having a discussion with a new student and I was explaining to him what a student teacher is and that our student teacher would finish next week.  He looked at me and said:  “wait...do you actually work here?”

…..Physical Eddie is spending time in a kindergarten class and they are just beginning to get to know him.  As I was walking back to PE with a student who was holding him I noticed that the student was having a conversation with Physical Eddie and was talking to him like he is real!  (isn’t he????)  There is something magical about stuffed animals in general and teddy bears in particular and the personalities that we have created for our fitness bears have allowed students to experience the magic!  

…..On Friday my student teacher and I went to a kindergarten classroom to do a Fitness Friday activity using Go Noodle.  We had so much fun!  Physical Eddie was in attendance too and students were so cute as they were sharing him and continuing their conversation with him!  The adults in the room jumped right on board and exercised too…..that’s part of what makes North Park so special……….

…..I told a second grade student that it was her turn to take Fitness Frankie home for the weekend.  She responded with YESSSSS!!; along with a fist pump!  She was ready and excited to have a healthy adventure with him!  

…..It was a quiet week after the wonderful intensity of Circus Week.  I think we all needed one!

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.  

The Best Parts of My Week - 11/28/16--12/2/16

Hi everyone,

    This week was all about the Circus and perseverance!  We were fortunate to have artists from the National Circus Project spend the week with us!  It is such an intense and amazing week and there were so many “best parts!”

…..Monday morning the students were extremely excited to arrive to school because it was Circus Week!  It is a highlight of the year for many students and staff.  The week began with a show put on by Little Lou and Adam - National Circus Project artists.  They are so talented!  Students learned that they would need to persevere to learn the skills because it took Little Lou and Adam years to perfect their skills!

…..Each day the excitement continued and every time a group arrived for a workshops the smiles on their faces were a mile wide!

…..During the week I heard many positive statements from students when they were finally able to do a particular skill.  Here are some of the statements I heard:

    .…..”I’m doing it!”

    …...I’m new to this school and I already learned the trick!

    …..”Look at what I can do!”

…..In the middle of the week a new fifth grader arrived to our school and we so very much wanted to welcome him and have him be a part of the circus. I was amazed at his willingness to trust us!  Lou and Adam asked him to come down to the gymnasium to try out all of the circus activities to determine what he would like to do in the show (which was only 3 days away!).  I was so proud of his perseverance!  He tried out all of the skills and settled on the flower sticks.  By the end of the day he was improving and smiling!

…..If you have ever tried circus skills like spinning a plate, juggling, stilt walking, balancing, using a diabolo or flower sticks, you know that they are not easy to master.  As a school we explained that students would need to persevere and keep trying even when something was hard.  During the week I was proud of our students and noticed perseverance in every corner of the room!

…..We are so very grateful to our wonderful and supportive PTA for their work to insure that the National Circus Project program has continued for the past four years in a row.  5th grade students are the show group, which means that they are the group that works hard to learn skills and put on a show for the school on Friday afternoon for students and staff and Friday evening for families and friends.  Students in the younger grades look forward to the day when they will be in the show too!  While we tell them there are no guarantees, they hope to be in the show when they are fifth graders and actually plan on the skill they would like to do.  I heard more than once this week:  “When I’m in fifth grade I’m going to do __________ (fill in the blank with plate spinning, stilt walking, juggling, etc.)  It’s so great that they are working toward a goal that is in the distant future!  

…...As a special area teacher I only see my 5th grade students for PE class twice in a six-day cycle.  Circus Week allows me the opportunity to work with the 5th graders every day.  At the end of the week I feel like I have gotten to know them even better and I am grateful for that opportunity!

…...The growth that we see from our students from Monday to Friday is nothing short of miraculous!  Students that are just beginning to juggle two scarves on Monday are juggling three scarves, juggling balls, and even basketballs!  Students also grow in confidence and perseverance and each year I am reminded that this program is powerful and valuable in so many ways!  

…….It was such a pleasure getting to know the circus artists this week!  I loved their approach! They said that this week was not about the show, it was about the experience of the week and learning a new skill while persevering!  They made a great connection between perseverance and learning many things, not just circus skills!

…..This was the first time my student teacher had the chance to be a part of Circus Week and it was awesome to be able to share this experience with him!  He learned to juggle and was very proud of his new skill!

…..I had the chance to give out some Courage Cards this week to students who were showing the courage to do the right thing.  One fourth grade student was working so hard to learn a skill and he did not give up!  As he was working hard and trying again and again another fourth grade student who had mastered the skill came over to help him.  He did not leave his classmate until he was able to get it!  I had goosebumps watching this unfold and gave them both Courage Cards for their teamwork and perseverance!  

…..A fifth grade student in the balance group was working on a new skill.  The idea was to take some props from the side and put them together and balance them.  One student took two foam hurdles, put them together and said:  “I call this the pause button!”   He was right….it looked exactly like a pause button!

…..One of the things that I love about my school is the fact that we come together in unexpected ways.  Without my asking or facilitating I noticed that there were circus-themed activities throughout the school!  The K-1 classroom had a “How tall are you?” measurement card in the hallway that had circus pictures on it, a  kindergarten counting activity included a circus theme, a fourth grade class was given a homework assignment to write about their favorite circus skill and the Library display case included lots of books about the circus!  How great is that to work in a school that jumps on board with you?

…..Later in the week the acrobat team was working on their show routine.  I was standing nearby and one fifth grader said:  “This is exciting!  Now I know how last year’s fifth graders felt!”

…..At the end of the week it was Show Time!  The fifth grade students performed on Friday afternoon for students and staff and the cheers and applause were endless!  The performers were nervous but got reassurance from our circus artists, their classroom teachers, and of course - me!  The did a fantastic job!  Friday night they also performed for their families and friends.  This show was held at our middle school gymnasium so that we could accommodate a larger crowd.  It was a packed house with standing room only!  Our PTA made popcorn, had face painters available, and invited the audience to participate in some circus games while the performers were getting ready.  So many of our fifth grade teachers came to the show too!  The show was even better than the afternoon show (hard to believe it could be) and students and families were so proud!  One of the best parts of the night however,  was when a student was having trouble with a skill, kept trying, and was successful in the end.  The crowd went wild!  This kind of support is what we need and want daily for all of the challenges we face……..I hope students remember this experience and work to meet whatever challenges they face in life.  I know I will remember the experience of Circus Week with a smile and a determination to persevere………..

…..…... I took so many pictures this week!  Each one is priceless! Click here for pictures of our Circus Week and Circus Shows!

.....Fitness Frankie had fun too!  

Little Lou and Fitness Frankie!

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.