Hi everyone,
While it was a great week for many reasons my week also included two days of two hour delays, a snow day, Jump Rope for Heart - Day 1, and attempts at getting Jump Rope for Heart - Day 2 rescheduled! It is winter in the northeast after all! As I sit here writing this blog it is indeed snowing outside my window yet again…….which may mean a delay or snow day tomorrow, which may mean more rescheduling! The good news is that there is always another day!
…...I have been using Mike Ginicola’s (@PhysEdDepot) Growth Mindset poster which helps students realize that they can not get to “Yes - I did it!” if they are stuck at “I can’t do it”. I have been asking students to challenge themselves with jumping and jump rope tricks as we get ready for Jump Rope for Heart. At the beginning of this week one of my third grade students told me about how she worked hard to accomplish a goal in swimming. She said that the fly stroke in swimming is not her best stroke and she does not like it very much as a result. However, she wanted to do better so that she could help her relay team. She told me that she just kept “telling myself in my head that I can do it” and that she kept practicing and kept trying and then she did it! I was so proud of her! It is really a great example of a positive growth mindset and of how learning in PE class can transfer to positive results outside of school. Later in the week my principal was observing me and she liked the Growth Mindset poster so much that she wants to use it for an assembly later in the school year! Special thanks to Mike Ginicola for sharing this great poster!
…...So our Jump Rope for Heart event spans two days so that we can have all of our students participate during the school day. Day 1 was Wednesday and as donations were coming in I was getting honor hearts ready to display on the gymnasium walls. These are hearts that families send in and are filled out with the name of someone that a student is honoring as they jump. I was reading them and was so touched by the triumphs, sadness, honor, memories, and love that encompassed the hearts. Some students honored those they miss and others honored those that are still with us because of the work that the American Heart Association does. This is truly the reason for our hard work and passion for the event.
…..We had so much fun during our first day of Jump Rope for Heart! The enthusiasm and energy from students and staff was fantastic! Students wore red, some had hearts on their hands or faces, others wore shirts with hearts on them! Of course, Physical Eddie and Fitness Frankie were on hand for the event too! One student brought his own bear named James to be a part of the event. James was ready to go with basketball shorts! I introduced him to Fitness Frankie and they became fast friends!
…..At the end of the first day for Jump Rope for Heart two second grade students brought me a huge thank you note from their class. As I read it I got goosebumps! After I thanked these two students I immediately hung it up and then went down to thank the rest of the class. I told them “my heart is smiling so wide I don’t think it will fit inside my chest!” They smiled back!
…..This same second grade class was working on some crafts when I entered the room. They had earned a craft day and they were making the Jump Rope for Heart Zoo Crew! They were fantastic and a great extension of our Jump Rope for Heart!
…...A first grade class was leaving Jump Rope for Heart and as they were walking out one of the students started roaring. I have been telling students that since a lion’s roar can be heard five miles away they can help spread the message to make healthy choices like Rory the Zoo Crew Lion if they roar too. When I looked at the student he smiled and said: “I’m spreading the message!”
…..The second day of Jump Rope for Heart needed to be rescheduled because of the snow days and delays and I am so proud of the patience and flexibility of my students. It has been rescheduled for Tuesday - which happens to be Valentine’s Day. Students were pretty excited about that and one second grader decided that it was good because it gave us more time to practice!
…..One of my third grade students has particularly good rhythm and coordination and is really talented at jumping rope so I asked him if he wanted to learn a new trick. I taught him how to do the “Rope in Rope” trick. This trick involves jumping rope using a single rope while jumping in a long turning rope being turned by someone else. He was able to do it after only a few tries. I was impressed and so were his classmates!
…..Our PE Password this week is Play 60 and I have been encouraging students to play for 60 minutes per day. One of my third grade students asked “Why 60?” He was truly interested in the science of the reason behind the amount of time needed for good health. It was great that he was interested and I was happy to explain why!
…..Jump Rope for Heart posters are still coming in! It is a good thing we have a large school building with enough hallway space to hang them up! The message are terrific and this week one of them even had a picture of Basketball Betty!
…..After I turned a long rope for a student so that she could jump she said: “Now I want to turn for YOU!” It was my turn to jump and I think I might have even impressed some of my students with my jump turns!
…..On Friday afternoon my former student who is working on his Eagle Scout project to benefit the PE program delivered the wood for the storage he is building for the fitness packs yet to come. We are all excited and proud of his efforts!
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.
