Hi everyone,
How did we get to May already? EXCITEMENT was the word for this week! You could almost feel the excitement in the air everyday of the week! It was one of those weeks that was jam-packed with special events but it was also the beginning of our gymnastics unit, which is a fan favorite!
…...One of the “Best Parts” this week started at home before I left for school on Monday. My backyard opens up to a wilderness area that is maintained by a local conservancy group. I was getting my breakfast ready and as I was looking out the window I saw something that I couldn’t quite describe. I moved closer and realized that it was a mother fox! I watched for a minute and then noticed that there was four or five baby foxes running around and playing with each other! I had heard from neighbors that there were foxes around but had not seen them before. The mom fox was protecting her babies and it was so cute to see them running around, jumping over each other, and having so much fun! It reminded me of my own students and how much fun they have just playing around!
…..Monday was the beginning of our four week gymnastics unit. Students get so excited because we have some great equipment and wonderful flooring. It’s always terrific to watch the kindergarten students as they walk in the gym for the first time when the equipment is set up. They are wide-eyed and stare in disbelief! Of course, the other students are equally as excited because they know more of what to expect having done the unit the previous year. One of my second grade students walked in and said: “I LOVE this school!”
…..Early in the week I was walking by a kindergarten class that was walking back to their classroom. One of the kindergarten students asked: “Where are you going?” (He seemed surprised that I was out of the gymnasium!) I replied: “To the office to check my mail” Then he replied: “Oh, ok…...have a nice day! See you later alligator!”
…..As a second grade student was waiting her turn at a springboard station she was standing next to a cone. All of a sudden she made a connection and remarked: “We are learning about cones in class!” Apparently, students had a morning work assignment to identify shapes and one of the shapes was a traffic cone just like we have in PE class! It was so great that she made the connection!
…..I brought my bike in to advertise a Bike Rodeo and Safety Clinic that was being held this week. As soon as I walked in the door I was asked (by more than one person): “Did you ride that to school?” I live too far away to ride to school but I was glad that they thought I might! During the week I set up some of our fitness bears and lions on the bike and had our Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassadors read some announcements advertising the event. Cassie and Carlos our Courage Lions, and Physical Eddie all had turns riding the bike in the lobby!
…..We celebrated National PE and Sport Week as well as the beginning of National Physical Fitness Month with Operation Healthy North Park. The race car bags beginning to fill!
…..At our faculty meeting this week we were asked a question: “What is the gift that you get from teaching?” My immediate answer was: “the chance to impact the health and future of our students.” I love my job and I truly consider this chance a privilege and an opportunity to create a future generation of healthy adults…….
…..I spent one morning this week planning the last Healthy Highway assembly with our committee. It was a bittersweet meeting because I was thinking about all of the roads we have traveled on and am sad to leave this behind but it was so nice to see others taking up the charge……..
…..Thursday night we held our Bike Rodeo and Safety Clinic. This is the second year of the event and this year we had even more participants! Students (and a few adults) brought their bicycles and helmets and had them checked for safety. Students then challenged themselves on a variety of skill stations and had a wonderful time riding their bicycles at school. We also had a “Fruit Art” station where students could choose from a fantastic assortment of donated fruit and make some art on their plate before eating it! We had many volunteers help with our event, including our local police department and the DC Traffic Safety Board. I enjoyed speaking with families, watching students challenge themselves on their bicycles, and I even saw some former students who came with siblings to the event! As I was discussing the event with our principal, also a volunteer, we agreed that we could definitely see growth in our students’ skills from last year to this year!
…..Ok, so I know the year is winding down and my retirement is looming but I still can’t help trying something new. This week I taught my version of “Pound Fit” (and called it “Drum Fit ) to my students and used it as a warm up. We used lummi sticks for drum sticks and since we have a carpeted mat surface on the floor for our gymnastics unit it was a perfect set up for this activity. I created a Tabata routine and we tapped the sticks to some music while exercising using a Tabata timer for the work-out. I enjoyed it and when I asked my students: ”Wasn’t that fun?” The Smiles told me YES! Basketball Betty enjoyed it too!
…..A third grade student arrived a bit early to PE one day and said: “I’ve been working on my muscles!”
…...My Fitness Friday activity involved a third grade class this week. Each Friday I have been surprising one class and showing up to start the day with some exercise. As I make my way around the school the students in this class were surprised yet again and I had fun starting the school day off with exercise! It is important for our students to begin the day with exercise but it is also important for our teachers! It was wonderful to see the classroom teacher dancing right along!
…..One of my students came to our Bike Rodeo and Safety Clinic on Thursday night but did not have a bicycle to ride. I offered my bicycle and the offer was readily accepted. It seemed he had a terrific time at the rodeo and even though he thanked me more than once at the event, on Friday morning he stopped by again to say thank you…….I told him that I was so glad that it all worked out and thanked him for his good manners.
…..We celebrated Project ACES on Friday afternoon. While the actual day was Wednesday, our students were taking the NYS Math tests and so we planned our event for Friday afternoon. The weather did not cooperate but we had fun anyway! The gymnasium was not an option because of the gymnastics equipment set up so we used the cafeteria. 465 students plus at least 50 adults utilized the space and we danced to Go Noodle. While it got a bit loud at times, everyone agreed that we got some great exercise and were part of something bigger. I encouraged students to share the event with their families and spread the message of the importance of exercise and healthy choices. 
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.
