The Best Parts of My Week....2/7-2/11

Hi everyone,

We made it with a full week of school this week! It feels like we are settling in once again! There were so many great moments this week! I hope you enjoy them.

.....While finishing up gymnastics early this week I was at the junior turning bar when a kindergarten student asked me if she could do a "spaghetti roll". I was confused so I asked her to show me what she meant. She did what Kidnastics calls a "possum hang". I don't know how it translated to a spaghetti roll, but she knew exactly what to do!

.....I had finished class with a group of fourth graders and one of the students showed me his personal pedometer. We use pedometers often during PE so students are aware of their use. I asked him where he got his pedometer. He told me that it was part of a video game where the more steps he took, the more points he got to use toward his game. What a great idea to encourage children to move!

.....I was presented with a book about Fitness Frankie this week! This book came from a kindergarten class that took care of him a few weeks back. It included a sentence about what each student experienced with Fitness Frankie, and a drawing of the activity! They were so proud of their work! I thanked them and told them my heart was smiling! They smiled back!

.....I was showing different classes our new Jump Rope for Heart banner as we are beginning to get ready for this year's event. Our banners from past years are displayed on the gymnasium wall and we are getting ready to go around the corner! My fifth graders were impressed and started asking questions about how far around the wall I thought we could go. Somehow that led to questions about my age! I deflected the questions, of course, but not before guesses were made. Students guessed everything from 21 to 82! I finally answered that I was older than 21 but younger than 82!

.....Fitness Frankie came to PE every day this week because he is being taken care of by a combination class of first and second graders who come to PE as separate groups. It was great to have him in class. The students were excited and proud to be taking care of him! One of the activities this week was "Scooter Driving School". Students who were driving safely were allowed to give him a ride. He smiled all the way!

.....Students were looking forward to snowshoeing this week, but the weather did not cooperate for most classes. Oh, there was snow alright, but most mornings it was 3 degrees or less......way too cold for snowshoeing. I must give our students credit. While they were disappointed, they handled it well and I gave them some alternative choices for our indoor activities. One group chose to shoot some baskets and invited me to play with them. It was great to be included! I took a shot (basketball is not really my strength) and "swished" it! My students were impressed and so was I! Other students chose to play with Speedstacks (cup stacking). Some students even organized the whole box of cups for me! Finally, one of the students in this class had been absent the day that students practiced with the snowshoes. I invited her to try them on and practice on a mat indoors as one of the choices during this class. Without being asked, another student went right over to her, showed her how to put them on and stayed with her while she practiced. It was truly an example of having the "Courage to do the right thing" - our school motto. This student could have done many other activities during this class, but she chose to help a classmate instead..........definitely one of the "Best Parts of My Week"!

.....I think I can be funny sometimes (who doesn't really?) but there are times when what I think is funny is not the same as what my students think is funny. I made a joke or two this week at the beginning of class and no one laughed. I told them (in a funny way) that I thought I was being funny, but apparently was not. One student (one of the quieter students in the class) raised her hand and said "Mrs. R. - I am rolling on the floor laughing on the inside"! I laughed out loud and so did everyone else!

Hope you enjoyed reading about "The Best Parts of My Week"!

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program!

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com

The Best Parts of My Week....1/31-2/4

Hi everyone,

Would you believe another week of multiple snow days????? It has been an exceptional winter here in the Northeast but Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring so..........

I hope you enjoy the best parts of my week! (I certainly did!)

.....While we are coming to the end of our gymnastics unit the enthusiasm from our students is still in full force! When I watched the students enjoying the activities of rolling, balancing, jumping, and hanging (I use the Kidnastics approach to gymnastics), I thought about the benefits of these activities. Our school is so fortunate to be able to provide this kind of wonderful activity for our students!

.....My students continue to impress me with their compassion and their willingness to help each other. Every week, there are students that instinctively reach out to help by tying shoes or demonstrating activities, or genuinely encouraging classmates with words of kindness and support!

.....Fitness Frankie attended PE this week with the students who are taking care of him for the week. They were so excited! I asked what they had done with him so far and in addition to feeding him healthy snacks, they read him a story! Fitness Frankie's popularity continues to grow! Read his blog at The Adventures of Fitness Frankie!

.....During our gymnastic unit, we stretch at the end of class using a technique that I call "Share Count Stretching". It is so much fun! The students and I choose a stretch to complete and we "share" the counting. I count "1" and the students count "2" - I count "3" and the students count "4" and so on. I vary the count by changing my voice and the students follow and change their voices too! I count in Spanish sometimes and they follow in Spanish too! I recently taught them how to count in French and some of my students who attend Karate class taught us how to count in Korean. They were so proud of themselves! I was too! This is always a great opportunity for me to create an interdisciplinary activity that is fun and accomplishes multiple goals!

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program!

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com

The Best Parts of My Week....1/24-1/28

Hi everyone,
Well, we made through a full week this week with just a delay or two! It's been quite a winter here in the northeast! I am looking forward to being able to snowshoe with my students soon! I hope you enjoy my "Best Parts" of this week!


.....As gymnastics continues I have been pointing out to students at the end of each class something positive that happened during the lesson and then I have been moving the "class PE car" (part of our Healthy Highway program) down the road as a result of the positive behavior. I had the opportunity this week to highlight the following behaviors from students:
-giving up their turn on a piece of equipment so someone else could have a turn.
-doing the right thing even when someone else in his/her group was not.
-trying new activities even if they were hard.
-waiting patiently for a turn to ensure the safety of all.
-helping each other tie shoes.
-complimenting others on good performances or nice tries.
-showing respect even when I made a mistake!

.....I had the pleasure of listening to two students read the class journal entry for Fitness Frankie's week in their class to the entire school!

.....Fitness Frankie spent this week in a kindergarten class and they brought him to PE. They had such fun with him it was easy to smile!

.....We held our next Healthy Highway assembly this week. We introduced "Perseverance Path" Students from each class and some special areas were recognized by their teachers as working very hard during the first half of the school year. Students were so proud as they stood when their names were announced!

.....We danced the Healthy Highway dance at the end of the assembly. It was great to see everyone - adults and students alike - enjoying and dancing so well!

.....I mistakenly called Fitness Frankie just "Frankie" to one of my kindergarten students. He quickly corrected me and said "You mean FITNESS Frankie don't you?"

.....I introduced the high balance beam to my primary students this week. I am always in awe of the trust that they put in me as I hold their hand to walk across the beam! It reminds me of the tremendous responsibility that we have as teachers. Some students were more anxious than others, and some students held my hand tighter than others or not at all, but 99% of students get up on the beam to try it! Each and every one of the students that finish their turn on the high beam are proud of their effort! It is especially exciting when a student walks across the beam for the first time by himself/herself. They almost always exclaim "I did it!"


.....I was thinking this week about how our journey down the Healthy Highway has really improved our focus on character education, physical fitness, healthy choices, and good nutrition in our school. Not only has this focus benefited our students, but I truly feel that I (and I hope other adults in our building) am benefiting from this program as well! It's true, I have always tried to exercise and eat nutritiously, but I do believe my choices are definitely influenced in a positive way by this program as I try to "practice what I preach"!

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program!

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com

The Best Parts of My Week....1/17-1/21

HI everyone,
Well, it was an interesting week.........holidays (Martin Luther King Day), snow - no school Tuesday, ice - delay on Wednesday, snow again - no school on Friday! Believe it or not, even with the short week, there are still some "Best Parts" to share!


.....enjoying the pictures from Fitness Frankie's weekend that he spent with one of our teacher's and her family.

.....greeting a new student teacher in our building who is a former student!

.....listening to the sounds of joy as our students continue to enjoy our gymnastics unit.

.....having a student tell me that even though she was struggling with a gymnastics skill, she kept at it and was finally able to do it!

.....watching students help each other tie shoes after gymnastics activities without being asked.

.....enjoying the imagination of students as they participate in a warm-up where they pretended to play sports such as tennis, hockey, basketball, and figure skating!

Visit the North Park PE website to learn more about our program!

E-mail me with comments or questions at: northparkpe@yahoo.com

The Best Parts of My Week....1/10-1/14

Hi everyone,

2011 is in full swing and it was an exciting week!

These are the "Best Parts".....

.....Our Gymnastics unit began this week. We have some wonderful equipment which includes bars, several different balance beams, incline mats, springboards, and a large carpeted mat area that students use to participate in warm-ups and other rolling, balancing, and jumping activities. The excitement in the air this week was incredible! Students from kindergarten to fifth grade couldn't wait to get started! One of the best reactions of the week though, was the wide-eyed looks of the kindergarten students who entered the gymnasium for the first time to see the gymnastic equipment set up!

.....Fitness Frankie continues to grow in popularity! Two of his first grade friends read about his adventures on Tuesday, while he was enjoying a week in a fourth grade class! He spent a snow day on Wednesday at my house, Thursday night at the Board of Education meeting, and Friday exercising to Monkey in the Middle! Read about his adventures in his blog: The Adventures of Fitness Frankie!

.....Fitness Friday makes the list of "Best Parts" this week too! I have mentioned in the past that our PA system allows music from an ipod to be played throughout the school in all of the classrooms. From time to time I organize a Fitness Friday activity during which music that students know is played and all students and teachers exercise at the same time. Our favorite is "Monkey in the Middle". This is a great song from "Physical ED" by The Learning Station. During the song students take turns being the "monkey" or the leader, and perform an exercise or action for all to follow. I spoke to students during the day to ask if they enjoyed it. (I try to get to different classrooms during the song, but I can only get to a few each time.) The overwhelming response from students and teachers was YES!

.....Friday afternoon we were treated to a performance by our band and chorus in anticipation of this coming week's Winter Concert. It was wonderful to listen to the concert! I am always in awe of the talents of our students and music teachers! The students were so proud of their hard work and so was I! One of our fourth graders asked me later if Fitness Frankie could come to the watch the night-time concert!

.....My week ended with a "Fitness Frankie" delivery to one of our teachers who wanted to take him home so that he could go to gymnastics practice with her child! I can't wait to hear about his weekend!

Thanks for reading about the "Best Parts of My Week" I would love to hear about the the "Best Parts" of your week!

Visit the North Park PE Website by clicking here!

E-mail: northparkpe@yahoo.com

The Best Parts of My Week....1/3-1/7

Happy New Year everyone!

Vacation was terrific but I am happy to be back at school! Here are the best parts of my week!

.....I was greeted by my office staff with a book of Fitness Frankie's adventures during the week! I was touched by their willingness to participate by taking care of Fitness Frankie, but also because they took the time to make a book for all to enjoy! If you do not already know, Fitness Frankie has his own blog now! Read about his adventures each week at: The Adventures of Fitness Frankie!

.....I tie a fair amount of sneakers during the course of a day. One day this week I had tied a first grader's sneakers in a double bow as I always do. They rarely come untied. At the end of PE class, his shoes were untied on his way out of the gymnasium. I asked him to stop on the side of the hallway so that I could tie his shoes again. I thought I remembered tying them so I asked him if I had already tied them during PE. He replied yes, so I then asked him how they came untied. He said: "well, when I run really fast, they come untied!"

.....I shared parts of Fitness Frankie's book with my students this week. I enjoyed many smiles as I showed the book; even from my fifth grade students!

.....Fitness Frankie attended PE this week with the K-1 class that was assigned to take care of him. He learned to "make snow" with white balloons, play hoop tag, and play "Save the Animals Tag"! He had a great time in PE and I enjoyed watching the students take care of him!

.....Our Gymnastics unit begins next week. Some of the equipment was delivered during vacation and the rest was delivered on Monday. We are very fortunate to have some very nice equipment that we share among our elementary schools. My students absolutely love gymnastics (what's not to love?) so when I saw the wide-eyed looks on my students faces as they arrived to PE this week, it definitely made the "Best Parts" list!

.....My third through fifth grade students have been learning about volleyball. I was able to add to my budget two Airlite cubes that I brought out for the first time during the volleyball unit this week. These cubes were amazingly easy to keep up in the air and my students were ecstatic to play with them! It was great to see the excitement during play!

It's been a great start to 2011! Thanks for reading about the Best Parts of My Week! I would love to hear about yours!

Fitness Frankie Blogs!

Hi everyone,
Fitness Frankie has become so popular that I have decided that he needs his own blog! We are just getting started, but check back soon to read about his adventures by clicking on: The Adventures of Fitness Frankie!