The Best Parts of My Week - 2/16/15--2/20/15

Hi everyone,
     I finally felt like I was back in the groove this week.  Aside from President's Day on Monday, we were in school every day on time and all day!  Once again, there were so many great moments to share!

.....Our Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador group has come together so nicely this year.  This is the first year that we put together a group of students to be leaders and good examples of healthy choices for our Fuel Up to Play 60 program and while I had an idea of what I wanted to accomplish, I knew that it would be a year of learning and figuring out the best way to move forward.  The week began with a meeting before school with an amazing group of students eager to be leaders and work together.  We talked about the success of our Brain Break Week and then students entered the Physical Activity Play details on their FUTP60 dashboard after we brainstormed a list of reasons why we loved it.  We started to discuss the next project which will involve trying a new vegetable.  Students came up with a great list of vegetables to try:  kale, spinach, turnip, and even seaweed as in sushi!

.....Fitness Frankie to Go arrived back to school sporting a new shirt with a peace sign on it!  He went to ballet class, jazz class and had quite a bit of healthy food!

.....As a result of the generosity of a local paramedic group and support from our building principal, our fifth grade students will be participating in CPR awareness training next week.  This week I discussed this opportunity with our students and talked about the need for this important life skill.  One student shared that at some point in the future she will be taking a babysitting course that will include CPR training.  It was a great connection and I could see other students nodding along as they realized the potential value of this training.  This of course led to a discussion of babysitting in general and I shared that when I was a babysitter I earned $1.00 per hour!  They couldn't believe it!

.....I am absolutely loving a new app called Plickers.  I learned about this app on Twitter and it is amazing!  It allows me to ask a question and get immediate feedback from every student.  I used it this week with a fifth grade class and they seemed to like it too.   I can't wait to use it with more classes.  I love technology and when something like this comes along it makes me love technology even more!

.....The Science Fair was held at my school this week and I was not able to use the gymnasium for part of the day due to the location of the projects.  PE was held in the classroom for the morning classes and we had such a great time using Go Noodle!  One of the activity segments involves a simulated roller coaster and the inevitable screaming that happens when you ride one.  I'm not really a roller coaster kind of person so the virtual reality type was just fine for me!  Anyway, students were moving along to the music and screaming at the appropriate time.  Students were pretty good about keeping the noise in check but it was a bit loud.  Just as students were screaming at the appropriate time, the classroom teacher walked in.  I apologized for the noise but she smiled and said that she loved Go Noodle and they did this one all the time!  

.....The Science Fair day includes an evening session during which students and families come back to school to view the projects.  This year the event included some Science activities that students and families could participate in.  One of the activities was a QR Code scavenger hunt and Physical Eddie was one of the scavenger hunt items!  He was very excited to be asked and many students and families found him in the library.  He was happy to be found!

.....The week ended with primary students creating pathways using a variety of equipment.  Students have been learning about the importance of moving in straight, curved, and zig zag pathways and have been making connections between pathways, and letters, designs, movement, and shapes.  One of my second grade classes made the words PE out of bowling pins!  They wanted to make PE Rocks, but did not have enough pins!

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  North Park Physical Education

The Best Parts of My Week - 2/9/15--2/13/15

Hi everyone,
      Well, let's see....Monday - snow day, Tuesday - 2 hour delay, Wednesday - full day, Thursday - early release, Friday - no school for President's weekend.  It was about as short a week as you can get and still call it a week!  Would you believe that I still have a full list of "Best Parts"?  Well, I do and I am excited to share!

.....My primary students are learning about pathways and they were asked to look around the gymnasium and point out things that showed a zig zag pathway.  One student pointed out that the points at the end of the Jump Rope For Heart Flags all in a row made a zig zag!  Now that is a great observation!

.....Most of my students know how much I love bears.  This week one of my students gave me a new bear for my collection!  A cheerleader bear with our high school logo and homemade pom poms!  I am overwhelmed with gratitude......

.....Second grade students work all year to complete a portfolio.  Students are told that all portfolio work should be "neat and complete".  Honestly, that is a bit difficult in the beginning of the year for some students and we work all year to improve the process and the product.  This week students completed a piece of work for their portfolio regarding the concept of balance and I was so proud of how much they have grown this year!

.....If you have read this blog before you probably know about the PE Password.  I have a fifth grade student this year who has embraced the concept of the PE Password like no other student before.  He tells me the PE Password every time I see him!  While many days this happens multiple times in one day it brings a smile to my face every time!

....Students in an upper elementary class were deciding on turn taking order and without any hesitation, several groups used rock-paper-scissors to make the decision!

.....I am fortunate to have a student teacher with me and it was great to see him take more of the teaching responsibility this week.  It is wonderful to be a part of helping the next generation of professionals!

.....Our Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador group missed a meeting this week due to the winter weather.  I made an announcement one day this week so that I could meet briefly with the group to plan the next meeting.  Before I could get back to the gymnasium the entire group was there and ready to go!  Now that's enthusiasm!

.....Fourth grade students were recently given an assignment to complete a Fitness Wheel at home.  I do not often give homework but this year I decided to use the idea of homework to help students make some connections between school and home.  The idea of this assignment was to write down activities that were done outside of school that contributed to their physical fitness.  I was so proud of the activities that students shared on the fitness wheel!  One student even connected it to our current Healthy Highway road - Perseverance Path!

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  North Park Physical Education

The Best Parts of My Week 2/2/15--2/6/15

Hi everyone,
     This winter has certainly been a bit of a challenge!  It has been difficult to get into any kind of rhythm due to weather related delays, early releases, and closures and this week was more of the same.......a snow day Monday, a delay on Tuesday, a snow day on Thursday, and I was away at a conference on Friday!  Some weeks I think that I am not going to have enough to write about but believe it or not, this is rarely the case.  Despite the (really) short week, there were many great parts!

.....This week our Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassadors sponsored a Brain Break Week.  Our goal was to increase activity time and promote the idea that students who are more physically active do better in school.  Each classroom was introduced to a website called Go Noodle which has an abundance of short activities for student use in the classroom.  Student Ambassadors made posters to advertise the week and also helped out with announcements each day to remind everyone to be physically active.  Even though the week was short, I received wonderful positive feedback about the event!  Students and teachers stopped me in the hall to tell me which activities they had done and even our librarian added a brain break to her library class!  In fact, most everyone wants to continue the idea of brain breaks in the classroom!  

....."Fitness Frankie to Go" had an extended weekend with his host students.  One student brought him back with new pajamas that her mom had made for him!  I absolutely love it when someone takes an idea and goes above and beyond!  She was so proud of his new pajamas her smile was a mile wide!

.....Students in my primary classes have been exploring balance and one second grader had a simple idea and shared it with his classmates.  He said that when you start to lose your balance you "just lean the other way!"  His advice was simple and effective!

.....Students in the fourth grade were given Fitness Wheels to complete at home.  Students had been participating in fitness stations to learn the components of fitness and I wanted them to make real world connections to activities that they do on their own.  One of the Fitness Wheels was turned in by a student who not only added her dance classes to the wheel but also described her need for perseverance to learn the dances!  As a school we are traveling down "Perseverance Path" and I was so proud of her connection!

.....In the last few months I created a Twitter account and have become a part of an amazing Professional Learning Community!  I have learned so much from so many great people!  One of the things I learned about on Twitter is an app called Comic Life.  This week I created a balance assessment for first grade students.  It was simple, but it gave me great information about whether or not students learned about balance.  I am pleased to say that they indeed learned about the concept of balance!  You can follow me on Twitter - @mrobPE

.....At the end of the week I was fortunate to be able to attend and present at the SHAPE America Eastern District Convention in Springfield, Massachusetts.  It was a great conference and not only did I meet some really great professionals (some that I knew only through Twitter so it was great to meet them in person) but I also learned some new ideas that I can't wait to try out!  After 31 years of teaching it would be easy to maintain the status quo, but working constantly to improve my teaching and practice is my goal and I am grateful to my district and my colleagues who support my professional development!  

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  North Park Physical Education

The Best Parts of My Week 1/26/15--1/30/15

Hi everyone,
     Another week of stops and starts as winter is in full swing!  Each week I keep a notepad in the gymnasium and as these "best parts" happen, I jot them down.  Despite the short week, my notes are plentiful!

.....This week a student teacher began his experience with me at North Park.  I enjoy being a cooperating teacher for many reasons.  I always learn something new from my student teachers, and I hope they benefit from my experience!  I was impressed this week as students became comfortable right away with our new student teacher.  Some asked him to tie shoes, others showed off their skills, and many more asked for help!

.....Fitness Frankie to Go came back this week after having weekend adventures of horseback riding and fun in the snow!  

.....Primary students are working on the concept of balance.  They are exploring many different ways to balance using all kinds of equipment in a station format.  We are so fortunate to have so much equipment and I always enjoy this unit because students have so much fun and work so hard to balance on see-saw rockers, balance boards, balance beams, exercise balls, duck walkers, and more.  One of my first graders commented that she balanced better when she was calm and steady!  I found myself sharing that sentiment all week long and students agreed that it worked for them too!

.....Upper elementary students are learning about the components of Physical Fitness and have been participating in fitness stations that focus on each component.  On the second day of the station activities one of my fourth grade students told me that his muscles felt better and are stronger after having done the exercises!

.....During the Physical Fitness stations this week one fifth grader was encouraging a friend to work hard at doing push-ups correctly.  As I was walking around to each station I heard his encouraging words.  He looked at me and said:  "I'm the motivator!"

.....Third grade students are learning about the components of Physical Fitness as well and participate in fitness testing for the first time this year.   In addition, they are introduced to pedometers and wear them on a daily basis for PE.  This week I noticed that a third grade student had what looked like his own pedometer or accelerometer attached to his pocket.  I asked him about it and he said that he got it for Christmas and that his mom wears one too.  What a great example of family support of physical activity!  

.....Our exit question this week was "Did you challenge yourself?  We discussed ways to challenge yourself even when something was easy and students came up with some great challenges!  One student was participating in the push-up station where students had a variety of push-up exercises to try.  One student asked to borrow an exercise ball from the abdominal exercise station so that he could do push-ups while his feet were balanced on the ball.  Now that's a challenge!

.....If you have read this blog in the last few weeks you know that the National Circus Project was at North Park for Circus Week a few weeks ago.  One of my fifth grade students who became quite good at the diablo told me that his dad was going to buy him a diablo!  He was so excited.  I asked him to bring it in when he gets it so I can see it!

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  North Park Physical Education

The Best Parts of My Week - 1/20/15 - 1/23/15

Hi everyone,
     Well, after an exciting circus week it was back to the regular schedule.  It is always good to return to a routine and I enjoyed this week as there were many great parts to it!

.....I had the pleasure of congratulating our fifth grade students on their hard work and perseverance during Circus Week.  As I told the students how proud I was that they worked through the frustrations and challenges of learning the circus skills in such a short time, I was touched by how they received my message.  Many heads were nodding up and down and the smiles on their faces told me that they were proud as well!

.....I was teaching a kindergarten class this week and I introduced a picture of the circulatory system and had cards with "blood vessels" and "circulatory system" posted in my goal chart.  New York State Domain 1 includes these vocabulary words for first graders and these kindergarten students are part of a K-1 combination class so they have been exposed to this in their classroom.  When I asked the kindergarten students to tell me what they saw on the goal chart one student read the words "blood vessels"!  I was so impressed I asked them if they could point out the heart and lungs on the chart and of course they could!  

.....My upper elementary students are learning about the components of Physical Fitness and this week I had six different stations that focused on different components of fitness.  I always like to play some upbeat music during PE class and this week I used some dance music.  One of the songs that came on during a fifth grade class was the Cha Cha Slide.  As the song played, students did the dance steps while they were doing the fitness station!  Students were dancing while stepping up and down on fitness steps, using medicine balls and exercise balls and even jumping rope!  I told the students that I was going to rename the song to Cha Cha Fitness!

.....As my broken foot continues to heal I am without crutches but my leg/foot are still in a boot.  Several students during the week made me get well cards.  The cards were colorful with thoughtful messages.  Not a day went by this week without a card or a get well wish!  I feel better already!

.....Our PE Password this week is Challenge and our exit question is "Did you challenge yourself?"  When I asked students at the end of class how they challenged themselves during PE they came up with some great answers!  My principal even got into the act this week when she thought I was walking on my foot too much.  She challenged me to move UNDER 10,0000 steps per day!  It was hard and I came very close!  Next week I will have to rise to the challenge!

.....As I walked through the cafeteria this week several students stopped to show me that they were eating apples!  How healthy is that!

.....Our Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassadors have been working on promoting our "Brain Break" week which begins on Monday.  We are encouraging our classes to use Go Noodle activities for at least one brain break every day.  They made some amazing posters to advertise the event and this week a colleague and I put them up in the hallway.  One of our student ambassadors thanked me for putting them up!  She was proud of her work and so am I!  I am looking forward to the week!

.....Primary students were participating in an "Alphabet Stretch" warm-up.  The idea is to move and then stop by a letter and make your body look like that letter.  A second grade class was doing this warm-up and I asked students to say the letter's name, say it's sound, and say a word that begins with that letter.  One group was at the letter "F" and when asked for a word that begins with "F" said Fitness Frankie loud and clear!

.....The week ended with Fitness Friday and as I was getting ready for my first class two third grade students came into the gym because their teacher needed help for a Fitness Friday activity.  They were so excited they were talking at the same time and I had to slow them down to find out what they needed.  I went down to the class to help out and it was so great to see that classroom teachers were including exercise in their day and participating in Fitness Friday!  

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  North Park Physical Education

The Best Parts of My Week - 1/12/15--1/16/15

Hi everyone,
     This week was Circus Week at North Park and what a week it was!  The National Circus Project spent the week with us and kicked off the week with a performance for the entire school.  The week continued with workshops everyday and ended with the fifth grade class performing for the school in the afternoon and for families and friends on Friday night.  It is truly the most intense and, in many ways, one of the most rewarding weeks of the year.  Click the links below for pictures of the week!
Circus Week Pictures
5th Grade Circus Show

.....We decided that this week would be a perfect week to begin to travel down "Perseverance Path".  Students were encouraged to persevere as they learned a variety of circus skills.  We all needed a bit of perseverance this week and Fitness Frankie got into the act too!

.....Renaldo and Justin from the National Circus Project performed an amazing show for us at the beginning of the week.  They are so skilled and they always get the audience involved.  One student was asked to go up on stage to help with a skill.  It was his first week at North Park!  What a way to begin!

.....Renaldo asked on of the adults to come up on the stage to help with a trick.  The person he picked is someone who does not like to be the center of attention but she was so gracious and did terrific job!  I saw her after the performance and, knowing that being up on the stage must have been challenging, I thanked her for being a good sport.  Her response was:  "only for you Mrs. R!"  How nice was that!

.....The laughter and smiles during the Circus show at the beginning of the week were electrifying!  I don't think I stopped smiling and laughing all week!

.....During the week I saw multiple instances of perseverance and the joy of success when a particular goal was accomplished.  I saw stilt walkers walk with confidence, plate spinners do tricks they never thought possible, jugglers juggle basketballs, rings, scarves, and balls, and many, many more successes. I was proud of students and staff alike as they tried new things and worked at getting better!

.....During the Friday afternoon performance a stilt walker made several attempts to walk up a series of mats arranged at different levels.  Renaldo always says there is only one way in the circus - "All the way!"  The stilt walker continued to persevere with Renaldo's encouragement and successfully made it up and down the mats!  The roar of the crowd was deafening as they applauded his effort and his success!

.....After the Friday afternoon school performance so many adults came up to me to tell me what a great week it was and despite the expense of the program we need to do whatever it takes to bring the program back again next year.  Several adults began to suggest ways to make it happen!

.....After the Friday evening performance I had a chance to speak with students and parents and congratulate them on a job well done!  One student remarked that he had done his best, another said that he was actually impressed with himself, and still others were proud of their hard work and perseverance!

.....It is hard to describe the feeling that comes from knowing that this program is about so much more than the actual skills being learned.  There is one particular example of this that I would like to share.  Even before the week began a student asked me if everyone had to be in the circus show.  It was clear that he did not want to be a part of it.  I asked him to keep an open mind and see how the week went before he made a decision.  The beginning of the week was difficult and while he reluctantly participated in the skill practice, I was sure that being a part of the performance at the end of the week would be out of the question.  As the week progressed I witnessed an amazing transformation.  I had tears in my eyes as I told him how proud I was of him and I had the chance to share the same message with his dad.   It was then that I was reminded of the value of this intense and amazing week.

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  North Park Physical Education

The Best Parts of My Week - 1/5/14--1/9/15

Hi everyone,
     Happy New Year!  It is hard to believe that it is 2015 and since I began my career in January of 1984 this marks the beginning of my 32nd year of teaching!  I do not know where the time has gone but it has been a truly amazing ride.....

.....I began the week at home due to an unfortunate accident that resulted in a broken foot.  While this is not the way that I planned to start the new year it makes it to the list of "Best Parts of My Week" because of the wonderful response and offers of help from so many.  When I finally made it back to school on Thursday I was overwhelmed with the caring and help from students and adults.  I am so grateful......

.....On Thursday I planned an activity that would be fun for all but that would not involve too much set up.  I settled on an game called Fitness Payback which involves bowling pins, exercise stations and bean bags.  The students love this game and while they were playing one student came over to have his shoe tied.  As I was tying his shoe another student knocked over his bowling pin.  He turned to the student and said:  "That doesn't count.....I'm on pause!"  It made me think of pausing a video game and I decided that this was a better way to be on "pause"!

.....Cardio Cal is spending some time in a fifth grade class and he came to PE this week.  The students were having so much fun including him in their activity!  One student positioned him so that he could use the flex bands and warm up with everyone else.  It was too cute!  

.....The National Circus Project is coming to our school next week to conduct an artist-in-residence program during which students learn a variety of circus skills and one grade level performs for the entire school at the end of the week.  I had the opportunity to share this with students this week and the excitement in the air was infectious!  We can't wait to spin plates, juggle, balance, and walk on stilts!  

.....The week ended with a snow day.  It is winter after all, and snow days are to be expected, however this one was somewhat of a surprise.  Here's to hoping that next week is a full week!

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  North Park Physical Education