The Best Parts of My Week 9/12/11-9/16/11

Hi everyone,
    Well, it was the first full week back to school and it was a week full of "best parts!"  I hope you enjoy!

.....We began the week with our first North Park Healthy Highway assembly of the year!  It was great fun!  I was impressed at what the students remembered from last year's program and the fact that everyone seems excited to continue our journey down the Healthy Highway!  Fitness Frankie shared his summer adventure with everyone and Exercise Ernie arrived to smiles and laughter!  I am always proud of how our building comes together, students and staff alike, to embrace the programs provided!

.....I was introducing the PE Rules of the Road to my kindergarten students this week.  I explained that classes would have the opportunity to earn their "PE Driver's License" and I showed them the road on the wall that class PE cars would travel down this year.  At the end of the road there are two paper trophies to signify where students complete a lap.  One of the kindergarten students asked what they were.  Another student immediately answered "oh, that's the Piston Cup!"

.....Several of my classes earned their "PE Driver's License" this week after learning and demonstrating the PE Rules of the Road.  They were very excited to receive their class car and it encouraged other classes to work hard to earn their "PE Driver's License" too!

.....One of my students this week stopped to tell me that her class was making very healthy choices in the cafeteria this week!  She thought I should know about it and I was happy to hear it!

.....We have decided to add the Healthy Highway Pledge to our existing North Park Pledge that students say every morning during our morning announcements.  I thought it would be a neat idea to make pledge cards and have the students sign the pledge by class.  It was great to see the students embrace this idea  and the pledge cards look great!

.....We recently had several retirements in my school.  One of my students asked me this week how many more years it would be before I retired.  I responded:   "I am having too much fun to retire!"  She agreed that my job was indeed fun, unless I had to send someone to the "Stop and think about it" center!

.....Fitness Frankie was given a gift by our friends who traveled this summer with us and enjoyed his adventure as well.  The gift was a small bear from Dublin, Ireland who we named "PE Paddy".  I had him hanging around the gymnasium this week and several students recognized him from Fitness Frankie's summer adventure pictures and were excited to see him!

.....At the end of the week two of my students enjoyed a birthday and instead of cupcakes, brought in a healthy alternative snack as a treat.  At North Park, students who do this earn a "Fit Kids" bracelet and earn one mile for their class.  The two students were in the same class and were telling me about the healthy treats they brought for the class.  I gave them their bracelets and one other student raised his hand and told me that for his birthday he was going to bring in his grandma's home-made, whole grain chips.  I said that sounded great and I asked him when his birthday was.  He responded:  "April!"  I guess he is planning ahead!


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

Please visit the North Park Physical Education Website for more information about our program!

The Best Parts of My Week......9-6-11--9-9-11

Hi everyone,
     School is back in session!  It was a great week of smiles, new sneakers, and excitement!  I hope you enjoy the Best Parts of My Week!

     Since it is the beginning of the school year, I would like to remind everyone of the origins of this blog. This blog was created as a way to celebrate those wonderful moments that happen every week in my school.  The name came from an experience with my principal when she first began her career at my school.  As we were getting to know each other in that first year, she would frequently ask me (and others) "What was the best part of your day?"  That question helped me to recall the very best parts of each day.  It is so easy to dwell on what goes wrong each day or what part of each day is less than perfect.  However, if I have learned anything during my lifetime, it is that every day is truly a gift and if we take the time to think about it, every day has at least one (usually more) beautiful moment.  This blog is my attempt to remember, communicate, and celebrate those moments......

.....Each year before the students arrive, our district holds a Superintendent's Conference Day during which we prepare for the upcoming year.  It is always fun to see friends and colleagues and share the excitement of the new school year!

.....The first day of school with students is always exciting!  I had the opportunity to greet students as they arrived while I was taking pictures for our school website.  It was a very rainy day, but despite the rain, students were happy to begin the new year and many greeted me with a hug!  One student even shared with me how she exercised during the summer!

.....I was greeted one morning by a colleague who presented me with a "Savannah" bear!  She and her family spent time in Savannah. Georgia this summer and thought Fitness Frankie would like a friend!  I was touched by her thoughtfulness!

.....For some reason the yellow jackets in our area have been particularly aggressive this year and we have had a problem with them in my gymnasium.  As a result, I had to take my students outside for PE at the end of the week.  Since we are just getting started, I took some kindergarten students out to the playground and we reviewed the rules before they played on the equipment.  One particular student was apprehensive to use the "twisty" slide.  This is a tubular slide that twists as it descends.  I asked her why she was afraid and she responded that the slide was fast and dark.  I told her that she could use her feet as brakes and that I would be at the bottom of the slide for her if she wanted to try it.  She agreed and, after making sure that I was indeed at the bottom of the slide, she came down the slide with a huge smile and laugh!  She continued using the slide for the rest of the period, and thanked me at the end of the class for helping her!

.....A first grade student using the playground during that same day told me that he was proud of himself for being able to use a particular piece of the equipment that required a significant amount of upper body strength.  He said "I just had to believe in myself!"  Don't we all?????

.....I would be remiss if I did not share these last experiences as some of the best parts of my week.  I am honored to have recently been named the 2011 NYS Elementary PE Teacher of the Year by NYS AHPERD.  I am humbled by this award and have a difficult time sharing the news myself, but my principal was kind enough to share that news with our faculty during our opening day.  I was overwhelmed by their kind words and congratulatory hugs.  One of our teachers decided to share this news with her class and they responded enthusiastically!  As her students arrived to PE this week I received a round of applause and some wonderful cards!  One of the cards said:  "I always knew you could do it!"; and another said:  "I am so lucky to have you as my PE teacher!"  This brought tears of happiness to my eyes.........It does not get any better than that!  I am truly grateful!  I am looking forward to a wonderful year!

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

Please visit the North Park PE Website for more information about my program.

The Best Parts of My Week....6/20/11-6/24/11

Hi everyone,

Well, it was the last week of school and there was happiness and celebration in the air along with some sadness for those who were retiring or moving on to middle school.......

.....Early in the week I gave a third grade class some activity choices during their last PE class for the year. Some of the students played kickball. On the way inside, one of the students said: "That was a lot of fun because everyone was cheering for each other!" This is a class that has been quite competitive this year so I was very happy to hear that the outcome of the game was less important than cheering for each other!

.....I had a great visit with a former student this week! We had a great chat and she filled me in on what was going on in her life, but she also was interested in what was going on at North Park! It's always fun to have visitors and catch up! We had several visitors this week as the middle school students were finished with exams. I was happy to see them all!

.....Our kindergarten students participate in a celebration of their first year of school that involves student-made sunflowers and lots of smiles! The celebration was held this week and I was able to attend and take some pictures. Every student receives an award that is carefully planned by his/her teacher. It was wonderful to reflect on how much these students have grown this year! I congratulated one of the students later on and he said that he was happy to have seen me in the audience! He thought I might be late!

.....Our 5th grade students participate in a moving up ceremony as they will move on to middle school next year. It is always a wonderful celebration filled with happiness, but also some sadness. I am always thrilled for the students as they have worked hard to accomplish many goals, but I am always sad to say goodbye. As Special Area teachers, we have the unique privilege to be a part of these students education for six years in a row and we feel connected to their education in a special way.......I guess that's why it's so great when they come back to visit!

.....Our wonderful PTA provides a special breakfast for our 5th grade students on the last day of school to celebrate their elementary school experience. It has become a tradition in the recent past to put together a slide show that students watch during the breakfast. This slide show contains pictures of these students participating in various activities during the year. I was asked if I had some pictures of Field Day to contribute to the slide show and of course I said Yes! (I take literally thousands of pictures each year for the school and PE website.) After I had contributed these pictures I decided to look for more pictures for the show. I had fun looking for pictures of these students in past years and found quite a few to add to the show. I was struck by how much they had grown in a relatively short period of time! The PTA moms who made the show were very appreciative and not only added a slide saying "Club PE Rocks! We will miss you Mrs. R!", but they also made me a copy of the slide show!

.....I am always touched by the thank you notes and gifts that students and families so generously give to me on the last day of school. I am so thankful to be thought of........it is truly the thought that counts!!!!

.....Fitness Frankie and I had great fun saying goodbye to the students during dismissal! We had music playing, streamers waving, and bubbles floating! While there were tears from some who were sad to leave, there were many smiles and cheers as well! I am proud to be a part of a school environment where students are so moved by their experience and education......

......It has been a great year! Thanks for reading about "The Best Parts of My Week!" Have a great summer and come back to read more in September!

Check out the Last Day of School pictures on our website!

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....6/13/11-6/17/11

Hi everyone,

Field Days continue as we look forward to summer vacation!

.....On Monday we held our Field Day for third and fourth graders and on Tuesday we held our Field Day for Students in kindergarten, first, and second grade. Both days were fantastic! We had wonderful parents, teachers, grandparents, and even some extended family members volunteer! The students were wonderful and a great time was had by all! I was able to visit with many of the volunteers during the events and enjoyed hearing the compliments about student behavior!

.....As you can imagine, organizing Field Day is a tremendous amount of work. I needed some help this week setting up and taking down some equipment that was just too heavy for me to lift by myself. I don't ask for help as often as I should, but this week I decided to put out an all call for help. In a matter of seconds, I had so many colleagues willing to help that the task was done in no time at all! I am so fortunate to work with such wonderful people!

.....One of the Field Day events is an obstacle course that I set up in the gym. I decided to keep the obstacle course up for the rest of the day and as a special treat, allow my younger classes to take some turns using the course. They were thrilled! They had such a good time and appreciated the opportunity!

.....I received some spontaneous hugs from some students on the way IN to the gymnasium this week! I guess they knew they were going to have some fun!

.....Sometimes teachers make connections in the places that seem the least likely. This week on the way inside at the end of the last PE class of the year, one of my fifth grade students said "I am going to miss you!" I was happy to know that I had made that connection. I am going to miss the fifth graders too!

.....I was in the lobby on Friday morning greeting students as they arrived. A first grader came up to me and said: "Guess what I have for snack today?" I responded: "What do you have for snack today?" She said: "An apple!" I responded: "That's a terrific healthy snack!" I guess they know that I am paying attention and care about their healthy choices! I DO!

.....I taught a fifth grade class this week how to play Ultimate Frisbee. I was explaining to the students the best way to toss a Frisbee and one of my students commented that it was just like skipping rocks. He was absolutely correct! I am always surprised by the connections and analogies that students make. This is an analogy that I will use in the future!

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....6/6/11-6/10/11

Hi everyone,

It was a scorcher of a week in the Northeast! That meant some postponements of scheduled Field Days, but amid the disappointment there were many "Best Parts"! Enjoy!

.....On Monday I counted "Coop" cars to get the final total for our "Operation Healthy North Park". I was thrilled to count 2,785 "Coop" Cars! (I really counted every one!) That equals at least 55, 700 minutes of exercise! We beat last year's record!

.....I have been able to introduce golf putting skills to my students and I was so impressed with their approach to the game! Many students were serious and skillful and were thrilled to have a chance to play!

......I was happy to listen to students recount stories of playing golf with moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas!

.....A first grade student told me that she was both sad and happy because Field Day was postponed. She said: "I was sad because Field Day was canceled, but I was happy because I was so hot I did not want to do anything!" I felt the same way!

.....5th Grade Field Day was the only Field Day that we could hold this week and it was terrific! The students were amazing, the parents were wonderful and helpful, and we all had a great time! Fitness Frankie attended as well!

.....I had a great conversation with a grandparent who came to watch Field Day. There were many compliments about the students, our volunteers, and the activities!

......We are so fortunate to have such wonderful parents who help run our Field Day stations! This week I was sad to say goodbye to some parents whose students will be moving on to middle school, but I was happy to remember all of the wonderful times we have had and all of the events that these parents have volunteered for!

.....At the end of the 5th grade Field Day I had asked some of the students to help clean up some of the equipment. I asked them if they had a good time during Field Day and I was answered with a "THANK YOU" and a hug!

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....5/31/11-6/3/11

Hi everyone,

The days are getting longer, but the school year is getting shorter! There is so much excitement and celebration as the school year draws to a close!

.....Our Field Day shirts arrived and I spent time this week organizing them for distribution. While it is a big task to complete, I am always thrilled to see the excitement on the faces of students and adults alike as they receive their shirts!

.....My upper elementary students have been playing the game of 4 Square while I have been completing fitness testing. Since the testing was complete in one class, I asked the groups of players if I could join and play too! I was welcomed with smiles and I had a great time playing!

.....This week we held Kindergarten Orientation for our incoming kindergarten students. Our principal takes the parents on a tour of the building while the students meet with the kindergarten teachers. I was able to speak about our PE program with several parent groups this week. I always enjoy this opportunity! I even recognized some faces of parents who were my students!

.....My primary students have been using a variety of equipment to aim for a variety of targets this week. We have "Geo-Targets" (geometric shapes hung up on a rope), buckets, goals, and number targets. Students worked hard to kick, toss, throw, and strike objects so that a particular object will reach a target. I love to see the faces of students when they are successful!

.....While working with the targets this week I changed a few stations to make them different and exciting. One of my students walked in to the gymnasium this week and immediately said "I LOVE it when you make it challenging!"

.....We held our in-school Spring Concert this week. This serves as a dress rehearsal for our chorus, band, and string groups just prior to the evening performance. Our students and music staff work so hard all year to learn and improve. I am always in awe of the talent and dedication of our students and staff. It was a great concert and definitely one of the "Best Parts of My Week"!

I hope you enjoyed reading about "The Best Parts of My Week".

"Operation Healthy North Park!" has concluded! The final total of "Coop" cars will be coming soon!

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....5/23/11-5/27/11

Hi everyone,

What a wonderful week! There were so many great moments! Enjoy!

.....I had the pleasure of hosting Wendy Cooper, creator of Healthy Highway at my house this week as we prepared for our final Healthy Highway assembly of the year!

.....We held our final Healthy Highway assembly of the year on Tuesday. We introduced Victory Lane, celebrated our accomplishments this year, and reminded ourselves of those who help us achieve success in our lives - our Pit Crew! When I asked the students who they thought were a part of their Pit Crew they said, their parents, friends, teachers, and families! It was terrific being able to show Wendy how we have implemented Healthy Highway and after we enjoyed a slide show of this year's activities, we all enjoyed dancing! Wendy taught us a few new moves!

.....Fitness Frankie was awarded the Healthy Highway "Driver of the Year" Award! He even received a new shirt to wear!

.....I received my very own Healthy Highway shirt!

.....North Park School was given a beautiful plaque as the first recipient of the Healthy Highway "Green Light to Good Health Award"!

.....This week I received "Coop" cars for our Operation Healthy North Park program from all across the district! It made me smile!

.....I enjoyed a conversation with a parent this week who told me how much her child enjoyed PE........

.....Our superintendent was on her way to participate in a zip line activity at another school in the district. She called up to ask if she could bring Fitness Frankie! He had a great time! Check out his blog soon for his account of the experience!

.....I was doing a "shoelace" warm-up with my primary students this week. Each student is given a shoelace and they are asked to come up with creative ways to exercise. I was playing patriotic music in celebration of Memorial Day and one of my students called to me to say "Look! I made an "M" for Memorial Day!"

.....During bus duty this week I was talking with some students and asking about their plans for the Memorial Day weekend. One student responded that he wasn't sure, but it would probably include some exercise!

I hope you enjoyed reading about "The Best Parts of My Week".

This is the last week for participation in "Operation Healthy North Park!"

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

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