Dear parents,
As you have probably seen reported in the media, our children's activity choices have become more and more sedentary. Consistent vigorous physical exercise, a key component of a healthy growing body, has become a rare or nonexistent part of many children's lives. This brings a number of negative consequences as they grow into adulthood.
Welcome to elementary Physical Education I Our goal is to establish patterns and understanding in our students which will lead them to appreciate and pursue a lifetime of physical health. But we can't do it alone in two periods a week. So I want to share with you some of the guidelines in our class and how you can help in the process.
I. The two main areas of focus in our PE classes, following the state standards, are conditioning and teaching skills that can be used in different sports and activities. Concerning the first, we normally have a conditioning activity of some sort on one day of the week. We start with a small goal but increase the expectations as the year goes on. Since one day obviously is not enough for a person to become fit, one of my two "homework" assignments that I'd like you to oversee is that 3 days each week minimum your child does some cardiovascular activity (running, swimming, bicycling uphill, aerobics, jump rope, etc.) for at least 20 minutes straight where they are breathing hard and their heart is pumping fast (They should get tired!).
The second "homework" assignment is that each day they do pushups and sit-ups at home. This will prepare them to pass their state testing standards. If they do these two things, they will have no trouble keeping up in my class.
II. Some guidelines for PE class:
A. Dress appropriately on PE days - Comfortable, loose clothes, socks, athletic shoes (See attached sheet). Shoes must be tied correctly. A hat may be worn if it has at least a one inch brim completely around it. Sunscreen may be used.
B. Water only may be brought to class. No flavored or colored drinks.
C. A towel may be brought as students sit and do exercises outdoors.
D. A parent or doctor's note must be brought for a student to be excused from PE class (See attached sheet). Excused students are to bring a book, paper, and pencil to class.
E. Grading: C=Consistently demonstrates high performance and effort (Think"Excellent''),
S=Sometimes demonstrates (Think "Satisfactory"), R=Rarely demonstrates (Think "Needs Improvement'').
Students receive two grades in PE: Participation (Conditioning scores and effort in all areas of class) and Sportsmanship (Behavior, cooperation, treatment of teachers and other students). It is expected that students improve as the year progresses.
I look forward to teaching your child in PE this year. As with most things in life, you get out of it what you put into it.
Sincerely,
Mr. Powell
