Taft Physical Education
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Let us begin by welcoming you to Taft for another school year. Physical education is an integral part of the elementary school curriculum. Childhood obesity has increased dramatically in our country. As a result there has been an increase in diabetes and high blood pressure in our children. Our primary goal is to teach children the importance of being physically active in a safe manner. This is also a very important time for development in our children. A variety of motor skills and specific sports skills will be presented to help facilitate their development. Finally, we like to stress good sportsmanship and cooperation in our classes. We encourage students to work together and develop good social skills with their teachers and peers. Below is a breakdown by grade level of what your child will be doing this year. We have also included a list of the physical education rules and grading procedures.
In first and second grades, the focus of our program is on basic skill development through various movement activities. These skills are broken down into both the physical and social domains and include: Physical hand-eye coordination foot-eye coordination balance locomotor/ non-locomotor movements manipulative skills
Social self-control/ responsibility listening skills/ following basic directions cooperation with others/ sportsmanship enthusiasm
Third grade is a transition year for our physical education program, which continues through 5th grade. The emphasis changes to include the development of responsibility, cooperation and teamwork through participation in both individual and team sports. Such activities include: physical fitness assessments soccer/football basketball volleyball/tennis floor hockey/lacrosse cup stacking dance circus skills track and field x-country running cooperative activities whiffleball/baseball
We have a number of rules that were reviewed during the first week of school. Students should wear sneakers and comfortable clothing to school the days they have physical education class. Sneakers must have a tongue and cover the entire foot for proper support. They must also have laces or Velcro straps so that they stay on the feet. Comfortable clothing may include shorts, t-shirt, sweatpants or sweatshirt. PLEASE NOTE: Students will be going outside for physical education class. Please be sure they are properly dressed for the weather. Students in morning classes may want to bring an extra pair of socks and sneakers because they may get wet. We ask that you do not allow your child to wear jewelry to school on the days they have physical education. This is not only for the safety of our students, but also for the security of any valuables brought to class. Any child wearing jewelry to class will be asked to remove it prior to participating. If your child is unable to participate in class due to a medical reason, please send a written excuse stating such. If the medical is directed by a doctor for a period of time, another note is needed to release the student back into class participation. Students will be graded using the Washingtonville Physical Education Scoring Rubric (see attached). To test students’ knowledge and understanding, written tests will be given. This year all students will be required to complete a timed distance run/walk assessment in September and again in April to show student growth and achievement in this component of fitness. First and second graders will be completing the 1/4 mile, third graders will be doing the 1/2 mile and 4th and 5th graders will be doing the 1 mile run. If you have any questions or concerns you may contact one of us at 497-4000. As the physical education staff, we are looking forward to a very exciting and productive year. Thank you for your support and cooperation.
Sincerely,
Ms. Henn Mrs. Mullady Mr. Wurster |
Washingtonville Elementary Physical Education Rubric |