The last two weeks, 3rd-5th graders have been working on setting goals for our fitness assessments.  Each student has found one assessment they'd like to improve in for our mid-year "goal" assessment.

Next week, we'll begin the process of fitness assessments in PE.  These include Pacer (Cardiorespiratory Endurance), Curl-Ups (Muscular Endurance), Push-Ups (Muscular Strength), and Sit and Reach (Flexibility).  Do you know which assessment your student wishes to improve?  Students are encouraged to work on activities outside of PE that support their goal.  Working together with friends and family makes everything more fun- not to mention, it cultivates the culture of wellness at home and develops positive exercise habits at a young age!

Candy will be picked up on Tuesday, 11/13.  If you would like to donate any extra candy laying around, please send it to school to be dropped off before school starts on Tuesday.  Candy will be picked up, along with the beautiful cards made in art, during the school day.

Thank you for all of your donations so far!

 I hope your summer was as beautiful and relaxing as could be!  My summer was spent fishing in SE Alaska again, it was hotter than ever with the least amount of rain I've ever seen.  We caught some salmon when we could, so you can purchase it from stores to maintain your brain health! :)  I've always loved the way Alaska helps me to slow down and enjoy each moment- something I continually strive for when I return to the busy school year and loud city!

It's hard to believe we're already in to October!  Have you been by to check out our REAL gym?!  What a difference this space makes for our ability to focus and learn in PE.  September was full of practicing routines and learning how to best use the space- from entering and exiting to our Peace Place location- we have the routines we need to be successful down now.

With our new gym, we need to ensure students are wearing appropriate athletic style shoes for PE. 

• The floor is now wood (wahoo, no more cement!) and we need to do everything we can to help preserve the floor.  Hard soled shoes increase wear on the floor.  This will be great practice for when we have a brand new gym next year! 
• Wearing athletic shoes also increases your students ability to move around in PE, without having to worry about shoes falling off or slipping. 
• Safety! Hard soled and/or heeled shoes aren't as stable while we're moving and grooving in PE, increasing the likelihood of injuries. 

I have a small selection of shoes students can borrow, though I'm still working to collect appropriate sizes for all grade levels.  If you have any old, but usable, shoes in size 3, 4, or 5 that you'd like to donate...please let me know!

In October, we'll continue with cooperative games to build on our fitness skills and fundamental movement skills (kick, throw, catch, jump, etc.), in addition to affective skills.   Grades 3-5 will begin fitness assessment next week to set a baseline in order for us to practice setting goals and work toward those goals throughout the school year.  K-2 PE students will continue with skill building through games and activities- moving in open space safely, working together with classmates, and doing what is expected in PE.

Stay tuned for more updates and our new PE schedule posted!  

Bike to School Month is May!  How many days out of this month are you able to change your transportation to biking?

On May 9th, Wednesday, it is Bike to School Day! If there is just one day you'd like to try, this would be the day!  District-wide, students are participating in this challenge.

Remember, it is unlawful to ride a bike without your helmet!  Though you may be confident in your riding ability, it is your responsibility to protect your brain from other unexpected accidents!  Use this fitting guide to help you.

All students grades 3-5 this school year had an opportunity to practice bike safety and bike skills. We used the bikes and helmets from Cascade Bicycle Clubs "Let's Go" rolling unit in October 2017.

Looking for a fun and challenging way to promote fitness at home?  Studies show that when we model healthy living habits to children, they are more likely to try it out as well.  In the "Documents in Videos" section of this website I added an April Fitness Challenge for your enjoyment!  This one is baseball themed as we enter baseball season.

Print it out, or let me know if you'd like a copy, post it in a common space and see if you can make it through each days quick challenge!

March is National Nutrition Month and we're celebrating by learning how to make informed food choices and physical activity decisions.  All grades have learned or reviewed the food groups and sorted foods in to these groups.  We've learned that every food has energy for my body to use (measured by calories), though some foods like "sometimes foods" (sugary, greasy, salty, processed) provide energy with minimal essential nutrients.  Eating foods produced in nature provide more essential nutrients to help us learn, grow, and play.  Discussing essential nutrients, their purpose, and the food groups that provide high amounts of each has been a blast!  Through skill based games, we've been able to explore the many ways we can provide nutrient dense food choices to fuel our play and help our brain focus!

In Nascar Nutrition, we learned that food fuels our body. In order to continue fueling our "race car", scooter, each lap around the track required students to stop at the "pit stop" to re-fuel.  Scooters matched the food groups, so a blue scooter meant that the student would find a dairy food.

While one partner practiced pulling and pushing on the scooter, the other worked with stretch bands- helping us to learn the muscles in our body. 

Which two food groups are we missing?  Do you see any foods that need to be in a different hoop?

One major focus in PE is working together with all of our classmates.  Through problem solving teamwork  games we learn to take turns, create solutions, and communicate effectively.  In the VIDEOS tab of my site, 3 new videos from today's lesson are posted!  They are just a glimpse of what we do in PE, but worth the watch!

A couple winter reminders to help your student do their best in PE:

Did you know that 5th graders get a FREE season pass at Stevens Pass? 

Skiing and snowboarding are great activities to improve awareness (both the relation of their body to the space they're in and self-awareness, strengths and areas to improve), muscular endurance (mostly core and legs), whole-body coordination, balance, self-confidence, social skills, and perseverance.  Outdoor activities are also proven to increase mood and provide experiences to appreciate nature.

For more information about the free season pass...
https://www.stevenspass.com/shop/fifthgrader

Staff is challenged this month to improve wellness with a wellness bingo game.  You can get involved in your own game with your family too!  Refrigerator Bingo is a great way to challenge your family to eat healthy stuff and move around enough...plus making improvements together as a family is fun!

I hope everyone had a safe and active summer!  It's hard to believe that it is already closing in on October!  We have started the year with expectations in PE, practicing how those expectations look/sound/feel, and we are starting in on teamwork games.  We are working on growth-mindsets in PE and ways we can encourage each other to do their best to make improvements in each activity or game.

Coming up in the second week of October, we will have the bicycles from Cascade Bicycle Club for our Rolling and Pedestrian Unit.  I'm excited to try this unit and would love to have some volunteers who can help us be successful.  If you're available, please email me!  bcveleber@seattleschools.org

Looking forward to another fun and exciting year at QAE!