Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school! I'm excited to start the new year and it looks like the kids are excited too. The positive vibes from the Maury community are truly energizing.

Below is the letter I sent home in Tuesday folders explaining a little bit about myself and the program at Maury:


Welcome Back Maury Family!

It is great to back for my third year as the Physical Education and Health teacher. I want to highlight some of the changes and exciting things we have in store for this year in Physical Education and in Health.

Physical Education Curriculum:
This year, we will continue to use the SPARK PE Curriculum. “SPARK PE was designed to be more inclusive, active, and fun than traditional PE classes, and SPARK was proven to work with both physical education specialists and classroom teachers.” (www.sparkpe.org) Please be sure your student is prepared for PE! This means proper attire and footwear. If your student is wearing footwear that is dangerous for physical activities (flip-flops, open-toed shoes, high-heels, boots, etc.) they will be asked to not participate. Check out the DCPS Physical Education Standards here and the National Standards here.

Health Curriculum:
Our Health classes this year are concentrated around the Health Standards for DCPS which are aligned with the National Health Education Standards. I will also use curriculum from Welcoming Schools (www.welcomingschools.org) to combat bullying and promote a school culture that is accepting and welcoming of all students. In addition, Health includes: health promotion and disease prevention, access to and evaluation of health information, self-management skills, analyzing influences, interpersonal communication, and decision making and goal setting.

The BIG Change:
This year we will combine the Health and PE classes. If your student is in 1st-5th grade, they will have PE and Health class twice a week. There will be no distinction between PE and Health on the schedule which means that your student should come dressed to participate for both days of PE and Health class.

Fitness Club and Maury Running Club:
Please stay tuned for these great fitness opportunities for 3rd-5th graders! I will be sending out more information in the next few weeks. MRC will take place after school and Fitness Club will be run during recess from 12:05-12:35.

Check out the newest addition to PE and Health, the PE and Health Blog! Check back often to see updates on what your students are doing in class and what events will be coming up.

www.maurype.blogspot.com

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding Physical Education, Health or the Fitness Club. I know this year will be a great success!

Stay active and healthy!
Caroline Hunt
caroline.hunt@dc.gov

True Olympic Champion, Allyson Felix

If you were around Maury a few years ago, you may remember a visit by some pretty famous athletes. One happened to be Allyson Felix. She showed the students her hula-hooping skills, impressively completed a hopscotch in heels and modeled just how important health and fitness is to our students.

Allyson is a perfect example of dedication and hard work in athletics. In 2004, Allyson, only 18 years old at the time, attempted to earn gold at her first Olympics in the 200 meter track and field event. Falling short, Allyson came in second earning a World Junior record with a time of 22.18. A few World Championships and eight years of hard work later, Allyson qualified for the London Summer Olympics. Running against the worlds fastest women, Allyson finished first in the 200 running the race in only 22.81. Ironically Allyson ran slower than her Olympic race in 2004, However, this should not deter us from noticing her hard work and success just a few days ago.

She is a great role-model for our young people. In June of 2010, Allyson- along with many infamous athletes including Billie Jean King, Dominique Dawes, Michelle Kwan, and Grant Hill- was appointed to the President's Council on Fitness, Sport, and Nutrition by Michelle Obama. On the day of the introduction of the new council members, Obama explained, "The Council will play an important role in our effort to help combat childhood obesity in this country and I am grateful to the athletes, chefs, doctors and nutrition experts who are volunteering their time on the Council to help make a difference.” And it has. The Council is responsible for advising the president through the Secretary of Health and Human Services about "opportunities to develop accessible, affordable and sustainable physical activity, fitness, sports and nutrition programs for all Americans regardless of age, background or ability."

Here's to athletes that are also genuinely inspirational role-models!