Fitness All Day Everyday

The Fitness and Wellness Room has been getting quite a bit of use: teachers have been working out together, Fitness Club has kicked off during recess and Maury's Fitness Club (after school)  began this past Thursday.

 One student has really taken to the idea of fitness, look at his latest accomplishment!

Railyard Fitness in the Works!

Railyard Fitness is literally the coolest PE equipment around and Maury's got it! The equipment is quite pricey, so I used the DC PAY grant money to purchase these fun rails and platforms. Railyard is totally modular so you can change the course every time you use it. While looking for inspiration online, I found these videos. Check it out!

Look at our kiddos trying out the equipment for the first time! Students improved their Muscular Strength and Endurance by practicing different exercises set up in stations all the equipment. Exercises included: Jump Ups, Modified Push-ups, Jump Overs and Crawl Unders. Then students got to explore the equipment and create their own "moves" to show off to the class.

All K-5 students played a fun game the combines Sharks and Minnows and an obstacle course. If the student makes it past the taggers they get to try the obstacle course. If the got tagged, students had to start back on the other side of the room and try again. The game focused on improving Cardiovascular Fitness. 

One more treat :) The PK students explored the equipment by moving across it in different ways. As I was helping one student make it across the highest rail, I heard some kids singing. I asked them to do it again because it was too good not to video tape. Enjoy! (And GREAT JOB, Ms. John!!)

***The Video had trouble uploading, I'll keep working on it. Check back soon!**

Calling all Fit Families! (Or families who want to get fit!)

This year's Family Fitness Night will take place at Maury on Oct 10th. If you are interested in helping out, or have an amazing idea that our community would benefit from, please contact me directly. Each year, I try to make the event fresh and interesting. Right now, I am looking for outside vendors who would be willing to come in and share their knowledge with students and families.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Caroline

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Re-Posted from the:

President Barack Obama Proclaims September 2014 as “National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month”

Posted by Elyse Cohen, Deputy Director, Let’s Move! on September 05, 2013

President Barack Obama declared September 2014 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, encouraging Americans to get involved in promoting healthy eating and physical activity for our kids nationwide.

Obesity affects millions of American children and teenagers, putting them at risk for serious health issues, such as diabetes, cancer, asthma, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Rates of childhood obesity—after exponentially increasing over the last three decades—are holding steady and even decreasing in some areas.

“During National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, let us build on this momentum and strengthen the trend toward healthier lifestyles and brighter futures for our Nation’s children,” The President said in a proclamation released August 30th, 2013.

Let’s Move! continues to extend a call to action to get everyone involved in overcoming this epidemic. The First Lady remains dedicated to working together to change the way a generation of kids thinks about food and nutrition.

“We all share in the responsibility of helping our Nation’s children enjoy longer, healthier lives,” said President Obama. “Together, we can give them the energy and confidence to learn, excel, and pursue their dreams.”

Do your part this month by ensuring your kids have a healthy environment by getting involved with Let’s Move! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. 

www.letsmove.gov

Railyard Fitness

I couldn't be more excited about the giant shipment we recieved last night! Check out www.railyardfitness.com to get a sneak peak of how we will use this fantastic equipment in the future! we are taking Maury's PE and Health program to a new level (and we're taking the staff with us too)!!

$500 for Maury Fitness and Wellness!

As recipients of the DC PAY grant, our students are eligible for an additional contest to win $500 for Maury. If we do have a student that wins, they will be in charge of picking the equipment we will be purchasing for the school. If you would like an original copy of the submission form below, let me know!

Welcome back!

I feel it already, another great year ahead of us. It was so uplifting to see everyone's smiling faces this morning!

If you want to get a jump start on your reading, I've posted my welcome letter below. Please remember to put your kids in sneakers for PE!!!

Welcome Back Maury Family!

It is great to back for my fourth 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.

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 students in grades PS-5th will have PE and Health once a week. Students in 1st and 2nd grade will have an additional PE and Health class during the 1st half of the year. 3rd-5th graders will have an additional PE and Health class during the 2nd half of the year.

Maury Fitness 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. Maury Running and recess time Fitness Club is now merged into one Maury Fitness Club. The club will meet both during recess and after school. More information to come in the Tuesday folder.

Continue to find news and information on 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