First Week Wrap Up

I can't believe the first week is already done! What a whirlwind of fun- with the students, the staff, the parents, and the physical activity!


This week I was able to meet with each student twice, and am slowly getting used to the "color codes" the school uses (such a neat idea!) I either have my "Reds and Yellows" or "Blues and Greens" all day. I think it's a great opportunity for the students to be able to mix it up with different peers during their specials times in Art, Music, or PE (something I never got to do!).

This year's PE Theme is "TEAMWORK." No matter what activity or game we work on, we must realize we all have different talents and need each other to get the job done and be the most successful. To many classes I introduced the acronym TEAM= Together Everyone Achieves More. The kids loved it!



The first day with each class we went over the Expectations:
1. Respect the teacher, your classmates, yourself, and the equipment.
2. Never say you can't. Never quit. (Unless, as one student pointed out, you say, "I can't YET...")
3. Only do to others what you would want done to you.
4. Always try your hardest.
5. Kind words only. (As another student pointed out, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all!"

We also went over the importance of CHAMP in PE class:
C (Conversation) = No talking during instruction; positive words only during activities
H (Help) = Raise your hand if you need help during instruction, or come find me during an activity.
A (Activity) = No activity during instruction; lots of activity during activities but practicing self control
M (Movement) = No movement during instruction; move with self control during game play
P (Participation) =Answer questions I raise so that I can know what you have learned; LOTS of participation and full effort during activities

I also introduced "DOUBLE FAULT" to the students. I explained that in Tennis, a sport I like to play, a server gets 2 tries at serving. The first missed serve is called a "Fault". The server gets one more chance to serve it in. After a second missed serve, does the server get to keep the ball? No. He/She must give it to the opposing player. In PE class, this is the way I manage/discipline my students. When there is a problem, I will let the student know that was their "First Fault." After a Double Fault (second problem), I will ask the student to have a seat on the bleachers until we can talk one on one. If we cannot then fix the problem, I will involve the parents or administration.

The second day involved a lot more FUN... and activity!
The students were introduced to the quote:

Coming together is the beginning
Keeping together is progress
Working together is SUCCESS.

Many students volunteered to explain this quote to the rest of the class, emphasizing that success does not always come right at the beginning, but that doesn't mean you should give up.
We then went on to many fun Teambuilding Activities. Ask your child what he/she played... some of the games included:
Loop the Hoop: holding hands and working a hula hoop all the way down a line of linked students
Crazy Eight: working in a circle and throwing certain ball patterns with eight different balls
Ants in a Line: what's easier? getting all the balls down alone or as a team?
Line or Wall Sit Relays: whether you had to jump, hop, sprint, crabwalk, bear crawl, or something else!

So many fun activities that focused on teamwork helped me to see which classes feel comfortable with one another and can work in a positive environment. This will help both the students and myself as we begin our different sports units in the coming weeks.

That's all for now!

Mrs. Verkaik