Monday, October 6, 2008

The rain is back which must mean it's fitness testing time

Welcome to October! I notice that there are at least a couple of pairs of eyes checking out the blog so I will keep it going. If it doesn't catch on I might need to try some more extreme measures to catch every ones attention.

October is here and with it comes the rain, cooler weather, and fitness testing. This year each student from 1st through the 6th grade will be practicing and completing fitness tests. We have already completed our practice distance run for each grade and will wait for a dry week to complete the real test. For those of you that don't know, the first and second graders complete a 1/4 mile run which is 1 and 1/4 times around our track. The 3rd and 4th graders complete the 1/2 mile which is 2 and a 1/2 times around the track. The 5th and 6th graders complete a mile run which is 5 times around the track. (Our track is actually 1/5th of a mile instead of the 1/6th that the sign along the fence says).

Our students will also be practicing curl ups, push ups, flexed arm hang, sit and reach, and the trunk lift. If you are wondering what any of these tests look like, ask your student to show you. Over the next couple of weeks everyone will get the chance to experience them.

Students in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades will have PE homework this year. They will be asked to write down each of their practice scores, share them with parents, and determine a realistic goal for each of their tests. I feel that this will not only help students understand what is expected of them, but it will connect parents to what their students are doing in PE as well as help them stay motivated to improve upon their practice scores.

That's it for now. Please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas to share with me.

Thank you,

Allyn Woods