Physical Education

Please make Healthy Choices on your P.E. days!

Clothing - appropriate and active clothing that is suitable for physical activity in all weather conditions.  Please have sweatshirts and a light jacket when the weather is cold. Use a hat and sunscreen when it is warm. 

Shoes - Athletic shoes with socks (tightly laced or closed with Velcro) Please no slip-on shoes, sandals, or boots. They make it very difficult to do any type of physical activity.

Water bottles — Necessary! Please send your student to school with a water bottle (especially on PE days). The water fountain can accommodate bottle filling and drinking from the spout but can be far from PE areas.

Sun protection — Please wear sunscreen and hats on warm and sunny days.

 

It is important that your child is safe and comfortable while participating in PE.

Please let us know if:

• Your child has a special need or physical condition that could limit his/her participation in the program. We can modify the activity as needed to promote success for your child.

If ill or injured for up to 2 days:

Please send a note from home explaining the illness or injury. Please include the appropriate level of activity or inactivity for that day.

If a problem exists for three days or more:

A doctor’s note explaining what activity level your child may participate in during P.E. is required to be submitted to the school nurse. Alternate and/or modified activity will be determined by the doctor’s recommendations.

Please remind your child that Students excused from PE must monitor their activity during recess and unstructured playtime. We do not want students to further injure themselves or have a recurrence of their illness or injury.

The Elementary Physical Education grade is based on individual effort, participation, positive attitude, cooperation, sportsmanship, and being a good citizen in the class community.

Each student earns an Effort Grade three times a year.

This grade can be:

E = EXCELLENT
S = SATISFACTORY
I = IMPROVING
N = NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

 

Researchers have linked physical activity (exercise) to increase brain activity and function. Movement creates Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which is a protein that increases brain function, promotes the growth of neurons, and supports cognitive functions. Low levels of BDNF are linked to Alzheimer’s, poor neural development, obesity, and depression. Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, promoting the growth of new nerve cells and blood vessels. A rise in movement/ activity also increases memory function, decision-making skills, multi-tasking, and lengthens attention span. So let’s get moving!

PE State Mandate – Ed. Code 51223
200 minutes every 10 instructional days

**Schedule is subject to change depending upon the weather!

August

• Classroom Rules, Procedures, 
• Expectations, Warm-ups, Personal Space
• Spatial Awareness
• Chase, Flee, Move Away 

September

• Cooperative Games
• Basketball Skills
• Throwing & Catching

October

• Locomotor Skills
• Jumping & Landing Patterns

November

• Physical Fitness Pre-Test
• Stunts and Tumbling
• Manipulatives

December

• Dance/Rhythmic Skills
• Cooperative Games
• Physical Fitness Practice Test

January

• Track and Field Skills
• Physical Fitness Practice Test

February

• Fitness Components & Nutrition
• Physical Fitness Practice Test

 March

• Physical Fitness Test
• Volleyball

April

• Soccer Skills
• Flying Disc Skills

May

• Striking
• Field/Cooperative Games

Each year, your child’s fitness level will be assessed using the Fitnessgram criterion-referenced tests adopted by the California Department of Education.  Students are aiming to reach the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) based on their age. Click here for more on the Physical Fitness Test (PFT). During the year, every student is setting personal physical fitness goals and practices each month to reach their goals.

One Mile Run and/or Pacer Test (Measures Cardiovascular Endurance)

Aerobic Capacity is calculated by VO2max which reflects the maximum rate that oxygen can be taken up and utilized by the body during exercise.  The calculation is done utilizing height, weight, mile time, and/or the number of pacers.

Curl-Up (Measures Abdominal Strength)

	# Completed
Age	Female	Male
10	12 or more	12 or more
11	15 or more	15 or more
12	18 or more	18 or more

 

 

 

 

Push-Up (Measures Upper Body Strength)

	# Completed
Age	Female	Male
10	7 or more	7or more
11	7 or more	8 or more
12	7 or more	10 or more

 

 

 

 

Trunk Lift (Measures Strength and Flexibility)

	inches measured during the stretch
Age	Female	Male
10	9 or more	9 or more
11	9 or more	9 or more
12	9 or more	9 or more

 

 

 

 

Back-Saver Sit-and-Reach or Arm Stretch (Measures Flexibility)

	inches measured during the stretch
Age	Female	Male
10	9 or more	8 or more
11	10 or more	8 or more
12	10 or more	8 or more

 

 

 

 

All districts are required to report the fitness scores to the state in the spring for all 5th, 7th, and 9th grades. You can review the California districts’ county and statewide results if you visit DataQuest (CA Dept of Education).