2016-2017 Newsletters
New Report CardsAt the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year San Francisco Unified rolled out new/revised reports at the elementary level. The Physical Education Department seized the opportunity to redesign their section, as did many other content areas. The previous report card section for elementary physical education contained 3 standard statements based on gross motor, fine motor, and balance skills. These 3 standard statements repeated through grades K-5. As a result of the redesign process, SFUSD’s elementary physical education section is now standards-based by grade-level. There are 5 standard statements for each grade level. Three statements are based of movement proficiency and two statements on cognitive concept skills. These standards directly relate to CA Physical Education Content Standards, as well as, SHAPE National Standards. K-5 Physical Education report card standard statements are now age and developmentally appropriate, sequential, and standards-based. The impact this change can make on the lives of 10,000+ students per year promotes physical literacy, a better understanding of movement and health-related concepts.
* Mandigo, Francis, Lodewyk & Lopez,(2012) define physical literacy as the ability to move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person. Growth Mindset in Elementary The 2016-2017 academic year has been a year of growth for the elementary PE department. Our staff grew by well over a dozen new elementary PE Specialist-almost doubling the size of our department! As a staff we have taken on some new and exciting work for this school year. One area of focus for us is that Growth Mindset. We are exploring how to best introduce and implement growth mindset concepts and strategies for our students in PE class. A growth mindset is one in which an individual believes that with effort, they can learn and improve in a given area, in spite of experiencing challenges and struggle. This is contrary to having a fixed mindset, where an individual sees their intelligence and abilities as predetermined and unchanged through effort and practice.
In elementary PE, we recognize the unique opportunity we have with our students to help them cultivate a growth mindset by teaching them to value the effort and challenge over the results or success. This “process over product” approach encourages students to appreciate the challenges and struggles that may be present when learning new skills or trying to improve overall performance. Through explicit and consistent work on growth mindset concepts and strategies within our PE curriculum, overtime, students can develop into a resilient learner who believes in their abilities and appreciate the opportunities that being challenged provides them. In the article “Giving Students Meaningful Work,” author, Stanford professor of Psychology, and growth mindset expert, Carol Dweck describes the process of cultivating a growth mindset in students as providing meaningful learning tasks that challenge every student in some way. She also describes how meaningful learning tasks, “give students a clear sense of progress leading to mastery.” As a result, students begin to understand that exercising effort leads to improvement, as well as providing teachers the opportunity to praise students for their “process.” This type of praise further reinforces for students the importance of focusing on effort, persistence, and developing resiliency. The elementary PE department is committed to infusing our curriculum with lessons, activities, and learning experiences that promote a growth mindset for students. As educators, we will continue our own professional development and learning about how to best deliver this content. Our goal is to continue to create PE learning experiences that promote a growth mindset for each students and lead to greater learning and increased intrinsic motivation. *September 2010, Volume 68, Number 1, Educational Leadership, “Giving Students Meaningful work,” pg. 16-20. Written By: Gloria Sagastume, Elementary Teacher Special Assignment District Wide PD ALERT!
Middle School
On August 11th all the physical education teachers gathered at Balboa High School for a full day of physical education workshops. The teachers spent the morning eating breakfast, reconnecting with colleagues and hamming it up in our Olympic Photo Booth! International Olympic pride was our theme, for the day, teachers could grab an "olympic medal" or an olympic torch, pick a backdrop and snap a photo to commemorate the beginning of the school year.
We reconvened in the gym for a cooperative games refresher, some old favorite activities and some new ones, to continue to develop community building with our students. After all that movement, we settled in to review Google Classroom. Teresa Guillan, from the technology department, helped all the teachers further develop their Google classroom skills. Teachers are doing some amazing things with the classroom! They’re front loading the content with interesting videos, creating quizzes and surveys, and uploading digital fitness logs. Nearpod was officially rolled out! Nearpod is an interactive presentation and assessment tool that can be used to amazing effect in the classroom. Josh Tappan from Nearpod created accounts for the teachers and showed everyone how to load all the lessons that were created from our text, Fitness for Life. The lessons were created last year by Lenda Butcher-Meyer, Shenny Diaz, Diana Delfino, Erika Kniffel and Lavina Meeker. In the afternoon ,the teachers were able to select from a menu of activities that support our vision of life long fitness. USTA put on a tennis workshop, Y-Bikes came to show the teachers their amazing program. There was dance, Project Adventure activities, Functional Fitness, Common Core activities, running program ideas, yoga and even a session for new teachers! All the material, including video, are available to all the teachers on a shared Google Drive. We look forward to another exciting year in Middle School! 
High SchoolWelcome Back Teachers and SFUSD Community!
SFUSD P.E. has taken on the challenge of integrating technology into PE. This year's focus began at our Aug 11 PD at Balboa High School where in the morning over 30+ high school teachers were trained on google drive, google classroom and our Fitness For Life cognitive chapter tests using google quizzes. In the afternoon, our teachers self-selected a variety of sessions aligned with our PE priorities. Some were yoga, functional fitness, biking, jujitsu, tennis and many more. Below are some high school goals: Course 1 (grade 9)
Course 1 (grade 9)
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A Teacher We RAVE AboutAmy is an outstanding Elementary Physical Education Specialist that has established PE programs across the district. She was nominated for her high level of passion, commitment to all students, and the impact that she has made on several communities.
Amy you are an amazing teacher!! But your teaching alone is not why we are here… Amy goes above a beyond her teaching responsibilities:
Speech Given By: Desirae Feria, Supervisor of Physical Education 3rd Annual 4th Grade 5KOn Wednesday April 26th, just over 1000 students from 14 different elementary schools throughout San Francisco Unified participated in SFUSD’s 4th annual 4th grade 5K. This event takes place in the Hellman Hollow picnic area of Golden Gate Park. Students walk, jog, and/or run a course loop that enters through the Polo Fields and back to Hellman Hollow.
Participation in the event helps decrease the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Additionally, it prepares students for the fitness testing they will experience in the 5th grade by focusing on improving their cardiovascular endurance through consistent effort and goal-setting. Training for this event helps promote improved physical fitness and teaches students important fitness skills and concepts they can use over a lifetime. 8th Annual Golf Par-tee EventOn Tuesday May 9th, 325 Fifth graders from 6 different elementary schools will kick-off the 8th Annual Golf Par-Tee Event that will host approximately 2,300 fifth graders from 34 schools district-wide over a 2-week period. This event will take place at The First Tee Range in Harding Park Golf Course located at 99 Harding Road in San Francisco. Opening ceremony begins 10:00am. There will be brief speeches to celebrate the partnership between San Francisco Unified School District, P.G. & E., and The First Tee of San Francisco. In attendance may be Mayor Ed Lee, SFUSD Deputy Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero or Superintendent Dr. Matthews, PG&E Vice-President Nick Bijuir, First Tee Board Chairman Sandy Tatum, Master of Ceremony Kay Cockerill from the National Golf Channel, SFUSD PE teachers, elementary classroom teachers, parents, and The First Tee staff.
Students are taught a golf and life skills curriculum as part of elementary physical education class, specifically designed for SF students prior to attending this event. Golf is a lifelong physical activity that stimulates brain activity and promotes heart health. Needless to say, Physical Education in elementary schools plays a dual role in serving both the mind and the body. Teacher AppreciationMr. Kevin Doherty has been teaching and coaching at Abraham Lincoln High School for 15 years. He started the Olympic Weightlifting program under the old broken bleachers in the spring of 2003. Physical Education teacher Phil Ferrigno and Ray Graiggans were able to put some money together to purchase some equipment and they began an adventure at the beginning of the 2003 spring semester.
Shortly after that, Mr. Doherty started a weightlifting team that would compete in the spring and summer. Their first national Championship appearance was in the summer of 2005, 2 years after they started the program. Success on the platform went hand in hand with success on the football field, later that summer the group of boys that started lifting, won a Turkey Day Championship as Juniors! In 2008 Mr. Doherty also became the track coach and was able to expand the program. The first World Level athletes came from football and track, David Garcia class of 2006, Chioma Amaechi class of 2010, and Jenny Lam and Krislin Li Class of 2011, they all went to the Youth Worlds, Junior Worlds or Senior Worlds for Weightlifting. Dangelo Osorio, Christopher Tiongson and his sister Mia Tiongson along with Christian Calub were the second wave of students on the international platform. The third wave of students included: Cathy and Michelle Cai who helped win the first Women's Track and Field championships at Lincoln. Lincoln has an average of 300 kids lifting between Football, Track and the other various sports. Mr. Doherty is thankful to the Lincoln staff, especially Phil Ferrigno for his support. Mr. Doherty, congrats and good luck to your two Lincoln students (Seth Tom and Kuinini Manumua) at the Olympic Trials, he believes that 3rd Time is a charm! Tokyo 2020 “Oh The Places You’ll Go” Professional DevelopmentOn Thursday, January 12th, the SFUSD Elementary PE Specialists and Staff came together at 95 Gough to a roomful of Dr. Seuss themed quotes, signs and décor. We wrote our end of school year goals on clouds as we prepared for a collaborative, informative and engaging all-day professional development. We strengthened our fitness testing preparation, warm-up unit, new report card lessons, growth mindset understanding and staff team-building, while gaining new strategies to use with our students.
Highlights included a thought-provoking growth mindset (continual growth through risk taking, resilience and hard work) presentation by two PE Specialists. They outlined various lessons of how to equip students with strategies when faced with challenge and/or failure. The “Minute to Win It” cooperative competitions provided an entertaining and engaging way to promote teamwork and the risk of looking hilarious in front of your peers. Staff members laughed as much as they learned! CAHPERD State Conference On February 23rd-25th, an enthusiastic group of PE Specialists and the Central Office Staff will head down to San Diego for the CAHPERD State Conference. Based on the tremendous learning and fun of last year, those attending are excited to expand their teacher tool belt to provide our students with rigorous and engaging PE lessons. Strengthening Community Through Physical Activity We have culminating events to provide our students with rich learning experiences: 4th annual 4th grade 5K in Golden Gate Park April 26th, race starts at 11am Unfortunately, last year’s event was cancelled due to rain. This year, we will race rain or shine!Many parents, teachers and SFUSD staff run the 5k as well! 8th Annual Golf ParTee at Harding ParkGolf Course Media Day and Kick-off May 8th School sites attend May 8th-19th These events are such positive events promoting health, wellness and community – we hope to see you there! Written By: Claire Weiss, Elementary Teacher Special Assignment SF HALL OF FAME ALERT!Barbara Prato, one of our great Lowell coaches, will be inducted into the SF Prep Hall of Fame at a dinner to be held Saturday, May 20, 2017 at the Spanish Cultural Center at 2850 Alemany Boulevard in San Francisco. Please join us at the awards banquet honoring Barbara Prato on her induction into the 35th Annual San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame on May 20th.
Below you will find the banquet form and a list of all the inductees, as well as information regarding tickets. Tickets are still available at $60 each, but are likely to sell out soon. Please indicate on the form that you would like to be seated in Barbara Prato’s area.Congratulatory wishes may be passed on to Barbara Prato at barbprato@gmail.com 
Welcome New SFUSD PE teachers
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2016 Gloria Siech Award Recipients
Lenda Butcher-Meyers, Martin Luther King Middle School
The Gloria Siech Physical Education Teacher Award recognizes exemplary SFUSD physical education teachers for their dedication and leadership abilities. These teachers strengthen the quality of instruction, improve teaching practices, and advocate for the importance of quality physical education in our schools.
One of this year's recipients is Lenda Butcher-Meyers from Martin Luther King Middle School. Lenda has been the tireless curriculum leader at King since 2007. She is passionate about delivering a rigorous and standards based physical education program to all the students at King Middle School. She has infused technology into her department with the use of Google classroom. She helped develop a life camp to increase cardiovascular fitness, and was one of the first teachers to insist on a designated classroom with laptops; so that all her students could truly develop their digital citizenship. Lenda developed detailed standards based assessments, digital personalized fitness plans and engaging lessons. She has dared to be the change that our students need to be successful in their quest for life long fitness. Congratulations Lenda! |
Terence Doherty, Lowell High School
Congratulations to 17 year seasoned Lowell HS teacher Terence Doherty for being selected as one of the SFUSD PE Gloria Siech Award Recipients. The award recognizes exemplary teachers in our department for dedication and leadership abilities to strengthen the quality of physical education instruction, to improve teaching practices, and to teach our students to achieve and maintain healthy, knowledgeable and physically active lifestyles. Terence's work in the classroom, as a leader at Lowell and on the district level exemplifies all requirements. Terence has led our Fitness For Life text cognitive online assessment development and teacher training. He varies instructional strategies and learning opportunities in the classroom to meet the needs of all learners. Last year he co-facilitated our first ever SFUSD H.S. PE Triathlon Event, served as teacher mentor for our TRX implementation to support teacher's on-going practice, and development. Congratulation Terence, keep up the stellar work!
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2015-2016 Newsletters
Physical Activity Alert! Flash Back
Thursday, March 3rd, the SFUSD Elementary PE Specialists and Staff welcomed the enthusiastic and knowledgeable presenter, Nathan Folen, from Project Adventure to Everett Middle School for an all- day PD. We participated in team-building, collaborative learning and socio-emotional reflection activities. It was as informative as it was fun! Things were definitely POPPIN*! http://www.project-adventure.org/tossables/poppers-aka-noodle-bits From March 10th-12th, a lively group of 13 PE Specialists and the Central Office Staff headed down to Santa Clara for the CAHPERD State Conference. Highlights included a riveting key-note speaker, Dean Kriellaars, who passionately presented on the importance of physical literacy, proper training to prevent injuries (especially among girls), physical activity to increase bone density and more. We also learned exciting new activities through US Games, OPEN curriculum, Joey Feith with thephysicaleducator.com, hip-hop Tinikling, jump rope progressions, dance routines, mindfulness strategies and SO much more! Those who attended this insightful conference will be sharing this knowledge with the rest of the staff at our upcoming PD, Friday April 15th. Written By: Claire Weiss, Elementary Teacher Special Assignment Flash Forward
We have many exciting end-of-year activities to finish the school year with a BANG:3rd annual 4th grade 5K in Golden Gate Park April 27th, race starts at 11am. Last year there were 500 students from 5 school sites. This year, we have doubled with 1,000 students from 11 schools. Many parents, teachers and SFUSD staff decided to run the 5k as well, including Superintendent Richard Carranza, who has run it since it’s induction. Unfortunately, he will not be able to attend this year because of a meeting with the Mayor. Hopefully next year, they’ll both come! It is such a positive event promoting health, wellness and community! We hope it continues to increase in size and success! 7th Annual Golf ParTee at Harding Park Golf Course: Media Day and Kick-off May 9th School sites attend May 9th-20th 1,515 went last year from 20 different sites and this year it will be even bigger! Written By: Claire Weiss, Elementary Teacher Special Assignment Happy New Year!
The first semester has ended and Middle School Physical Education is ready to roll out technology pieces that support student learning. When the Middle School Curriculum Leads met in October, we explored Google Classroom, Kahoot, and an array of instructional strategies. We began the day with Danielle Anderson leading us through Chalk Talk,an instructional strategy that allows for students to have an equal opportunity to participate. It was a powerful tool that Danielle uses to get to know her students. Lenda Butcher Meyers shared how King is transforming their program. Some of the tools King uses, including iPads and teaching platforms like nearpod and Kahoot help the students access the material. The lessons are really engaging and interactive and the students are focused on developing their own personal fitness plans. Next up, Brian Chang showed the leads how to use Google Classroom to front-load instruction. Flipping your PE Classroom allows students to study the topics through video and interactive instruction on their own time so there is more time for activity in class! We shared Demo Slams, 2-minute instructional strategies. Cynthia Harb shared a great jump rope video series. In addition, Danielle Hanlon demonstrated Plickers, a wonderful tool that lets teachers collect formative assessment data without student devices! Angie Estonia, from Multilingual Pathways, shared ways to increase opportunities to enhance instruction for English Learners. We explored how to use the ELD standards to help plan and strengthen our instructional units. The day was so jam packed that I had to schedule a second day in December! In December we created Google classrooms and Shenny Diaz took us though an amazing Kahoot tutorial. Watch out next semester, middle school PE is getting all Googly! Written By: Kristen De Andreis, Middle School Implementation Specialist Blinging in the New Year PE PD
We came, we blinged, we conquered. After countless years of stale PDs outside of the PE department, I REALLY appreciate the enthusiasm and energy that our staff blings, I mean brings. Highlights include but not limited to:
Written By: Claire Weiss, Elementary Teacher Special Assignment SCREEN TIME STUDY
A new study from the Common Sense Group entitled, “Common Sense Census: Media use by Tweens and Teens,” reports that teens and “tweens” are clocking in as much as 9 hours of screen time in a day. While “tweens” (8-12 year olds) averaged closer to 6 hours a day using their tablets, phones, or television sets, the cumulative time spent on devices and watching screens was often greater than time spent being physically active or engaged with family members. With so much of 8-18 year olds time devoted to screens, it’s important to be aware of the potential consequences. Studies indicate strong links between the amount of television watched by children and fewer family meals, less physical activity, and increased risk of obesity and high blood sugar. One way to counter act these effects is to reduce screen time and increase physical activity throughout young people’s day. Taking a walk before or after dinner, or simply spending more time outdoors engaged in play are both easy ways to put the screen time on hold. It’s also important to remember that adults’ screen time behavior also plays a large role in children’s usage. The more we can model restraint around screen time and increase time spent in physical activity, the more our young people will be inspired to do the same. Written By: Gloria Sagastume, Elementary Content Specialist Let's Get TogetherWELCOME BACK ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION SPECIALISTS
August 11th marked the return of SFUSD teachers and the beginning of preparations for the academic year ahead. Elementary PE Specialists reported to 95 Gough St. and began 4 days of intensive training. This year, the elementary PE team welcomed 9 new PE teachers; bring the total number of PE Specialists to 36. Training highlights included cooperative activities such as the “Marshmallow Challenge,” where teams of specialists competed to construct the tallest marshmallow structure possible, as well as “The Gauntlet” which took place in the Marina district of San Francisco. During the Gauntlet, teams of specialists competed to complete a battery of both physical and mental challenges in the shortest amount of time. By weeks end, a renewed sense of team spirit was evident and specialists were ready to begin the school year at their new school sites. The elementary PE department is looking forward to another great year of elementary PE! Written By: Gloria Sagastume, Elementary Content Specialist WELCOME BACK MIDDLE SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATORS! Another year is already here and I’m looking forward to working with all of you again! The year is off to a great start as we all gathered for a full day of workshops at Lincoln High. The teachers spent the morning reconnecting with colleagues and then were treated to an invigorating cooperative warm-up by our guest teacher, Jessica Shawley, a National Middle School Teacher of The Year from Idaho. The teachers participated in four exciting sessions that were presented by some of our amazing middle school teachers. We revisited the dance standard with specific dances for 6th, 7th and 8th grade as well as many useful tips on how to organize a dance unit. We had four terrific middle school teachers leading the session. Francisco’s Jack Jung, Juliette Sui, and Danielle Anderson as well as Lilienthal’s Karen Hadley presented a dynamic session and had all the teachers up and moving! The Functional Fitness Session was led by Lavinia Meeker from Denman. The teachers learned how to incorporate Functional Fitness into their warm-ups, Do Nows and activities as well as how to use a performance rubric. In addition, Lavinia provided the teachers with invaluable technical knowledge, she also presented, along with Emily Atkinson from Wallenberg, an afternoon Fitness Session, and did it all with infectious enthusiasm. In the afternoon , Erika Kniffel from Roosevelt provided the teachers with a refreshing and organized class management system as well as team building activities to start the school year. She sprinkled her invaluable teaching pearls through out the sessions. Technology is rolling forward and we’re extremely lucky to have a resident expert in Shenny Diaz from Denman. Shenny created a Google classroom that covered everything from accessing your Google account to setting up Remind accounts, a fantastic app for teachers and coaches, to looking ahead to using Kahoot and Nearpod for quizzes and assessments! It was a lot for one hour, but not to worry, teachers were able to move at their own pace and the lesson is always available on the GoogleDrive! Veteran teachers, Leslie Burleson, Brian Chang, and I, led the teachers through a fun session of cooperative games that fostered working together, problem solving and succeeding as a group, all important components to begin the year. All the material from the day is available on a shared Teacher Google Drive, including videos of each session. I look forward to another exciting year in Middle School! Written By: Kristen De Andreis, Middle School Implementation Specialist |
San Francisco Prep Hall Of Fame
Teacher Appreciation
Rocio Ramirez, has been the P.E. Department Head at Balboa High School for the last two years, and has nineteen years under her belt in San Francisco Unified. She received her Bachelor’s degrees in Physical Education & Psychology as well as her Master’s in Education from San Francisco State. She currently teaches Course 1 & 2 at Balboa. On top of being a dedicated teacher to our students she is also the Assistant Varsity Soccer Coach for the boys, the Cheer Coach; and is the Head Varsity Soccer Coach for the girls. Rocio relates to her students as a caring teacher who challenges them; allowing them to pass their own personal goals to reach new heights.
When asked what she wants her students to get out of her class she responded with: I want my students to leave my Physical Education classes having had structured fun and having learned enough about themselves physically to go on to have full, healthy lives. I want them to be able to make positive lifestyle choices that will give them the opportunity to enjoy being active well into old age. But I want to equip them with the experiences and information that will help them make wise choices. Finally, I want my students to take away from my instruction the love of activity and develop the discipline to live a healthy and long life. 2015 Gloria Siech Award RecipientsThe Gloria Seich Physical Education Teacher Award recognizes
exemplary SFUSD physical education teachers for their dedication and leadership
abilities that strengthen the quality of instruction, improve teaching practices,
as well as advocate for the importance of quality physical education in our
schools.
Gloria Seich was a physical educator in our district for over thirty years as well as our first content specialist. She pioneered the elementary physical education program and initiated a standards-based curriculum for our secondary schools. Gloria worked effortlessly to bring high standards to physical education and she was a strong supporter of exemplary teachers in our district. This year’s recipients are two outstanding middle school instructors, Brian Chang of Roosevelt Middle School and Danielle Anderson of Francisco Middle School. Congratulations Brian and Danielle! Welcome New P.E. Teachers!Elementary PE Teachers
Hoover- Brandon Johnson , Curtis Chan Alice Fong Yu- Samantha Boscias Roosevelt- Christina Jacobs James Lick- Jonas Perez Everett- Max Gardner, Annicia Jones SF Community- Rea Arechandieta Rooftop – Will Scheflo Giannini- Savannah Norris, Josh Jung Willie Brown- Felipe Segovia Visitacion Valley-Janelle Blazek High School PE Teachers Hilltop- Diana Alavarez Mission- Nikolas Fangonilo Galileo- Stephen Hardee Burton- Jeanne Hughes Wallenberg - Brittany Russell Jordan- Giulio Sorro Lincoln - Vincent Tang School of the Arts (SOTA) - Elvia Marta, Phil Rayher, Andy Padlo FOLLOW US ONLINE! |
In the NEWS
Glenn McCormick, P.E. teacher at Thurgood Marshall High School, with his daughter, Maxine, from Claire Lilienthal after placing 3rd and 4th in the U.S. National Casting Championships in Long Beach. A warm Congratulations from your family at SFUSD! For more information please follow the link here.
2014-2015 Newsletters
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If you're looking for a great Summer Camp! Check out San Francisco State Summer Camps!
Fourth Grade 5KThe 2nd Annual 4th Grade 5K took place on April 22, 2015. 500 4th graders from 6 different elementary schools came out to Golden Gate Park to run a 3.1 mile course that took them around Hellman Hollow and the Polo Field. Students wore brightly colored, school specific, race shirts that made for a rainbow of colors along the race course. It was a sight to see! This year, we were also pleased to see not only more students running the course, but an even greater number of parents and teachers as well. Another wonderful addition to the day was the presence of local radio personalities, Marcus D from Star 101.3 and Magic Matt from Wild 94.9. Marcus did a wonderful job getting students pumped and ready for the race, and students got to run while listening to great music, courtesy of Magic Matt. Upon completion of the race, all race participants were rewarded with a bottle of well-earned and refreshing water, courtesy of our local sponsor Hint Water. It was a great day for all who attended and the participated in the race and we can’t wait to do it all over again next year. 4th grade 5K 2016 here we come!
Kids, Stress and MVPA Stress is a side effect of the demands placed on us and our ability to meet them. The experience of stress can range from a mild state of alertness to feeling completely overwhelmed by the push and pull of life. Stress can affect anyone who feels overwhelmed, particularly kids. For kids, such demands can come from outside sources, such as family, friends, or school, as well as from within. Often kids can experience an internal battle over what they think they should be doing versus what they are actually able to do. As kids get older, academic and social pressures (especially from trying to fit in) create stress. Additionally, complicating factors, such as an illness, a death of a loved one, or a divorce can cause kids great amounts of stress. So how can we as Physical Educators help our students deal with the stresses they are undoubtedly experiencing in their daily lives? One way is to ensure that they are getting enough Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity during PE. MVPA during Physical Education class gives our students an opportunity to experience the positive effects of stress brought on by exercise. Exercise brings on an increase in blood flow throughout the body, as well as an increase in glucose availability, which aids in cellular recovery and ultimately leads to an increase in their stress threshold (i.e. their ability to deal with stress in general.) Physical Educators should aim for at least 50% of class time to be spent in MVPA in order to give students the best opportunity to benefit from this type of stress relieving exercise. By giving our students a consistent avenue to work through feelings of stress, we are not only helping them cope with the experience of stress in the present moment, we are also helping them build a foundation for healthy alternatives and coping strategies for dealing with stress for a lifetime!
Professional DevelopmentsLANGUAGE & LITERACY – FITNESS FOR LIFE TEXT
Jan 28 our high school leaders engaged in an all-day professional development academic language and literacy workshop focused on our high school supplemental Fitness For Life text. With our growing population of English Language (EL) learners it was incumbent on our leadership to look at how we are delivering information and best practice models so that all our students are able to access and be successful in our content. Teachers gained knowledge and skills on literacy framework, text and task analysis specifically accessing and developing background knowledge and characteristics of vocabulary when reviewing text. Our ultimate goal at the end of our 4-day workshops is for all teachers to inclusively design lessons utilizing strategies to differentiate instruction using Text and Task Analysis Template (TTAT), organizing principals and literacy frameworks. TRX TEACHER TRAINING & IMPLEMENTATION On Nov 12, five high school P.E. staff members participated in an all day TRX Teacher Training at the TRX Training Center in SF. On Feb 17 and 18 all other high school teachers at the following sites (Academy of Art & Science, Galileo, Ida B Wells, Lowell, Mission, O’Connell, Washington) have registered to participate in our Phase 2 Teacher Training. Our department goal is to incorporate best practices, current research, motivation and fun while learning programming and application so that students achieve health-related standards and optimal levels of health. TRX’s suspension trainer tool addresses health-related fitness student goals meeting students where they are. The concept is that each movement performs a whole-body movement. Training is scalable, fun, a science-based approach for all students to achieve their personal best. POLAR HEART RATE MONITOR TEACHER TRAINING A primary SFUSD PE department mission is that our students learn to set goals and self-assess while engaging in fun fitness activities that lead to lifelong health. On January 14 high school teachers took part in a Polar Heart Rate Monitor training at 95 Gough. The goals of the training were to learn the benefits of the new Bluetooth technology monitor and learn about how a new tool can be applied to student learning and outcomes such as • Use aerobic activities to maintain and improve fitness • Monitor the intensity of exercise • Maintain each of the 5 heart rate zones for 3 minutes (or longer if time allows) • Experience what it feels like to be in each of the 5 heart rate zones • Learn self control to maintain heart rate within the selected zone • Communicate to a partner how each zone feels Training Day
On November 22nd Elementary Physical Education Specialists participated in a content rich professional development that encompassed a variety of topics. The morning started off with ice breakers in order to get to know 3 new members of the team and a brief activity to get the blood pumping and neurons firing before tackling the content of the day. A discussion of the district’s Vision 2025 was facilitated along with other district initiatives. This portion of the PD included time for the specialists to collaborate and engage in some discussion around the direction of the Elementary PE program and how they envision it in the years to come. The second part of the morning consisted of Adaptive PE strategies and practices. Specialist learned a few warm up options, dances, and new activities along with ways to to modify and adapt current lessons to meet the needs of SDC classes. For the second half of the day, Specialists participated in an activity called Pipeline : a fun team–building activity designed to foster cooperative skills and communication amongst one another which is definitely an activity that can be used with students! Specialists were given the opportunity to review and analyze Physical Fitness Test scores for their school sites in preparation to discuss strategies with classroom teachers surrounding strengths and weaknesses and areas of improvement. To end the day, the group met with members of the District’s Curriculum & Instruction Division of Access and Equity to learn about implicit biases and how it can affect our teaching practices. The group was asked to do some deep introspection and reflection on their own teaching and think about developing ways and ideas provide better equity and access for our students. iPad Essentials for Middle School PE Middle school physical educators gathered for a jam-packed day of iPad training in November. The training focused on integrating iPads into the physical education class and learning how to use the iPad to inspire students and enhance student performance. We began the day in Pad 101 where we learned iPad Essentials and Google Workflow tricks and tips. Once we were well versed in all the features, and could pass the Skills Checklist, we moved on to iMovies. Each team created one minute fitness videos, showing off their iMovie skills. Check out some of our PE stars! We ended the day with Appy Hour, not what you think! Appy Hour was a fun way to review PE apps, each team had five minutes to present a useful PE App to the group. Appy Hour was a great way to learn all the features and uses for an PE app and how it could be used in physical education. It was a great day, thanks to Ed Tech for providing such a useful professional development! |
Community Information
Highlighted Teachers
On April 24, 2015 our Middle School Content Specialist, Kristen
De Andreis (center) received the Distinguished RAVE Award “Her professionalism and work ethic have brought our middle school physical education departments so much closer with enthusiasm and encouragement. I am proud to work in a district that has such a professional person working as middle school physical education content specialist like Kristen DeAndreis. ” - Nominated 1/2014 Karen Hadley from Claire Lillienthal received the 2015 Mayor's Teacher of the Year Award for Physical Education! Congratulations to Karen for being an extraordinary Teacher! Karen was honored at the May 4th Giants Game, accompanied by a handful of other teachers in different disciplines in our School District.
Lori McLoughlin was born in San Francisco, and attended Lafayette Elementary School, Presidio Middle School, and Washington High School, where she played softball, and basketball. She attended San Francisco State, and continued to be an athlete on the softball team. She became a student teacher at Aptos, before being hired at Horace Mann in 1987, and came to teach at Washington High School in 2002. At Horace Mann she coached the girls’ basketball and track teams, and continued coaching softball, volleyball and golf at Washington High School. Lori teaches Physical Education because she wanted to give back and learned so much by playing sports, and by being active (integrity, sportsmanship, responsibility, commitment, fair play).
When asked how Physical Education has changed, and evolved Lori’s response was “People really see the importance of Physical Education now. Children need to develop a good foundation for good long-term health. Physical Education is not just free play, there is instruction - the how, the why, strategies, techniques, etc. The need for well-rounded school programs has to included Physical Education. She believes children need to move, to release energy, to be HUMAN, to PLAY, to BE SOCIAL.” She wants to encourage more parent involvement, and emphasizes the importance of structure for children. She believes children thrive on consistency and need guidelines. That is one of the reasons she believes P.E. is so important, it allows students to learn in a safe environment. Students can learn the rules of a game and have the foundation to grow and learn through P.E. Lori truly thinks the students gain so much from Physical Education, and love to be in the environment P.E. classes creates for them. 
Michelle Ashe is a 1st grade classroom teacher at Jose Ortega. This will be her 27th year with SFUSD! She recently taught an amazing physical education lesson based on an activity out of the district’s adopted curriculum called Fish Gobbler. Ms. Ashe changed the cues to a more relevant event happening at the time… The SF Giants World Series. She would call out a player’s name and first graders would respond with a corresponding movement. Posey went into a squat position! Panda hit home runs! Ishikawa ran the bases! Bumgarner pitched the ball! And when she called out “Team” the students chanted “Lets Go Giants!!!”
When asked, Why is PE important for our students? Ms. Ashe responded, “Kids need to build skills in a safe, non-competitive environment, and discover physical activities they enjoy. Then they can make being active part of their everyday lives.” The Physical Education Department would like to recognize Michelle Ashe for thinking outside the box, her dedication to students, and her commitment to quality PE!!! 
Emily Atkinson is a high school Physical Education teacher at Wallenberg High School. This will be her 7th year teaching. Emily went into teaching because she loves being active and teaching others about fitness and sports. She also believes physical education important especially with the obesity epidemic in this country. Emily both coaches and plays softball; she is certified to teach K-12 PE, Level 1 crossfit, and has has her ACE softball certification. Her future goals include getting a masters in sports psychology and/or adaptive PE, to earn a crossfit kids certification, as well as the USA weightlifting certification. As a coach, Emily, wishes to continue inspiring young girls to play softball and help them develop their skills. What she wants for Wallenberg PE is to continue to offer a quality physical education program, and expand their program to offer elective PE classes. She wishes to continue to develop units that students enjoy and benefit from.
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Public Outreach |
Get Moving In the City |
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Eye Exams and Glasses for Students with NO health insurance: to apply contact Nurse of the Day, School Health Programs Student, Family and Community Support Department (415) 242- 2615
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Send your check, made out to SFUSD (put “Elves" or Homeless in the memo line), to the attention of: Maria Cuevas, Superintendent's Office 555 Franklin St., 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94102 For Articles and more information click here |
Yoga & Zumba In the San Francisco Parks
SF Rec and Park |
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