Q My child isn’t feeling well or has sustained an injury. What about their participation in PE class? Will this affect their grade?
• Many activities can be modified allowing a student to participate in a
limited capacity. Please communicate with your child’s P.E. teacher
to see if limited participation is possible. For excused or limited
participation in P.E. class, please send in a note stating the nature of
the illness/injury.
• If your child will be ill or has an injury, and needs to be excused
from P.E. class for more than three (3) days, please send in a
doctor’s note stating the extent of the illness/injury and the time
period the student needs to be excused.
• When a student is excused from P.E., there are alternate activities
available (P.E. related word searches and reading materials).
• No, a student’s grade is not adversely affected when excused from
P.E.
Q My child loves to where other shoes/boots/footwear to school not appropriate for P.E., particularly during inclement weather. How can they wear them when they need sneakers for P.E.? Does this mean they can’t wear that footwear on P.E. days?
• Have your child bring sneakers in his/her backpack.
• Prior to coming to P.E. class, the student may change footwear.
Q My child participates actively in recreational sports. He/she has even been on a travel team. How could they have gotten a B or C in class? (3rd, 4th, 5th grade) or a “W” (K, 1st or 2nd grade)?
• Recreational/athletic programs are essentially designed for children
who would like to specialize in one or more sports and refine their
skills in order to compete with others of similar interests and
abilities.
• Physical education programs are designed for every child. P.E.
curriculum covers content in games and sport, dance and gymnastics.
While a student may be particularly skillful in certain content areas,
other areas may require additional development and practice.
Students are assessed on their knowledge and correct execution of
skills performed in class following instruction and practice.
• The intent of our P.E. program is to provide children of all abilities
and interests with a foundation of movement experiences and
understandings that will lead to lifelong active and healthy
lifestyles.
Q My child doesn’t like to participate in certain activities. Can he/she sit and watch?
• Students/children need to develop competency in basic movement
skills that can be used in any activity. Mastery of basic movement
skills encourages the development and refinement of more complex
skills leading to safe and enjoyable participation in physical activity.
• When basic movement skills are developed at an early age and
expanded during childhood and early adolescence, children will gain
access to a wide variety of physical activities.
• Early specialization in specific sports and a limited range of
opportunities to master basic skills in physical education limit later
participation options.
Q I remember the President’s Council on Physical Fitness Test when I went to school. What fitness test is used?
• Fitnessgram is administered to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students.
• While the President’s Council on Physical Fitness test emphasized
sport-related skills with the interpretation of scores based on
national norms, health-related fitness assessments such as
Fitnessgram are used as an on-going process of helping children
understand, enjoy, improve and maintain their physical fitness and
well-being. Scores for a health-related fitness assessment are
based on carefully researched and developed health standards for
children rather than national averages.
• Fitnessgram is a health-related fitness test that encourages
children to strive for adequate and healthy levels of physical
fitness. Health related physical fitness includes the following
components: body composition, cardiovascular endurance, muscular
endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility.
• Children participate in activities that are designed to help them
understand the concepts of health-related fitness and to value the
contributions they make to a healthy lifestyle.