As a P.E. teacher, my ideas of how my class should be taught are slowly forming into what I think the best way a P.E. program should be run in order to maximize the success and enjoyment of the students. I would like to begin by telling you a little about how I run my P.E. classes, some of the activities we do, and why we do these activities.

The 1st graders making sure all of their major muscle groups are stretched before every PE class.

BEGINNING OF CLASS

P.E. begins the minute the children step foot into the gym. Each student knows they have a short time period (about one minute) in which they must change into their athletic shoes. The younger children then line up before they enter the gym, and the older students must run, touch the "Play Like A Champion Today" poster, and take their seat.

After the students are seated, I make a quick observation to see if any students are absent and I note these absences. We have a couple of stretch routines that we cycle through. On some days I pick a student leader who leads the class in a stretch routine that I have made into a stretch card. Other days we spice things up with one of my many P.E. based CD's which leads the class with their stretching.

Running with the parachute for a cardio workout.

After our muscles are loose, we launch into the cardiovascular section of the class. I usually try to tie in a specific sport into the workout. For example, if we are in the football unit of P.E., I will incorporate running with the football or running and throwing the football with relay races. If we are in the soccer unit, the students are separated into groups and I have them use soccer balls and perform dribbling relays, which get the students ready to work on soccer skills and also gives them a cardiovascular workout.

If we are not playing a sport that can be tied into a cardiovascular workout, we do a variety of exercises. For example, sometimes I set out four cones in a large rectangular shape in the gym. I play music while the students perform different movements such as running, walking, race-walking, skipping, hopping, or running backwards. When the music stops the students are to freeze, while I instruct them in the next movement to be performed. My main goal for the cardiovascular portion of class is to give the students an enjoyable and sometimes competitive way to get their blood flowing. If I were to simply blow the whistle and have the children run back and forth, or run laps, I would be just as bored watching them as they would be running.

Students pair up and line up across from their partner in basketball passing drills.

For our main section of P.E., I like to make sure the children have a solid grasp on the major sports such as basketball, soccer, football, softball, volleyball, badminton and ultimate Frisbee. I also like the students to have opportunities to play other games during P.E. that don't focus on the major team sports. I feel that games such as capture the flag, mat-ball (a fun version of kickball), sharks and minnows, battleship and galaxy ball can also reap some of the same benefits, such as a physical workout and team work skills, as do sport specific games like soccer or basketball.

In this day and age of high tech computers and video gaming systems, it seems to me that children have become more accustomed to sitting at home playing their newest video game on a sunny Saturday afternoon than playing a pickup game at the park. My goals for my P.E. classes are to pack as much learning and physical exercise into their 30 or 45 minutes as I can. In order to insure the students are getting this workout, I must make sure the class moves along as planned as well as doing my best to make sure all of the necessary equipment is laid out prior to class and ready for the children to get to work.

I enjoy seeing a student walk out of the gym with sweat coming off of his or her head and a smile on their face. That shows me that they worked hard and had fun in the process. I try to be the most upbeat P.E. teacher I can while giving the children a good, hard, but enjoyable workout.

Summer Enrichment Program

This summer, Erika Irwin and I, will be hosting a summer enrichment program at St. George School. We will begin the Monday following our last day of School and the program will run through Friday, August 12th.

We already have a schedule set with field trips including bowling, a Mariners' game, bike riding, the waterfront arcade, Kung Fu class, the police museum, glass blowing studio, Museum of Flight, Mt. Baker beach, an IMAX film, as well as weekly visits to the Beacon Hill library, Maple Park and Jefferson Park. Sign up soon. We are limiting our enrollment to 20 children per week!

Download program flyer. (.pdf)
Download registration form. (.pdf)
Download tuition information. (.pdf)
Download complete weekly schedule. (.pdf)

Mileage Club
So far our school has clocked almost 1000 miles running every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch recess. I'm positive we will surpass the 1000 mile mark the Tuesday we return from Spring Break. Ask your children how they are doing in the Mileage Club or check inside the gym, every week. I update the Mileage Club board. So fare here are the class breakdowns and school's top 10 list.

Field Day - Tuesday, June 14th
Field day is soon approaching and I ma hoping to staff the events with parent volunteers. We have fun events like water brigade, jump the river, javelin toss, an egg walk and as always the popular balloon toss at teachers! If you are interested go ahead and shoot me an email at mrittman08@gmail.com and I will get you on a tentative list of parent volunteers.

Physical Activity for our children is important and to assist our children in getting good excercise, this year we are going to have a program called the Feelin' Good Mileage Club. This club provides the opportunity for all students of St. George to walk for fitness. We will begin by having the Mileage Club held during lunch recess on Tuesdays in our school playfield. We will see how this goes and possible add more times for students to walk, jog or run.

Your child needs no special equipment or shoes to participate. Simply have him/her dress appropriately for the weather. Each student is free to walk as little or as much as he/she desires in the designated time. The Feelin' Good Mileage Club is noncompetitive, however we will recognize students who decide to participate. Awards will be given for every 5 miles. Your child will receive a Toe Token which they can add to a bracelet or necklace or place on his/her shoes. For each 10 miles, he/she will receive a certificate. I hope the students will enjoy the Feelin' Good Mileage Club. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at mrittman08@gmail.com. If you want to learn more about the Feelin' Good Mileage Program, go to http://www.fitnessfinders.net

Individual Championships
On Saturday May 8th, St. George had 38 runners compete in the CYO qualifying meet. Of those 38, 26 of our runners qualified for the Individual Championship meet which was held on Sunday May 16th. Those who placed 1st-3rd at the Individual Championship meet took the podium and were recognized with a medal.

2010 Greater Seattle Championships 2nd Place AA This is the highest a St. George team has ever placed in CYO Track & Field! The CYO Track & Field director approached me after the meet and congratulated our team saying this is the fastest he has seen a team place so high in only its second year! Congratulations St. George Track & Field team!

A Special thanks to the coaches: Amy Pollington, Chancellor Young and Melodie White! End of year Track & Field Pizza Party: Thursday June 3rd @ 5:00pm

2010 Presidential Fitness
Once again this year, many of our students took part in Presidential Fitness Testing in our P.E. class. To receive the Presidential Fitness Award, a student must be in the 85th percentile or above in the nation in each of five categories which test strength, speed, endurance and flexibility. To receive the National Fitness Award, a student must be in the 50th percentile or above in each of the five categories. Last year we tested in grades 5th,6th and 7th and awarded 2 Presidential awards and eleven National awards. This year in those same grades we are awarding EIGHT Presidential awards and TWENTY-ONE national awards! What a step up from last year! This year we also included in the testing 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 8th grade for a grand total of eight presidential awards and THIRTY-SIX National Awards!!!!