2016-17 Off to a Great Start

The 2016-17 school year has gotten off to a great start so far.  We are able to get off to such a great start because each year the students come back already understanding the rules and procedures of Physical Education class so we don't have to spend the first few days covering the boring basics.  Instead we can jump right into new and fun activities like GaGa Ball and Noodle Tag and have some fun outside while the good weather is still here.  

I'm also excited to start a Fall Mileage Club this year.  First, second, third and fourth grade students are invited to join the East Oakview Mileage Club that runs on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday during lunch recess.  Students will be allowed to run/walk/jog around the East Oakview track to complete mileage cards and earn prizes.  Mileage club will start in October this year and culminate with the 2^nd annual Spooky Sprint 5K on Saturday, October 29^th.  

Last Friday was our Second Annual East Oakview Walk-a-Thon.  Our students and community help raise almost $15,000 for our PTC.  That money will be used to help purchase new items and experiences for our students throughout their time at East Oakview.  During the week leading up to the walk-a-thon students practiced different party dances during their PE classes. During the walk-a-thon, those classes were called into the center of the field to perform for everyone.  Here are some videos that I took during the dances.  

After the walk-a-thon ended, we returned to school for some prizes and fun.  Here is a video of myself, Mr. Sinigos, Mrs. Murphy and Mr. Scogg receiving our pie in the face from top fundraisers.  

I'm looking forward to seeing the East Oakview turnout at the Spooky Sprint 5K on October 29th.  Here is a link for more information and sign ups.

Spooky 5K

Why am I surprised?

I was pleasantly surprised two weeks ago when I decided for the first time to hang a climbing rope in the gym.  I used the tug of war rope from Field Day and looped it up and over the basketball support allowing us to actually have two climbable ropes.  I put several knots on one end of the rope to allow for easier hand and foot holds and left the other side knot free for a tougher challenge. I thought we'd have some fun swinging on it like Tarzan and maybe a few students in each class would actually be able to ascend to the top of the knotted end but by the end of the week almost 80% of students in grades 1-4 were able to climb to the top of the knotted rope.  After a student proved he/she could climb up the knotted rope, I let them have a try at the unknotted rope.  Again, to my surprise, we always seemed to have a few standouts in each class that could make it to the top of unknotted rope.

It didn't take me long to figure out why the kids were so successful at the climbing rope.  All it takes is a trip outside during recess to understand.  During recess, our kids fill up the playground equipment climbing, swinging and hanging all over the place.  I've seen them even create "Ninja Warrior" type courses on equipment that isn't even intended for climbing.  We did too when we were kids.  As we get older, we forget how much we used to love climbing up ladders, swinging on monkey bars and hanging upside down from or legs.  Climbing, swinging and hanging usually fades away as we get older and we pick specialized sports or begin more sedentary lifestyles. It doesn't take long for our upper body and grip strength to diminish to the point where we can no longer hang our body weight, perform a pull-up, climb a rope or keep proper posture when sitting or standing.

In conclusion, get out there and climb.  Whether it is in a gym or in nature get back to your childhood roots and hang.  Get your kids out there also to show you how it's done.  You'll be helping yourself by regaining some strength but also showing your kids that staying strong and healthy as you grow older is a must!

I have lots of pictures from the week of climbing that I'll be posting on a new page.  Click on the tab at the top to see all the amazing climbers.

Sincerely,

Jordan Wallin

JRFH and March Madness

Our 21st fundraising season for Jump Rope for Heart has come to a close.  This year we raised over $2,400 for the American Heart Association and had a blast participating in heart healthy activities.  This year we started a new tradition of celebrating JRFH by renting the gym at Highlands Middle School and jumping/dancing/playing our hearts out.  Thank you to all of the parents, families and students that participated in fundraising and/or the celebration event.  Please send me any photos you took of the event so I can publish them here in a later post.

In other big news, March Madness is finally upon us!  It has been a long wait for most basketball enthusiasts at East but it's finally time to get into our basketball unit.  Each class in every grade level will have some sort of basketball related activities in classes for the next two weeks.  K-1 classes use lighter/safer playground balls instead of basketballs.  This helps them with the fear factor of being hit by a pass or shot.  These classes focus on the fundamentals of ball control, dribbling/bouncing the ball, passing to a friend and trying our best to make a basket.

2nd through 4th grades are exposed to slightly more challenging drills.  2nd graders are tasked with dribbling with one hand, bounce and chest passing to a teammate and learning to shoot with the dominant hand.  3rd and 4th graders are challenged with more difficult ball handling drills and team aspects of the game like moving without the ball to get open for a pass and playing defense on 1 or more players.  I will try to get some photos or videos of the kids in action of the next two weeks to add to a basketball page on the blog.

Thanks for following the blog!

Jordan

New page and Jump Rope for Heart 2016

The last three weeks in PE at East Oakview have been a mix of fitness, gymnastics and Jump Rope for Heart preparations.  I have added a new page with descriptions and videos of all of the interesting things we have been doing.  Last Friday we had our local American Heart Association representative Julie Neuhaus stop by for an assembly.  She had lots of great information for the students about heart healthy choices for food, drinks and activities.  For the next two weeks we will be collecting donations for the American Heart Association.  These funds help families dealing with heart issues find the medicine and help they desperately need.

The most convenient way to earn prizes and gather donations is by joining the East Oakview online donation page.  Just type www.heart.org/jump into your web browser and search for East Oakview Elementary.  Join our team and create your own fundraising page.  Even if you earn donations in the form of money or check, the best way to enter it is to convert it to a web donation.  The web donations earn extra prizes like the Ninja Star Dog and it eliminates the need to hand in an envelope of checks or cash. 

Our Jump Rope for Heart event will be held on Saturday, March 5 at Highlands Middle School from 2-4pm.  All students are welcome, even students who have not collected donations.  This event is about encouraging heart healthy activities along with celebrating the team that has raised money to help kids and families.  I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Jordan Wallin

jwallin@nvps.net

Global School Play Day 2016

On Friday, February 5th East Oakview joined over 177,000 schools around the world in Global School Play Day. Over the past several decades students have seen a decrease in the amount of time allowed for free play in school and an increase in time spent on formal testing and instruction.  During the same time period we have seen an increase in disruptive behaviors and decrease in test scores.  The GSPD movement is trying to bring play back as a valuable activity for students in daily life.  More info on Global School Play Day and information on the benefits of unstructured play, please click here.

Below are some examples of the activities the students came up with during their PE time on GSPD!

Pages

I just published a page about our bowling unit.  I will try to add a new page for each unit that we go through during the year.  I took some videos during our bowling unit and pictures of the bowling trip.  I can't promise a ton of videos and pictures throughout the year because it is difficult to be behind the camera and still manage the class.

Enjoy!

Exercise should be fun

My main focus as a PE teacher at East Oakview is to help students enjoy exercise.  If we want students to grow up to have a healthy lifestyle, exercise must be something they enjoy doing.  Personally, I feel that exercising in a group or a team makes it more enjoyable because of the social benefits.  When we are young, exercise almost always comes in the form of being on a sports team, club or school PE class.  When we get older, for most of us, sports teams and PE classes are no longer an option.  A good way to stay fit and be part of a club or group is to find a gym that offers group fitness classes.

Below is a link to an article about a gentleman who was extremely overweight and joined a CrossFit gym.  I personally like CrossFit because I have been part of a CrossFit gym for almost 6 years.  I would encourage anyone who is looking to create a healthier lifestyle to check out a local CrossFit gym or any fitness center that offers a group classes.

...And Fitness For All 

Sincerely,

Jordan Wallin