See How Other Schools Are 'Moving' from 2010

Looking for ideas to incorporate in your school?  See what some Delaware elementary schools have done to add physical activity into their routines, while making it fun, too.

Mastering the Schedule at John M. Clayton

A couple of years ago, the principal, Duncan Smith, and staff at John M. Clayton Elementary School (formerly Frankford Elementary) realized that their schedule wasn’t working for the students or teachers. Due to a front-loaded schedule, students were worn out by lunch time. Students in need of additional reading and math support were pulled out of other core classes. And in addition, the teachers didn’t have a common time for which they could complete their planning. They knew they needed to make a change.

That’s when a planning committee got together to come up with a way to address all of these issues. Together, they developed The Master Schedule. Through this new plan, they have developed a schedule that includes components for core content instruction, grade-level intervention times, a daily dose of physical activity, and common planning time for teachers.

The success of this new schedule is all in the numbers. The students are thriving in a culture that fosters support and academic growth.

Read more about The Master Schedule in the Delaware Business magazine (pages 27-28).

Annual Olive B. Loss Walk-A-Thon

submitted by Karla Smiley, PTA Co-President

The Olive B. Loss PTA’s annual event is held the first Friday in October.  This is our school’s biggest fundraising event of the year and is greatly supported by the student body, staff and administration.  We have a ¼ mile paved walking path around our school and were looking for an event to promote physical activity while fundraising for our school at the same time.  The walking path seemed to be the best way to do this.  All students walk during their 30 minute recess and raise donations from friends and family for their efforts.  The PTA feels it is important in our elementary school aged children’s lives to demonstrate physical activity from all standpoints, even the PTA.  Walking is one of the healthiest ways to get the kids active during school recess.  So when you put some fun “hip hop” music to it, you really get them moving.

All students are part of the OBL Walking Club and they are able to earn points on their lap cards during the walk-a-thon.  The students earn charms that come in the shape of feet, walkers, etc. as a reward for their distance traveled.  The students proudly wear their necklaces and love collecting the charms.  During the day of the event, the PTA decorates the walking path with funny jokes posted along the path and we write encouraging words and drawings in sidewalk chalk.  The kids love to read these sayings as they walk the path. Another highlight of our walk-a-thon is encouraging the families to return in the evening to walk around the path with their students.  This is a great way to promote physical activity for the families and it gives the parents a chance to see what their children do during recess and how the walking club works.  

This is a huge event for the PTA and school. We are able to put the emphasis on physical activity and get a lot of positive feedback from the students.  A 5^th grader wrote a thank you note to the PTA stating “it was very good for our health”.  This reminds us that we are doing something positive for these students.  We are making an impact on their health while making it fun at the same time.  The kids write that they would love for us to host a walk-a-thon every month!  In the end, everyone wins from this event.  The students enjoyed some school spirit, took part in physical activity, families enjoyed a fun night of fitness and the school will be able to purchase several new SMARTBoards.  This is a win, win for all!

This event is run by the PTA Board along with many parent volunteers. For more details, read the full story.

School Nutrition, Physical Activity Programs Recognized

Nemours Health & Prevention Services in partnership with the Delaware School Boards Association (DSBA), the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC), Delaware Division of Public Health (DDPH), the Delaware Charter School Network, and the Delaware Association of School Administrators (DASA) partnered to develop the 2010 Edith P. Vincent Healthy School Award. The award's namesake, Edith P. Vincent, is a former school nurse and life-long champion for children's health in the state of Delaware. The award was designed to recognize the work of public schools championing children's health: one in the area of nutrition and one in the area of physical education/physical activity.  See the list of winners and learn more about the award.

After-School Provider and District Work Together to Get Kids Active

Submitted by: Christine Poehlmann

The Bethesda Child Development Center (BCDC), located in Middletown, Delaware, has a great working relationship with The Appoquinimink School District. The BCDC operates the before- and after-school programs within three of the schools in the district: Silver Lake Elementary, Townsend Elementary, and the Townsend Early Childhood Center. As a result of this relationship, we were thrilled when asked to be a part of Make School a Moving Experience - an initiative the children were already benefiting from during the school day.

Nemours gladly accepted an invitation to a faculty meeting at BCDC to discuss with staff what Make School a Moving Experience was and how we could work with them to implement CATCH Kids Club (CKC) in our after-school programs (CKC is the after-school component of the CATCH program). Immediately the staff was interested in the idea of providing the children with fun activities and equipment that would get them physically engaged. In August, our after-school staff were invited to attend a CATCH training provided by the Appoquinimink School District. We were excited to participate in this training to learn more about the CATCH program so that we could begin implementing the activities at the start of the school year.

During a faculty meeting at the beginning of the year, our staff gave a presentation on what they had learned at the training. They shared a few activities and ideas on how to incorporate the program into our after-school schedule. At this point, the CKC program is integrated into our daily schedule and teachers and children are having fun with the program! Acquiring all of the new equipment was also like a birthday filled with presents! We are thrilled to be a part of this initiative and to be working so closely with the district and schools where we provide before- and after-school care.

Red Clay Students Move

Make School a Moving Experience was featured on “Red Clay This Week” at the beginning of July 2010. This half hour biweekly broadcast is designed to inform school families and the community about the Red Clay Consolidated School District. Check out this video to learn more about what this district has been doing in their participating schools to increase physical activity for students.

Richardson Park's Got a Lot of PEP!

This year, the PEP Squad, a group of Richardson Park Elementary School 3^rd graders, was formed to help spread NHPS' 5-2-1-Almost None message about healthy eating and physical activity with the rest of the school. "Rather than just stand with the children at dismissal, I thought it would be a fun time to emphasize health," said Cathy Whelton, school nurse. Each day she would say the words to the 5-2-1-Almost None song she created, and slowly most of the younger children (and some of the parents) caught on. Soon they were eager to sing the words, especially when the principal or their teachers walked by.

The 15 3^rd grade students worked hard to learn the words and design moves to go along with the song. There were times when it didn't seem like it would come together, but in the end, one student said, "It shows what working together can do!" The ultimate reward was seeing the smiles on their faces after they performed at the school talent show. "Singing about healthy choices is a fun way to learn. To help students feel better about themselves is a reward that goes without saying!"

The PEP Squad also had the opportunity to perform when Governor Jack Markell visited Richardson Park at the end of May. That was definitely a day those students will never forget.

Athlete Night Brings 'Heroes' to Elementary School

Brandywine Springs Elementary School offers weekly open gym nights where families can come to the school to play during the winter months, when being physically active outdoors can be a challenge. The annual University of Delaware Athlete Night brings local heroes to the school to participate in many activities with the kids and families who attend. Check out the full story that was featured in the UD Review.

Highlands Elementary School Kicks Off 150 Minutes

Six smiling children, holding three signs waiting for their cue. That's how the students at Highlands Elementary School were welcomed back from Spring Break. Amy Dunigan, school nurse, and the school wellness team introduced the students to this initiative during a school wide assembly. In pairs, the six students flipped their signs to spell out '150 Minutes of Physical Activity A Week in School'! More posters and more wiggling children jumped and turned to share the benefits of physical activity. And then, all of the students shouted, "Makes you feel great!" in unison. Students also participated in a 10-minute activity and met celebrity guest, Mark Rothstein, who introduced them to his 'World of Rope Jumping'. Mr. Rothstein demonstrated his jump roping skills and challenged the students to be more physically active.

This is a continuation of Highlands' efforts to promote child health and tne Nemours' 5-2-1-Almost None healthy lifestyle message. Highlands has instituted daily morning announcement activities, a walking program at recess, the CATCH program in PE, and Take 10! activities throughout the day. Energizing music inspires the students to really move during their 15 minute walk at recess. The enthusiasm is contagious and fun is had by all! The students and faculty at Highlands are making great strides towards reaching their 150 minute goal each week.

There’s a Whole Lot of Shaking Going on at Bancroft at 8:25 a.m.

Beginning on March 1, 2010, Bancroft staff and students began implementing its 150 minute movement plan.  Movement Monday, Wake Up Wednesday and Fitness Friday has not only built in additional movement minutes but has given us a great start to our day.  At 8:25 a.m., you can find the staff and students doing the Electric Slide, Cha-Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle or even the Hokey Pokey. Everyone starts their day invigorated and excited. Our students look forward to the “dancing days” and have even started to make requests.  By building in this time, we continue to build a healthy positive school experience for our students.