Mount Pleasant Elementary School

Mount Pleasant School Pledge

I pledge today to do my best, in reading, math, and all the rest.
I promise to obey the rules in my class and in my school.
I’ll respect myself and others, too.
I’ll expect the best in all I do.
I am here to learn all I can and do my best to be all I am.

At Mount Pleasant Elementary our specialists are asked to cover each grade levels classes on a specific day. (For example on Wednesdays’ all specialists cover Grade 2 classrooms.) When I (Physical Education Teacher at Mount Pleasant Elementary School) am present in those classes we add movement as well as fun to our school pledge.

We recite the school pledge with the rest of the school over the announcements. But once they announcements have been completed we as a class do our own school pledge. Each time in the Pledge above that it says the word “I” or “I’ll” the students are asked to do 5 jumping jacks at their seats. If at any time during the pledge the students here the word “My” or “Myself” they are required to do 5 chair stand ups and sit downs.

If they are not engaged in either the jumping jacks or chair sits, they are marching for the duration of the pledge. It adds a little exercise to our morning fun.

So it would look like this:

• I [5 jumping jacks] pledge today to do my [5 chair sits] best in reading, math and all the rest
• I [5 jumping jacks] promise to obey the rules
• In my [5 chair sits]class and in my [5 chair sits] school
• I’ll [5 jumping jacks]respect myself [5 chair sits) and others, too
• I’ll [5 jumping jacks) expect the best in all I [5 jumping jacks] do.
• I [5 jumping jacks] am here to learn all I [5 jumping jacks) can
• And do my [5 chair sits] best to be all I [5 jumping jacks] am.

West Park Elementary School

Our students, parents, and staff believe in benefits of physical activity during the school day. At West Park, we have two different activities to help keep students moving. Our students participate in “Jammin Minutes” and a school-wide walk around the building prior to recess. Both activities are school wide and help get our students moving to help fight obesity in young children.

“Jammin Minutes” is a part of our morning announcements daily. It is one of the first things that our students do in the morning to start their day. Our principal plays an age appropriate song over the intercom before the pledge of allegiance. Each song lasts anywhere from 3-4 minutes. Students in each room move, exercise, and/or dance to the music. Staff members are encouraged to lead the students in dancing and movement. Our students have learned that dancing can be a fun way to get moving because of “Jammin Minutes” which has become a staple of our normal everyday routine.

Prior to recess, our students walk around the building to get them moving. Each classroom has a door connected to the outdoors. When it's time to go outside, they simply line up and their classroom teachers walk them around the building or our large playground. Walking around the building or playground takes roughly 5 minutes. Most classes participate in the walk daily; however, some classes walk 2-3 times a week. Nonetheless, our walks prior to recess have become an activity that is part of the daily procedure.

Philip C. Showell Elementary

Year after year, Phillip C. Showell will now have a place for TAKE 10! in the master schedule. In addition, each teacher is required to submit a Daily Schedule to the principal and parents that shows how time is allotted in their classroom. Teachers also have a connection to the Common Core Standards for Social Studies and Adventure to Fitness.com. This allows them to implement travel and fitness together.

Each year during Red Ribbon Week we wear sneakers on Thursday and take a healthy walk around the building. The school does this as a whole to “stomp” out drugs and commit to a healthy lifestyle.

Each year in the months of January and February the local Karate school, under the direction of the school nurse, will offer lessons once a week to students after school in our own gymnasium.

In conjunction with the state regulations for physical education class, our students participate in a FITNESSGRAM^_® each year. Their progress is charted electronically and stays with them through high school. The FITNESSGRAM is a comprehensive, health-related physical fitness battery developed by The Cooper Institute. The primary goal of the FITNESSGRAM is to assist students in establishing lifetime habits of regular physical activity.

Teachers enjoy camaraderie in walking and Zumba^_® after school in our local community. It is a beautiful area to get outside and walk or just walk the hallways of the school if the weather doesn’t permit.

Every February our incentive is the Amazing Race and we tie the fitness challenge into our Positive Behavior Support. Students earn the incentive by not having any office or bus referrals in the month of February.

In short, we Keep on Moving at Phillip C. Showell in numerous ways.

Carrcroft Elementary

Carrcroft Elementary School uses our school website as a means of communication with our families and also offers them ways to get involved in fitness at home with their children.

Carrcroft is a CATCH school. We have a link on the website to inform the families about the CATCH program and how we implement it at Carrcroft.

The physical education page of the school’s website has several links to keep families informed and involved.

The links include:

• Ways We are Moving in P.E.
• Mileage Club information
• Website of the Month — often involving fitness activities and health related information
• Fitness Calendar of the Month provided by NASPE

At the beginning of each month, the Fitness Calendar is discussed in P.E. Students and their family can access the calendar from home to participate in the daily activities or copies of the calendar are available in the gym if a student would like to take one home.

Families often have the opportunity to be physically active with their children at school by participating in Mileage Club, helping with Field Day, or simply joining in with the school as we participate in our Morning Workout song each day.