What is Happening in PE at TBPS

• Last month many students, parents and grandparents participated in Walk and Bike to School (See pictures below)
• Students have been helping to pick lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans for our school cafeteria. A huge thank you to Mrs. Magida's and Ms. Anderson's classes for helping with the harvest.
• Recess games, activities and equipment responsibility was our first unit. Recess seems to be going really well when all the kids play by the same rules and have balls to play with. The students have been very responsible about signing out and returning equipment- we haven't lost any equipment this year!!
• Fall Fitness Testing for grades 1-4 is just about done. All of our students are doing really well on their tests. Kudos to all the families for promoting active lifestyles. The example you set now will stay with your children for a lifetime!
• Next up: offensive and defensive game concepts. We will be playing a lot of different games/sports to explore positioning, moving to open spaces (offense) and closing spaces (defense).

 

30-days of Movement, a National Challenge, and Healthier Kids

President Obama has proclaimed September as Childhood Obesity Month.  In light of this proclamation, we are challenging all Thatcher Brook staff and students to add 10 minutes of physical activity every day for 30 days. Link here to register for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation challenge. Let's make a difference in our community!

Kohl's Kids Bike Smart coming to TBPS

We are fortunate to have the Kohl's Kids Bike Smart program again this fall in PE. The 3rd and 4th graders will be working on bike riding skills and bike safety from Sept. 8-18th. Please check your child's backpack for the parent information letter that went home on Sept. 4th. Local Motion, has put together a Parent's Guide to Safe Bicycling (this is a link to the guide), which is an excellent resource for improving your child's bike skills.

2014 TBPS Garden Harvest

This past spring, students and staff planted the gardens during their Nest Groups. This fall, students harvested the garden during their PE classes.

Grades 3 and 4 Bike Unit in PE:

This year we are fortunate to receive the Kohls Kids Bike Smart biking equipment (which includes bikes and helmets) to borrow for the weeks of 10/27-11/7. We will be learning bike safety and how to ride a bike for those who haven't learned yet.

If your child would like to bring their bike and helmet to school on their regular PE day for the next two weeks, they are more than welcome to do so. Having their own bike will provide them with some familiarity and give them more riding time since we will not have to fit them for a bike and helmet. Students can drop off their bike for the day next to the bike trailer, which will be located in the parking lot next to the playground. If your child can not bring their bike, but would like to bring their own helmet, that would save time as well.

We are looking for parent volunteers to help out during their child's PE class so that we can keep groups small and meet a variety of skill levels. If you are willing to volunteer, please contact Carol Baitz at cbaitz@wwsu.org  Please include your name, your child's name and which class you will be helping out with. The class schedule is:

Monday: Figdor/Micheal: 11:30-12:30

               Morehouse: 12:35-1:15

Tuesday: Hutchinson: 11:30-12:30

                Costello: 12:35-1:15

Thursday: Anderson: 11:50-12:30

                  Ramsdell: 12:35-1:15

Friday: Burbank: 11:50-12:30

            Thurston: 12:35-1:15

Thatcher Brook Garden

The garden that we planted in the spring was harvested this fall by our first and second graders. Most of the produce was used by the school cafeteria for the salad bar, yum! Many students had their first try with edible flowers, Nasturtiums. Sunflower heads were used in some math and science classes.

Walk and Bike to School Day

Walk and Bike to School Day was a great success.Thanks to Waterbury LEAP and Waterbury in Motion for organizing the event. We will have another Walk and Bike to School Day again in the spring.