AES-P.E. News

p.e. news from mr. viau

Please remember
to have your child dress appropriately
on PE days in
sneakers and shorts.

Many weeks during the school year we use the letters Kindergarten classes are working on as a basis for their P.E. classes. Most of the time we focus on words beginning with that week's letter. This can come in a variety of forms, including discussions with students about various words, using words during warm-ups such as "gallop" for "g," games beginning with that letter - "Blueberries for Sale," and sometimes putting together an entire unit like "tossing" and "throwing" for the letter "t."

With that said, and with great help from the first grade classes (because they are in on the fun too), here are the words that have been heard in the gym recently!

D	double	domino	detail	duck
	dead	dinosaur	dice	dirt
	dig	dog	dazzled	diary
	danger

W	Washington	winter	weak	week
	watermelon	world	waterslide	whoa!
	walk	window	wave	water
	when

Y	yell	you	year	yesterday
	yellow	yak	yea!	yarn
	yes	yam	Yahoo	yo-yo
	yogurt	YMCA	yolk

Students recently completed fitness testing. There were actually two parts to the testing. The first helps select the First in Fitness team (more on this below), the second had students participating in the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program.

Students could work to meet program qualifications for one of two levels in the President's Challenge:

The Presidential Physical Fitness Award *
This award recognizes students who achieve an outstanding level of physical fitness. Boys and girls who score at or above the 85th percentile (based on the 1985 School Population Fitness Survey) on all five events are eligible for this award.

The National Physical Fitness Award*
Students who score above the 50th percentile on all five events - demonstrating a basic, yet challenging, level of physical fitness - are eligible for this award.

*Source - President's Challenge Website

The President's Challenge is comprised of:

	Curl-ups
	Shuttle Run - Students run back and forth between two points 30 feet apart, picking up and setting down wood blocks. This is a timed test.
	One Mile Run
	Pull-ups or Flexed-arm Hang - Students using the overhand or underhand grip assume a flexed-arm position grip and attempt to hold their chin up above the bar for a fixed period of time based on age. Students participate in tis event if they did not meet the qualifications for the President's Challenge. It is used as a qualifying test for the National Challenge only.
	Sit and Reach - This measures flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings.

First in Fitness (FIF) began in 1982. The first FIF had 300 participants. There are now four First in Fitness events held each spring with 2000 students from all over Wake County running and jumping their way through seven different events.

Shuttle Run

Standing Long Jump

1-minute Speed Rope

100 Yard Dash

One Mile Run

Pull-ups

Triathalon (shuttle run, pull-ups, mile run) This is only open to 5th graders.

Apex participates in the Southern Area event. This school year's First in Fitness will be held (TBA) at Southeast Raleigh High School with students from over 20 schools attending.

To qualify for the First in Fitness team, students need to achieve the best score or lowest time in one event of all students in their specific grade. In other words, one boy and one girl will represent Apex Elementary in each event listed above at the 3rd , 4th and 5th grade levels. However, students' test scores are not the only consideration in choosing the team. Each student must study hard, complete their class work, display good sportsmanship and generally be a good citizen of the Apex Elementary School community.

Websites you might find interesting . . .

kidshealth.org

eatandmove.com

healthierus.gov
(scroll down on this home page and click on the
"smallsteps kids" link on the right for more fun and info.)

These links will take you to outside sites on the internet. We have made every effort to preview sites for appropriate content, but have no way to assure that things will remain the same. Please email the webmaster if you reach any broken links or content that is no longer appropriate.
As always, adult supervision and support are highly recommended when kids are on the internet.