St. Catherine of Siena Parish School

Presidential Physical Fitness Link:  http://aj007.k12.sd.us/50_percent_chart.gif

E:60 Story about true perserverence:  http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8574528

Teacher: Graig Sifferman contact information: gsifferman@stcatherineschool.net

Please contact me if there are any health issues I should be aware of to help keep your student healthy.  If a student is unable to participate during P.E. due to an injury I require a note from either a guardian or doctor.  I also would also like a note when they can become active again.  An email will of course be accepted as well.  Also please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Fifth through Eighth Grade are allowed to change for P.E.  Please no spandex, yoga pants, or running shorts. 

Please make sure they have proper footwear on the day they have P.E.  If you need to the days they have P.E. please contact me.

There have been a few changes to the Physical Fitness Program this year.

First the students will begin keeping a portfolio of their activities and growth.  This will help them track their own progress, and develop a fitness plan.   The second change is the workload for the class.   While I do not want to add to their homework load I do want to make the course more challenging.  With this in mind here is some information to help you understand how I will assess the students.

The Physical Education program is designed using two main sources.  The first source comes from the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EARLs).  These can be found at the following website:  http://standards.ospi.k12.wa.us/Default.aspx?subject=9,GLE

The second source used to create and assess the students is the Presidential Physical Fitness Test.  The benchmarks for the student’s age can be found using the link below: https://www.presidentschallenge.org/challenge/physical/benchmarks.shtml

Using the two sources above as a guide I developed the following units for St. Catherine’s health and fitness program:

Units in Order:

Balance, Flexibility, Fitness, Muscular System, Nutrition, Cardiovascular System, Human Development, Rhythm, and Societal impacts on health

Part of Each unit includes portfolio work, games, sports, and direct instruction.  Many of the units overlap and are discussed throughout the year.

I adjust games and expectations so they are grade-level appropriate.