Recreational Sports
PE ROCKS! That's what the kids at RPDS chant all the time, because they get PE every day. The physical education program at RPDS is an innovative and exciting class where kids get to have fun and be active. Students in 1st-6th grade have PE daily at RPDS where they are exposed to games, sports units, skills units, and fitness and team building. The PE program is designed to build skills throughout the students many years at RPDS, expose students to a wide variety of games and sports, and create a love and desire to be fit and active.
Students begin participating in Physical Education at the Kindergarten level once a week. When they move into first grade, PE becomes a daily class and this will remain through 6th grade. Having students daily allows us the opportunity to develop their skills over time. Our lessons are based on the students capabilities at that age and they progress as the students progress. For instance, K students will be taught the fundamentals techniques of throwing a ball. They would then play some basic games where they get to throw balls into an area or at a target. 1st and 2nd grade students will again review the fundamentals of throwing and be introduced to the fundamentals of catching. They will begin throwing for accuracy and will catch balls thrown by the coach. The games they play will still focus mainly on throwing and trying to hit a target. 3rd and 4th grade students will begin by throwing and catching with a partner in games such as long toss and consecutive throws and catches. They will quickly move into games where throwing and catching are both needed. 5th and 6th grade students start off with throwing and catching with a partner and quickly progress into games and sports where throwing and catching are utilized. The games they play will require them to catch while on the run and throw for distance and accuracy.
Another feature of the PE program is the wide variety of games, activities, and units that are taught throughout the year. We try to expose the students to various sports such as basketball and football to lesser known sports such as bocce ball and shuffleboard. We also like to include great pastimes such as the parachute, potato sac races, and even the tug of war during field day. Specific grades even have certain units that they participate in such as pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, and fitness and fun. Our units of study vary throughout the years and include sports like soccer and baseball and also units such as speed stacking, leisure sports, tinikling, and team building. Not only do we have units of study, but we also have a plethora of games that we play throughout the year that are geared towards all students and focus on being active and having fun. We do our best to keep our PE program innovative and exciting for the students throughout their many years at RPDS.
Our entire program is geared towards creating an environment where the students can have fun and be active at the same time. We are trying to develop and instill in the students a lifelong desire to be active and fit.
We feel this is best done through gameplay and fun activities, but we also want the kids to learn grit and the value of exercise. During class, the students get active through the many games and sports we play, but we also have specific days geared towards traditional exercise. We have git-r-done Thursdays where the students will spend the period completing a circuit, running for distance or even having exercise competitions such as two minutes to win it. We also have a fitness and fun unit that the 1st-3rd graders do various times throughout the year while our 4th-6th graders are completing their fitness testing. Fitness testing takes place 4 times a year in 4th-6th grade and this is a time where students will complete various exercises such as the mile run, push ups, and pull ups and record the results in google sheets. This data will stay with them throughout the three years in order to help the students reflect and monitor their fitness journey. We also created several years ago a program held outside of the school day known as the fit-4-life program. This program was designed to get our students and their families involved in running events, bike rides, and other fitness related activities throughout the community. We compete in 5k's, duathlons, and even have evenings where we all meet at the skating rink to roller skate. Through all of this, we feel our students are active and prepared to remain that way for a lifetime.
PE News
Field Day Friday is the BEST Friday! Our 6th grade class worked with the coaches to host a classic board game inspired field day for the school. It has been a day full of skipping, hopping, rolling, running, throwing, jumping, and a whole lot of laughing!
Mrs. Farnell’s PreK 4 class had their very own fun run this morning to celebrate DO-athlon! And would any fun run be complete without capes? We think not! We are so proud of our students for getting outside, being active, and supporting their school and community!
Bike Week has officially begun! Last week, our 4th and 5th grade students spent time learning about bicycle safety, the basic parts of a bicycle, as well as the ABC quick spin check. Now, during Bike Week students have the opportunity to ride their bicycles during PE where they’ll focus on riding skills, safety, and etiquette. This is always a fun and memorable week for our students!
