Shoes

Parents, I want to send out a quick reminder that students are to wear tennis shoes to P.E. We are having issues with students wearing crocs, sandals, flip-flops, and other types of shoes that do not cover the entire foot and/or are not as secure on the foot. This is solely for the safety of your child and those that may come in contact with them during P.E. The last thing that we want is for a student's shoe to fall off while they are running around outside. Thank you for your help. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Jump Rope for Life

It's that time of the year! Jump Rope for Life time, that is. On Tuesday, February 14th, I will be sending home information regarding Jump Rope for Life in your child's Tuesday folder. This is a fundraiser that we do every year to help raise money for two separate charitiesl the American Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association. 2 envelopes will come home next week, one for each charity. I have discussed with all students about our reasonings for raising money for these wonderful causes. Each child has the opportunity to raise money for the charity of their choosing, or they can choose to raise money for both. Obviously, if you feel like this is something that you do not want your child to participate in, then please feel no obligation to do so. All of the money that is raised between Feb. 14 and Friday, March 2nd (which is the deadline to turn all money in) will be sent off to the respective charities and they then send back gift certificates to the school to use through US Games, which is a company that distributes all kinds of physical education equipment. The more money that we raise, the more money we get through these gift certificates.

Each child also has the opportunity to receive "Thank you gifts" from these two charities. Based on how much money each child raises, they can receive gifts that range from t-shirts, to jump ropes, all the way to hand-held digital video cameras and electric Razor scooters! The more money they raise, the more "Thank you gifts" they get back. I am always reminding the students that they are not "buying" these gifts. The ADA and AHA are thanking the students for taking their time to raise money for a great cause.

On top of the Thank you gifts, the AHA has partnered with a couple local sports teams to provide a few extra incentives to the students. If a child raises $25 for the American Heart Association, then they receive a free ticket voucher to a Houston Aeros hockey game. If they raise $50 for the AHA, they still receive a voucher for the hockey game, but they also receive a free ticket voucher for a Houston Rockets game! On top of that, if you attend the Rockets game, each student participant gets to go on to the floor after the game to shoot a free throw! I don't know about you, but that would have been a dream come true when I was in elementary school!!

Now, once our timeline of raising the donations is over, I will send all of the money in to the AHA and ADA. Once they send the "Thank you gifts" back to me, I will send out a notice inviting all students who raised money to join me after school for a Jump Rope for Life party. The party will be under tha covered area and we will have some games, jump roping, music, dancing, popsicles, and this is als when the students will receive their prizes. If your child can not come to the event, then they will receive their thank you gifts the following week when they come to PE.

If you have any questions about Jump Rope for Life, please email me or let me know.

Don't forget to be on the lookout for the AHA and ADA envelopes coming home in Tuesday folder's on Tuesday, Februaru 14th!

Thanks and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Fitnessgram Testing

Hello to all 3rd through 5th grade parents. Over the course of the next few weeks your student will be completing the "Fitness Gram" test. This is a fitness test to determine your student's fitness level is at. The Fitness Gram is a state required test. Each student, from 3rd grade to 12th grade, in a Physical Education class in Texas is supposed to complete this test. Each child will complete a push-up and curl-up (sit-up) test, the PACER test (Endurance run), the trunk lift, the shoulder stretch, and I will also find their BMI (Body-Mass Index). I will also be the only person, other than your child, to see each student's height and weight (BMI). I am constantly reminding the students that this test is not anything that they need to worry about. It is mainly for their own personal information so they can see where they can make an improvement. There is no "passing" or "failing" grade or level. There is, however, an average range for each test that Fitness Gram feels to be an appropriate fitness level for each child (i.e. A 9 year old boy should be able to complete 7-20 full push-ups).

If you would like to know more about the test, you may visit their website at http://www.fitnessgram.net

Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day!

Marathon Kids

Hello students and parents!

Just a friendly reminder that this Friday, October 8, your Marathon Kids registration forms are due. This DOES NOT include the mileage log, only the registration form so that I know who all will be participating in this wonderful program.

Students have the opportunity to complete a Marathon(26.2 miles) within 6 months. They can do this at school or at home. I have also given the students some leniency on what can count towards their miles. If they participate in any extra-curricular sports (i.e. basketball, soccer, dance, martial arts, etc.) they can count 1/4 mile for every 30 minutes of practice that they have. This is practice with their team and coach only. Every time the students come to P.E. they also get 1/4 of a mile.

The track around the soccer field here at Roberts is 1/8 of a mile, so every time the student goes around 2 times, they get 1/4 of a mile, or 1 piece of 1 circle on their mileage log.

If at any time you need an extra form, there are extras in the office for your convenience. If you have any questions, please contact me- zlytton@houstonisd.org

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Roberts PE! We are going to have a great year this year! We have some new ideas to try out this year, as well as some of the same exciting things. Before going any further, I need to list my classroom rules for P.E. I only have 3 rules in my class.

1. Follow Directions
2. Be Respectful
3. Have Fun!

Anything that happens in class can be categorized under one of these simple rules. If a student forgets these rules and has a problem at some point in my class, we follow a 3-strike policy.
Strike 1- Verbal warning
Strike 2- 2-3 minute time-out
Strike 3- Student sits out of P.E. for the rest of that day and a note will go home that will need to be signed by a parent and returned by the student.

These rules are not simply to single any student out, but since each class comes to P.E. for 45 minutes, once a week, it is very important that your child come to class ready and prepared to learn. Only when they become disruptive to the learning of others will I implement the 3 strike policy.

What to wear to P.E.- I always tell the students to remember that P.E. is ALWAYS the school day after they have music ancillary, that way they know what to wear to school the next day. I know it is hard to remember during a weekend, but I would like for the students to try their best to remember. This is for safety reasons, but also so that the students can be comfortable when we are outside moving around. I ask that students DO NOT wear sandals, flip-flops, CROCS, or any other type of foot wear that could accidentally come off. I do not want a shoe coming off and then a student stepping on a sharp rock or stick outside. If we are doing a running activity, I cannot allow a student to participate if they do not have on the proper type of shoe.

***Also, please be aware of ALL of the school dress code policy regarding what your child can and cannot wear to school.***

Your child's grade will be based on active participation, as well as progression of skill. If the child is actively engaged in the activity for the day, their grade will reflect that.

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at any time at zlytton@houstonisd.org
Thanks so much!

P.S. Please be on the lookout for Marathon Kids information to come out in Tuesday folders in the near future!