Welcome back! Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas break. With illness in the air, we are taking precautions by sanitizing our hands before class and equipment before and after class.

This month we will be focusing on a mixture of activities. In Middle School we are playing Volleyball, Badminton, and going to start flag football. I will have pictures of some of our games on my next blog. Today I am posting some pictures of an older game we played this week. The weather was nice so we took advantage of the fresh air and open space and went outside for class. Pictured below are some of our 4th and 5th graders enjoying a game of Capture the Frog. It is a cooperation game that requires a lot of team work and strategies. This is one of those games that progress with age. The older the students get, the more they figure out. It is so much fun to watch as a teacher, watching their minds develop and figuring out problems. Enjoy the pictures!

Now that the temperature is cooling off, we are starting to take class outside more. Pre Schoolers are working on space awareness, tossing, catching, kicking, and all of their gross motor skills. Lower Schoolers are working on their aiming and throwing skills, and Middle Schoolers have been introduced to an old game……KICKBALL! Pictured below are some of our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders enjoying a nice game of kickball. Enjoy the pictures!

As the weather is cooling off, we are starting to carry our classroom outside. Lower School has learned a cooperative team game that they LOVE! We played it outside Friday and they said it was even more fun outside! The game is Capture the Frogs. It requires team work, communication, strategic planning, and of coarse running, lol. I play this game with all Lower and Middle school. The strategies change according to age level. This game grows with the students.

Middle school is progressing in Basketball. Our shooting is improving, passing skills are looking better, dribbling and guarding still needs work, but we are improving. Pictured below are some our of 1st graders enjoying a game outside and our 6th - 8th graders are enjoying a game of basketball.

For those who do not know, we have an amazing After School Care Program. This program is available to any St James School student. The students get help with homework, enjoy visiting and playing with friends, and sometimes they even have popcorn and a movie. So if you have to work late or have a dr appointment. please know that this program is available to you. Pictured below are some of our NJHS students volunteering their time to help our younger students with homework and thier social skills.

This week we have been working on tossing and catching. Pictured below are some of our pre K students practicing tossing their turtle bean bags into their hula hoops (pond). They also practiced tossing and catching their turtles while standing in their ponds. This is a good activity to practice eye tracking and hand/eye coordination. We have also practiced this concept with balls. Enjoy the pictures below and come back to see more!

Welcome Back! Hope everyone had a fun and safe Summer break. We haven’t wasted any time getting back to work. Middle school (5th - 8th) have been working on Basketball skills. We are reviewing with lead up games like Hoop Guard to practice team work, passing, and communicating with one another. We are also practicing dribbling, passing, and shooting getting ready to play some Basketball games. The students are really excited about playing real games. And I must say, I’m pretty excited myself! Enjoy the pictures below and come back to see what else we are doing in class.

Well, we made it! This month has been a very busy month. We have had programs, graduations, P.E. teacher of the day, and field day. It has been a very interesting year, but we survived! Covid did not get the best of us! We played, learned, smiled, and laughed. The weather this month has been crazy. We tried enjoying some sun shine when we could. Field day was moved inside due to the weather conditions, but it did not stop us! Our 7th and 8th graders did a fabulous job running their games and bringing the energy! I couldn’t have asked for a better group of students to run the games. Thank you! Pictured below are some of our activities this month.

As the weather warms up we will start going outside more for class. A great backyard activity that is fun for the whole family is Badminton. We have started learning about the game and practicing serving and hitting. I start out teaching this activity in PreK. We start out using paddles and balloons and progress to paddles and birdies. In 1st grade we still use paddles and progress to racquets in 2nd grade. A badminton set up is afford and can be purchased at Walmart or Academy. Pictured below are some of our 1st and 2nd graders practicing their serves and returns. Next month I will post pictures of our middle schoolers playing games.

We started our 2nd Fitness Test this month to test and record the improvements of our students. The top 2 students in each class are posted on the board to encourage them to improve their Fitness. The students LOVE to see their name on the board and to see where they rank with other classes. This is a nice friendly way to push themselves to improve. There are 5 tests that were given. 1. Sit Ups 2. Push Ups 3. Flexibility 4. Shuttle Run and 5. running 8 Laps. We also have a TOP RECORD wall where the top score EVER is posted and stays posted until it is beaten. This is a good way to learn about goal setting and working towards your goal. We have had several records broken this year, and I see a few more in the reach of some of our students. Pictured to the right are the results of the Middle School test. Click on each picture to view the next. I am still finishing up with Lower Schools. Come back to view those results.

Hello everyone! It’s been a cold month, but it hasn’t slowed us down! In middle school this month we have been focusing on fitness. Pictured below are some of our 7th and 8th graders playing exercise tag and Basketball. We are calling this class our Pre Athletic class. We focus a lot on sport skills and fitness. When our students graduate into public school, they will be ready to try out for any team they so desire. When we come back from Winter Break, we are going to have a Badminton and Basketball tournament. The students will be placed on teams and we will play a round robin style tournament. They will put their skills to work, practice keeping score, and following the sport rules. The students are excited and so am I! Be sure to return back for more pictures.

We are focusing on Badminton and Basketball for the month of February. 5th - 8th grade are reviewing skills and rules while preparing for a Basketball and Badminton Tournament. 1st - 4th grade will be learning and practicing their Badminton serves and return skills. 3rd and 4th grade will work up to learning how to keep score and will play small games. Kindergarten will use paddles to practice passing a balloon back and forth with a partner. This is a great hand-eye coordination activity along with learning how to take turns. The paddle and balloons are a lead up activity to badminton. Next year in 1st grade the students will replace the balloon with a birdie. Below are some pictures of students practicing their serves and returns. Also, you will find a picture of a student helping another student with a new skill.

This month has been going by pretty fast. We have been working on so many things! In PreK, we have been working on tossing, catching, kicking, balancing, and spinning. In Middle School we are turning our focus to basketball and badminton for a bit. The students are very excited to start basketball. Due to covid, we will alter how we play, limiting our numbers on the court. We want the students to have a good time and stay safe. This month I am posting pictures of our pre schoolers. I am also including a couple of pictures from our After School Program. Our After School Program is offered to those families who need extended care for their children. We work on homework, offer a snack, and enjoy socializing during our free time. Pictured below are some of our younger students working on their homework.

Hello everyone! I can’t believe we are at the end of 2020. We have been very busy in class. The Primary - Kindergarten have been working on their tossing and catching skills and the 1st - 8th graders just finished their first Fitness Checks. When we return in January, Lower and Middle school are going to focus on Badminton and Basketball while Primary continues with working on their tossing/throwing, catching skills. Pictured below are some of our Primary students working on their tossing skills by tossing their turtles into a pond. This is a great activity for them to work on hand/eye coordination. I hope everyone has a Merry Çhristmas and a Happy New Year!

Welcome! This month in Primary P.E. we are working on balance and catching. The students are walking forward, sideways, and backwards on a low profile balance beam. Pre School and Kindergarten are also working on balance and catching. They will be learning a new game that requires tossing and catching. Our middle schoolers are refining their Volleyball skills, getting ready to be teamed up for a few Volleyball games.

We just finished our first Fitness Checks for the year for our 1st - 8th graders. The top 2 students in each class will have their names and results listed on our top fitness board in the gym. I will be posting the results soon. Enjoy the pictures and come back to see our Fitness Board.

This week we have been working on gross motor movements with our Primary students. They have been hopping, galloping, jumping, rolling, spinning, and learning the difference between pushing and pulling. Pictured below are some of our Primary students pushing and pulling themselves on scooters. They were using their arms and their legs to push and pull.

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Welcome back to all my students and parents! We are taking precautions in PE every day. We are sanitizing our hands and our equipment before and after each class. We are limiting our activities to assure social distancing. And since we ended the year early last year, I am starting with some of our sports that we didn’t get to cover last year. So in Middle School, we are starting out with Volleyball and Badminton. We will be playing these sports both inside and outside as the weather cools off a bit. Our Pre Schoolers are learning about the gym rules, how to treat our equipment, and starting with our stations. Pictured below are some of our students enjoying their daily PE class. Click on the picture to see the next picture. Enjoy and come back soon to see what we will be doing next!

It has been a very wet month and busy month. We have completed our 2nd Fitness Check for this year. I will be going over the results with each student and discussing their progress and what they need to work on. We will now focus on Volleyball and Badminton. 5th - 8th will be doing both sports. We will review skills and rules, then we will apply them in games. 1st - 4th will be doing Badminton. We will also review and practice serving and all the strokes needed for Badminton. The court will be introduced to 2nd grade and will practice keeping the birdie in play. I will have pictures next time of the students learning and enjoying their sport of the month.

Welcome back, everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas break. I was so excited to see everyone Monday. This month in PE we are going to focus on Jumping Rope, Basketball, and our Fitness Checks in grades 1-8. PreK will focus on jumping over a lightly swung rope swinging back and forth while Kindergarten learns how to jump over a turning rope. 1st - 6th grade will review their jump roping skills. 3rd - 8th will practice basketball skills: dribbling, passing, shooting, defending. And all of 1st - 8th will do their Fitness Checks. They will be tested on their: sit-ups, push-ups, shuttle run, flexibility, and time on their laps. Our goal is to improve. We will look at our scores from September and hopefully we will be able to see some improvement. This is a great tool to show the students their progress and how regular exercises can improve their health. Pictures below are some of our 3rd and 4th graders jumping rope.

Welcome to PE in December. This month we are working on balancing with our Pre K and Kinder classes. We are also continuing Basketball with 3rd grade on up, along with Self-Defense with our 7th/8th graders. Pictured below are some students practicing balance by walking heel-to-toe. It’s still common for some students to still have trouble with this concept. As you will notice, some students are actually stepping on their feet trying to walk heel-to-toe. Also pictured below are some of our Kinders working on their core strength and balance by spinning on their scooters. For our 5th and 6th graders, they were using scooters to play a game that involved their leg muscles, core muscles, strategy, teamwork, and communication. For our 7th and 8th grade class, the students are starting to learn more about kicks in their Martial Arts class. They are learning how to strike, how to evade, how to advance, and how to strike and evade. I don’t think it is ever too early to learn how to defend yourself. I hope you enjoy the pictures, come back soon to see what we are up to!

Lower School had book character day for Halloween. They got to pick a book they have read, do a book report on it, and dress up as a character in the book. So what do you do when your students come to class in their costumes? You have fun! Pictured below are some of our students enjoying a day in PE in their costumes. Some played keep away, while others play with hula hoops and played wall ball. The weather this month has turned wet and cold. On some days, the students were not able to enjoy their outdoor recess. So we decided to take advantage of one of our nice weather days and went outside for some fresh air. Also pictured below are some of our students enjoying some outdoor play. Our 7th and 8th-grade classes are extremely lucky to have a volunteer to come to teach them self-defense. Once a week, Master Juwana comes and works with the students. She is teaching them about balance, striking against predators, how to get away from holds and run away. She is also teaching them about discipline and respect. Pictured below are some of our students learning what part of the fist is used to strike. Also pictured is a student learning what to do if grabbed by the shirt by a bully. Come back soon and see what we are doing next!