April 5, 2018
Time for a Little Spring Cleaning
It is officially spring! Spring ushers in spring break, budding flowers, green hills, baseball season, warmer weather, and the chance to do a little spring cleaning! No, I don't mean cleaning out your equipment rooms (which also isn't a bad idea), but I would like to encourage every teacher, department, and district to think about doing a little spring cleaning of your program and instruction. Take a few minutes to:
  1. Reflect on what your students have accomplished this year. What worked and didn't work? What evidence do you have of your students' growth? Does your evidence show that students know and are able to do what they should?
  2. Look for patterns. Are there things that routinely create the student learning outcomes you desire? Are there aspects of your program that continue to create difficulty? What do your students say about their experiences in health and physical education?
  3. Identify changes to your program or method(s) for instruction. Research alternatives, such as books, social media, websites, or professional learning. Identify best practices that interest you. Visit other programs or teachers. Reinvent yourself and your program.
  4. Start planning for next year. Talk to the colleagues in your department. Inform your administrators. Update course syllabi. Order equipment. Revise or create assessments, lessons, and curriculum.  
Don't put this off until the end of the year. It will be harder to clean out the cobwebs when you are tired and buried with end-of-year duties! Start your spring cleaning now so that you are empowered with everything you need for a clean start in the 2018-19 school year!

Health and Physical Education Coordinator
San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE)

Start Thinking About Your Summer Plans for Professional Development
Summer is a great time to recharge and engage in professional learning. Whether you are looking for a few more continuing education units or just want to update your practice, there are some amazing opportunities available. Make sure you check out these upcoming events:

When: June 16
Where: Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton
Cost: $65 by June 1, or $75 by June 9

California Physical Education-Health Project (Subject Matter Project)
When: June 25-28, Aug. 3-4, Sept. 29, and Nov. 17 (all dates required)
Where: Long Beach, CA  
Cost: Free, including housing and some expenses
To Register: Email lbpehp@gmail.com

When: July 7-14
Where: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Cost:  $490 to $525 for registration, $88.25 per night for housing

When: July 14-19
Where: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Cost: Starts at $324 for three days, additional housing fee

When: July 18-24
Where: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Cost: $375 for registration, $530 for housing, $125 for meals

When: July 27-29
Where: Cal State Fullerton
Cost: $200 for registration by June 1, $120 for housing
 
2017-18 Professional Learning Opportunities
Visit the SDCOE Health and Physical Education webpage to view upcoming professional learning opportunities including conferences, site visits, and more! Registration is now open for several fall 2018-19 learning events that tend to fill up fast.
High School Teachers Excel at Tech Integration
The tech-savvy duo of Kasey  De La Cruz
and Shannon Moreno are this month's MVPs. Teachers from  throughout San Diego County had the opportunity on  March 15 to see  the pair engage some  Valhalla High School students in a digital  fitness scavenger hunt. The exercise had students running and cross-training in teams all over  campus using QR codes and collecting evidence  of their  performance at each station through an app. The best part is that this is just one example of how De La Cruz  and Moreno are using technology to invigorate their classes and engage students with content. De La Cruz  is a teacher and  coach and Moreno is a teacher and Coordinated Early Intervening Services coordinator at Valhalla.

Over the past few years, the two have taken responsibility for distributing devices to students and teaching them how to use Google Classroom. As a result, they have become the tech gurus on their campus and are continuously engaging students in assessments; projects, including a really cool Physical Activity App Project; and instruction utilizing the Google Suite and other easy-to-use apps to increase students' physical literacy.  

Health and PE App of the Month
Free App Turns Activities into GIFs
The Giphy Cam app allows you or your students to record amazing GIFs of motor skills, dances, 
movement  patterns, and more. Filters  and stickers can be used to create a fun loop that allows the skill  to  be repeated. GIFs can be saved and posted to websites, used to create QR codes and  much more. 
A fun way to show students or have them demonstrate a performance or technique!

Students Pen Personalized FITNESSGRAM Report For
Parents
As FITNESSGRAM testing comes to an end, maximize student learning by having students write their own FITNESSGRAM summary for their parents. In this letter, students can describe which tests they are in or out of the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) and reflect on their scores. They can also set goals for the future and identify actions they will follow to meet those goals. Students submit their self-created reports to parents for signatures and to have a conversation about aspects included in their report.

What Can We Change to Improve Student Wellness?
Recently, there has been a lot of talk in the media about what our students need in order to thrive in school. Instead of these conversations taking place outside our schools, consider having the conversation with your classes. Give them the writing prompt, "What is one thing you would like to see change to improve student wellness?" Then ask them to identify a policy, practice, or strategy that could make a difference on your campus. Depending on grade level, the students can answer the question in a paragraph, essay, or even a picture and identify how this change would have a positive impact on students health, fitness, nutrition, emotions, and safety. This could also be done in small groups as a collaborative effort. Aren't you interested in seeing what they will have to say?

Health and PE Activity of the Month
Clap-Jump-Spin-Run
Chip Candy and John Smith recently demonstrated Clap-Jump-Spin-Run at the SHAPE America National Convention as a fun way to invigorate warm-ups!  
  • Have students get into a large circle.  
  • Identify a student to start as the clapper.
  • When the clapper claps, the person to their right must jump, the next person to the right must spin, and then third person to the right must run across the circle to a new spot and clap.  
  • The person to the right of the new clapper jumps, the next person to their right spins, and then the third person to their right runs across the circle to a new spot and claps, starting it all over again.  
  • You can vary the activity by having multiple students clap at the same time. Once students get the hang of it, then people to the left and right of the clapper can jump, then spin, then clap. You can also change up the exercise and make it more physical with clap, sit-up, burpee, bear crawl!
One of my favorite practices
One of My Favorite Practices,  by Kasey De La Cruz and Shannon Moreno
This year, we had our 9th-grade students undertake a fitness app project. The project had students select an app that would help them meet one of their personal health and/or fitness goals. Students then used the app for two months and recorded their progress. At the end of the project, students rated the app and created a presentation that described their experience with it. You can see the project description here .

Kasey De La Cruz is a teacher and coach and Shannon Moreno is a teacher and Coordinated Early Intervening Services coordinator at Valhalla High School.

Share one of your favorite practices in an upcoming Monthly Update by emailing it to Paige Metz.  
JUUL:  What is it?  Why Should I Know About It?
JUUL is a type of electronic cigarette that looks like a USB flash drive. At the end of the JUUL device is a pod that contains nicotine (about the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes) and flavors, such as cool mint, crème brulee, and fruit medley. JUULing has become extremely popular with kids because of the attractive flavors and fun device designs, and because it is discrete and easy to hide from parents and teachers. The number of youth using e-cigarettes is alarming and raises serious concerns. Educating our students about JUUL is critical. Click here for more information.
 
The PE Geek Releases 100 Ways to Use Technology in Physical Education
The PE Geek released the top 100 ways that physical educators can use technology in their classes. Whether you are looking for fun fitness activities, using videos in class, assessments, Google opportunities, active gaming, virtual reality, productivity, or useful tools, you will find something worth implementing on the 100 Ways to Use Technology in Physical Education list.
 
New Documents Help Define Quality Physical Education
The San Diego County Office of Education, in collaboration with San Diego Unified School District, has created two tools to help teachers and administrators define quality physical education. The Foundations for Quality Physical Education: Observation Guide can be used by teachers as a self-evaluation tool or can help guide administrators' understanding of what quality physical education looks like in action. The Physical Education Best Practice brochure describes shifts in practice that will improve students' physical literacy.
 
Professional Articles Worth Your Attention
The Season to Recognize and Celebrate Quality Health and Physical Education
The California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD) San Diego Unit will host its annual End-of-Year Social and Awards from 4 to 6 p.m. May 17 at the Barefoot Bar and Grill at 404 Vacation Road in San Diego.  Plan on joining us for a great afternoon celebrating the amazing work taking place in San Diego County!
 
Nominations Now Accepted for Teacher, Program of the Year Awards
The San Diego CAHPERD Unit is now accepting nominations for 2017-18 award recipients. The deadline to submit initial nominations is April 15. Final applications for teacher and program of the year nominations are due May 1.
 
  • Teacher of the Year (Elementary and Secondary)
  • Program of the Year (Elementary and Secondary)
  • Outstanding New Health/Physical Education Professional (First two years teaching)
  • Administrator Recognition
  • Community Partner Recognition
  • Retirement Recognition
  • Exceptional Contributor Recognition
  • Other People or Programs Positively Impacting Health and/or Physical Education
Don't miss the opportunity to give a well-deserved shout-out to someone who deserves it! For more information, contact Brian Nassif or Paige Metz.  
 
Junior Adaptive Sports Camp Looking for Campers and Volunteers
The Junior Adaptive Sports Camps were created for kids ages 4 to 18 with physical challenges in order to cultivate a love for sports. Activities include water tubing, sailing, archery, golf, wheelchair tennis, kayaking, swimming, wheelchair rugby, water skiing, water polo, wheelchair basketball, roller hockey, handcycling, and more. Camp organizers are looking for both campers and volunteers for their summer programs. To register or to volunteer, visit the Junior Adaptive Sports Camps website.
 
9th Annual Chelsea King Invitational Mile
The 9th annual Chelsea King Invitational Mile will take place at 1 p.m. May 31 at Point Loma Nazarene University. Don't miss this amazing opportunity to bring 3rd- through 6th-grade students who qualify to compete with other runners from throughout San Diego County. The qualifying time for boys is seven minutes, and eight minutes for girls. Entries are due by May 17. Visit the Chelsea King Invitational Mile website for more information and to register.
If you have any questions or comments about Health and Physical Education Monthly Update, please contact Paige Metz.

Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at SDCOE and in our districts across the county.

Follow us on Twitter    View on Instagram    View our profile on LinkedIn    Like us on Facebook