At Calaveras School on Thursday, the third- and fourth-grade
students did jumping jacks on the field, still wet from the morning
dew. Led by their teachers, they shouted their repetitions loud
enough to resonate across the field and into the neighborhood.
Hollister – At Calaveras School on Thursday, the third- and fourth-grade students did jumping jacks on the field, still wet from the morning dew. Led by their teachers, they shouted their repetitions loud enough to resonate across the field and into the neighborhood.
The Hollister School District has added a new P.E. program for third- through fifth-graders. This standards-based program, Game Day, provides teachers with specific lesson plans and guides for teaching the students.
Because of budget constraints, there are no specific physical education teachers or classes at the elementary school level, and each teacher is expected to provide the required physical activity for his or her own class.
The Game Day program has been popular among teachers, many of whom were lost on what to teach for physical education before, Calaveras Principal Christine White said.
“A lot of the teachers felt untrained in how to teach P.E.,” White said. “They’re taught how to teach English and language arts, but not P.E.”
The program started from a need to increase the amount of physical activity students were getting. California State standards require that elementary school students get 200 minutes of P.E. every 10 days.
With a growing concern about childhood obesity and early-onset diabetes, the schools are treating students’ physical activity more seriously.
“A lot of it’s dealing with the obesity issue and getting kids more engaged in physical activity,” HSD Superintendent Ron Crates said.
Donna Barry, who teaches third grade at Calaveras, said she is a big fan of the Game Day program.
“It gets the teachers to do P.E. A lot of them were scared to do it,” Barry said.
Barry said the “teacher-friendly” program provides teachers with training videos and a binder full of the standards each student must meet, along with lessons and games to teach those standards.
The students enjoy the new program, too, Barry said.
Third-grader Ricky Garcia said his favorite part of the program was playing football.
“This year we get to do more stuff on the field and get to be more active,” said Ricky, 8.
For many kids who don’t go outside and play afterschool, White said, it also gets them hooked on physical education.
“The kids, it teaches them confidence. It teaches them games to play,” White said. “We see these kids playing these games after school.”
There was a lot of laughter Thursday morning at Calaveras as the students kick the soccer ball back and forth across the field.
Barry pulled her pants up to show her tennis shoes, which were soaked from playing on the damp field.
“The only downside is the wet feet,” she said.
