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P.E. SPOTLIGHT
Nebraska school districts show
students the "Path to Total Body
Wellness"
GRANTS &
OPPORTUNITIES
LEGO Children's Fund
Hershey's Social Responsibility
Saucony Run for Good
TEACHER OF
THE MONTH
Keith King
Woodbridge High (VA)
USEFUL WEB &
RESOURCE LINKS
America's Healthiest Schools
P.E. Podcasts
Playsport.net
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
Florida AHPERDS
19th Annual Lake Conference
Wireless Health Conference
North Carolina AAHPERD
Texas AHPERD
BRIGHT IDEAS
Challenge by Choice
INSPIRATIONAL STORIES
"One Friday Afternoon"
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FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER WITH CONFIDENCE:
We share achievements,
not e-mail addresses.
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Each of the 25 "Make It -Take It" Fitness Games starts with an teacher-friendly and visual overview and richly illustrated exercises. $30.00 (K-8)
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K-12 Curriculum Incentives for the NEW Physical Education is the product of 60+ years of teaching and supervising K-12 physical education programs. Written by Bud and Sue Turner, this is the latest book of this husband and wife writing team. The ideas in this new text offer a library of planned, purposeful, and exciting activities aimed at motivating all students.
$37.00 (K-12)
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A Complete Package: Project ACES is probably the most successful physical education promotional event to date. Hailed by the President's Council for Physical Fitness & Sports as the "world's largest exercise class," this event has generated interest from newspapers and television shows around the USA.
Blueprints for Success: Len Saunders, creator of Project ACES, shares the secrets of 15 successful physical education programs with you. This book contains step-by-step descriptions for innovative projects such as the Tri-Fit-A-Thon, The Great Country Fitness Challenge, The Best-Ever Fitness Fair, The Virtual Fitness Jamboree, Fitness Pen Pals, and much more! $25.00 (K-5)
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Looking for New Ideas? By using the theme-based PE Activity Stations found in this book, you will be able to implement a year-long selection of enjoyable fitness, sport skills, and team-building opportunities for your students!
This book provides over 200 physical eudcation station ideas with 12 fun-filled chapters. A great selection of flexible, adaptable, time-saving, and theme-based activities guaranteed to add more fun to your program! $30.00 (K-8)
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Since 1982, the Great Activities Newspaper (5 issues a year) has been a mainstay for thousands of elementary and middle school Physical Educators. Add to your teaching success by subscribing to the Great Activities Newspaper and have hundreds of teacher-tested activities and ideas throughout the school year. Great games at your fingertips!
A publication written by dedicated and experienced Physical Educators for life in the real world! New ideas make teaching fun! Just think, ... with each issue you'll receive 48 pages of high-involvement activities, motivational student certificates, field day ideas, new and exciting games, inspirational poems and stories, school-wide fitness resources, activities for limited spaces, and valuable student management teaching tips!
Loaded with Great Games!
Get a workshop delivered to your school or home. By subscribing to The
Great Activities Newspaper, you will receive a steady supply of fun
games, activities, and ideas. Like an old-fashioned community cookbook,
each issue of The Great Activities Newspaper offers the very best games
and ideas from teachers across the United States! $26.00 (K-8)
"My heart rate hits my target zone when I find your newspaper in my mailbox!"
Bonnie Hopper
National Elementary
PE Teacher of the Year.
"I recently attended a workshop for Physical Education
teachers and your publications received rave reviews. Please send me information on the Great Activities Newspaper."
Mark Holmes, Virginia.
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FOR MORE GREAT BOOKS, VISIT THE ONLINE STORE!
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Greetings!
It's time for Issue #3! Personally speaking, it has been great to have access to those of you in the physical education community who have taken a leadership role in your community and/or state. We'd like to thank those of you who have contributed to this newsletter, making it such a helpful resource to others.
"Hi Artie!! I would love to receive your PEP grant newsletter. A friend shared the first issue with me and it looks terrific. Thank you!"
Beth Corwin,Physical Education Specialist
Keene School District, New Hampshire
We invite you to expand this outreach by forwarding this issue to a friend - And we encourage you to share successes, programs and resources. If you wish to subscribe to this free, monthly newsletter, click here and submit your e-mail address.
Sincerely,
Artie Kamiya, Publisher
Mission: There are four general purposes for this growing, monthly publication:  To
provide an active forum for sharing valuable and timely information to
new and continuing Carol M. White PEP Grant-funded Project
Directors, Central Office Staff and teachers.
- To help disseminate the "lessons learned" by PEP Grant winners to all interested Physical Education Supervisors and teachers.
- To
encourage more schools and school districts to implement a
comprehensive physical education program model as described
in the Comprehensive Physical Education Profile (C-PEP) model.
- To recognize innovative schools and districts who are doing great things with and without PEP Grant funding.
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 Background: In 2003, five school districts (Auburn, Falls City, Johnson/Brock, Lewiston, and Nebraska City) were awarded a Carol M. White PEP Grant called "Path to Total Body Wellness." In 2005, a three-year grant was awarded to continue the initial project. Teachers from these "veteran" schools were joined by five "novice" districts (Humboldt/Table Rock/Steinauer, Palmyra/Bennett, Pawnee City, Southeast Consolidated, and Tecumseh). The partners represent approximately 5,290 students.
The Grant Planning Team included Margaret McInteer and Mitzi Hoback of ESU 4, Linda Engel of Nebraska City Public Schools, and project director, Judi Carter (Falls City Public Schools). Judi Carter summarized the project:
"In Year 1 of the three-year grant, the novice physical education teachers completed the activities that the veteran teachers did in the 2003 grant. The veteran physical education teachers continued the activities begun in the previous project and shared their expertise. Year 2 of our grant concentrated on strengthening the health curriculum and focusing especially on nutrition. During the third year, we added video skill assessments and coordinating our fitness and nutrition activities leading to "Total Body Wellness."
  
The specific grant objectives included:
TEACHERS
� become familiar with physical education and health standards
� develop and align physical education and health curriculum with standards
� learn to use tools for technological assessment, including Fitnessgram software
� learn to use pedometers and other tools for wellness
� plan instructional changes
� plan community outreach projects
STUDENTS
� determine baseline personal fitness levels
� set personal fitness and nutrition SMART goals
� develop personal fitness action plans for fitness, nutrition, and total body wellness
� share progress with parents
� conduct formative and summative evaluation of personal fitness
� increase activity minutes in physical education classes
� monitor out-of-class activity levels by keeping a fitness log
� take part in nutrition activities, such as planning menus
� complete community outreach projects
Q. Judi, why do you think you got the grant? What made your proposal stand out?
A. According to comments by grant reviewers, our grant project was well thought out and comprehensive, gave a detailed timeline and action plans, and provided extensive staff development. The fact that ten school districts in rural southeast Nebraska joined together on the project was a plus because it provided us with the opportunity to share training and ideas. Two of the grant readers mentioned that a strength of the proposal was the "innovative" community outreach programs coupled with on-going activities involving students and families.
Q. Can you tell us about your video skill assessment?
A. I asked Don Hogue, Falls City Middle School physical education teacher. He said, "Video assessment is used in a number of ways and for a number of reasons. A class of students could be assessed on how well they can throw and perform other manipulative skills. A video camera is set up and the students perform a given task. Based on a pre-determined skill rubric, the teacher can use the video to assess an individual student for throwing accuracy and can even slow down the video to assess their throwing fundamentals. The videotape provides a hard copy of what the students are learning and what they're being assessed on. It can be used to have the students do self assessments, so they can see what they need to work on to improve. When a group is being assessed, even though the students know the video camera is on, they interact without knowing that the video camera is focused on them."
Q. Do you have any resources you can share with other schools?
A. We have a website where we share our internal materials. If anyone wants to download our forms or see how we're organized, they may find it helpful. The forms are specific to us, graphically, but the content is there to share.
Our website is: http://manila.esu4.org/PE/
We'd
like to thank Judi Carter for making the time to talk with us. If any
of you would wish to contact Judi, she has made herself available at: jcarter@esu4.org
 Do you know of a fellow PEP Grant awardee you'd like to have highlighted in this section? If so, please click here to send an e-mail. Include your name, contact information and a few short words about the school district you'd like for us to feature. Type "Physical Education Spotlight" in the subject line.
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LEGO Children's Fund
The LEGO Children's Fund will provide quarterly grants for programs,
either in part or in total, with a special interest paid to
collaborative efforts and in providing matching funds to leverage new
dollars into the receiving organization. They give priority
consideration to programs that both meet the LEGO Children's Fund goals and are supported in
volunteer time and effort by LEGO employees.
* Early childhood education and development
* Technology and communication projects that advance learning opportunities
* Sport or athletic programs that concentrate on under-served youth
Maximum Award: $5,000
Deadline: November 1, 2008
Questions? The fund has limited resources and must rely on the Internet
as much as possible. Kindly send your questions via email to
legochildrensfund@lego.com
Hershey Foods Social Responsibility Grant
Contributions are made to support a variety of worthy causes and non-profit organizations which support Education, Health & Human Services, Civic & Community initiatives, Arts & Culture and the Environment. Particular emphasis is placed on the needs of communities in which the corporation employs a substantial number of people and on programs and institutions reasonably related to its business purposes and needs, while continuing to consider the broader needs of society.
Award: $5,000 and up.
Deadline: December 1, 2008
Questions? Please visit: http://www.thehersheycompany.com/about/responsibility.asp
Saucony Run for Good Program
The Saucony Run for Good Program has been created to encourage
active and healthy lifestyles in children, fight obesity, and reverse
the trend of shortening life spans. In addition to the physical
benefits, running can also help children do better in school and manage
stress. Organizations whose participants are 18 years of age or less, have
501 (c)3 status and can demonstrate their program positively impacts
the lives of participants through their increased participation in
running are eligible. Programs which support youth not traditionally
exposed to running programs will be given preference. Five grants of
$10,000 or less will be awarded.
Maximum Award: $10,000
Deadline: December 12, 2008
Questions?
Contact Saucony directly for complete program information and application guidelines: http://www.sauconyrunforgood.com/
 Have
you ever written and/or received a community or foundation grant? Do
you have any grant success stories you'd like to share with others? If
so, please click here to send an e-mail to us with your name and contact information. Type "PE Grants" in the subject line.
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 Keith King: Woodbridge High - Woodbridge, VA
Advanced P.E. and Weight Training / Head Football Coach
Education: Louisburg College (Louisburg, NC), Methodist University (Fayetteville, NC), George Mason University (Fairfax, VA).
Affiliations: VAHPERD
& AAHPERD memberships. Member of the Prince William Federation of
Teachers. Member of the National High School Athletic Coaches
Association.
Accolades: Coach
of the Year 2000, 2007. Redskins NFL High School Coach of the Week,
2000, 2008. Virginia All State Games Football Coach 2000. 2nd place,
State Championship 2007.
Q. What do you think you're doing right?
A.
I feel that what I am doing right is to teach with the end in mind. My
goal is to produce students that are well educated and make informed
choices for a lifetime. They will have a positive experience in my
class and will want to continue to make healthy choices. I don't feel
it is something I purposely do, but I naturally make a personal
connection with each student because I do care about their life outside
of my class. As a veteran teacher, I take the responsibility to mentor
younger teachers and coaches, not only on teaching strategies, but
coaching and personal lifestyle choices. I maintain good
communication with our administration and have an "open door" policy when it
comes to parents and students.
Q. What does it mean to be a teacher and a coach?
A.
I believe that being a good coach and being a good teacher are two
sides to one coin. To not give the best effort in one, would be a
weakness to the other. As a teacher, I expect the students
to be the best students they are capable of being. To not give 100%
effort in the classroom would mean that they are not willing to dig
deep and succeed. The same ideal holds true for me as a coach. You do not need to "give in" to one, to be successful in the
other.
Q. Is it a challenge to be dedicated to both?
A. A challenge to be dedicated? No! However, it is a challenge to manage time in
order to serve my three major responsibilities - teaching, coaching, and family. I have found that having good
communication is the key. I stress to my athletes to
manage their time wisely so that school work and family receive proper
attention. Likewise, I encourage the coaches to use the time together with family as
quality time. After the coaching season, more time is focused on
family and professional development for the classroom.
Q. Any advice or resources that you can share with our readers?
A.
As a department, we play together to break the tension. Sponge Ball at
lunch time, challenging the volleyball team to a match, showing the
students in class that "the old guys" still have it. As a teacher, it
is important to attend district-wide staff development, not only for
the sessions, but to also network with colleagues. Attending a
convention or conference helps to provide new ideas. One of my favorites is the
VAHPERD convention: http://www.vahperd.org/newdesign/Conventions.html
Another great staff development opportunity
is the Health and Physical Activity Institute hosted by James Madison
University: http://www.jmu.edu/kinesiology/hpainstitute/
As a
Coach, my Offensive Coordinator, Kevin Smith, has developed our own
website to improve communication and organization. We have invested in
the product, Landro Play Analyzer:
http://study.landro.com/ex/ssui.dll/home . It is an investment in the
future of the players, as it allows us to make highlight tapes in a
fraction of the time as before. This allows me to initiate and follow
through on contact with as many prospective college coaches as possible.
Also,
I believe in Coaches Education Programs, such as the National
Federation of State High School Association course:
http://www.nfhslearn.com/
Q. Anything else we should know about you?
A.
I met my wife in the physical education teacher program at George Mason
University. We were both hired on the same day and have taught 21 years for the Prince William County School System. She is currently the Health and Physical
Education Specialist for the district, an assistant field hockey
coach, and the Team Mom for football concessions. My daughter is the
oldest, a senior at the high school where I teach. She is a successful
field hockey and softball player. She wants to attend college and be a
coach, teacher, and Athletic Director. My son also attends the school
where I teach as a sophomore. He is playing for my varsity team for the
first time and is also a successful wrestler and baseball player. My
youngest is in second grade and will be one of the ball boys for the
first time this season. My 75+ year old parents still attend every game
they are able to and support all our family events.
We'd
like to thank Keith King for making the time to talk with us. If any
of you would wish to contact Keith, he has made himself available at: KINGRK@pwcs.edu  Do you have a teacher you would like to nominate for this section? If so, please click here to send e-mail to us with your name and contact information. Type "PEP Teacher of the Month" in the subject line. Each PEP Teacher of the Month receives a $100 gift certificate courtesy of Sportime, the leading source of innovative physical education equipment today.
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 Would you like to recommend a valuable resource (i.e., workshop presenter, new product, website link) to others? If so, please click here to send an e-mail to us with your name and contact information. Type "Useful Resources" in the subject line.
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October, 2008
Event: 2008 Florida AHPERDS Conference
Dates: October 2-4, 2008 Location: Caribe Royal All-Suites Resorts/Conference Center; Orlando, Florida. Conference Theme/Description:
"Sailing into the Future" will be the theme of this year's conference
which will have over 1,300 participants. The Caribe Royale Resort is
just 5 minutes from Disney and 15 minutes from the other theme parks.
Contact: Dr. Karen Dowd, Executive Director, at (954) 752-1600 or fahperd@comcast.net. Website: To be connected to the FAHPERDS website (www.fahperd.org) please click here.Event: 19th Annual Lake Conference
Dates: October 3-5, 2008 Location: Fairview Lake YMCA Camp, Stillwater, New Jersey Conference Theme/Description:
A fantastic conference for K-8 physical education teachers. Presenters include: John Hichwa, 1993 National Middle School Physical Education T.O.Y; Gerry Cernicky, Kiski Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA; Bob FitzPatrick, 2007 Eastern District Elementary T.O.Y; and Curt Hinson, Ph.D., 1992 NASPE Eastern District Elementary Physical Education T.O.Y. Come join us for a weekend you'll remember for years to come and also jump start your school year with many outstanding activities you can use immediately. Contact: John Grzymko, Chair, at tigger2jlg@att.net. Website: To view the New Jersey AHPERD website (www.njahperd.org) please click here. November, 2008
Event: WIRELESS HEALTH CONFERENCE: STD/HIV Prevention
Date: November 5, 2008 Conference Theme/Description: Featuring Dr. Torabi Chair of the Department of Applied Health Science at
Indiana University and co-director of the Rural Center for Study and Promotion
of HIV/STD Prevention. The topic of the presentation is "Prevention is our Mission,
Quality of Life is our Passion." This presentation primarily focuses
on the roles and trends of the major risk factors related to the leading cause
of death. Special attention is given to tobacco as the gateway drug. This presentation
is concluded with recommendations to universities/colleges, schools, communities,
and finally and most importantly, to individuals. The one-hour presentation
with PowerPoint will be followed by 30 minutes of questions and discussion. Please click here to Download Registration.Event: North Carolina AAHPERD 61st Annual Convention
Dates: November 20-22, 2008 Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Contact: Dr. Ron Morrow at (888) 840-6500 or Romorrow@ncaahperd.orgWebsite: To be connected to the NCAAHPERD website (www.ncaahperd.org) please click here.December, 2008
Event: Texas AHPERD 85th Annual Convention
Dates: December 3-6, 2008 Location: Corpus Christi - American Bank Center
Contact: Lisa Fall at (512) 459-1299 or lisa@tahperd.orgWebsite: To be connected to the TAHPERDS website (www.tahperd.org) please click here.
 Would you like to share details about your conference or upcoming state or national event to other national PEP Grant teachers? If so, please click here to send an e-mail to us with your name and event information. If possible, please use the above format to send us your information. Type "State and National Events" in the subject line.
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Challenge by Choice
Jeff Mushkin and Paul Rosengard
 "Challenge by Choice" is an instructional strategy that allows students to participate at their own pace. If the learning environment is positive, students will naturally challenge themselves to learn "how well, how quickly, how far, how many times" they can perform a particular skill. Providing students to have choice helps to keep fitness fun and more students engaged. Additionally, research shows that the training effects of fitness are about 70% genetically determined. Particularly in fitness activities, levels and choices should be given to children to differentiate learning and foster greater individual success.
Here are 5 great ideas to challenge your students. For more, visit the SPARK website at www.sparkpe.org
1) Activity from the Get-Go: Use the SPARK ASAP's (Active Soon As Possible) from the (grades) K-2 or 3-6 programs or get students active by stating (e.g., "Select a rope, find an open space, and begin your warm up").
2) Progression: Scope and sequence is written into each SPARK instructional unit. Therefore, activities become progressively more challenging as students' skills improve. Allow students to choose their starting activity (level) and strive to move to the next level.
3) Self Challenges: Challenges provide purposeful practice and motivate students to improve. Prompt students to build their skills by challenging themselves all the time (e.g., "Can you toss then catch the ball with your opposite hand 3-5 times in a row? When you accomplish that, try for 6-10 times in a row").
4) Add 1 for Fun: Have students create their own move/routine by "Adding 1 for Fun" and including it in an already learned sequence (e.g., "Now that you've sequenced 4 moves, show your understanding of cardiovascular fitness by adding a 5th cardio move to your routine").
5) Step Back: After a successful catch (or trap) by each person, all take 1 step back, then begin again. Step back fosters differentiated learning as pairs (or groups) progress at their own rate.
Want to learn more? SPARK workshops provide detailed instruction on these concepts and many others. Inquire about hosting a SPARK workshop on a district professional growth day (SPARK comes to you) or attending an Institute in San Diego next summer (you come to SPARK). See our website:www.sparkpe.org Or call: 800-SPARKPE
Comments regarding this article are welcome:
Jeff Mushkin: jmushkin@sparkpe.org
Paul Rosengard: prosengard@sparkpe.org
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One Friday AfternoonAuthor Unknown
When I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks!" He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home.. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Darn boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach ... , but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give him. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as Kyle told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Each day is a gift from God! Don't forget to say, "Thank you!"
 This
inspirational story is an example of the many other stories, teacher tips, games,
and activities contained in the PEP Club Archives, the largest single
collection of games, activities, and physical education teaching tips
in the universe! Access to the PEP Club is $59.95 a year. Please call (800) 927-0682 for discounted rates for multi-school subscriptions.
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Great Activities Publishing
PO Box 51158
Durham, North Carolina 27717
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