Physical Education
Physical Education Department Program Philosophy  |
Program Overview
The program strives to have students meet the California Physical Education content and national standards through creative, well-planned lessons that reach students through kinesthetic, auditory, and visual domains. Character education is also emphasized as students learn and practice quality character traits such as sportsmanship, respect and integrity.
Lower and upper elementary grades develop locomotor, non-locomotor and manipulative skills as well as body and space awareness through a variety of applications and activities. Dance, yoga, Capoeria and gymnastics are among some of the units explored. The students also learn the form and function of their bodies through elementary anatomy and physiology units. In addition, sports skills and cooperative games are covered where teamwork and cooperation are emphasized.
Middle school physical education emphasizes fitness and lifelong recreational activities. Advanced development of foundational skills taught in the previous years takes place in middle school physical education. The transferability of those skills into sport settings, fitness testing and more is the focus. Team sports and games include learning how to work together to create strategies and find multiple solutions to a problem. Grades three through eight are assessed annually using the President’s Challenge (Physical Fitness Testing Program). In the beginning of the year, initial assessments are made and the results are discussed with students. The students are tested again at the end of the school year and are shown their progress.
