Preparation
All students must be prepared for class activities with attire that is appropriate for the activity. Specific teacher expectations may differ depending on the type of elective class chosen (golf class vs. fitness class). At the beginning of each Phys. Ed. unit each teacher will describe specifically the expectations for appropriate clothing.
Unless otherwise stated for a particular activity, the standard department expectations are:
athletic sneakers (running, cross-training, basketball, tennis, etc.) Some fashion sneakers and soft-soled "skate" sneakers may not be appropriate.
t-shirt, long sleeve t-shirt.
sweatshirt or warm-up jacket for cold weather days
shorts, sweatpants, or other types of athletic pants
Please refrain from wearing clothing that exposes the mid-riff (short shirts), sides (cut out t-shirts), and chest (low, loose necked shirts). The bottom of your top should cover the top of your bottoms. Students who are not dressed for class may still be allowed to participate to earn partial credit toward their wellness grade.
Effort
Physical education students are expected to give their best effort at all times. While the development of motor skill is one aim in developing students, the level of specific proficiency does not factor directly in a students grade. It is our desire that students will engage willingly and enthusiastically in class activities. We believe it is the level of meaningful engagement in our domain that will ultimately lead to physically educated students and consequently we place a very high premium on appropriate effort in class. Effort might take the form of trying your best in cardiovascular fitness testing or working diligently to understand and apply a team invasion sport offensive strategy.
Social Interaction
Physical education at Mt. Greylock is, by design, a social experience. Plato said, "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." We have structured our program so that students will experience both a breadth and depth of activities, but also so that they will experience those activities in community as a moving population. As meaning seeking people, we believe that we find enhanced meaning in our participation when it is undertaken together. We desire students to understand that they sign an unwritten contract with others when they enter into a game or activity together. They are agreeing together to uphold the rules, customs, and values of the activity as they seek the best from themselves and applaud the best in others.
Grading
The physical education grading system is very simple. Meeting all expectations for preparation, effort, and social interaction would result in earning one point per day in Physical Education elective classes and 2 points per day in fitness classes (a student not changing would lose .5 points per day). All physical education students participate in a rotating weekly schedule of physical fitness classes (two classes in "A" weeks and one class in "B" weeks) which aim to develop the five areas of health related fitness: cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. A sample semester, then, might yield a point total and percentage out of roughly 105 points. Each teacher may also add points to a students grade for knowledge or strategy tests or quizzes in a particular unit.
Freshman Service Learning Expectation
During the freshman year at Mt. Greylock, each student is required to complete 10 hours of community service. While all hours of service are valuable across the scope of a student's high school experience (including the summer leading up to the freshman year), the curricular expectation of the 9th Grade Team is that 10 hours be completed between September and June. Service learning hours could be loosely categorized as time and energy you give for the benefit of others without financial, familial, or social remuneration. Hours can be verified using the appropriate tracking sheets available in the Guidance office and from Coach VonHoltz. Hours can be accrued through various volunteer opportunities that may be of particular interest to the serving student. Youth coaching, youth and peer tutoring, volunteer help at community events and projects, and/or organization of your own student service or outreach program are all ways to meet the stated expectation. If you have questions about whether your service meets the requirements please see a Wellness teacher, Guidance Counselor, Coach VonHoltz or a 9th Grade directed study teacher.