Dear students,
Welcome to the distance learning version of McKenney PE! We are not expecting it to be a full substitute for the rich class experience you would have had, but you will still engage in physical practices, thinking and reading, and writing for the remainder of the semester, but just through a different medium. We also want to emphasize that this is a stressful time for many people, so understand that we might have to adapt this course as we go along--please remain flexible (pun intended). We are all learning. So please be patient with us, your classmates, your family, and your community as we move forward. Here’s the plan for how we will run our class, though I’ll likely make changes as we go.
Course Plan
Each week, you will find a new set of REQUIRED materials (Assignments, Reading, Videos, Exercises, Meditations, Quizzes, etc.) posted on GOOGLE CLASSROOM under Pages. Do the work and post it under the assignment on Google Classroom by the due date. Each week, there may also be some optional supplemental materials that you can do to enrich your learning.
Primary Modes of Instruction & Materials
This remote learning course will primarily use Google Classroom. You have already been using it this year, so the transition shouldn’t be too hard. We may also use Zoom for video conferencing, so please download the free software for Zoom.
Communication
If you have any questions or need support, the best ways to reach us are by McKenney email or during our posted office hours.
Email: ljones@mjusd.k12.ca.us
Digital Office Hours: During these times we will be online checking email and will respond quickly.
10:00am-2:00pm
We will also be available for a video conference by request
Lastly, we also want to reiterate that a lot of the other support staff at the school--counselors, psychologists, administrators--are also available should you need them.
Assignment Submission
All materials will be made available online through Google Classroom, which is also where you should submit your work. We’ll use Google Classroom and the calendar to post assignments and reminders. Know that assignments will be due at the end of the week, please plan accordingly.
Attendance
We are trying to have as few disruptions to your learning as possible, therefore your attendance in class will be monitored by your checking the materials folder in Google Classroom at least once each week and/or turning in assignments. We will be contacting your parents, counselors, or others if we see you are not checking in or turning in poorly completed assignments or they were not submitted on-time. If you have not completed the assignment by the due date/time, the assignment will be marked “missing” in the gradebook.
Grading
Physical Education is an activity based course, therefore in order for a student to receive a grade they must fully participate in the activities of the class.Your grade will be determined by but not limited to any of the following listed in this grading section: DAILY POINTS, social skills, conduct, homework assignments, projects, knowledge tests, motor skill acquisition and improvement , improvement in personal fitness and overall effort in each activity.
6 Points are given daily (Fitness activity and unit activity participation)
***Physical Education is an activity-based course, therefore in order for a student to receive a grade they must fully participate in the activities of the class. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the appropriate make-up work within a week of absence from their teacher ( this includes run days)
Course Standards: As developed by the California Department of Education, Challenge Standards for Student Success in Physical Education include:
Students demonstrate the motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities.
Students demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts, principles, and strategies that apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.
Students assess and maintain a level of physical fitness to improve health and performance.
Students demonstrate knowledge of physical fitness concepts, principles, and strategies to improve health and performance.
Tips for distance learning:
Be flexible and patient with yourself. Being successful in a remote classroom requires self-motivation, organization and independent thinking. Try out different ways of learning until you find one that works for you.
To start with, try to carve out time to sit down and do this course’s work at the same time each day and in the same location in your home. Work alone. Work with no distractions. This is how you engage in what’s called deliberate practice.
If your home life doesn’t allow for this, try switching things up. If it’s nice outside, work there. If you normally sit at the kitchen table, try your room for a day instead.
Check Google Classroom for assignments, updates and Calendar often
Check Materials for resources you might need for the week in the ASSIGNMENTS folder and specific week
One of the biggest differences with distance learning is that you’re not connected to your classmates in person. To recreate that social part of learning that you might usually enjoy, you might want to pick a day (or more!) each week to video chat classmates or join a Zoom meeting with your teachers and talk/work/read together rather than doing it by yourself; even if you can’t be with one another to complete your work, you can still support each other in the learning process.
Continue (or use this as an opportunity to start) using an agenda / planner / calendar / dated “to do” list to keep track of different due dates + deadlines for all of your classes; in this distance learning format it will be especially important to monitor requirements for all of your classes at the same time.