Newsletter

Welcome to the  Newsletter

6th-8th grades, if we have a snow day from this point on, we will have asynchronous learning. PLEASE go to our religion Google Classroom under the classwork tab and follow the instructions for our assignments. Thank you!

Welcome to Physical Education. All classes are a gentle reminder that we will be having P.E. outside during the fall, winter, and spring months. So please dress appropriately, and remember your water bottles. As of right now, you do not need to wear a mask outside. It is your choice if you would like to wear one during the time we are outside. Inside the school, you will be asked to wear a mask.  I promise if you dress correctly and stay hydrated you will enjoy your break from the inside! Did you know being outside with nature, the fresh air, and moving your body helps you academically, emotionally mentally and of course physically!?

 Here are some positive results in being outside during those cold months working on our bodies. Exercising outside during the wintertime actually boosts benefits that may not be achieved as efficiently elsewhere, you can burn more calories, you can strengthen your heart, you drink more water, ( and we always have cold drinks after class and during) you will remember the importance of warm-up and cool-down routines. You know you will receive your dose of Vitamin D. You can have more of the happy feeling feel more energized. So bundle up and keep that smile going we will be moving outdoors! 

     We will be having health classes in our own classrooms this year, this will start in the winter months.  Grades prek-8th. We have topics ranging from how much a healthy proportion for a meal  too  which type of exercise, and why and what type of day we should do this, to our sleep schedules, mental health and talking about peer pressure.  

We have had to hit pause on kindness club  over the last couple of years due to covid, I am hoping this year we can bring this back to SJA! This has been an amazing experience for not only the students but for myself as well. I have opened the club up for grades 4th-8th. We have over 45 students who signed up for this club! Our goal is to treat others with respect and kindness. We have different groups who participate in different areas. i.e. bulletin boards around the schools ( promoting positivity posts) chalk outside on the blacktop creating positive messages for anyone to see, tending the butterfly garden, lots of fun activities, we hold this every Thursday in the library where we all eat lunch together.   Field day is a huge hit at our school. The last five  years I was able to have a soccer player come down from the Baltimore Blast and sign the back of shirts for the students as well as be apart of the 5th-8th grade experience in running a soccer station. ( Baltimore Blast hit pause due to covid) however I am hoping they will come this year for our 2022-2023 school year! KONA Ice was able to come as well giving each students a free icy! Perfect on a hot day. I rent out festival park for grades 5th-8th  for the day, and the younger grades stay on the SJA campus.  * If you would like to help on  field day which I hold at the end of May please send me an email. We love the help and a positive helping hand. 

In all of our grades we will begin the year talking and sharing about team building and conditioning exercises. Each class begins the same, with the students making about 5 or 6 lines with about 3 or 4 students in each line. They begin by running down the blacktop and around the cone, when they make it back to their line they high five the next student than they begin. Our warm ups consist of skipping forward and  backwards, grapevine, side shuffle high knees and more. Each student will get to offer a new warm up in their line if they wish! learning games and sharing them with our classes. ( In the next few weeks the students will get to create their own game as a group) Once a month the girls will get to choose a class period and vote on a game for the day. The same goes for the boys on another day. This will be a reward for the students great attitudes, good sportsmanship and kind words. The students will share  a name for their game, rules and teach their peers, or they may vote as a group for a game we already know. 

Grades 3rd-8th will have a positive quote from a Christian athlete, our Pope, Bible, Christian devotional's or a bible verse. This is chosen by me and put on the whiteboard. The students see this all throughout the day. It stays outside so the children can be reminded on something great and positive. As the students get more comfortable in class and with one another they are given the choice to research a Bible quotes or a positive verse from a Christian athlete. The student gets the opportunity to share this on our whiteboard the last few minutes of class and share what this verse means to them personally. Than we discuss as a class. We talk about how we can apply this positive way of thinking to our own lives. We also use a bible verse and discuss how God wants us to treat our bodies, minds, and attitudes. 

The beginning of the school year is a very exciting one! I look forward to the fall weather outside where we can refresh our minds/bodies/ attitudes. We will be all working together to get our bodies moving and positive energy up and flowing! Some outside games we will be playing are, soccer, kickball, fort Knox, flag football, rugby, tennis, softball, basketball, relay races ,obstacle courses and more! 

** Since I am certified in teaching yoga, and  gymnastics if anyone would like to donate or help raise money for any type of gymnastics mats or yoga matts, that would be amazing. Or lax, field hockey, or anything else that is placed on your hearts.

Welcome to the fall and winter months SJA families, I sure have missed you! 

Ms. Blackburn