Trinity Lutheran School Physical Education 2024-25
(Kindergarten-8th grade)
Parents/Guardians,
A quality physical education program is offered to students as part of our curriculum at Trinity. Students will participate in physical education 2-3 times a week. Activities will be inclusive, highly active, integrate academic and wellness concepts, and be fun. Units taught will develop motor, cognitive and social skills and allow students to practice and participate in high levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity in a Christian environment while feeling successful. The goal is to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to be physically literate individuals.
3rd-8th grade students are expected to change their clothing for PE. The Trinity PE Uniform consists of solid royal blue shorts (writing is NOT permitted on the seat of the shorts; no spandex), a gold/yellow plain or Trinity t-shirt, and athletic shoes (kept at school for use in the gym only). Athletic shoes must be worn for outside PE as well; no crocs. A student who does not dress in PE uniform for Physical Education will not receive full credit for the day. Dangly jewelry is not permitted.
Students in 6th-8th grade, as well as 4th & 5th grade boys will be issued a locker in the locker room to store their PE clothing. Students in 3rd grade, as well as 4th & 5th grade girls are expected to keep PE clothing in their main hallway locker in a “PE” bag (i.e. drawstring bag). Students will bring their bag to and from PE and use the locker room to change. School clothing will be stored in the PE locker or PE bag in the locker room until it is time to change at the end of class.
Utilizing the locker room to change for physical education is a privilege for 3rd-8th graders. Each student is expected to demonstrate respectful and responsible behavior, as well as integrity and gratitude while using this area. A student that chooses to not adhere to Trinity’s core values during this time will not be allowed to use the locker room for their next P.E. class period. Therefore the student will not be able to change for P.E., which is a requirement, and will not have the opportunity to earn full credit for the day. A maximum of 8 points, instead of 10, can be earned. If a student chooses to repeatedly violate locker room expectations, he/she will not be allowed to change for P.E. for an extended period of time, determined by the teacher, which will further impact his/her grade.
This year Trinity has been blessed with Heart Zones Move Solution fitness technology software to engage, assess, and motivate students during physical activity. A $10 activity strap must be purchased from the office for each student so a monitor can be used to display each student’s real time heart rate during class activities.
Appropriate and safe behavior is a must when participating in physical activities. To encourage appropriate behavior and to redirect inappropriate behavior, a “Three Strikes” behavior plan will be enforced, which is described below.
1st offense: The teacher will give a warning.
2nd offense: The student will walk around the activity area to refocus on the desired/appropriate behavior. Desired vs. inappropriate behavior will be discussed with the teacher at a time that does not interfere with instruction. The student will then be allowed to continue with the activity.
3rd offense: The student no longer participates in the activity and is instructed to sit out. A behavior notice will be sent home with the student to inform parents/guardians of the behavior.
Physical activity must be done regularly to achieve health benefits. Therefore, your child’s participation is very important. If your child is sick or unable to participate as normal in all activities, please contact the teacher prior to PE class. A parent note will not excuse the child from the PE class. Activities will be adapted to accommodate individual needs. A doctor’s note excuses the student for the duration of exemption indicated by the doctor. Experts recommend at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day, so encourage your child to be active outside of school as well.
Standards based grading will be used for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. Students will be expected to develop a variety of motor skills, apply knowledge related to movement and fitness concepts, develop social skills through movement, and develop personal skills while identifying personal benefits of movement and choosing to engage in physical activity. At the end of each quarter, students will receive a 4 (exceeds expectation), 3 (consistently meets expectation), 2 (inconsistently meets expectation), or 1 (does not meet expectation) on their report card to denote their progress toward the standards.
Students in 3rd-8th grade will receive a letter grade based on the Trinity grading scale. 10 points are earned each day of physical education by:
Demonstrating the ability to develop a variety of motor skills (willingness to improve skills while doing his/her best when participating in physical activity).
Applying knowledge related to movement and fitness concepts when being physically active (using the knowledge to become a more versatile and efficient mover and to enhance overall well-being).
Developing social skills through movement (empathy and respect for others, communication, leadership, conflict resolution).
Developing personal skills (responsibility, goal setting, identifying strengths, reflection), identifying personal benefits of movement (social interaction, exploration, choice, self-expression, challenges, health benefits), and choosing to engage in physical activity.
Not demonstrating the above requirements, as judged by me, will negatively impact their grade. Additional assessments may be given to students depending on grade level and unit taught. The grades earned by students will be reflected in their quarter grade point average and will have an impact on their overall academic standing. To view your student’s grade during the quarter, please utilize Powerschool. If your student did not earn all 10 points for the day, a comment will be available for you to view so you know why full credit was not earned.
Students in 5th-8th grade absent from physical education must make up the missed classes. All classes result in a zero for the day until they are made up. Students can make up a physical education class and receive full credit for the day by successfully completing one of the following activities for each day missed.
10 minute run performed at school, outside of regular class time, under teacher supervision (minutes do not have to be performed all at once)
Research information about the current unit and write a complete paragraph explaining learned information (i,e, a student missed a day during a tennis unit when his/her class learned how to perform a tennis serve. The student uses the internet for research and writes a complete paragraph about how to perform a tennis serve.)
It is the student’s responsibility to arrange make-up work with the physical education teacher.
At times, Physical Education may be conducted off-site at locations such as Kingston Stadium, Cleveland Park, Veterans Memorial Tennis Courts, or Camp IoDisECa. You must fill out a Standard School Activity Consent form on Enrollment Express so your student can participate in these classes.
Parents of 3rd-8th grade students, please mark your calendars for the IDE track meet which will take place Saturday, May 3rd in Davenport. All students will participate in a track unit during PE in the spring. Those who qualify for the meet will be notified in late April and asked to compete against other Lutheran schools in the Iowa District East meet.
More information about Trinity Lutheran School Physical Education and how to support it can be found on the Physical Education class page located on the Trinity website under Parent Information > class pages, or by going to the following link; https://sites.google.com/trinitycr.org/tls-physical-education/tls-pe-information.
I look forward to teaching your children this school year. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Mrs. Brandt
Trinity Lutheran School Physical Education
brandts@trinitycr.org
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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