PHYSICAL EDUCATION ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION MISSION STATEMENT The physical education program at the elementary level provides the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge, and positive attitudes for all students. Students use movement education, the use of manipulatives, fitness activities, and rhythmic activities to realize their own movement potential. The aim is to help students develop confidence and awareness of their own capabilities. The purpose is to encourage students to accept responsibility for their own health and well being by leading active lives. Mr. Yates is the Physical Education teacher at Royerton Elementary School. Physical fitness testing is done in the fall and spring using the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Standards as a guide. The testing consists of a one minute sit-up test, a shuttle run, a flexibility test, the one mile run, pull-ups, and the forty yard dash. Running is an integral part of the physical education program. We use a graduated program at all levels. In the fall and spring a more concentrated running program is used to prepare the students for the mile run on the fitness test. A typical running segment during a class period would have each student running two or three times for two minutes with the same amount of rest between runs. As you can see, the stories of students running five miles or running for the entire class period have been greatly exaggerated. At the kindergarten through second grade levels the emphasis is on locomotor movements and specific skills such as throwing, catching, and striking or kicking an object. Many games, relays, and scooter activities are used to help the students develop these skills. Third through fifth grades then use the skills learned in the earlier grades in sports and fitness units. Some of these are volleyball, basketball, soccer, football, and other organized fitness games. Volleyball and basketball are offered as extra curricular activities free of charge to the students in the fourth and fifth grades.