Program Title: Physical Education/PE Flip

Beresford Elementary “Poster Programs” 2013-2014

Program Title: Physical Education/PE “Flip”

Staff lead: Virginia Guzalowski – Lower Grade PE Para-Educator Jaime Gomez – Upper Grade PE Para-Educator

Purpose: Students in grades one through five, must be provided with physical education instruction with an "emphasis upon the physical activities for the pupils that may be conducive to health and vigor of body and mind, for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each ten schooldays, exclusive of recesses and the lunch period" (EC Section 51210[g]).

Under general supervision, to instruct, lead, and supervise elementary students in physical education activities; to distribute, store and, and account for equipment; to perform routine clerical duties; and to perform related work as required. (SMFC SD Job Description)

At Beresford, we value the “whole child” and encourage and promote health of body and mind through Physical Education. With support from PTA funding, we offer ALL of our students, Kindergarten through grade 5, Physical Education on a near daily basis, well over the required 200 minutes with a specialized Physical Education Para Educator/Instructor. In addition, Beresford uses the “PE Flip” model, where approximately half of the students of a classroom attend PE, while the other half of the students stay in the classroom to receive small group reading instruction by the classroom teacher.

Logistics: Physical Education is offered all students, Kindergarten to 5th grade, 4 times a week for 30 minutes. There are two PE Para Educators, one that serves students in Kindergarten to 2nd grade (lower grades) and one that serves students in 3rd to 5th grade (upper grades). Each PE session/class will have from 24 to 45 students. Physical Education is taught using the SPARKS program which is rooted and aligned with the California Model Content Standard for Physical Education. Each PE para-educator also receives training opportunities in SPARKS provided by the district. Additionally, through the district’s wellness grant, a district PE Coach/Mentor is available as a resource and to support the PE Para-Educator, in addition to site support.

Communication & Celebration: Physical Education is a content standard and is communicated/celebrated/reported on a student’s report card. Additionally, students in 5th grade take state required Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) in the spring. These results are then published/reported in late fall. The main goal of the test is to help students in starting life-long habits of regular physical activity. The test has six parts that show a level of fitness that offer a degree of defense against diseases that come from inactivity. Achievement of the fitness standards is based upon a score falling in the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ) for each of six fitness areas. The HFZ represents minimal levels of satisfactory achievement on the tasks. The goal is for students to achieve the HFZ for all six fitness areas of the physical fitness test. The 6 fitness components are aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength and endurance, trunk extensor strength and flexibility, upper body strength and endurance, and flexibility. Beyond, these quantitative measures, students are evaluated and celebrated for improvement of fitness and active participation. For many students, physical education is a highlight for their school day.