Student Opportunities in Physical Education
MUSD’s ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION (PE) department is in the process of creating a “Great Outdoors Unit” the students will have the opportunity to experience prior to leaving elementary school. Activities include how to set up a camping tent in small groups to practice and enhance team building skills, fishing with a focus on casting to encourage focus, patience, and relaxation techniques, orienteering so students learn how to use a compass to enhance navigational skills and gauge distances with more accuracy, and archery which increases hand-eye coordination, aiming techniques, and resiliency.
In addition, MUSD’s Elementary PE department prides itself in supporting teachers throughout the district by providing professional development when requested. Therefore, MUSD’s transitional kindergarten teachers received a training in January on how to implement standards based PE instruction via the implementation of our Board adopted PE curriculum, SPARK. In addition, they received information on Brain Energizers and the Move to Improve Program. Most exciting, transitional kindergarten teachers have been provided with equipment necessary to implement newly learned SPARK PE lessons with our students. Equipment includes cones, poly spots, bean bags, juggling scarves, hoops, and fluff balls.
As students learn in all subject areas, they must be assessed to monitor standards mastery. This includes the subject of PE. All MUSD students in grades one through twelve are preparing to complete their post- and state physical fitness tests (PFTs). The assessment window opened on Monday, February 3. Students are challenged to assess the five components of fitness: 1) aerobic capacity, 2) body composition, 3) muscular endurance, 4) muscular strength, 5) and flexibility. PFT information and assessment dates can be found on MUSD’s Athletics and Physical Education webpage.
