Subject: P
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Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:18:37 -0400

P.E. in
the Home Stretch

By Marcia Barron

Girls on the Run Vermont

Girls on the Run (3-5) and Girls on
Track (6-8)
programs have ended their season on a positive note. During the many weeks from
early March until the end of May, 36 girls and 9 coaches participated in many
activities and miles of running or walking.  Valuable team discussions centered
around creating habits for friendship, beliefs and living by our values, being
positive and dealing with problems in a respectful and assertive manner. We
wrote thank you notes and provided a community service to the school which hosts
our site.

Donations came from one anonymous donor, Carol     Barbagallo, Wendy
Lozyniak, Sue Quesnel, Cheryl McKane, Kristen Kenosh, Maurine McElroy, Jim
Smith, The Vermont Country Store, PTO, and Carris Reels. We thank them for
scholarships, the bus ride to the 5K in Brattleboro, the awards and pizza party,
and other  items.

Other volunteer coaches include Cara Solimano, Joan  Poczobut, Kate Bucci, Nancy Smith, Julie
Williams, Betsy Beattie, Carol Abenzellar, Jessica Berry. Jim Smith is
cheerleader extraordinaire and Shelley Pelkey is our helpful bus driver. This
support is a shining example of what we hope our Girls on the Run will
appreciate and value.

Jump
Rope for Heart

RTS
does it again! This year the students in grades 1-4  participated in the American Heart
Association’s Jumpa-thon, raising funds for the fight against heart disease and
stroke. Fifth graders as a school Hoops for
Heart team
raised $5,615. Student teacher, Kate Bucci, taught heart healthy facts and
games. Students learned a variety of jump rope skills, often continuing practice
during recess. To improve your own heart health habits, ask your student to name
some heart healthy behaviors and be a good role model for him/her.

Fitness testing

Students in grades 1-5 participated in a “Healthy Fitness Zone” annual
physical fitness test and learned
the concepts of flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength
and muscular endurance. The test battery includes a shoulder stretch test, low
back flexibility measure, a sit and reach for hamstring stretch, a 12 minute
jog/walk, curl-ups, push-ups and a modified pull-up test.  The students’ goal is to be in the
Healthy Fitness Zone for each measure, or if not, to know how to improve their
scores through appropriate exercises, activities, and games.

Field Days

On
June 13, our grade 1-5 students participated in the annual field day at
Northwood Pool for picnic lunch and swimming. Kindergarteners had Field Day and
a picnic at school. The grade 3-5 theme is “Field Day Fun for Everyone.” Each
team participated in five different fun games.