Active Schools and OPEN proudly present Family PE Week, October 4-8 

First resources are available and REGISTER your school!

https://openphysed.org/FamiliesLovePE

Classroom physical activity helps students feel better, work together as a team, reduce anxiety, and maintain focus all while helping them learn and retain academic content. In addition, movement can be a great classroom and virtual learning management tool for teachers and caregivers by energizing tired or distracted students and calming students to prepare for learning and testing.

Whether learning is happening in-person or virtually, classroom physical activity in a WIN-WIN for students, teachers, and caregivers!

Do you know….?

• Teachers and caregivers can help young people get physical activity while simultaneously teaching and reinforcing academic concepts.
• Physical activity is an easy way for teachers and caregivers to increase engagement in and enjoyment of learning while keeping students safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• There are many free or low-cost classroom physical activity resources available including short, plug ‘n’ play videos that can help teachers and caregivers gain confidence to incorporate physical activity during learning.

During February, teachers and caregivers across the country can participate in Active Classrooms Month by showcasing ways they integrate physical activity into learning and highlighting the positive impact movement has on young people! Special activities like webinars and live physical activitiy boosts during the month are intended to help all teachers and caregivers experiment and build their confidence.

Active Schools and Springboard to Active Schools are here to help you all year round with resources and trainings. It  only takes a minute to get connected:

• Enroll as an Active Schools Champion and receive the monthly Resource Bulletin containing only free resources
• Sign up for Springboard to Active Schools News

TAKE THESE SIMPLE ACTIONS!

• Check out the master calendar of activities
• Request the Active Classrooms Month logo for your use; email [email protected] with the subject line: Request for Active Classrooms Month logo
• Use these template letters to invite participation — classrooms teacher-to-caregiver and PE teacher-to-classroom teacher
• Learn more about and register for free Active Classrooms webinars every Wednesday in February at 3pm ET /  2pm CT / 1 pm MT / 12pm PT
  • Active Classrooms 101 webinar held Feb 3 – RECORDING; SLIDE DECK
  • Integrating Movement for All: Physical Activity and Youth with Disability webinar held Feb 9 – RECORDING; SLIDE DECK
  • Integrating Movement into Classroom Culture webinar held Feb 10 – RECORDING; SLIDE DECK
  • Integrating Movement into Your Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies Lessons – RECORDING; SLIDE DECK
  • Integrating Movement into Your Math Lessons – RECORDING; SLIDE DECK
• Have your students, and even their parents/caregivers, participate in five 10-minute, live physical activity boosts every Tuesday in February at 1pm ET / 12pm CT / 11am MT / 10am PT 
  • Feb 2 – PLYOGA Fitness – RECORDING
  • Feb 9 – Les Mills – RECORDING
  • Feb 22 – PowerUp Fitness – RECORDING
  • Feb 23 – Hip Hop Public Health – RECORDING
• Try these four online physical activity videos with your students or kids
• Get user-friendly basics about classroom physical activity from Springboard to Active Schools and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Access links to hundreds of classroom physical activity resources from 28+ Active Schools partner organizations for physical activity boosts, movement integrated into academic lessons, and flexible seating for active learning
• Have fun and post your stories – in photos and/or words – on social media during the month of February (and beyond)
  • Use hashtag #ActiveClassrooms
  • Tag @ActiveSchoolsUS and @Springboard2AS
  • Use these social media guidelines and samples to protect your students and check out some social media samples
  • Teachers: ask your students’ caregivers to post words and/or photos about how movement during learning helps their child

Bring PE to Your Family Week October 19-23, 2020

This year, we might not be able to bring parents to PE (like previous years’ Take Your Parent to PE Week), but we can Bring PE to Families! During the week of October 19-23, physical educators around the country will participate in Bring PE to Your Family Week.

Active Schools has teamed up with the Online Physical Education Network (OPEN) to bring you all the resources you need to make this virtual event an important advocacy experience for everyone.

Here’s how it works.

Step 1: Take 2 minutes to REGISTER your school for this important advocacy event. WHY? Because Active Schools can bring more media attention to Bring PE to Your Family Week, and physical education in general, when we are able to report a large number of participating schools.

Once you register, the Bring PE to Your Family logo (in various formats) will be emailed to you.

Step 2: Set the date for the week of October 19-23 and invite families to join their child virtually for physical education. If that week does not work for you, that’s okay — pick a date that does. All resources will be live for a full year.

Feel free to modify and use this parent letter template.

Step 3: Download the lessons for the grade levels that you teach — elementary (K-2), elementary (3-5), and secondary (MS & HS).

Step 4: Plan 1 or 2 lessons with a Bring PE to Your Family Week theme. Lesson materials focus on the value of physical education and routine physical activity, mindfulness, enjoyment, and nutrition.

Step 5: During the event, use #FamiliesLovePE on all social media channels to share screenshots, parent testimonials, and advocacy gems for the #PhysEd world to enjoy. Encourage parents/caregivers to post about their family’s participation as well.

Step 6: Ask your principal to videotape a short greeting to the families about the importance of physical education and his/her support for it — and to thank them for participating in Bring PE to Your Family Week and supporting their student. Show the video at the beginning of each class’s first lesson of the week.

Check back often to Bring PE to Your Family Week resource landing page on OPEN’s website for new advocacy resources focused on making this event an important opportunity to share your work and your passion for physical education.

Visit: https://openphysed.org/familieslovepe

YouTube Playlist for Bring PE to Your Family Week — Each one of the lesson activities selected for this important event has a complementary YouTube demonstration video. Check out the playlist now!