Principals Are at The Center Of A Movement for More Activity
Principals have unique responsibilities to school boards, teachers, and families. But that means you are uniquely positioned to create the conditions where physical activity is a regular part of your students’ education.
When you join the Active Schools movement, you can:
- Empower your teachers with the right tools, training, and confidence they need to introduce movement and exercise into their classrooms.
- Support your physical education instructors with access to the equipment, space, and programs they require to provide the best education.
- Receive support from outside organizations who provide valuable training, program material, and implementation tools for your school.
- Convince parents and the board that activity and physical education is vital to a child’s overall health and receive the support you need to promote it.
Collective impact means gathering people together for a common cause. We all know how important increasing physical activity in children is. You can bring everyone together to make it happen.
What Joining The Active Schools Movement Means For You
There’s nothing to joining the Active Schools movement. There’s no commitment, no obligation, and never any cost to you or your school. There are only benefits:
- A newsletter with free resources, training, special offers from our partners, and cutting-edge fitness programs from nonprofit organizations.
- A network of schools, NGOs, athletic companies, and parents who want to promote activity in the next generation.
- Join the growing ranks of people who are promoting health in the next generation.
We’re not an organization. We don’t need you to join us. We just want you to add your name to an organic movement of leaders like yourself. Together, we can improve outcomes for all our children.
Active Kids Make Better Students and Better Schools
As a principal, you know that physical activity and education isn’t an afterthought. But in an era of slashed budgets and testing pressure, it is often the first thing to be cut. But activity supports every aspect of a child’s development.
When you join the Active Schools movement, you’ll have access to resources and support to show parents, school boards, and teachers the importance of movement. You’ll show how physical activity supports:
Academic Benefits
CDC research has shown that physical activity leads to increased concentration and attention, improving classroom behavior, capacity to learn, and potentially increasing test scores.
Emotional Benefits
A child who is more active has an outlet for their energy, has a chance to develop new social and interpersonal skills, and can find activities they enjoy, leading to higher emotional satisfaction.
Physical Benefits
Beyond the immediate physical benefits, physical education promotes healthier habits that can carry through in life, creating better health outcomes and a path toward lifelong wellness.
Joining The Active Schools Movement Gives You Tools For Broader Participation
No decision is made in a vacuum, and no change can happen alone. When you join the movement and become and Active School Champion, you have the tools to bring others into the network.
Parents
Parents want their children to thrive in all aspects of their education without drawing away vital resources. You can get them involved in making a change in their children’s lives.
Teachers
Classroom teachers need to know that promoting active learning helps them meet their goals of higher test scores, better-behaved students, and a positive, enjoyable learning environment. Physical education teachers need to know that their work is a valued part of a students overall education.
School Boards
School boards can be moved by the collective impact and of parents joining with schools to create better academic, emotional, and physical outcomes. It’s how we learn to vote with our voice.
Apply for a Grant
You might be too busy to scour the web for grants and contributions. We’re not. We’ve collected them for you. Find one that will give your school the tools it needs.
We are incredibly disappointed to cancel Summer Training Camp 2020 due to uncertainties around summertime large gatherings and travel. We hope to see you at camp in summer 2021!
Active Kids Learn Better!
Did you know? Classroom teachers can contribute to their students’ need for movement while simultaneously teaching and reinforcing academic concepts. The benefits of physical activity breaks in the classroom are endless.
Learn more about this campaign
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!
Lead Your School In Movement
We all want healthier children. As principal, you have a powerful place in a national network of like-minded activists. With you, we can change health outcomes for the next generation.
News and Resources
Get cutting-edge research, health insights, and the knowledge you need to promote better health outcomes and the Active Schools movement.
