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Parent Guide to Physical Education

Physical Education at the Elementary School

  • Physical Education is required by the State of New York and it is mandatory for every student who is physically able to participate. If a student is recovering from an illness or injury, the student may be excused up to one week without a doctor’s excuse, provided he or she brings a written excuse from home signed by a parent or guardian and presents it to the school nurse for approval. For any period longer than one week, an excuse signed by the doctor must be presented to the instructor, except in cases of obvious injury.
  • Kindergarten, first, second, and third graders will have a 30 minute physical education class three times a week. These boys and girls will be required to wear sneakers and regular school clothes. Girls should not wear dresses on days when they have gym.
  • All children in the fourth and fifth grades are required to wear appropriate gym clothes for personal hygiene and safety reasons. For your convenience, we have the following items for sale: girls and boys shorts, $8.00; girls and boys t-shirts, $8.00 (checks should be made out to BH-BL Schools). Also, each child must wear sneakers with laces and/or straps. Sneakers and socks are not for sale at the schools.
  • PE clothes should be marked with last name, permanently placed on sneakers(outside both sneakers) and on the girls’ and boys’ gym shorts and shirts (in the space provided).
  • Students are provided with baskets to keep their physical education
    clothes in.
  • All jewelry, unneeded glasses, watches, money, hair bands, etc., should be removed and left in the classroom.

Please feel free to contact the athletic director if you have any questions. We certainly hope that through a cooperative effort by all, our program will be worthwhile and meaningful for your child.

Our Goals

  • Produce physically fit youth.
  • Teach the relationship between physical activity, physical fitness and health.
  • Promote the skills, knowledge and attitude to help children lead active, healthy and productive lives as adults.

Our Staff

The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Physical Education staff is a team of innovative leaders who continue to create new horizons in physical education. Their commitment and enthusiasm is generating unlimited possibilities and unprecedented results for their students.

Students participating with physical education staff are:

  • Establishing healthy lifestyles through purposeful integration of mind, body and spirit.
  • Demonstrating knowledge and skills for participation in a wide variety of physical activities.
  • Demonstrating effective skills in communication, decision making and stress management.
  • Demonstrating self-worth and independence.
  • Demonstrating integrity, honesty and respect for themselves and others.

Mission

The mission of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition is to engage, educate and empower all Americans to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition. This year the Council is expanding their work to include not just a focus on active lifestyles, but on healthy eating. The Council will play an important role in the effort to help combat childhood obesity in this country. The Council also promotes and maintains the President’s Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards program which encourages all Americans to include physical activity – 30 minutes per day for adults and 60 minutes per day for youth – in their daily lives.

-Drew Brees and Dominique Dawes, Co-Chairs
-President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports

Units of Study & Skill Building

The BH-BL Physical Education Program provides a wide variety of quality units of study. These include:

Fitness Tests | Individual/Team Sports | Lead Up Games | Creative Movement | Dance/Rhythms | Project Adventure | Lifetime skills

The program provides opportunities for students to develop fitness skills such as:

  • Balance | Coordination | Agility | Strength | Speed

Helping students develop and maintain physical fitness includes:

  • Cardio Respiratory Endurance | Flexibility | Muscle Strength Endurance

Helping students develop personal living skills includes:

  • Respect For Others | Cooperation | Collaboration | Trust | Communication | Honesty and Fair Play | Decision Making | Problem Solving | Conflict Resolution | Goal Setting

    Physical Education in the Middle School

The aim of the BH-BL District Physical Education Program is to provide the students an opportunity to:

  • Experience a program of physical education that relates to their varying social, mental, emotional, and physical needs.
  • Experience a program that provides a variety of activities that will enable each student the enjoyment of a wholesome physical education experience.

The BH-BL District Physical Education Program will provide for each student:

  • Physical fitness activities that promote strength, endurance and coordination necessary for optimum health, now and throughout life.
  • An opportunity to learn basic sport concepts and skills.
  • Ample opportunity to acquire skills necessary for lifetime sports.
  • An opportunity to learn and appreciate the enjoyment derived through physical activity.
  • The necessary environment where positive attitudes toward health and safety can be learned through physical activity.
  • Ample opportunity for the student to develop social skills adaptable to individual and group interaction.
  • Experiences that permit the students to assume leadership and followership responsibilities.
  • A wholesome atmosphere where the student will feel free to participate without ridicule or embarrassment from their peer group.
  • Experiences that enhance the understanding and appreciation of excellence through participation and appreciation of sport.
  • Opportunities to be involved in making decisions and assuming the responsibilities of these decisions.
  • An atmosphere suitable for student appreciation for the rights and privileges of others.
  • An environment that enhances the importance of individual and group discipline.

    Classroom Administration

    1. Participation: All students are expected to participate to the best of their ability in all PE activities.
    2. Dress: All students will change into appropriate athletic clothing for class participation. The appropriate dress will be: shorts, tee shirts, sweats, socks and sneakers with laces. Cutoffs, street shoes, and all other types of dress will be inappropriate. All students must be properly dressed for class, changing from school clothes to PE clothes. Failure to be properly dressed and ready to participate will result in the student not earning points for Physical Education.
    3. Excuses from home signed by a parent or legal guardian: A student who brings a note or excuse signed by a parent or guardian requesting to be excused from participation in their assigned Physical Education class will follow the procedures listed below:
      • The student will take the excuse to the school nurse who will issue a formal excuse.
      • The student will take the excuse that has been issued by the nurse to their Physical Education teacher.
      • The teacher will evaluate and honor the excuse, and/or may prescribe an alternative Physical Education program for that particular student. If a student will be out one week or longer, a note from a doctor is required. Note: In all cases and/or situations the student will report to their assigned Physical Education Class and teacher.
    4. Attendance and Excuses: Students are required to attend Physical Education for 12 ten-week periods (grades 6-8) as a requirement. They are expected to attend and participate in all classes. Daily excuses will be evaluated by the Physical Education staff and the school nurse. Requests for long-term modification in Physical Education classes must be made by a physician on the appropriate school form. If a student is to be excused for an extended period of time, the physician must determine what activities the student is able to participate in and the length of time the limited participation is to be in effect. A general rule to follow is that if the student is able to attend school, they are able to participate in some aspect of our PE program. Parents are urged to have the family physician contact the Director of Physical Education for discussion of an appropriate modified program.
    5. Grading: All students will receive numerical grades based on the following assessment areas:
      1. Knowledge
      2. Personal/Social Relations
      3. Participation and preparedness for class
      4. Skills

    A general rule to follow is that if a student has not participated in class they will not earn their 4 points. All legal absences (refer to Student Code of Conduct) can be made up with the make-up procedures listed below. A student who is truant or cuts a class will receive a zero for work missed and will not have the opportunity to make up the class.

    Middle School Physical Education Make-up Procedures

    Arrangements for make-ups must be within a 2-week period of time of the missed class.

    • Activity Period – running, jogging, or walking. Students are encouraged to connect with their PE teacher to make arrangements for a class make-up.
    • Written assignments will be given as a make-up for lengthy medical excuses.

    [PRINT-FRIENDLY GUIDE TO MIDDLE SCHOOL PE]

      Physical Education in the High School

      Philosophy and Objectives

      The aim of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake District Physical Education Program is to provide the students an opportunity to:

      • Experience a program of physical education that relates to their varying social, mental, emotional, and physical needs.
      • Experience a program where they, the students, have the opportunity to select various activities, but also receive core courses.
      • Experience a program that provides a variety of activities that will enable each student the enjoyment of a wholesome physical education experience.

      The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake District Physical Education Program will provide for each student:

      • Physical fitness activities that promote strength, endurance, and coordination necessary for optimum health, now and throughout life.
      • An opportunity to learn basic sport skills.
      • Ample opportunity to acquire skills necessary for lifetime sports.
      • An opportunity to learn and appreciate the enjoyment derived through physical activity.
      • The necessary environment where positive attitudes toward health and safety can be learned through physical activity.
      • Ample opportunity for the student to develop social skills adaptable to individual and group interaction.
      • Experiences that permit the student to assume leadership and followership responsibilities.
      • A wholesome atmosphere where the student will feel free to participate without ridicule or embarrassment from his own peer group.
      • Experiences that enhance the understanding and appreciation of excellence through participation and appreciation of sport.
      • Opportunities to be involved in making decisions and assuming the responsibilities of these decisions.
      • An atmosphere suitable for student appreciation for the rights and privileges of others.
      • An environment that enhances the importance of individual and group discipline.

      Classroom Administration

      Excuses from home participation

      Excuses from home signed by a parent or legal guardian.

      A student who brings a note or excuse signed by a parent or legal guardian requesting to be excused from participation in their assigned Physical Education class will follow the procedures listed below:

      • The student will take the excuse to the school nurse who will initial the excuse.
      • The student will take the excuse that has been initialed by the nurse to their Physical Education teacher.
      • The teacher will evaluate and honor the excuse, and/or may prescribe an alternative Physical Education program for that particular student. One week or longer – written report.

      Note: In all cases and/or situations the student will report to their assigned Physical Education Class and teacher.

      Dress

      All students will change into appropriate dress for class participation. The appropriate dress will be: shorts, tee shirts, sweats, socks and sneakers. Cutoffs, street shoes, and all other types of dress will be inappropriate.

      Participation

      All students must be properly dressed for class. Failure to be properly dressed and ready to participate may result in the child failing Physical Education.

      Attendance and Excuses

      Students are required to attend Physical Education for 12 ten-week periods (grades 6-8) and 16-week periods (grades 9-12) as a requirement. They are expected to attend and participate in all classes. Daily excuses will be evaluated by the Physical Education staff and the school nurse. Requests for long-term modification in Physical Education classes must be made by a physician on the appropriate school form. If a student is to be excused for an extended period of time, the physician must determine what activities the student is able to participate in and the length of time the limited participation is to be in effect. A general rule to follow is that if the student is able to attend school, he or she is able to participate in some aspect of our Physical Education program. Parents are urged to have the family physician contact the Director of Physical Education for discussion of an appropriate modified program.

      Swimming (grades 9-12): Medial excuses for swimming need to be on file with the school nurse prior to Nov. 1. The physical education staff will try to accommodate students with legal, medical excuses from swimming with a physical activity when feasible according to facility and class size or student will be given a writing assignment. Staff will determine activity on an individual basis and accommodate the student accordingly. If appropriate, the student may be placed in another class.

      Grading

      All students will receive numerical grades based on the following assessment areas:

      • Skills
      • Knowledge
      • Personal/Social Relations
      • Participation

      A general rule to follow is that if a student has not participated in class they will lose 4 points. All legal absences (refer to Student Code of Conduct) can be made up with the following make-up procedures. A student who is truant or cuts a class will receive a zero for work missed and will not have the opportunity to make-up class.

      Middle School Physical Education Make-up Procedures

      Arrangements for make-ups must be within a 2-week period of time.

      1. Activity Period: running, jogging, or walking – weather permitting – fall and spring. (Prior arrangement or approval).
      2. Written assignments will be given as a make-up for lengthy medical excuses.

      High School Physical Education Make-up Procedures

      1. Morning swim: the pool is open from 6:30-7:30 a.m. from Sept. 22 to May 11. Twenty lengths constitutes 5 points. (Prior arrangement or approval.)
      2. Morning or Academic Assistant Period: running, jogging, or walking on the track, weather permitting, fall and spring. Six laps constitutes 5 points based on effort.  (Prior arrangement or approval.)
      3. Morning or Academic Assistant Period in the Fitness Center can be used as a make up by prior arrangement with the student’s physical education teacher. Maximum of 5 points based on efforts.
      4. Joining a similar grade level class with your teacher (during the student’s learning lab, late arrival, early release) would receive full credit.
      5. Written assignments will be given as a make up for lengthy medical excuse.
      6. Students who are no prepared for class may not be allowed to participate and will: (a) be spoken to by the teacher and make up the class (b) 2nd non-prepared for class, notice will  be sent to office.
      7. Classes will not be made up during the Regents exam block at the end of each semester (January and June) unless pre-arranged with the teacher.
      8. The following need two make ups: Absent from class and not prepared.
      9. The following only need one make up: Education field trips, State testing (ex. AP exams) or Foreign exchange trips.
      10. No make up required: Sectional/State athletic competitions, instrumental lessons.