MAHPERD

Email: Tech4pete@gmail.com
Website: MAHPERD.net
Phone: 269-521-7871
Facebook: facebook.com/Michigan Association For Health, Recreation, & Dance

Intstagram: MAHPERD

X (Twitter): @MAHPERDMichigan

WELCOME FROM MAHPERD

The MAHPERD professional conference is quickly approaching. Do you need justification to come to the conference?

MAHPERD Conference Objectives:

1. Provide programs, products and services to empower teachers to prepare their students to pursue healthy, active lifestyles.

2. Provide most current information about state requirements and initiatives (i.e., Presidential Fitness Testing, MDE Guidance documents).

3. Provide networking opportunities to support professional development.

4. Offer professional leadership opportunities.

5. Provide the opportunity to earn 15 SCECH credits through focused sessions (i.e., Adapted PE, Health, Elementary and Secondary PE, Athletics, Fundraising, Best Practice, Advocacy, AI, Technology).

If you have items to submit for the monthly newsletter, please let us know. Please send us your suggestions, feedback and and comments. MAHPERD continues to provide programs,

products, and services to all Physical Education and Health professionals throughout the year.

Send emails to shapemichigandirector@gmail.com or call 269.521.7871

Thank you for supporting MAHPERD!

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus is widely credited with the idea that the only constant is change. When I arrived in Michigan in 1985, I discovered that the Michigan School Act of 1976 in part read… “ Health and physical education for pupils of both sexes shall be established and provided in all public schools of this state. Subject to subsection (2), each pupil attending public school in this state who is physically fit and capable of doing so shall take the course in physical education”. Further, “A school district may credit a pupil's participation in extracurricular athletics or other extracurricular activities involving physical activity as meeting the physical education requirement for the pupil under subsection (1). Not a whole lot changed in the intervening years until 2008 when Michigan Merit Curriculum Requirements were enacted for high school students. Click below to read more from Executive Director Deb Berkey

Join your colleagues for another exciting MAHPERD networking session! Click HERE for the access link or go to mahperd.net. Don't miss this collaboration and the opportunity to network!!

The MAHPERD Michigan conference is November 12th-13th in Lansing, Michigan. Mark your calendar now and reserve your rooms for the cheapest rates available. Click on the buttons below for information or go to MAHPERD.net! Don't miss this wonderful professional opportunity!

Great Lakes Regional Field Hockey is a nonprofit organization with a mission to grow the game of field hockey throughout Michigan. We do that in a number of ways, but one of our most successful initiatives has been our PE Class Takeover Program.

Since launching the program, we have provided PE Class Takeovers across Southeast Michigan, introducing thousands of students to field hockey. The program is offered at no cost to schools, is available throughout the year, and we bring all of the equipment needed. Our goal is not only to expose more students to the sport, but also to give PE teachers an opportunity to see firsthand how easily field hockey can be incorporated into their curriculum.

Email Margi@glrfieldhockey.org for more information and to schedule for your school!

Did you miss the Network Night Meeting? You can watch the recording at this site.

Attached you will find an updated version of the power point used for the last Network Night. You should review this information as it has resources and information about the data collection resource and the "beep" test.

Special thanks to MISHCA and Josh Boutwell for their continued collaboration.

Legislative developments are shifting the conversation around state physical education standards. While Michigan House Bill 5810 remains under legislative review, it has sparked critical dialogue regarding assessment standards across our school districts.

Proposed legislation suggests adopting the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, raising important questions for educators:

• Norm-Referenced vs. Criterion-Referenced: Does comparative testing align with student-centered health goals better than standard-based evaluation?

• Instructional Logistics: How do educators balance mandatory testing against practical realities like once-a-week class schedules, time constraints, fluctuating attendance, and weather limitations?

• Reliability and Fidelity: How do we maintain assessment integrity without sacrificing valuable instruction time?

To address these challenges, an advisory coalition—comprising MAHPERD, the Michigan Moves Coalition, MHSAA, and MISHACA—is actively evaluating fitness testing frameworks and expectations to better support physical educators and their students.

Further updates and guidance will be shared this fall. Stay tuned!

Take a few minutes to read this helpful article on Self-Calming Skills and discover simple strategies students can use to manage big emotions, reduce stress, and regain focus. These skills can be valuable tools in the classroom, during PE, and in everyday life, helping students feel more confident, calm, and ready to learn.

Healthy kids are better learners. Experience Michigan's Tier 1, evidence-based Comprehensive Health Education Curriculum: Michigan Model for Health. Interested in using the MMH in your classroom? Click here and complete the form to get set up for no cost!

Join Eaton RESA and Gratiot-Isabella RESD for the Sex Ed: Are you in Compliance? virtual series. This seven-part series will offer bite-size, hour-long learning blocks around HIV requirements, sex ed standards, laws, Sex Ed Advisory Boards, and more. This series is for new and veteran Sex Ed Supervisors.

All sessions are virtual from 4-5 pm.

1. Sex Ed Advisory Board Membership October 13th
2. HIV Requirements November 10th
3. 2025 Sex Ed Standards December 8th
4. Program Goals and Objectives and Writing the Two-Year Report January 17th
5. Curriculum Review and Approval Process February 16th
6. Parental Rights March 9th
7. FAQ Office Hours April 13th

1 SCECH is available per webinar.

Folks are welcome to attend as many of the sessions as they would like. There is no cost to attend. Register Here.

Want to meet YOUR region coordinator? Contact information is below.

For more information about Region 1, please contact:

Jeff Wright- Escanaba Area Public Schools jwright@eskymos.com

Amy Nixon- Manistique Area Schools anixon@manistiqueschools.org

For more information about Region 2, please contact:

Mark English - Holton Public Schools- menglish@holton.k12.mi.us

For more information about Region 3, please contact:

Chris Juszczyk - Lawton Community Schools- Retired cjuszczyk1@gmail.com

For more information about Region 4, please contact:

Aimee Taylor- Whitmore Lake Schools aimee.taylor@wlps.net

Laura Piebiak - Lpiebiak@misd.net

For more information on Region 5, please contact:

Josh Boutwell- Gratiot-Isabella RESD jboutwell@giresd.net

A society in which all individuals in Michigan enjoy an optimal quality of life, through appreciation of and participation in active, creative, health-promoting lives.