SUHSD PE and Health Newsletter

We've all fielded critical questions from students seeking to expose the reasons inherent in the things we do. Questions like, "Why do we have to run today?" or, "Why do we even have to take PE?" or (even more existentially), "What's the purpose of PE?"

It's easy to cast aspersions on these questions and label them as low-level resistance to being active on a hot afternoon, or the result of the inevitable energy dip that accompanies the final period of the day. In reality, they're worthy of existential consideration. Questions like these indicate an absence or misunderstanding of meaning. Meaningfulness manifests itself when we ascribe value to experience over time. It's the "why" that we often fail to communicate to our students despite our best intentions. It's useful to contextualize Meaningful PE by considering the three pillars that carry it forward:

PHILOSOPHY

This is our vision for what we want to accomplish with our students. If we recognize that experience is individualized and dynamic then we can begin to reexamine our desired student outcomes to make them more meaningful: "PE is educational when it offers movement experiences that pupils want to continue, return to, and build upon. Meaningfulness therefore becomes the key marker of educational quality."

PEDAGOGY

With a clear philosophical framework in mind, the next step is to create quality learning opportunities that dive deeper below the surface. We need shared language and democratic practices to empower students to think about their purpose in PE: "Teachers need to intentionally support pupils to think about their experiences, talk about them, and articulate what mattered, what didn’t and why. This is where pedagogy does its most important work as it creates the conditions in which significance and value can emerge and gives pupils the language to explore it."

PSYCHOLOGY

With the first two essentials in place, we turn to psychology for a sense of how meaningful experiences in PE actually feel to students. With a common vocabulary that encourages self-expression, we can guide students through reflective practices: "The task of the teacher then is not to guarantee them personal significance (as that is beyond us), but to widen the possibilities from which pupils can experience it and then get them to reflect on those experiences. A psychology of meaningfulness helps us to better understand the experience of meaningfulness, not just the conditions that might support the enhancement of motivation."

Purposefully guiding students toward finding personal significance in their experiences is what makes Physical Education meaningful.

SOURCE: drowning in the shallow PE, Youth Sport and Physical Activity blog

“When I am sharply judgmental of any other person, it's because I sense or see reflected in them some aspect of myself that I don't want to acknowledge.”
― Gabor Maté

GIFs are a powerful tool for teaching movement patterns and manipulative skills. Whether displayed on an interactive white board as an example for students to emulate or included in an assignment as a reference for evaluating mastery, GIFs communicate movement better than words and can be viewed over and over with ease.

Collaboration Builds Health and Physical Education (CBHPE) has a dedicated GIF library that's FREE for teachers to use and has a wealth of quality GIFs to choose from. Their website also offers instructions for how to add GIFs to Google Slides or Canva.

If you're looking for a fun way to mix up a tennis unit, try Tennis Knockout.

1. With a tennis racquet in your dominant hand, balance a tennis ball on the strings.
2. Use your free hand to make someone else drop their ball.
3. No body contact is allowed.
4. If you drop your ball, go to the sideline and dribble ten times before returning to the game.

Understanding Mental Wellness gives students a chance to reflect on how they’re feeling and practice strategies for managing stress, frustration, and everyday pressures through real-life scenarios, all at their own pace.

Step 1: Log into your Everfi dashboard via Clever
Step 2: If you haven't already, click Add to Class on Understanding Mental Wellness
Step 3: Follow the on-screen prompts to give students access

The Basics:

• SUHSD Official Start Date is Monday, February 2.
  
• All students enrolled in Physical Education classes District-wide are expected to participate and be tested.
• The District will be using Data Insights for score reporting.
• Long-term P.E. substitutes will be given access to Data Insights and the ability to enter scores.
• Fitnessgram scores are included in every site's School Accountability Report Card (SARC).
• SUHSD Official End Date (All Scores Entered in Data Insights) is Friday, April 10.
  

Tips for Recording Scores, Entering Data and Saving Progress Using Data Insights:

• Access Data Insights here: https://datainsights.sweetwaterschools.org/php/login.php
• Review the Data Insights job aids below OR watch the YouTube video:
  • "Printing Rosters to Track PFT Scores"
    
  • "How to Input Physical Fitness Test (PFT) Scores in Data Insights"
• When entering scores in Data Insights, teachers must click Save Changes frequently. The system does not save automatically.
• Do not leave Data Insights open for extended periods without activity. If the window has been idle for more than five minutes, close it and reopen the application before continuing to enter scores.

From the CDE:

Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) protocols for 25-26 will be identical to those that were used in the 24-25 school year including:

• NOT collecting any data related to body composition (height, weight)
• NOT collecting age or gender data
• NOT using the Healthy Fitness Zones as defined by FITNESSGRAM
• Providing students with their personal fitness assessment scores
• Reporting the percentage of students who participate in each of the five required fitness assessments (aerobic capacity, abdominal strength and endurance, trunk extensor strength, upper body strength and endurance, flexibility) so they may be included in the School Accountability Report Card

Teachers are encouraged to:

• Prompt students to “do their best” on each fitness assessment so that it is an accurate measurement of their current fitness
• Utilize grade-level standards to determine how PFT scores are utilized for students to set and achieve personal health and fitness goals
• Provide testing options that are not in front of peers as needed
• Protect student privacy
• Prioritize an emotionally safe environment to avoid bullying and/or body shaming

For more information, visit the CDE PFT Webpage.

Having Good Time Management Skills…

• Reduces stress

• Eliminates cramming

• Reduces task avoidance

• Opens up more time

• Opens more space to work on tasks

• Increases motivation while the project moves forward

This AVID presentation lays out essential time management concepts, prompting students to learn, discuss and reflect on ways to use time effectively. Its a great way to help students hold themselves accountable. Click on the image for the full Google Slides presentation.

Among adults in an educational setting, teachers spend the most quality time with students and often build the most meaningful connections. That places teachers in a unique position to recognize when a student is in crisis and intervene.

The strongest risk factors for attempted suicide in youth are depression, alcohol or drug abuse, aggressive or disruptive behaviors, and a previous suicide attempt. If several of the following symptoms, experiences or behaviors are present, a mental health professional or another trusted adult, such as a parent or a school counselor, should be consulted:

• Depressed mood
• Substance abuse
• Frequent episodes of running away or being incarcerated
• Family loss or instability; significant problems with parents
• Expressions of suicidal thoughts, or talk of death or the afterlife during moments of sadness or boredom
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Difficulties in dealing with sexual orientation
• No longer interested in or enjoying activities that once were pleasurable
• Unplanned pregnancy
• Impulsive, aggressive behavior or frequent expressions of rage

Adolescents who consider suicide generally feel alone, hopeless and rejected. They are especially vulnerable to these feelings if they have experienced a loss, humiliation or trauma of some kind: poor performance on a test, breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, parents with alcohol or drug problems or who are abusive, or family life affected by parental discord, separation or divorce. Does your site have clear procedures in place for intervening when students exhibit concerning behaviors? Do you know who to contact if you suspect suicidal ideation?

Use this Suicide Prevention Toolkit as a starting point to increase your knowledge and initiate the conversation in your community.

✅4/1/26: April Fool's Day, National Walking Day

✅4/5/26: Walk to Work Day

✅4/8/26: National Healthy Schools Day

✅4/10/26: Fitnessgram Testing Results Submitted in Data Insights

✅4/8/26: National Exercise Day

✅4/22/26 Earth Day

Here are some ways I can offer support:

• One-on-one PLC/Department visits to discuss your experiences and needs

• Curriculum support and where to find resources

• Strategies, tools and ideas to increase student engagement

• PD for your site and department goals

Email: daniel.schroeder@sweetwaterschools.org

Location: 1130 Fifth Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91911