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School Wellness Weekly
December 22, 2020
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Providing the Joy of Movement for Every Student
First-Ever Adapted Physical Education Service Award
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The Office of School Wellness Programs is excited to announce the first-ever Adapted Physical Education Service Award—honoring the dedication of a person who has gone above and beyond in their commitment to providing Physical Education and physical activity opportunities for students with disabilities. Congratulations to Betty Pustelniak, adapted Physical Education teacher from P.S. 112 in Manhattan, the first recipient of the 2020 Adapted Physical Education Service Award. Check out this slideshow highlighting the award, Betty Pustelniak, and previous Adapted Winter Games (opens in new window).
Betty works tirelessly to ensure that students of all abilities are able to participate in and benefit from Physical Education at P.S. 112. In addition, for the past 27 years, she has created physical activity opportunities for students Citywide through her work on the Annual New York City Adapted Winter Games committee and by taking students to various NYC and Special Olympics events each year, including the New York State Adapted Winter Games. The NYC Adapted Winter Games, held annually in March, provides the opportunity for hundreds of students with disabilities and their families to come together in a winter-themed atmosphere, with carnival-inspired games. (Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 NYC Adapted Winter Games were cancelled.)
Betty designed new activities every year—like magnetic ice fishing, penguin bowling, and the hot chocolate marshmallow launch—for students of all abilities to demonstrate their skills and experience the joy of movement in a safe environment. Her focus has been to ensure students enjoy the event while giving them a moment in the spotlight. In true spirit, upon hearing of this honor, Betty humbly gave credit to the committee members and volunteers she worked with each year.
Principal Lisa Velazquez and Assistant Principal Nicole Bonaventura of P.S. 112 shared their own words on Betty’s accomplishments: “Congratulations to the backbone of P.S. 112! Your endless efforts have made P.S. 112 a magical place for students and staff. Whether it’s planting flowers in our school yard in remembrance of loved ones, including our furry friends, or organizing events to uplift the spirits of all during this pandemic, to beautifying the school with child-friendly and fun social-distancing markers, you have created a place that WE all look forward to coming to each day!”
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We asked Betty how she got involved in the Adapted Winter Games 27 years ago, and what highlights she remembers from the events. Here’s what she shared:
The year after the Adapted Winter Games began, I started as a volunteer and made equipment for the event. Iris Helfeld, the coordinator for the event and my supervisor at the time, mentioned how much work went into coordinating all the equipment. Iris knew I did woodworking and shortly after, my obsession in creating activities began. We coordinated on how we could improve activities, and year after year we added more games. With input from the teachers on the committee, adapting the design for our athletes’ abilities wasn’t difficult. The success of these events was a team effort.
There are so many highlights, from the athletes’ excitement in seeing friends they have made at previous events, watching the athletes participate as their parents look on proudly, and seeing the athletes engage with many of the high school volunteers.
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We thank Betty—and all teachers—for your dedication, service, and commitment to our students. Email APE@schools.nyc.gov (opens in email window) to learn how to get your students involved when events resume after COVID-19 health and safety restrictions are lifted.
This year has been difficult for all of us, especially for our teachers and students—please, take this time for self-care. We wish all of you Happy Holidays and a safe and healthy New Year! Look for the next School Wellness Weekly after Winter Break.
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Photo: Betty Pustelniak, P.S. 112 in Manhattan. |
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Keep Elementary Students Active In Person or Remote with Move-to-Improve
With students spending more time indoors and seated at their computers, schools can play an important role in keeping young people moving. For schools serving elementary grades, the DOE’s Move-to-Improve program (opens in new window) provides students with the opportunity to engage in physical activity no matter where their learning takes place. During the pandemic, all elementary schools are encouraged to become Move-to-Improve All-Star schools, and current All-Star schools are encouraged to maintain their status. All-Star schools have a comprehensive PE program led by a certified or designated PE teacher, and at least 85% of their elementary teachers are trained in Move-to-Improve.
This year, we’re providing two safe ways to get your teachers trained:
Physical Education Online Professional Learning Communities in January
Jump-start the New Year by connecting with your Physical Education colleagues Citywide at our upcoming PE Online Professional Learning Communities (PE OPLCs) the week of January 11. PE OPLCs give PE teachers a chance to share best practices, problems of practice, and feedback on resources for PE instruction and engaging students and families during in-person learning, blended learning, or remote learning. Visit the Professional Learning Catalog (opens in new window) for upcoming dates and registration links. PE OPLC sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams.
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Start 2021 with New Ideas: Health Education Online Professional Learning Communities
Need more inspiration, resources, and tools for teaching quality Health Education and engaging your students? Health Education Online Professional Learning Communities (OPLCs) offer educators an opportunity to connect with other DOE teachers to identify and share best practices and challenges in providing Health Education instruction through blended and remote learning. See our Professional Learning catalog (opens in new window) to register for middle and high school sessions the week of January 18. Health Education OPLC sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams.
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Building the Wellness Community |
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Five Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health During the Holidays
- Create or maintain traditions virtually
- Share virtual experiences
- Send physical cards
- Find a creative way to give back
- Make space to grieve or honor someone you lost
More Ways to Stay Chill, Reduce Stress, Keep the Holidays Happy
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