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School Wellness Weekly

04.29.20


This is an image of the Office of School Wellness Programs logo that says, Think, Move, Achieve.
This is an image of 5 students smiling, engaging in wellness activities like Physical Education.
Spotlight on Physical Education Remote Learning
This issue of School Wellness Weekly focuses on Physical Education remote learning and the DOE’s new Wellness Wednesday NYC activities. See below for inspiration from a PE teacher who is embracing digital connection; hands-on tips for better access to TeachHub and PE remote learning lessons; an exciting new online professional learning opportunity, and more!
Physical Education Teacher Making Remote Learning a Success
This is an image of a Physical Education teacher conducted her virtual classroom from the safety of her home.
What’s it like to teach physical education remotely in New York City, and what does success look like?

Hear from Angelica Cassimiro, PE teacher at PS 20 The Clinton Hill School in Brooklyn , who generously shared her experience making virtual connections with her students to ensure they receive high-quality, standards-based Physical Education instruction. We hope you are inspired. (Story has been edited for space.) 
Like many in the country, it is my first-time remote teaching. I can’t say I wasn’t nervous; however, with the resources I have compiled over time, I felt somewhat prepared. The question was, “How do I deliver this information?” When news about schools closing hit, I immediately put together all the different links I had saved: Some great resources from Ben Landers (also known as “the PE Specialist”) other resources from SHAPE America, OPEN PhysEd, and of course, Move-to-Improve resources available on WeTeachNYC .

Being physically involved in the lesson is important. I have made it a point to get face time with as many as I can of the 20 different classes I see on a weekly basis. Remote teaching cannot replace hands-on teaching, but I am able to assess and gather data more effectively and efficiently like never before. We can hit every domain within a Physical Education lesson -- psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. After we do a lesson, a workout, or talk about a skill, I have the students fill out an assessment slip through Google Forms with a couple of questions specific to the work we did that day. 

Without question, new skill acquisition is important and within the national standards. However, this is a time when our students’ and families' physical well-being, which in turn directly impacts their emotional and mental state, is more important. I have been focusing on assigning “fun” activities that get the children excited to complete, and leave them with a feeling of accomplishment, all the while increasing their heart rate and keeping them healthy. 

Success moves:

  • Stay in constant communication with classroom teachers to have an idea of their schedule. Focusing on emailing just the classes I see the next day.
  • Combine classes of the same grade into one online meeting. 
  • Submit easily accessible files to the families to inspire working out together. Continue to invite parents and guardians to join in the exercises and activities.
  • Provide school-wide resources that everyone can work on together, like the monthly calendars provided by SHAPE.     

Lessons learned:

  • Less is more.
  • Reinforce skills that the students have already learned.
  • It’s important to let the children share out and say hi to their peers. 
Get DOE Physical Education lesson plans and curricular material every week
Teachers and school administrators, follow these steps to access and download lesson plans and curricular material from the DOE TeachHub:  

  1. Go to the DOE’s TeachHub (requires DOE log in).
  2. You will be taken to the “My apps” portal page.
  3. Click on one of the “Instructional Materials” tiles: Elementary, Middle, or High School.
  4. In the DOE Google Drive, open the Physical Education folder.
  5. Each subject folder is organized by grade band.
  6. Within each grade-band folder, material is organized by week. 

New addition! Use the Physical Education Table of Contents to help you navigate the DOE Google Drive folders and find the lesson plan and curricular materials that meet your virtual classroom needs, week-to-week. 
Ready, Set, Wellness Wednesday NYC!
Wellness Wednesday NYC is now a regular feature on the DOE website, with new student- and family-facing activities and resources added each week! Check out the page and the Ready, Set, Wellness! Activity , designed to help students of all ages and their caregivers and household members set a Wellness Wednesday Commitment to feel healthy and strong—physically, mentally/emotionally, or socially. 

Let us know how your school is participating in Wellness Wednesday NYC, and share a photo or video* of yourself completing one of the activities with @DOEChancellor, @LRobinsonNYC, and @NYCDOEwellness. Use these hashtags:

#WellnessWednesdayNYC
#NYCSchoolWellness
#DOEConnected
#WellnessWednesday
#DSCW
#MovetoImproveNYC

*Remember that to ensure safety online, students should not post images or videos of themselves on social media without approval from a trusted adult .
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More PE Resources for Teachers
Physical Education Professional Learning Communities (PE PLCs) Are Back, Now Online!
Our popular PE PLCs are now available online so that educators can maintain their networks and share their experiences while school sites are closed. Online Professional Learning Communities (OPLCs) are an opportunity to connect with other DOE teachers and provide feedback on lesson plans and resources available on TeachHub, share current practices for engaging students and families, and identify best practices and challenges in providing PE instruction remotely. OPLC sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams, and dates for the remainder of the school year are available on our PL catalog . Register for an OPLC today!
K-5 Teachers: Move-to-Improve Activity Tip
Need an activity to transition your students from a high-energy exercise? Use the Focused Breathing Techniques video to calm students down and bring them back to the focused mindset which is necessary to move on with daily remote learning lessons. After getting familiar with the activity by watching the video, download the Move-to-Improve World Beats NYC album and use the Breathe in, Breathe Out music track to get students centered and calm. 
Resources for Students and Your School Community
At-Home Support for Teens: Peer Health Exchange
The Let’s Talk: Your Health portal offers up-to-date health resources for young people to help them cope with the feelings of fear, stress, anxiety, and grief during this difficult time. Resources include:

  • Real stories from near-peer Health Educators, sharing their experiences
  • A virtual Q&A service that allows young people to ask health-related questions directly to health educators
  • A growing library of skills resources and practice activities relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Curated resources to support young people’s mental and physical health

Share with the Whole School Community: Keepin’ Sustainability Alive Forum
As part of the Keepin’ Sustainability Alive Inside series, the DOE Office of Sustainability is hosting their first Meet the Experts forum, this Friday, May 1, at 1:00 p.m., for students and educators to hear the latest research around weather, climate change, invasive amphibious fishes, and even take a virtual field trip of an ice field in southern Alaska. Can’t make this one? Sessions will be held bi-weekly, with different presenters speaking for 30 minutes with time for Q&A. The next sessions will be on May 15, May 29, and June 12.