News and information for staff members and the Madison community
Vol. I No. 2 - December 19, 2005
Life styles are more sedentary. Numbers of young students identified as obese
have increased.
MMSD has a unique opportunity to reverse these trends for
the students in our district. The
District was awarded a three-year, $1.5 million U.S. Department of Education
Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant. The grant will help PE teachers introduce
more nutrition, physical fitness and adventure education activities into their
classrooms.
Grant funds create opportunities for staff to reflect on
current teaching strategies, explore "best practices," develop curriculum, and
purchase equipment. The creative use of
technology to help students learn and teachers teach is also part of the grant
funds.
Nutrition and physical fitness are the focus of Year 1 of
the grant. At the elementary and middle
school levels nutrition information and activities will be integrated into a
variety of content areas. In high school
more nutrition information will be added to health classes. PE fitness activities will be enriched
through the use of pedometers, heart rate monitors, core training, fitness
equipment, as well as exploring non-traditional fitness activities.
In addition to nutrition and fitness in Years 2 and 3 of the
grant, there will be an increased emphasis on adventure education programs at
all middle and high schools. Adventure
education offers students and adults opportunities to develop and grow
personally and as a group through community-building activities that involve
risk-taking, problem-solving and cooperation.
By the end of the grant, all high schools will have an
indoor ropes course with a variety of high and low "elements." In addition, a new outdoor ropes course will
be built. This will insure access for
all students within our district!
This PEP grant provides MMSD staff with a unique opportunity to enrich teaching and have a significant impact on the lives of students!
Last Updated: Tue Mar 28 12:17:36 2006
Comments: comments@madison.k12.wi.us
Web Publisher: Chris Burch, cburch@madison.k12.wi.us
Technical Issues: webmaster@madison.k12.wi.us