Lower School – Physical Education

The Gerstell Academy physical education curriculum has as its basis the component of physical fitness. All students are encouraged each year to pass the highest level of the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge. Each student’s progress is recorded, with improvement in personal fitness as the goal. This Presidential Challenge has age appropriatew standards that are supported and strengthened by the other skills, fundamentals, game situation and health issues that are part of the curriculum.

Lower School physical education encourages students to develop movement concepts such as body awareness, spatial relations, time, speed, force, and flow. Children learn rules that are necessary for fair play; the right to participate in a safe and healthy environment; the right to be treated with dignity; and the right to have fun through physical education. Experiences respecting the physical development and talents of each child encourage discovery of abilities and capabilities.

Middle School physical education will be a continuum from the Lower School program, but expands the strategies and cooperation of the students into more sophisticated game situations. The fundamentals of skills will be drilled and reviewed for all team sports. Thought processes and movement patterns necessary for offensive and defensive play will be introduced. For example, students will be asked to watch and discuss “why" college and professional athletic teams move or pattern their play to adjust to different situations.

Learning in physical education is integrated with the other school programs such as the history of sport, references to sport in literature and how applications in science and math can improve movement. The Upper School physical education curriculum will encourage and introduce a variety of lifetime sports. Our students will participate in the many sports available to them in our community which will keep them active and healthy as adults. Physical education teachers will work with each student’s fundamentals in games such as golf, squash, weight training, bowling, running, spinning and other aerobic activities. Through sponsoring community sports events such as benefit run/walks on our campus, our students will learn the importance of community involvement. Their leadership and participation in such events will be expected and will be part of our community service program.