Physical Education Program
At Northlea we offer a wide range of physical education activities as part of the curriculum and through our co-curricular activities. Students are able to do their best when they wear appropriate clothing.
Clothing
Junior and Senior Kindergarten: Students should wear appropriate running shoes and clothing that allows them to participate in a full range of physical activities on days with scheduled gym classes. Girls are encouraged to wear pants, leggings or shorts on ‘gym days’. In the second term, children must wear shorts, a T-Shirt and bare feet during the unit on gymnastics. Your child’s kindergarten teacher will provide you with a schedule and a reminder when the children begin gymnastics.
In Grades 1 to 8: It is important for students to be prepared for Physical Education classes. It is mandatory that students wear a T-Shirt, shorts, and running shoes for gym classes year-round. Northlea T-Shirts will be available for purchase and will include the Northlea Knights Logo above. Please check out the Northlea School Clothing Order Form. Order deadline is November 14, 2011.
During the colder months, students in Grades 1 & 2 are asked to wear their T-Shirt and shorts under their regular clothes. For safety reasons, Grade 1 & 2 students do not use the change rooms.
Grade 3 – 8 students may use the change rooms as long as they change quickly and behave appropriately.
Intramural Activities
A wide range of co-educational intramural activities are offered at Northlea: many over the lunch hour, some before school and some, for older students, after school. Information about intramural activities is provided during the morning announcements, in gym classes, on the PE bulletin board, What’s Happening Newsletter, and, for younger students, through notes sent home. Students must have a permission form signed by a parent in order to participate.
School Teams
There are many opportunities for students to work towards a personal best and experience the fun of competition in a wide range of sports through Northlea’s school teams.
Students from Grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 are selected for school teams based on the following criteria:
- Skill level
- Sportsmanship
- Attitude
- Participation
- Effort
- Attendance
- Punctuality
- Interaction with others
Practice times vary by sport and may be held before school, over the lunch hour or, occasionally after school for older students.
Students should ensure that they have proper footwear for each sport: court shoes for basketball, running shoes for cross-country running, etc.
Students who are chosen for a team are expected to continue to fulfill the above mentioned expectations through practices during the course of the season. As a result of large numbers of students at Northlea, not every student will be able to make teams they try out for.
In addition, we provide opportunities for all students to participate in our intramural athletic program. Look for information on teams and intramural programs at the beginning of the school year on the PE bulletin board and throughout the year in the “What’s Happening” newsletter.
Daily Physical Activity (D.P.A.)
The participation of students in daily physical activity (D.P.A.) is a critical component of the government’s overall Healthy Schools initiative. The Policy requires school boards to ensure all elementary students, including students with special needs, have a minimum of twenty minutes of sustained moderate to vigorous physical activity each school day during instructional time. As a result of the daily physical activity initiative, elementary students should enhance their learning opportunities while improving or maintaining their physical fitness and their overall health and wellness.
Twenty minutes or more of physical activity during a scheduled health and physical education class would meet the daily physical activity requirement. Since physical activity is only one component of a complete health and physical education class program, there will be days when a health and Physical Education class does not include physical activity. On these days and on days when no health and physical education class is scheduled, other opportunities for at least twenty minutes of physical activity during the instructional day will need to be provided.
At Northlea, daily physical activity will be incorporated into the instructional day for twenty minutes. All school staff will be involved in the planning and implementation of the daily physical activity program. All activities will be adapted as appropriate to ensure that students with special needs can participate in them. Such adaptations will be consistent with the accommodations and/or modifications that are found in his/her Individual Education Plan.
Being on time for school has always been crucial as at any other school in the Toronto District School Board. However, more than ever before, students will be expected to be at school on time each day so that they do not miss and/or disrupt the daily physical activity program (especially if it is occurring during period #1). In addition, all students will be expected to wear appropriate running shoes for safety and proper participation.
Positive experiences with physical activity at a young age help lay the foundation for healthy, productive lives. Regular physical activity can promote the growth of strong bones and muscles, help to develop good posture and balance, strengthen the heart and lungs, and generally help to improve and maintain fitness.
