Home Program Physical Education
Park Day’s Physical Education and Athletics program provides students with the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary to make active living part of their life. Organized play that highlights cooperation, a willingness to try, communication, and respect are emphasized in all forms of activities and sports. We encourage working as a team, positive competition, and personal control of our own bodies and emotions.
In Middle School, Park Day School competes against other independent and parochial school sports teams. All Middle School students are invited to try out. Everyone who tries out for a sport makes the team, and everyone who attends practice can expect to have gametime. Practice and games take place after school, and parent volunteers help with transportation. All teams are co-ed, except basketball, which is divided by gender identity. Players gain an understanding of sportsmanship, teamwork, and healthy competition. Middle School families can register their student online to join a sports team.
Fall
Winter
Spring
Each grade attends PE classes twice a week. The main focus is on movement skills, games, and building physical capacity through multiple developmentally appropriate activities. We place a strong emphasis on social-emotional learning, and physical fitness. The most important disciplines in class are a positive attitude, participation, striving for your personal best, and treating others the way they want to be treated. We use a differentiated approach to move individual students towards their own physical goals, while striving to prepare all to make healthy, independent choices about physical activity as they grow.
Core units in PE include cooperative and group skills, Obstacle Courses, Ball Manipulatives, Ball Handling, Relays, Parachute Games, Hula Hooping, Strength Training, and more. Games include Team Handball, Tag, Tchoukball, Wiffle Ball, Frisbee Golf, Pickle Ball, Baffle Ball, Field Hockey, Basketball, Volleyball, Kickball, Capture the Flag and more. 1st and 2nd graders work on moving through space, understanding safety and boundaries, and using positive language. 3rd & 4th graders learn to manipulate objects in and through space and react and respond to others. 5th grade emphasizes using objects with accuracy and speed while working cooperatively to achieve a common goal. 6th-8th graders work on understanding and strengthening their bodies, and building endurance, along with sportspersonship and taking healthy risks.
In Kindergarten, students take Movement class twice a week instead of P.E. The program is taught by Ramón Ramos Alayo, a dancer, teacher, choreographer and the founder and artistic director of the Alayo Dance Company and CubaCaribe. In Movement class, children learn to isolate and move specific areas of their bodies while learning dance vocabulary. We teach skills around improvisation, mirroring, shadowing, and observation. Emphasis is placed on creativity, equity and a sense of the individual as a part of a larger community.
Park Day students are expected to respect themselves, their teammates, the other team, and their coaches both on and off the field. We honor the decision-makers during games, and cooperate positively with sports officials, including referees, scorekeepers, and coaches. Being a guest in our own and other school’s arenas is something we take seriously. Consideration and sportspersonship is expected. We greet teammates and the opposing team in a warm way, take care of facilities and equipment, clean up after ourselves, and show positivity and encouragement for all players. Having a good attitude and showing empathy whether we win or lose is something on which Park Day Mighty Apples pride themselves.