LLOYD HARBOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

       Mr. Joe Toscano   jtoscano@csh.k12.ny.us

Ms. Katherine Fiola  kfiola@csh.k12.ny.us

Mr. Steve Forbes   sforbes@csh.k12.ny.us

Mr. Christian Lynch   clynch@csh.k12.ny.us       

Welcome to the Lloyd Harbor Physical Education Department!  A place where kids can get fit and have fun!  Students should wear comfortable clothing and sneakers in order to participate on Physical Education days.

MISSION STATEMENT

Physical Education is a sequential educational program. It is based on physical activities undertaken in an active, caring, supportive and nonthreatening atmosphere, in which every student is challenged and successful. Students with disabilities are provided with a learning environment that is modified, when necessary, to allow for maximum participation.

DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC INFORMATION

In our classes, students will learn the importance of physical activity and taking care of their bodies.  Our goal is to get this very important message to our students at an early age so that they can live long, healthy and happy lives.  When children are healthy and fit, they have more energy and lower stress levels.  They are also better able to fight off illness and prevent injury.  Studies have shown that regular exercise helps all children perform better in the classroom.  Children who are fit and strong are shown to have higher self-esteem and are more successful in their school and community.

Improving the health and fitness of children requires a partnership between parents, teachers, schools and government.  It is suggested for adults and children to participate in physical activity everyday for at least 30 minutes per day.  Families can get exercise together by doing simple things such as riding bikes, taking a family run or walk, swimming, or walking the dog.

About Our Curriculum

Our students in grades 2 and 3 participate in a wide variety of activities and non-competitive, skill enhancing, low organized games. These modified games reinforce basic skills such as throwing, catching, kicking and striking. While taking part in these games, social concepts such as fair play, sportsmanship, cooperation, honesty and integrity are also encouraged and reinforced. Students who exhibit these attributes during class will have an opportunity to be chosen to “Be on the Ball”. At this level, students will be introduced to various types of equipment such as hula hoops, beanbags, scooters, buddy walkers, rock wall, cargo net and ropes for climbing.

Our students in grades 4 through 6 participate in a wide variety of sport related units. In the 4th grade, students are introduced to the concept of “invasions games” in terms of offense, defense, invasion of space and possession. The 4th through 6th grade students work on the skills necessary to participate in modified games related to soccer, touch football, basketball, softball, volleyball, team handball and various racket sports. At this level, our students may choose to challenge themselves to climb our rock wall, cargo net, ropes and peg board. The 5th and 6th graders are given the opportunity to learn to climb while using a harness and belay system.

We introduce the students to the five components of fitness that include cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, agility, muscular strength and muscular endurance. Each year, students in grades 4 through 6 participate in the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge. The assessment requires students to complete one mile, perform as many curl-ups as they can in one minute, complete as many push-ups as they can without stopping, run a shuttle sprint and perform a sit and reach test to show flexibility. Each student has a personal Physical Fitness Profile which will be kept and updated from the 4th through the 6th grade to help them track their own fitness levels and set personal goals. There are two individual awards given to students who score within a certain percentile in all of the five components of fitness. The Presidential Physical Fitness Award is given to students who achieve scores in the 85th percentile or above in each component of the Challenge. A School Award is given to students who earn scores in the 50th percentile or higher. In an effort to foster teamwork and cooperation, we offer the Class Award. This award recognizes the top performing class at each grade level. All percentiles used in our Challenge are determined by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Student awards are from the Council and signed by the President of the United States.

Intramurals
    
To further enhance our program, from 7:40-8:40 am, we offer a before-school intramurals program to our 5th and 6th grade students. Students are offered a wide variety of sports and activities such as basketball, soccer, touch football, archery and ice skating.