K-3rd PE: Ms. Olson

Hi families!

This year in K-3 PE, we have accomplished so much already! I began the school year by going over rules, expectations, and routines for when we’re in gym. I introduced new movement concepts and talked about just how important teamwork is. Over the last two months, we have been working on our balance, flexibility, spatial awareness and mindfulness when it comes to physical movement. I did a yoga unit in September that was really fun and students really enjoyed it. Each class now has their own unique yoga flow name and we use these poses to get warmed up for our activity each day. I just began a catching and throwing unit where I’m incorporating what I learned at the Oregon SHAPE conference in September. The kids are doing great so far! We are utilizing small cones to catch balls and then working on our underhand throwing skills to throw them back to partners. They are doing a fantastic job at learning new ways to improve their throwing and catching skills, while also being good teammates!

4th-8th PE: Mr. Hess

Grades 4-8 have been alternating each week between the gym and outdoor activities, as we share the gym space with K-3 PE. With only one gym available, we switch weekly to ensure all students have access to indoor facilities and PE units that require a gym. Despite the challenges of inclement weather, students have been consistently raising their heart rates through dynamic activities that emphasize teamwork, collaboration, social intelligence, and problem-solving. So far, we’ve covered units in basic throwing and catching, soccer, volleyball, ultimate games (frisbee, football, foam ball), pickleball, pacing, and heart rate monitoring. Our physical fitness tests, which include the mile run, shuttle run, push-ups, sit-ups, and sit & reach, are also underway, with students setting personal goals based on last year’s benchmarks. Coming up, students can look forward to exciting units like bowling (potentially capped off with a field trip!) and archery, along with a foundational nutrition unit.  

Grades K-5 have spent the past couple of months learning about and practicing two important elements of art, color and value. In color they've focused on primary, secondary, complementary, warm, and cool colors. With value, they've learned how to make a hue lighter and darker, and grades 4 and 5 have practiced techniques such as cross-hatching and stippling to create value. Students have worked with mediums such as watercolor, tempera paint, oil pastels, markers, acrylic paint, printing ink, colored pencils, construction paper, and crayons.

Students in the Printmaking elective class have completed prints on styrofoam and rubber blocks, and they're currently working on a 3-color reduction print of endangered animals. Art portfolios will be going home with your child at the end of the trimester, so you can admire all of their creativity and hard work.

 I'm thrilled to be returning for my fourth year, continuing to build on the incredible work we've accomplished together in the past! In K-2, we've been focusing on problem-solving with Kelso's Choices and encouraging students in finding methods to feel better when they're sad, such as practicing gratitude and moving their bodies. For grades 3-5, the emphasis has been on understanding the difference between the size of our feelings and the size of our reactions, and as we move into our friendship unit, children are learning to distinguish between what is in their control and what is not. In MS, students have been working on understanding their learning style inventory and learning about owning our own decisions and consequences. Looking forward to what the year brings.