Physical Education

Physical Education

                                 Introduction
 
“Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good” (Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2288)
  
The (NJSLS-CHPE) highlights the expectation that all students participate in a high-quality, K–12 sequential, health and physical education program that emphasizes 21st Century skills and interdisciplinary connections to empower students to live a healthy active lifestyle. The standards provide a blueprint for curriculum development, instruction, and assessment, and reflect the latest research for effective health and physical education programs. The primary focus of the standards consists of the development of concepts and skills that promote and influence healthy behaviors.
 
Curriculum guides, unlike well-defined programs, are written with the understanding that there is a responsibility for decision making on the part of the teachers. Curriculum guides provide a framework, not a daily plan for instruction.   Since teachers are responsible for the scope of any curriculum content during a given school year, they must also be the final determiners of the sequence of content and skills, the use of instructional strategies, and the degree of content detail.
 
Given the nature of the actual classroom, certain factors will drive these choices: student need, student developmental level and realistic time limitations. Teachers are encouraged to integrate curriculum in order to maximize instructional time and facilitate the transfer of skills and understanding.
 
Curriculum guides are written with the understanding that learning builds upon previous knowledge and skills, which are repeated and reinforced to ensure mastery learning. As a result, it is impossible to expect that everything contained within any curriculum guide will be taught in the same sequence, style, and depth each year. Teachers need the flexibility to make choices to ensure that the student needs are met and that the scope of the curriculum is addressed.
 
Mission
  
All students will acquire the knowledge and skills of what is most essential to become individuals who possess health and physical literacy and pursue a life of wellness by developing the habits necessary to live healthy, productive lives that positively impact their families, schools and communities.
  
Essential Learning in Health

• promote the development of curricula and learning experiences that reflect the vision and mission of comprehensive health and physical education as stated in the beginning of this document; 
• foster greater coherence and appropriate progressions across grade bands; 
• establish meaningful connections among the major areas of study within comprehensive health and physical education; 
• prioritize the important ideas and core processes that are central to comprehensive health and physical education and have lasting value beyond the classroom; and
• reflect the habits of mind central to comprehensive health and physical education that lead to post-secondary success.
• Connect 

Diocese of Trenton Standards for Health Education

• maintains mental health awareness and relies on social/emotional support systems; 
• engages in a physically active lifestyle; 
• maintains awareness of health and wellness and how to access resources; 
• recognizes the influence of media, peers, technology, and cultural norms in making informed health-related decisions as a consumer of health products and wellness services; 
• practices effective cross-cultural communication and conflict resolution skills; 
• builds and maintains healthy relationships; 
• accepts and respects individual and cultural differences; and 
• advocates for personal, family, community, and global wellness and is aware of local, national and global public health issues.