Upgraded physical education in store for Atwater elementary students

Physical education in Atwater elementary schools is turning into more than just jumping jacks and pushups, a statement from the Merced County Office of Education said; it’s now dancing, games and activities.

Four teachers are helping the district with making sure the 3,900 kindergarten through sixth-grade students meet the requirements of 200 minutes of activity every 10 days.

Kazy Gutierrez and Larry Morton, physical education instructors, along with Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services Ana Boyenga, attended a state physical education conference during the summer to learn about incorporating physical education with different games and activities.

“Games are the part they look forward to,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “They are different at each grade level. At some point, every child is excited about it.”

She said the students are being prepared for physical education at the middle and high school levels, and they are all focusing on teamwork and how to be a “cohesive unit.”

Students at Aileen Colburn, Bellevue, Peggy Heller, Thomas Olaeta and Shaffer elementary schools will be learning things such as jumping rope, the statement said, helping them develop hand-eye coordination and create their own routines.

“Small-group collaboration and peer-to-peer bonding,” Morton said in a statement, is an important part of physical education. While he was in school, he said, physical education helped him perform better in all subjects.

Adding a physical education program, according to the statement, was a result of the Local Control Accountability Plan, which mandates that school districts in the state collect feedback from parents, educators, employees and the community on goals and improvement. This is the second year Atwater elementary students have had the program.

“We want everybody to be healthy,” Boyenga said in a statement. “They (students) learn how to compete without the emphasis on winning or losing. We teach sports skills that challenge the highly competitive while meeting the needs of those with lesser skills.”

Students in third to sixth grades are taught dances that carry over to birthday parties, the statement said, school dances and other social settings.

Taryn Garza, physical education instructor, said in a statement that most students find themselves sitting in class or at home. The long-term consequences of inactivity can be problematic, she said.

According to an assessment from the Merced County Department of Public Health, 36.3 percent of children in the county are active at least one hour every day weekly.

The 2016 Community Health Assessment also reports 1 in 4 children ages 5 to 12 are obese in Merced County.

“This is why physical education class is so important,” Garza said. “It is a time for students to increase physical competence. During PE, the students are able to engage in health-enhancing activities that they can continue throughout their lifetime for good health.”

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Upgraded physical education in store for Atwater elementary students."