FFCA – SWE Campus – An Active Healthy Ever Active School

Presenter: Sonia Sheehan

Great Ever Active Promising Practices in Action…Foundation for the Future Charter Academy-

Southwest Campus…An Ever Active School!

A Healthy Active School Community!

My background…Opened two FFCA campuses Created physical education programs,

intramurals, ordered all equipment, trained other teachers

Attended the first Calgary Ever Active Energizer day and became an Ever Active school

Involved with HPEC as the Calgary HPEC Regional Representative

Within the FFCA school system collaborate regularly with 4 elementary schools, 2 middles schools and a high school

Our Ever Active Vision…How we started it all…With the Ever Active program 4Es…EDUCATION FIRSTA quality PE programPE specialistsDiverse program with a wide range of activities to

meet curriculum needs (includes swimming and inline skating)

SPARK programFull grade 1 to 4 participation in an Intramural

program (running club, soccer league, floor hockey club, dance club, dodgeball quidditch league, Olympic challenges)

QDPE application and award banners

Adding to the Ever Active 4EsEveryone and Environment

Active Living Months (2 per year) November Active Living Month - Active Living Running Shoe May Active Living Month – Active Living Pictures

These activities focused on how our students and families (EVERYONE) were active outside of our school environment and how much activity they engaged in

All Active Living Sheets are displayed in the hallway outside the gymnasium (a very prominent place) to showcase an active healthy school ENVIRONMENT

Painted the EVER ACTIVE mural on our gymnasium wall

Added a staff fitness program to our school

ACTIVE LIVING RUNNING SHOE

The next “Ever Active” goal of the year is to get our school community more active in our November Active Living month. During this month we would like our students, teachers, and parents to focus on being active, eating healthy, and building wellness awareness. Throughout the month we will be discussing healthy active lifestyles in physical education classes and sending home the Active Living Running Shoe.

The Active Living Running Shoe will allow us to see how active our school community really is. The Active Living Running Shoe consists of 2 shoes divided into 15 sections. Every time a student completes 15 minutes of physical activity outside of school, one section of the shoe can be colored in. If a family member completes the physical activity with the student a second section of the shoe can be colored in. Once both shoes are colored in, the Active Living Running Shoe can be brought back to the school for a new shoe. I challenge our school community to fill in as many Active Living Running Shoes as possible. All completed running shoes will be displayed in the hallway outside the gymnasium.

Active Living PicturesMay was Active Living Picture month

Students brought in pictures of themselves and/or their family engaging in active living

All pictures were displayed prominently in the school

Ever Active MuralPainted the physical education icons and

Ever Active icon when the school first opened

Staff FitnessAfter school weight training and aerobicsRunning clubUrban challenge

A Good Place to be…Happy with our progress as an Ever

Active SchoolQuality daily physical educationStrong intramuralsFamily and home connections through our

Active Living MonthsProud environment with our muralStaff involvement through staff fitnessWHAT NEXT?????

Added National Nutrition MonthHighlighted National Nutrition Month –

MarchCreated a nutrition web quest for all

students, teachers, and families to learn about healthy eating and Canada’s Food Guide

Student create an example of a healthy lunch and snack on a plate

The month of March is National Nutrition Month. Throughout this month our school community is encourage to: examine Canada’s Food Guide, learn about the four food groups, eat more fruits and vegetables, and explore the Dietitians of Canada Nutrition Month website. Task:Write down and draw, or cut out pictures from magazines or flyers, that make up a healthy balanced lunch and snack that you could bring to school. Make sure the lunch includes foods from all four food groups and the snack is a healthy choice. Use the back of this page for your picture. Place your lunch items on the plate and your snack at the bottom of the page.If you have any questions or comments regarding National Nutrition Month or the task, please contact Mrs. Sheehan.Valuable Websites:www.dietitians.ca (click on Eat Well, Live Well)www.nms.on.ca/Elementary/canada.htm (Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating)www.dole5aday.com (Dole Superkids)

Added Fitness Fridays…Focus on Fitness for all grade 1 to 4

classes on FridaysFitness CircuitFitness BingoFitness DiceAerobic GamesHoliday Fitness Playground FitnessIntegrate HR monitors and partner

feedback

1 2 3 4 5 61

Jump up and down 20 times and say Ho Ho Ho

3 laps around the gym running like a reindeer

With your group, pretend to build a big snowman

Skip 15 times with a hula hoop

30 Second Sit down and Rest on a Bench

Play a game of partner tag – rock/paper/Scissors to decide who is it

25 RunningLaps – sing jingle bells as you run

15 Jumping Jacks

20 bench step ups

Float once around the gym like a snowflake

High five 10 different people

Sing your favorite holiday song

3Create a hula hoop sleigh and move around the gym 3 times as a group

3 running laps saying “I love snow” as you run

Say “Happy Holidays” to 5 different people

Put 3 hula hoops on the ground and jump in and out of them 20 times

Balance on one foot in a wide shape like a Christmas Tree

Hop around the gym once like a bunny rabbit

425 Jumping Jacks

Favorite Lower Body Stretch

Skip 20 times with a hula hoop

1 Running Lap

Hop 15 times on each foot

Touch 3 walls in the gym

515 squats 20

Bench Step Ups

30 Second Wall Sit

Say “School’s over today” 5 times

10 Star Jumps Sit down and rest for 30sec

Holiday Fitness Bingo

Family Activity EveningsStudents, teachers, parents, grandparents,

and siblings being active together

Mission Impossible

Dance

Inline Skating

Southwest Mission Impossible Parent-Student Evening

As an ever active school we are committed to providing many opportunities for our students to lead active lifestyles. We will be offering a parent-student mission impossible evening to promote active lifestyles and get the whole family involved. We are inviting parents to come with their child to experience the “often talked about” MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. Parents are welcome to watch their child become the ultimate spy and make it through our mission impossible course. Parents are also welcome to attempt the mission impossible course.

 

Family Recess Games and Skipping Evening As an ever active school we are committed to providing

many opportunities for our students to lead active lifestyles. We will be offering a family recess games and skipping activity evening to promote active lifestyles and get the whole family involved. We are inviting parents to come with their child to experience some of the activities that students have learned and are in the process of learning during physical education class. Parents are encouraged to come and participate with their child. Some activities will be familiar to students and some activities will be new to students depending on their grade level.

Some activities that will be available to try are: skipping, wall ball, 4 square, tetherball, playground challenges, hopscotch, hula hoop challenges, skipping, monkey in the middle, marbles, fitness challenges

Feedback from Family EveningsPositiveParents like the opportunity to have quality

time with their child in an active settingSocialize with other familiesWould like to see it more oftenThink it is greatAwesome, wonderful, “Can we stay longer”

Ever Active LeadersOpen to grade 4 studentsApplication process with references requiredOrientation processLead recess games and skipping with the

goal of trying to get kids active at recessLead intramuralsLead special events – Terry Fox Run

Dump Your Junk CampaignEver Active Leaders who attended the Calgary HASS

brought this idea back to the schoolStudents asked permission from all teachers by

attending a staff meeting to discuss details of the event

Students shared the idea at a parent council meetingCreated posters to promote eventCreated a power point to promote eventPresented to all K-4 classrooms over lunch time by

sharing the power pointSchool wide support (parents, teachers, and

students) was amazing!

Spirit Medallion Reward SystemAn alternative to candy or chocolate for

prizes and rewards at a minimal costwww.fitnessfinders.comAsked Parent Council for fundingMedallions for special events: birthdays,

gotchas, character houses, spell-a-thon, Terry Fox Run, art club, choir, active living months, dance club, nutrition month, heart month, sports/field day, principal wall of fame, skipping club

Character Kilometre ClubStarted fall 2009Opportunity for all students K-4 to participate in

voluntary physical activity before school, at morning recess, lunch recess or after school

½ kilometre loop around the school fieldUltimate goal by the end of the year is to run a

marathon = 84 laps of the fieldStudents receive reward medallions at the 24, 48,

72 and 84 lapsStudents self record with help from their

homeroom teacher

What’s next?Continue to grow our Ever Active program by

providing:Innovative PE equipment and units (recently

received the Canadian Sport for Life Grant to purchase new equipment)

Location of The Canadian Exergaming Research Centre

Adding new family evenings

Modeling the Ever Active VisionLet’s get ACTIVE and be Forever Healthy!

Earn A Spirit Medallion from FFCA – SWE CampusParticipate in the following:

Building a nutrition plate for National Nutrition Month

Active Living Running Shoe

Apply to become an Ever Active Leader

Family Dance Activity Evening

Character Kilometre Club

ConclusionFFCA – SWE is proud to be an Ever Active

SchoolContact Sonia Sheehan at

sonia.sheehan@ffca-calgary.com for more information