Physical Education

Public Schools Athletic League
The mission of the Public Schools Athletic League is to provide opportunities for educating students in physical fitness, character development and socialization skills through an athletic program that fosters teamwork, discipline and sportsmanship.
C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Sports & Fitness
The goal of the C.H.A.M.P.S. Middle School Sports & Fitness program is to improve student fitness levels and overall health by increasing opportunities for children to engage in physical activity, regardless of athletic ability. The program promotes health-related fitness through a mix of several after-school and before-school activities including traditional sports, non-traditional sports, and fitness activities. The ultimate goal is for students to grow to be C.H.A.M.P.S. — Cooperative, Healthy, Active, Motivated, Positive Students — for life.

One of the concessions we make as a small school in a shared space is limited access to the gym.  We do not employ a gym teacher.  However, we believe physical education is of paramount importance.  Thus, every child takes a music and movement class once a week.  Some of our teachers have trained to teach mini-lessons in yoga.  In addition, our K/1s go ice skating once a week during the winter and our 2/3s taking weekly swimming lessons from October through June.  Through Arts Connection, our children take dance lessons, some of them weekly in grades 3-5.  We began a Wednesday afterschool basketball program in 2006/07.

Weekly lessons are not enough, however, so we have made recess a priority.  All students have an hour for lunch and recess every day, and everyone goes outside, except during rainy or extremely cold weather.  Our recess supervisors have trained with Asphalt Green to teach non-competitive games.  Some of our students have participated in the Recess Enhancement Program which teaches them leadership in some of these games, as well; so if you visit, you will see us running around, playing foursquare, jumping rope and shooting baskets. 

CPE II has joined the Mighty Milers program of the New York Road Runners Club. Students earn prizes for running (or even walking) a certain number of miles over time. Students will often begin recess by running (or walking) laps around the school yard.