Greetings to students and parents alike. It is that time of year were school is back in, and a time for us to get ourselves ready to have some fun in Physical Education class. My name is Mr. Oleson, and I will be teaching the P.E aspects to the elementary students this year. I look forward to working with each and every one of the incoming students.

There are a few things that I will cover in this introductory letter that I feel are of importance that needs to be covered in our class. Participation and safety of the students are of my highest concerns with students, as I look out for the protection and the best interest of the students.

Class Expectations Student participation is required, so I do expect every student to be involved with class. I will go over participation and safety rules with the students in class as well. I want students to get the most benefit and fun out of this class as they can, and at the same time practice safety features about each and every activity that we will do this year. I believe the first thing that students should learn about creating a safe environment to play activities in, such as removing potential hazards from activities such as soccer, softball, kickball, basketball, etc. We will learn about many different kinds of sports during our school year. My vision of this class includes getting students into shape, teaching them the importance of being healthy, and at the same time, allowing the students to have fun. No student will be favored in my class whatsoever, as everyone will be treated equally (I do make exceptions for those who need special accommodations in order for them to be able to get just as much effect out of this class as anyone else). I do not expect students to do more physical activity than they can handle. I want students to be responsible for their actions, and to be respectful to one another as I would be respectful to them.

Presidential Fitness Testing

Our biggest challenge of the year will be the Presidential Fitness Testing. By the middle of the school year, students will participate in the Presidential Fitness Testing. The Presidential Fitness Testing, to put it in simplest form, is a testing of physical fitness in five different areas of strength and endurance. This is mandatory for all students to take, as it will be the biggest test that they will have to complete all year. They will be tested in the areas of push-ups, curl-ups, the sit-n-reach, the shuttle run, and the endurance run/walk. I will send out reminders a month before the testing is to begin, giving more detail about what the presidential fitness testing is really

about. This will count as a huge part of the student’s grade for the year, so students must participate.

Parent Involvement/VolunteeringParents are welcome to join class for a period. If there are any concerns that the parents have for their student(s), they are welcome to come and talk to me or contact me by phone. I am not against parental input and suggestions. If a parent would like to come and volunteer themselves for class for a day, please have them contact me so that we may set up a day for them to come in an participate with the class.

Class ProjectsYes, you read this right. This year, I want my students to go out and explore what it means to be physically fit and healthy rather than just participating in the class activities and not fully understanding what the purpose of the physical education class is. I would like for the students to pair together and put together a presentation that will explain what they found to be important on being physically fit. I will not limit their options on how they can do this. They can use a PowerPoint, have their parents help them, make a video using a camera, the options are limitless. My goal by getting students to do a presentation on being physically fit is for them to find their own meaning on why they would want to be physically fit and to stay healthy. I would rather student’s work in pairs than alone, as I believe that two minds can come up with more ideas than one mind. We will being doing two presentations throughout the year, and that is all for technology use of the class. I will do my best not to make the projects too difficult for the students, as I know that they are young and still learning about technology themselves.

About Your Teacher This YearAs mentioned earlier in this letter, I am Mr. Oleson. I am an animal lover, I have one cat that I live with, and I am a huge outdoors type of person. I love to go to the gym at any given chance, and I love spending time with my family.

As the new year gets underway, I would like for the parents of the students who these letters will go out to give me an updated contact information via email so that way I can keep everyone updated on what is going on during the week for class. This is also going to allow me to contact parents if I have questions or concerns, and in turn will allow parents to email me for the same reasons. I will answer any emails as soon as possible. Also, Please provide me with an emergency contact in case I am unable to reach your parents. Again, I’m looking forward to meeting you all and getting this year set to go!

Sincerely,

Mr. Garrett Oleson

(208) 777-0122 ext. 11

goleson@schoolzone.org

P.S. Please return this back sheet signed with parent and student signatures so I know that you have went over and read this letter. Parents, please provide me an email address I can reach you at. Thank you.

Parent/Guardian Signature____________________________Date: ________________

Student Signature____________________________Date: ________________

Parent’s Email________________________

Emergency Contact:__________________________Phone: ___________________