I welcome your interest in learning about the Physical Education program for Lower Elementary students (DK-Grade 2). Curtis School's P.E. program is one of the finest in Los Angeles. We have seven full time P.E. teachers, which enables us to provide instruction and guidance in physical education five days a week.
Our primary objective is to provide a program that encourages all students to participate in and enjoy physical education for their health and wellness, personal pleasure, self-expression, and social interaction.
Within this framework, we focus on team building, sportsmanship, daily exercise, and developing a basic understanding of the game or activity being played. To develop team skills, children learn to share equipment, work in small and large groups, and play with others whose abilities may differ from their own. Sportsmanship includes encouraging one another and feeling good about winning or losing after putting forth one's best effort. The value of daily exercise is experienced, and children gain confidence as they see their physical skills improve over time with practice and effort.
Physical education offers rich opportunities for students to develop personal values and interpersonal skills that translate to many facets of life and that they will continue to benefit from long after they have graduated from Curtis School.
Children are guided to take responsibility for their behavior, to learn to follow directions, and to take care of sports equipment. They are taught to respect the individual space and the learning and skill differences of others. Concepts of team and community are explored to encourage them to share with and care for others.
Focusing on the individual, children build confidence by learning to set realistic goals, taking risks, and growing beyond the fear of failure. They learn the characteristics and value of both leadership and following. Sports provides opportunities to practice conflict resolution through problem-solving, patience, acceptance, and emotional control. Students develop concentration and focus as they learn to deal with pressure, manage outside influences, and maintain a mental vision of success. Finally, they build determination and commitment by learning the value of effort, endurance, and follow-through.
While sharing these basic goals, each instructor has his/her own teaching style and is free to choose from a wide variety of games and drills to teach a common core of motor and coordination skills, including throwing and catching, skipping, hopping, running, jumping, kicking, and balance. We strive to have the students understand the importance of physical activity, healthy eating, and taking care of their body and how it works.
Activities and games fall into two general but overlapping categories: wellness, fitness, and cooperative (team) games. Wellness includes lifetime fitness, body awareness, healthy eating, balance, stretching, and proper breathing techniques. Fitness includes track and field, endurance training, swimming, jumping rope, tumbling, and (for the younger children) movement to music. Team games that are introduced in physical education include baseball, t-ball, basketball, flag football, handball, kickball, soccer, volleyball, field hockey, relays, and flag games.
I invite you to contact me if you have any questions about the Lower Elementary Physical Education program.
Alex Chistolini
Director of Physical Education