Health and Physical Education
Department of Academics | Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners
Health and Physical Education
Physical Education
The ultimate goals of the physical education program are to help students develop through physical activity and to foster awareness and appreciation of the importance of fitness. Beginning in first grade, students have regularly scheduled classes taught by physical education teachers. First through fifth graders have physical education twice a week all year. In the middle school, physical education is given on an alternate-day basis for the entire year. In grades eight through twelve, students are offered a variety of activities that are divided into three areas: lifetime sports, team sports and physical fitness.
The lifetime sports activities offered are badminton, dance, golf, ping pong, tennis and social dance. Classes include skills development, written tests, skills tests and tournament play. Students are encouraged to participate in the various activities on their own.
Team sports emphasize skills, strategy and rules of the game. The intangibles such as team work, cooperation and sportsmanship are promoted. The sports include basketball, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, softball, track, touch football, volleyball and soccer.
Physical fitness includes individual fitness programs, step aerobics, strength training, and jogging. Two categories are stressed: health-related fitness, which relates to characteristics such as flexibility, strength and cardiovascular endurance; and skill-related fitness, which includes eye-hand coordination, balance, agility and general coordination.
Adaptive/developmental physical education is available in all grade levels. It is designed for students with medical excuses, special needs and students who have a low fitness level. They have adaptive/ developmental physical education from two to five days a week, depending upon their specific needs.
Health and Wellness
The goal of the health education program is to help students develop awareness and appreciation of the mental, social, physical and emotional aspects of a healthy individual. The program also is designed to help them develop a positive self-image and effective decision-making skills. Since the health curriculum reflects the world outside the school system, it changes to include current concerns and health problems, such as the AIDS epidemic and substance abuse prevention.
The curriculum includes the following units: personal health, prevention and control of disease, environmental health, family living, mental health, substance abuse prevention (alcohol, tobacco, drugs), safety education, first aid and CPR, consumer education and health career education.
These units begin in kindergarten and continue through twelfth grade. The emphasis on each depends on the grade level. The substance abuse prevention units focus on three areas: providing information, developing social skills and promoting bonds between the students, their peers, parents and their community. In addition, a cooperative program between the school and the East Brunswick Police Department is presented in all the fifth grades. The unit integrates the district curriculum with the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program originated by the police.
The health program in tenth grade is driver education. Students receive a minimum of 30 hours of classroom instruction on driving and safety techniques, financial responsibility, and traffic laws. An elective course in adult CPR and teen management skills is offered in grades ten through twelve.