PEP (Physical Education Program)

Lab 3, or Fundamental Movement Activities, is taught in the fall  by juniors and seniors. Kindergarten through third graders practice and improve their fundamental and manipulative skills. The fundamental skills are walking, running jumping, hopping, leaping, galloping, sliding, and skipping. The manipulative skills are throwing, catching, striking, and kicking. Within each lesson many movement concepts are developed such as body awareness, spatial awareness, qualities of movements, and relationships. Each PEP session begins with Instant Activities that last for 15 minutes where students participate in creative activities with their individual teacher and fellow classmates.

In this PEP lab, the students are tested on their gross motor development at the beginning and end of the semester. The test that is administered is referred to as the TGMD (Total Gross Motor Development) Test.  This lab is the first time that the students are given "homework" each Thursday, better known as the Gym Shorts Program. This program was designed to keep the children involved physically throughout the week. Every Thursday, a letter is sent home that contains various skills and activities that the student and family members are encouraged to achieve the next week. The following PEP session, the letter is brought back to the teacher with a check for every day of participation with a signature of the parent/guardian. The child is then rewarded for his/her "out of class" involvement.