Mr. Van Sluys MTS

This week in Physical Education, students began a new unit focused on paddle and racket sports. We started by learning about the different types of paddles and rackets, and how they are used in games like badminton and pickleball. Students practiced holding their equipment properly and learned how to stay in control while moving and striking an object. As the week progressed, we worked on two important skills: the backhand serve and the underhand serve. Using paddles and wiffleballs helped students slow the game down, giving them more time to focus on technique, accuracy, and control. Students learned how to position their bodies and make solid contact with the ball. To reinforce these skills, we played a variety of fun games and partner activities that encouraged repetition and improvement.  Our overall goal for this unit is to build confidence and skill so that students can eventually play a modified version of badminton or pickleball. It was a great week of learning, and stud...

This week in PE, we wrapped up our basketball unit with lots of exciting game play and a chance for students to show off everything they have learned! Over the past few weeks, we have been working hard on important basketball skills like dribbling with control, passing to teammates, moving to open space, and taking good shots. It has been great to see students improving their confidence and teamwork as the unit progressed. To finish things off, we played lots of basketball games, but the games looked a little different depending on the grade level. Our grade 3 and 4 students learned how to play 3 on 3 half court basketball. This is a great format because it allows students to get more touches on the ball, more opportunities to pass and shoot, and more chances to be involved in the game. With fewer players on the court, everyone stays active and engaged, and it really helps students practice their skills in a real game setting. Our grade 1 and 2 students played full court basketball...

This week in PE, we continued to build on our basketball unit by expanding our skill set and getting more comfortable with the basics of the game. Students spent lots of time practicing dribbling and improving their control. We worked on keeping our eyes up, using our fingertips, and staying balanced while moving. We also continued to develop our shooting skills, focusing on proper form and follow-through while building confidence around the hoop. A big new skill we introduced this week was the bounce pass. Students learned how to step toward their target, aim for the floor about three quarters of the way to their partner, and use two hands to make an accurate, controlled pass. We practiced this skill in a variety of drills and games, which helped students understand when and why a bounce pass is useful during a real game. We also played lots of fun basketball games that encouraged passing, teamwork, and moving without the ball. Students worked on finding open space, supporting team...

Welcome back from Spring Break everyone! We kicked off our first week back in the best way possible, with a pancake breakfast right in the gym. It was such a fun way to bring our school community back together after the break, and the students were all smiles. Nothing says “welcome back” like pancakes and a gym full of happy kids. After that exciting start, we jumped right into our next PE unit: basketball. This week our main focus was dribbling. Dribbling is one of the most important basketball skills because it allows players to move with the ball while staying in control. We talked about how good dribbling takes focus, coordination, and practice. Students learned a dribbling warm-up that helped them work on keeping the ball close, using their fingertips, and keeping their eyes up as much as possible. We practiced dribbling with both hands and worked on staying in control even while moving. To make things more fun and challenging, we also played a variety of dribbling games. The...

First of all, sorry for missing last week's blog post.  I left the school on Friday, and it somehow slipped my mind.  Here is the blog for the last two weeks: Last week we wrapped up our gymnastics unit and this week shifted into one of the students’ favourite activities: Mission Impossible. Throughout our gymnastics unit, a major focus has been on developing body control and maintaining strong concentration. Whether students were working on balances, jumps, or creative movements, the emphasis was always on moving with purpose and control. We talked a lot about how being aware of your body in space helps not only in gymnastics, but in all physical activities. Students made great progress in tightening their movements, sticking their landings, and staying focused from start to finish. To celebrate the end of the unit, we introduced Mission Impossible. This is a series of obstacle courses set up around the gym that challenge students to apply everything they have learned. Each s...

This week we began our gymnastics unit in earnest (last week we just learned the warm-up), and the students were excited to get moving in some new ways. Every class began by practicing our gymnastics warm-up, which is made up of a series of “animal travels.” Students move across the gym like different animals to get their bodies warm and ready for movement. Some of the movements are the crab walk, penguin walk, and monkey crawl. These movements help students build strength, coordination, and body control, which are all important skills for gymnastics. After warming up, we began working on some foundational gymnastics skills. This week our focus was on balances and learning how to hold our bodies still and strong in different positions. Students also practiced jumps and safe landings, making sure to land softly with bent knees and good balance. For the older students, we added an extra challenge by practicing different “get-ups.” These are creative ways to get up from the floor witho...