Mrs. Suarez's P.E Blog

Swimming was fun!  The 4th and 5th grade students have been swimming for the past 2 weeks.  They worked on  kicking and the front crawl arm stroke.  They also learned to float on their stomach and back.  It is very important for all children to learn how to swim.  Good news for Dearborn children concerning swim Lessons!  The Dearborn Community Education Department has swim lesson classes in Dearborn Schools in the evenings!!!  They also have basketball  classes, volleyball classes and karate classes.  I will be sending home information with the 4th and 5th graders.  If you would like to check it out, go to the website:

www.dearbornCEonline.org       CLASSES BEGIN NEXT WEEK, SO SIGN UP SOON!!!

All classes are working on throwing and catching and skipping.  Please make sure to practice outside!

4th and 5th graders – Don’t forget to do your stretches EVERYDAY!  Your sit and reach test is in a month!  We will be starting with batting this coming Monday!

For those of you who love football and/or Michigan State, I will be attending the Michigan State Spring Football Game this Saturday (4/22/2016).  I’m very excited to see my Spartans in action!  GO GREEN!!!

COMING SOON……MRS. SUAREZ’S YEARLY RAFFLE!  STAY TUNED…IT STARTS NEXT WEEK!

HEALTHY TIDBIT:  Eating BANANAS can increase your thinking ability and brainpower!! The banana is the most popular fruit in the United States!  The average american eats 27 pounds of bananas each year!  An individual banana is called a finger.  A bunch of bananas is called a hand.  That is no joke!  a Bananas is a perfect snack to carry with you.  I has it’s own container and it’s own handle!  If you rub a banana peel on a mosquito bite it can make the bite less itchy.  Now….here’s a joke: Why did the banana go to the Doctor?  Because it wasn’t “peeling” well!  HAHAHAHAHA!

Well…lots has been going on since last week!  This past Saturday was the Mini Martian Marathon at Ford Field Park in Dearborn.  28 runners from Henry Ford participated and ran 1.2 miles!  If you combine this with the 25 miles they ran before the race, they ran a full marathon – that’s 26.2 miles.! The run started at noon and the temperature was cold – in the 30’s!  The runners wore extra layers and even though they started out chilly, they were toasty warm when they ran past the finish line!  Congratulations, runners!  If you think it was cold when they ran, it was 25 degrees when my race started at 8 am on the same day!  I ran the 5K (3.1 miles) and with the wind chill factor, it felt like 17 degrees when I took off!  Needless to say, I wore LOTS of layers and gloves.  What a fun day!!!!   Hmmmm…..exercising and having fun at the same time!  How great is that?

In the 4th and 5th grade PE classes we are SWIMMING for 2 weeks!  YAY!  Just about everyone is able to swim.  Our pool is clean, big and the water is warm!  Thanks Mr. Jim and Mr. Jeff!  The students are working on the arm stroke for the front crawl and kicking!  They are also learning how to dress quickly!!

Well, the weather this weekend is going to be sunny and warm.  So you know what you have to do….get outside and move!!!!

Hello, all!  I hope you had a fun and active Spring Break!  I know I did! I read a lot of books, got lots of sleep and ran for 3 miles – 4 times during the break!  Now it’s time to continue with our 4th marking period!

The Mini Martian Marathon is tomorrow, Saturday, 4/8/16!!!  The students in Running Club will be running 1.2 miles at Ford Field Park in Dearborn.  When that amount (1.2 miles) is added to the number of miles they have already run, that adds up to a full Marathon, which is 26.1 miles!!!!!!  That is amazing!  I will also be running tomorrow, but my race starts much earlier in the morning (8 am) and the temperature when I run will be in the 20’s and there may be snow on the ground!  Hey – I thought this was April!  Good Luck to all!

The next 2 weeks will be super fun for the 4th and 5th graders,  We will be SWIMMING!  We will be working on strokes and kicking!  Don’t forget your bathing suits!

Healthy Tid Bit –  There are 5 basic food groups: Fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains and protein.  Today I’m going to tell you a bit about the Dairy Group.  Foods in this group are great sources of calcium which is very important to healthy, strong bones and teeth.  Some examples of dairy are milk, yogurt and cheese. Ice cream is also part of the Dairy Group, but most ice cream also contains saturated fat and sugar and so should not be eaten on a regular basis.  Healthy options should be eaten from the Dairy Group every day.

Hi, all!

This is a “Healthy For You” posting!!!

I just wanted to wish you a Happy Spring Break!  This is a good time for all of us to take a break, catch up on our sleep (and recharge our body’s batteries), read a book, and PLAY OUTSIDE!!!  The weather is turning warmer, so now it’s time to take advantage of that and get outside!  There are so many activities you can do outside:

-Take a walk,  walk with a buddy, walk with your family, walk the dog.

-Ride your bike (or learn to ride a bike) around the block, or in the park, but never in the street.

-Play basketball with your friends or family.  Shoot hoops or play a game.

-How about soccer or volleyball?

-Hmmm, frozen tag, Mr. Fox, what time is it?, keep away, any tag game.

-Make up a game!!!

-Don’t forget – running!!!

The important thing is to get moving!  Start with just a few minutes and then a few minutes more and then a few minutes more and before long, you’ll love playing outside all day long!!!

Now, one last thing – – – G – Y – M!!!!!

Get – Yourself – Moving!!!!!

Hi, all!

I hope you had a green St. Patrick’s Day!  This holiday is very special to me since I am half Irish.  My ancestors came over to the United States over 100 years ago!  I still have relatives in Ireland.  I have never been to the “Emerald Isle”, but I hope to visit soon!!

Well, testing and report cards are done!  I really saw a lot of concentration and hard work by students taking their tests.

Congratulations to all of the 5th graders who made it onto the Volleyball Team.  I will include their names soon.  These students will practice together and the play against the staff volleyball team in May.

The Martian Marathon is only 23 days away!  The Running Club has been running once a week since September and can’t wait for the race!  The students will run 1.2 miles which will complete a full marathon for them (26.2 miles).  I will be running in the 5 K race (3.1 miles) earlier in the morning on the same day.

The 4th marking period starts this Monday (March 21st).  Can you believe how fast this year has flown by?

Don’t forget, spring begins this Sunday!  Happy Spring!

I hope you’ve caught up  on you sleep since we sprung forward last weekend.  I really enjoy the extra hour of daylight!

Healthy tip –

Sleep is good!  Enough quality sleep is necessary and very important.  Not only is it good for your body, it’s good for your brain.  Many children do not get enough sleep every night.  Uninterrupted sleep is quality sleep.  It helps the child go through the different stages of sleep which are needed to keep the body and brain healthy.  Quality sleep helps increase a child’s brainpower and a child’s  attention span and it also helps them to be mentally alert.  So go catch some zzzzzzz’s!

Wasn’t it a beautiful day on Sunday!  It felt like Spring!  Sunny and warm!  Today is Feb.  29th – Leap Day!  One more day added to the year!

This week 4th and 5th graders will be practicing for the last week their underhand strike and sit ups.  Testing begins next week.  They will  also be playing the game of volleyball!!!

3rd graders will have their jump rope test this week.  After that, it’s underhand strike practice!

K- 2nd graders will begin (and maybe finish) their slide and catch tests.

Have a great week!

Healthy tidbit:  Did you know that by eating green fruits and vegetables, you can improve your eyesight, strengthen your teeth and bones, and help improve your memory?  Try to eat at least 2 cups of vegetables and 1 -1/2 cups of fruit each day.  So start eating that broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cucumbers, beans, green peppers, asparagus, kale, honey dew, kiwi, grapes and limes!

Well, Jump Rope for Heart is over, mid-winter break is over and we’re back to normal in P.E. Class!  Lower El. classes are busy sliding sideways and tossing and catching, 3rd graders are working hard on their jumping rope and the Upper El. classes are working hard on that one minute practice test and serving the volleyball – over the net!  Next week it’s game time!

It’s going to be a warm weekend, so your homework is…..get outside and play!

4th and 5th Graders – don’t forget your daily 1 min. sit up homework – every day you don’t have P.E. Class!!!

This week we are having Jump Rope for Heart in all P.E. Classes.  We are exercising our bodies in honor of those with heart disease. The gym is set up with 6 exercise stations.  Students start at one station and then rotate to the other stations every few minutes.  Some of the 4th and 5th grades have been lucky enough to have a buddy from a Kindergarten or 1st grade class!

A long weekend is coming up!  Make sure you get outside and get moving!

Healthy Tidbit:  Did you know that there are over 200 seeds on the average strawberry?  Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside of their skin,  Strawberries are grown in every state in America!  The largest strawberry in history weighed over 8 ounces and was the size of a large apple!  One cup of strawberries has more vitamin C than one orange!  A strawberry is from the fruit group!

A little joke:

Q:Why did the baby strawberry cry?

A: Because his parents were in a jam!  giggle – giggle

We are saving lives!!  Jump Rope for Heart has started.  Information and collection envelopes were handed out this week and students are being very generous!  All of our donations go to the American Heart Association.  We are proud to participate every year.  This year brings – – PUPPIES!!!  For their hard work, students receive a puppy on a lanyard as a thank you for their donations.  The larger the donation, the more unique puppies!  A donation of just $5 will get your a Big Thank you and…Super Pup!!!  Thank you to all of the students who have donated and to all who are in the process of collecting donations.

Speaking of hearts…eating more fruits and veggies, drinking more water and less sugary (and sports) drinks, and getting lots of exercise everyday will help to keep your heart healthy!!!

Have a puppy day!!   (Get it)?

Good bye 2nd Marking Period, we’ll see you next year.  Hello 3rd Marking Period, glad you’re here!!!

Lots of fun and learning is going to happen this marking period.  The “big” sport for the upper grades is VOLLEYBALL!  Students will be serving  and playing the game of volleyball!!  This is one of my favorite sports.  I played on the  volleyball teams at Dearborn High School, Henry Ford Community College (Class B State Champs!) and Michigan State University.  If you go to the Hall of Fame Restaurant in East Lansing, you will see a picture of the MSU Volleyball Team.  Look for me – I’m number 31!

4th  and 5th Grade students will be strengthening their core muscles by working on their sit ups.

3rd Graders will be working on their jumping rope and underhand strike.

Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Graders  will be working on catching fly balls and sliding sideways.

Lots of things to do this marking period, so let’s get going!!!