This week in PE.......

All three grade levels have been working on their dancing skills this past week. Eighth grade students are almost at the end of their ballroom dancing unit and will be taking their cognitive test on Friday during class.

Sixth and seventh grade students will be completing their square dance skill test tomorrow (Thursday 12/18) and then taking their written test on Friday the 19th.

When we return from break, all three grade levels will be starting their rollerblading unit. We will start with the basics including starting and stopping and then move into more detailed skills including backwards blading, turning and cross over steps.

I hope that everyone has a relaxing winter break and that you have an opportunity to spend some time with family and friends. See you back in 2009!!!

The seventh grade students started square dancing this week and have been doing an excellent job so far! Most of the students remembered the basics from last year when we did square dancing in sixth grade, so classes are moving right along to more advanced and detailed dances.

In eighth grade, ballroom dancing has been going very well. Every student has learned the basics of the swing, cha-cha and rumba and will now be adding even more steps and turns to each dance. We are all looking forward to seeing the final dances on Friday, the 19th!

Sixth grade students will be finishing up their units this week and testing on Friday. Next Monday, we will begin square dancing with the sixth graders. Get ready to have some fun!

Ballroom Dancing

This week, all eighth grade students started their ballroom dancing unit. All three classes have been doing an outstanding job learning all of the steps that have been taught so far. The two dances that the students have been working on this past week include the rumba and the swing. I'm looking forward to seeing the end product on the 19th of December when all 8th grade students get to dress up and show off their ballroom dancing skills.

Sixth and seventh grade students will be testing today and then switching units. Seventh grade students will be starting square dancing next week, while the sixth grade students will be moving on to either volleyball, bowling, or strength training.

Have a great weekend and stay warm!!!

Bowling Field Trips......

I would like to congratulate all of the 7th and 8th grade students on a job well done at the bowling alley this past Thursday and Friday. The Lakeview students showed respect and courtesy, which made the trip even more fun!

Next week in class, eighth grade students will have their volleyball and bowling test on Tuesday, while seventh grade students will test the week we return from Thanksgiving break.

On Tuesday after shortened classes, students will all gather in the old gym for the volleyball games and Lakeview Derby. Good luck to all of the teachers who are participating in the derby this week!

I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving break and that you get to spend the time with family and friends!

Volleyball.......

Yesterday in P.E. class we started playing our volleyball games. I think this unit will be a very competitive one between many of the teams, but in the end it is all friendly competition and positive sportsmanship. On only the first day I saw excellent plays being run, good communication by teammates AND..... a big block by Kelly S. on one of the spikes from Jason B. Keep up the good work!!

Bears vs. Packers this Sunday at Noon. GO PACKERS!!!!!!!!

Volleyball Unit

This week all three grade levels started new units. In 7th and 8th grade, students are in the beginning stages of the volleyball unit. We have been working on our basic skills that are needed to play a game of volleyball. These include passing, setting, hitting and serving. All of my classes have been doing an excellent job and I am looking forward to watching some great volleyball games. Sixth grade students started their new section of units: volleyball, bowling and strength training. All study guides are online for each unit that we participate in during the school year.

The J.V. basketball season is already underway with both teams holding practices after school in prepartion for the first game on Monday, November 10th. All girls participating in the intramural basketball program should be ready to go at 3:05pm on Monday the 10th in the old gym. Remember to check your schedule that you received at tryouts for our practice dates. As a reminder, we practice EVERY time there is a J.V. basketball game.

I hope you all have a very enjoyable weekend and try to stay warm!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

This morning the sixth and seventh grade homebases walked around to judge the Scarecrow Contest put on by all of the eighth grade homebases. The winning homebase will receive a pancake breakfast. I was very impressed with all of the scarecrows!

On Wednesday evening the Fall Sports Banquet was held. It was a wonderful night for all of the student-athletes with many fond memories being shared of each team. Congratulations to all of the athletes on a great season!

Today will be our last day for flag football in P.E. classes. On Monday, the seventh and eighth grade students will be switching units, beginning volleyball and bowling. Don't forget about the bowling field trip at the end of November! The seventh grade students will be going on Thursday, November 20th and eighth grade will go on Friday, November 21st.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

This week in PE.......

This has been a busy week in P.E. classes. On Monday, students who chose to sell candy for our athletic fundraiser each took one box of candy home. Money is due back to Lakeview by Tuesday, November 4th.

We have been continuing with the flag football unit with 7th and 8th grade students and are also about halfway done with the sixth grade units. On Thursday this week every student will participate in a bus evacuation drill during their P.E. class. On Friday, all of the seventh grade students will be going on a field trip to Chicago and visiting the Sears Tower and Freedom Museum. I'm looking forward to being a chaperone this year since I have never been to the Freedom Museum. Hopefully the weather forecast will improve and we will have some sunshine!

The Fall Athletic Banquet will be held next Wednesday, October 29th at 6:30 pm. It is a very nice evening that recognizes the student-athletes and all of their dedication during their season.

Sixth grade new units....

This week in P.E. we switched units with our sixth grade students. This will be the last section of our flag football, track and field, and field hockey classes. At the end of the two weeks, we will be testing and then moving onto three new units.

Seventh and eighth grade students have begun playing flag football games. We are only on our third full day of playing games outside and I am already impressed with a number of plays that the girls have been running. All of the teams have been doing a great job working together on the field creating new ideas. I have to give credit to the Oompa Loompas in sixth period today, who came ready with multiple plays written down on paper for everyone to work on! Great job!

Congratulations to the JV Volleyball team on their final season game and WIN against Gower! It was a great season girls and you all worked so well together all season long. Even though our record wasn't the best, I know that we have some of the most talented girls here at Lakeview and I'm proud of you. Good luck to Varsity Volleyball as they prepare for their tournament on October 25th right here at Lakeview!

Football Is in the Air.....

Congratulations to the Varsity Volleyball team on their victory over Westmont last night! The Spartan volleyball teams will travel to Cass tomorrow (8/8), while football goes to Eisenhower looking for a big win!

In P.E. classes this week, we started working on our punting and kicking skills for flag football and also focused on passing and running plays. We will begin actual games at the end of the week where the focus will turn to individual positions and their responsibilities on the field. All of the classes have done and excellent job so far with football and I'm looking forward to some great games!

Now that there is no more Chicago baseball to cheer for (GO WHITE SOX!), the NFL season should be an exciting one. Hopefully the Green Bay Packers will turn it around this week with a win as they meet up with the Seahawks in Seattle. Go Pack Go!

Flag Football Unit

This week in P.E. class we finished up fitness testing and started the flag football unit. Tomorrow in class (10/3), we will be running the mile for the second time. If a student improves upon his or her score they will receive two extra credit points and can record the best time on their fitness sheet. Every student should bring a fitness sheet home with all of the scores filled in and have it signed by a parent/guardian. These fitness sheets are worth 10 points so make sure to return them with a signature by next week!

In flag football, we will be working on passing, receiving and snaps with 7th and 8th grade students this week. Next week, the focus will be on punting, kicking, positions and game play. We will go outside if the weather is nice, so please be sure to have sweatpants and sweatshirts for the cooler weather. Students are allowed to wear warmer clothes and should keep them in their hall locker until P.E. class.

The Varsity and JV Volleyball teams will travel to Westview today, cross country will meet Westview here at Lakeview and football is home against Lisle. GO SPARTANS!!!

Golf Unit....

In P.E. classes this week, seventh and eighth grade students have been practicing their golf skills and getting ready for their golf field trip. Yesterday we worked on stance, grip and swing, with everyone having the opportunity to practice an iron shot. Today we will focus on putting and accuracy, a very important aspect to the game of golf. For those seventh grade students that turned in their permission slips, we will be going to the driving range on Thursday during class. Each student should have enough time to hit about one bucket of golf balls. Eighth grade students will go on Friday and either golf the course or use the driving range/mini-golf course.

On Wednesday, there will be "mini-holes" set up outside where each student will keep track of his or her score and see how many strokes it takes to get the ball within the target area. The golf test will be on Thursday for eighth grade students and on Friday for the seventh grade.

Congratulations to JV and Varsity Volleyball on their victory over Burr Ridge last week. This week we have two home matches, Tuesday against Lisle and Thursday against Butler. Have a super week!

Open House

Last night was Lakeview's annual open house and I was very happy to see so many new and familiar faces! Every parent followed the schedule of their child throughout a regular school day and learned first hand what it is like to be a junior high student. In P.E., we discussed our units for the school year, fitness activities and the field trips we will be taking this year.

On the topic of field trips.....all permission slips for the golf and bowling trips are available online. If you go to the district website and click on Lakeview, then scroll down to the Physical Education link, you have access to these forms. Make sure your student returns both permission slips for golf and bowling. Seventh grade students will be golfing next Thursday, September 25th and eighth grade will go on Friday, September 26th.

The JV and Varsity Volleyball teams will travel to Burr Ridge tonight and look to earn their first victory of the season. Good luck to football who will take on Cass tonight at Lakeview!

Spartan Volleyball

The Spartan Volleyball teams have been practicing the past two weeks and preparing to take on Old Quarry in their first match of the season. Come on out and support the girls this Thursday the 11th at home in the new gym!

In Physical Education classes, Track and Field has been going very well! Students just completed their recorded times for the 50 and 100. Up next, we will be working on the 200 and 400. The goal for every student should be to try and improve their times each race, while working on the correct running form. In sixth grade, all three classes were introduced to our fitness days and each student received their heart rate strap. Please remind your child to write his/her name or initials on the strap and to keep it in their P.E. locker over the course of the school year.

Good luck to the football team as they travel to Gower today for their first game. Go Spartans!

First Units of the Year....

This week we started our Track and Field Unit for 7th and 8th grade students. Everyone received a study guide that listed all of the events we will be covering over the next three weeks. Each student is responsible for this information as it will be covered on the cognitive test at the end of the unit. Remember that all of our study guides are posted online in case you need to refresh your knowledge before the test!

In sixth grade we also started our first units of the year. Each student has one teacher for a two week period and then rotates to the next teacher. The first units will be track and field, football and field hockey. After the six weeks are up then we will all move into another section of three units.

All students should have turned in their signed form of the Physical Education policy here at Lakeview. Ask your students to see it if they haven't shown it to you yet!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Lakeview Junior High and another exciting year of P.E.! This week will be an introduction week for all of the sixth grade students. The first day of school we will be going over the general rules and expectations of our students in Physical Education class and discuss some of the units and field trips we will be taking. The course outline and syllabus is available online through our district website if you click on Physical Education. Sixth grade students will be assigned locks and lockers tomorrow during class and will have adequate time to practice opening and locking their lockers. Students should be ready to dress and participate on Thursday this week.

Seventh and eighth grade students will review the syllabus and should be ready with their uniforms on Wednesday. The units will change a bit from sixth to seventh grade so we will also discuss what different activities we will be participating in.

If your child is participating in any athletics throughout the school year, a physical form must be on file in the office before the tryout date. Best of luck to everyone this school year, it should be a great one!!

Final Week

As the school year comes to an end, I would like to wish all of the graduating eighth grade students the very best of luck at they move on to high school in the fall. This has been a great first year experience at Lakeview Junior High and I am very excited to be back for the 2008-2009 school year.

In P.E. classes we are playing our annual softball tournament with the seventh and eighth grade classes. The 'Aviators' are really doing a great job in 1st period along with 'The Team' and the 'Softballas' in 2nd and 4th period respectively. We are looking forward to one more week of great playing by all the students!

Let's finish out the year strong!

End of year activities.....

As the school year comes to a close many students will be participating in multiple field trips and activities. The eighth grade students will start practicing for graduation next week and will be taking a field trip to Great America on Thursday, May 29th. The Spring Musical will be taking place on Thursday and Friday of next week with a dress rehearsal on Thursday afternoon for the 5th grade students at Prarieview.

In P.E. classes we will be starting the softball tournament tomorrow and continuing that through the end of the year. Each team will get to choose their own team name and then will be placed into a bracket system. The sixth grade students will be concluding their final units and taking the cognitive test to end the school year.

Good luck to every student as they finish out the school year on a high note!

Final Units....

We started our final units for the school year at the end of last week. Seventh and eighth grade students will be playing softball and floor hockey for the remaing weeks of school. In the last week of class, we will have a softball tournament that will pair each team up against one another to decide a final champion.

All students ran their second mile today in class and did an outstanding job improving their scores from last week. The new and improved time can be recorded on the fitness sheets that need to be signed by a parent and returned.

The Lakeview Girls Softball team concluded their season this past Saturday in the season tournament. The girls had the best game of their season against Jefferson but came up just short of advancing to the second round. Nice job to all of the players and managers on the team that made this a fun season! Go Spartans!

Fitness Testing

Today in class all students will be timed for the mile run. Students can then compare their scores from the fall trimester and see if their cardiovascular endurance has improved with a lower score. Later this week, we will be completing the remainder of the fitness tests including sit and reach, pull ups, shuttle run and sit ups. Every student will have a recording sheet with their final scores on it and must turn that in with a parent signature.

The softball team will be finishing up their regular season this Thursday at home against Gower. On Saturday, the season tournament will take place at Lemont Park District. Go Spartans!

Spartan Softball

Congratulations to the softball team on their 12-4 victory over Westmont yesterday! All of the girls contributed with their bats and our defense held strong even with some quick left handed opponents. Our next game is today (4/30), against Westview starting at 4pm at home.

Our soccer and badminton units will be wrapping up at the beginning of next week. Make sure that you review the study guides before the cognitive tests!

Safe travels to everyone attending the band trip this Thursday and Friday. Have a great time!

The current units of badminton and soccer are going well. In soccer we started playing full games working on positions and communication with teammates. We will continue to play full field games for the remainder of the unit. In badminton, the doubles tournament has been underway for a few days now. I have seen all players using multiple drop and smash shots to throw their opponents off balance. I hope that by the end of the unit, all students will have enough knowledge of the game to be able to enjoy it outside of school during the summer.

Congrats to Evan M. and Austen J. for a hard fought game of badminton. Even though they were defeated 15-8 they played some excellent shots and never gave up!

The softball team beat Burr Ridge last week with excellent offensive power and a strong defense. The next home games will be on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Come on out and show your support!

Soccer and Badminton

The seventh and eighth grade girls have been doing an excellent job in their soccer and badminton units. We are about two weeks into each unit and the skill level for both have been very impressive. We finally had the chance to go outside and enjoy the nice weather for soccer today where we played a modified game of 3on3 line soccer. In badminton, we are currently in the middle of doubles play and will move into tournament play starting next week.

The Lakeview softball team has an away game tomorrow at Burr Ridge starting at 4pm. I believe if the team starts out aggressive on offense and stays strong on defense we will walk away with a victory! Go Spartans!

The seventh and eighth grade students began their new units today starting badminton and soccer. In badminton we will begin with singles half-court play and then move into doubles play. Our soccer unit will start off with some skill practice of passing, dribbling and shooting on the goal and then next week we will start full games. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us over the next couple months so we can be outside each day.

The girls softball team will play their first game tomorrow (Tuesday 4/8) at home against Old Quarry. All of the girls have been working very hard everyday in practice and I believe we have a very strong team this year with a ton of talent. We play Tuesday and Thursday this week at home, 4pm start. Hope to see you there!

Trimester Three

This week in 7th and 8th grade classes we decided to stay with our pickleball and ping pong units due to the poor weather outside. We will begin soccer and badminton on Monday and will continue those for the majority of April. Our seventh grade students will begin designing their own jump rope or step routine starting this week. Each student will get a handout of what is required and expected out of each routine and then may begin to start developing their own.

Sixth grade students will be switching into their final units out of pickleball, ping pong and whiffle ball. Remember that every student receives a study guide at the beginning of every unit and this is the information that will be on their cognitive test at the end of the unit.

Softball practice was canceled yesterday due to weather, however, today we will be going over to Perfect Swing to try and get some swings in before our first game next Tuesday.

Spring Break Is Here!

This week in class we are wrapping up our Pickleball and Ping Pong units for 7th and 8th grade students. All of the classes will be taking their cognitive tests today on each unit and then will end their day with tournament play.

Eighth grade students turned in their fitness plans today and I have been very impressed with the workouts that are displayed. Each student was asked to design a cardiovascular and strength routine that they could participate in outside of class. One of the most important things when developing your own routine is to make sure that you are including both cardio and strength days.

The sixth grade students will also be wrapping up their current units today and taking the cognitive test. When we return from Spring Break each sixth grade class will start their final unit from this section of Pickleball, Ping Pong and Whiffleball.

I hope everyone has a very relaxing and safe Spring Break and the weather around our area starts to warm up! We have to start going outside for our Spring Athletics in April!

ISAT Week

This week all students are in the process of taking their ISAT tests. Due to the testing, each day of the week has a different class schedule which allows for most students to be in P.E. class two or three times during the four day period. Most students have done an exellent job adjusting to the schedule!

In P.E. this week the sixth grade students finished up their first unit of the trimester and started their second unit yesterday. Both 7th and 8th grade students will be starting tournament play in Pickleball at the beginning of next week for my classes. I'm looking forward to some excellent competition and good sportsmanship!

Report cards for Trimester 2 went home yesterday at the end of the school day. Make sure that you review these and have your student return the envelope to his/her homebase teacher as soon as possible. Have a great weekend!!

Is it Spring yet?

This was the first week that all students started playing actual pickleball games. Everyone has been doing an excellent job with controlling their shots and I have been very impressed with the communication that has taken place between teammates. As this unit progresses, each class will be recording their scores for each game they play. Then, during the last few days of class before spring break we will have a mini tournament that will pair up players of the same ability level.

Tomorrow in class (3/7), eighth grade students will be receiving their "Personal Fitness Program" worksheet. Every student will have to create their own fitness program that will include both cardiovascular and strength training workouts. This project will be due before Spring Break and should allow students to comprehend how to lead a healthy lifestyle outside of school.

ISAT testing begins next Monday and will be completed during the first three periods each day. Make sure that your child has enough sleep and eats a healthy breakfast before coming to school.

Congratulations to Brett Favre on the best 17 years ever as an NFL Quarterback. You will be missed!!

The start of new units...........

This week 7th and 8th grade students finished up with two cognitive tests on basketball and weight lifting. Overall, most students did an excellent job on the tests if they studied all of the information that was provided to them on the study guides. Today we switched over to pickleball and ping pong and chose our doubles partners. Towards the end of the pickleball unit we will play a modified tournament where students will be put into multiple games to see who can finish up with the best record.

Sixth grade students also started pickleball, whiffle ball and ping pong this week. We will be starting off with basic skills such as volleying and serving in the pickleball unit. After next week we will start to play full games with doubles and singles matches.

The spring athletic season is quickly approaching! The Spring Athletic Schedule is out and tryouts for teams will be coming up in the middle of March or after Spring Break. Softball tryouts will be held on March 11th and March 13th right after school until 5pm. Hopefully the weather will warm up enough so we can make it outside! Have a great weekend!

Conclusion of Trimester Two Units

This week in P.E. we continued with our units of basketball and weight lifting for 7th and 8th grade students. Next week on Tuesday and Wednesday we will be taking our cognitive tests and then switching into our new units for trimester three. Students will be switching off every other day from Pickleball to Ping Pong. Study guides will be handed out at the beginning of the unit which will cover all of the rules and information for our test at the end of the unit.

Sixth grade students will also be switching into their Trimester 3 units. If you ever have any questions about the information being covered, all of the study guides and rules are posted on our school website under Physical Education. By clicking on Trimester 3 under the selected grade level, you can view all of the units being covered.

Have an excellent weekend and hopefully this cold weather will be ending very soon!

Pack the Place!

Today after school (Wednesday, 2/12), the first 'Pack The Place' event will take place at the Varsity Basketball game against Lisle. Many of the students are wearing green today because it is spirit week here at Lakeview so I'm sure our crowd will look outstanding tonight at the game. Tomorrow after school (Thursday, 2/13), the boys will be hosting Cass where another 'Pack The Place' event will be held. Students were given the opportunity to purchase either a shirt or a spirit pack which includes numerous Lakeview spirit items to bring for the games. Hope to see everyone there!

Sixth grade students took their cognitive tests yesterday in class on basketball and floor hockey. We are now starting our final units of this trimester. Sixth graders have been doing and excellent job!

Winter Madness!

This past week has been a little crazy around school with all of the interesting weather and our snow day on Friday. Hopefully we will be back on schedule on Wednesday with basketball and weight lifting. The sixth grade students will be taking floor hockey and basketball cognitive tests on Friday afternoon to conclude their current unit.

With all of this snow falling there are tons of fun activities to do outside to stay active. Sledding and snowboarding are just a couple of ideas to try but if you are interested in skiing you can always find a ski hill or path where places offer downhill or cross country skiing. If we decide that the snow is right to try cross country skiing in class, we will let the students know what day and what items they should bring with them to school.

Stay safe and warm in this crazy winter weather!!

New 6th Grade Units

This past Monday the sixth grade students changed units. Floor hockey went to basketball, basketball to weights and weights to floor hockey. The floor hockey students have done an excellent job playing their first games and have been demonstrating good sportsmanship and teamwork.

Seventh and eighth grade students will remain in their basketball and weight lifting units for the next three weeks and then finish up with a cognitive test towards the end of February.

The girls Varsity basketball team has been having a great season so far! The next home game is on Monday, February 4th against Butler. Come out and show your support!

This week in class we will continue with our basketball and weight lifting units for seventh and eighth grade students. In basketball we have been working on our ball control skills, passing, dribbling and shooting. At the end of this week, we will make teams and then start playing games on Tuesday.

Sixth grade students in floor hockey have been doing a great job on setting up offensive plays. We will continue to work on communication and teamwork each day we play and will conclude the unit with our cognitive test. Students all received a study guide so they should be aware of what the test will cover.

Unfortunately, this Sunday the Packers fell short on their bid for a Super Bowl Championship. It was a tight game every minute, but the Packers couldn't capitalize on the important plays when it came down to it. The New York Giants beat them 23-20 in overtime and will now face the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Hopefully Brett Favre will be back for one more season!

New Units

On Monday we wrapped up the rollerblading unit in P.E. class. Everyone did an excellent job with blading and staying in their target heart rate zone on our fitness day. This week seventh and eighth grade students will be starting the basketball and weight lifting units which will continue through the majority of trimester two.

Sixth grade students will also be changing up their units this week. Basketball, floor hockey and weight lifting will be the areas of focus for two week periods. Each student will receive a study guide that they should keep in their binder for the cognitive test at the end of each activity.

How about those Green Bay Packers??? They will play the NY Giants in the NFC Championship game on Sunday for a chance to make it to the Super Bowl!

Check out the link below to see the Top 10 plays of the week in the NFL Playoffs
(my vote goes out to #7 and of course #1) GO PACKERS!

http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d805fd7db

Welcome Back!

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a very relaxing break and are ready to get back into the swing of things. This week in P.E. we are starting our rollerblading unit. Students were all sized for their skates before break and today we had a basic introduction to skating. We will continue this through Friday the 11th and then test on Monday, January 14th. So far, I have been very impressed with the skills that all of the students have shown while using their rollerblades. I'm looking forward to having some fun!

Make sure you watch the Packers take on the Seahawks this Saturday! I'm a little nervous about the upcoming game because Seattle is a strong team, but I have faith that the Packers will take home the win and move on further into the playoffs. Go Pack Go!