Friday, August 23, 2013

Welcome to WES Wellness!

Welcome back!  My name is Mr. Troast and I am the new Wellness teacher at Worthington Estates.  I am very excited to be here and to have your child in Wellness class.  My goal as your child’s wellness teacher is to help each student understand the importance of wellness and being active.  I desire for each student to find a physical activity that he or she enjoys which will enable them to become active and healthy members of society.  In order for you and your child to understand the expectations of wellness class I ask that you please read over the following guidelines and information with your child.  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me via phone (450-4600) or e-mail (BTroast@worthington.k12.oh.us).

Background Information
I am originally from Midland Park, New Jersey and recently moved to Columbus in August of 2009 to be with my wife of now three years.  I graduated from Calvin College in 2007 with a degree in Recreation – Youth Leadership with a minor Physical Education.  Since moving here, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a physical education teacher.  I graduated from The Ohio State University in December of 2012 with a second degree in Physical Education.  I am in my fourth year of coaching the varsity boys’ soccer team at Tree of Life Christian School. 

Classroom Rules/Expectations – THE GOLDEN SNEAKER

  •  Each time your child attends Wellness, his or her class will have the opportunity to earn 5 points.  Those points will be based on how the class demonstrated the 7 Habits during that class period.
  • At the end of each month the class with the most number of points from each grade will be awarded the “Golden Sneaker” trophy to be displayed in their classroom for the month
  • The class in each grade that wins the most “Golden Sneaker Awards” will receive a reward day at the end of the school year
  •  SHOES:  Sneakers (tennis shoes) must be worn during Wellness class.  If the correct shoes are not worn, your child will not be allowed to participate.  This rule is in place for the safety of your child as well as all the other students in the class.  Correct footwear will also allow for your child to be more successful in the activities.  In order for a class to receive all 5 of their daily points towards the “Golden Sneaker Award” they must all have the correct shoes.

Participation
Class participation is mandatory unless your child has an injury and a doctor’s note.  I will require a doctor’s note clearing your child in order to readmit them into class.

  • If your child has an illness/injury preventing them from participating please send a note explaining the problem
  • If your child has any kind of illness that will impact them in wellness that I should be aware of please contact me by phone or e-mail

Physical Education State Standards and Assessment

  • Physical education assessments in the state of Ohio began as a requirement during the 2012 – 2013 school year
  • All students in the 2nd and 5th grades will be assessed each year based on the national Physical Education standards
  • These scores are reported to the state of Ohio and overall results are shown on the district report card
  • If you want more information on these assessments please feel free to contact me

Grades
Grades for all Related Arts classes are given at the end of the 1st semester and at the end of the year.  Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or concerns.

Wellness Challenge
I will be implementing a Wellness Challenge program this school year beginning in September.  Each week your child will have a physical activity challenge to complete outside of school.  If they complete 3 of the 4 challenges each month, they will be entered into a raffle for a prize.  Prizes include vouchers to Magic Mountain, Sports Ohio, The Chiller, Skate Zone and MUCH MORE!  My goal for the Wellness Challenge is to encourage physical activity outside of school in order to promote an active lifestyle outside of my Wellness class.  Parent signatures are required in order for your child to participate in the Wellness Challenge.  An example of the Wellness Challenge calendar and Wellness log is attached.   

I am looking forward to a fun and exciting school year with you and your child!  Thank you for your support and again, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments. 

Sincerely,

Mr. Troast