Course Syllabus

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE:  Health and Physical Education

BLOCK:  I (8:30 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.)

INSTRUCTOR:  Coach Atkins

DESCRIPTION:  Health and Physical Education is a course that teaches students the importance of healthful living involving health and exercise.  Students are taught to exercise and develop their skeletal muscles through stretching and relaxing as well as aerobic and anaerobic exercises.  A special emphasis will be placed upon individual fitness.  Healthful living involves mind with body through a health program.  More details can be found at the NCDPI website.

GRADING:  A student’s grade comes from the total points of daily assignments.  For the final course grade, each six-week period counts as 25% and the cumulative, district-made final exam counts as the remaining 25%.

REQUIREMENTS:  All daily participation assignments are graded for completion, effort, dressing out, and following directions (including school rules).  For remote learning, students will submit assignments daily and will periodically submit video.  For weekly in-attendance grades, students who fail to dress out, complete assignments properly, or do not follow directions will lose points for that day at the following rate:  30 points for 1^st and 2^nd offense and 40 points for 3^rd offense.  Students are expected to be dressed in a manner that provides safety and freedom of movement.  Dressing out includes wearing proper athletic clothing and shoes that also meet the school’s dress code (no jeans, cargo shorts, soffes, tank tops, button-up shirts, Crocs, sandals, boots, etc.).  Students must be completely and properly dressed out to receive credit for the day.  Students may wear gym clothes to school as long as they meet the dress code, or change clothes before and after class in the designated safely-distanced spot in the locker room.  Lockers are provided at school and students are asked to bring and use locks.  Phones/electronics, ear buds, jewelry, and anything else that may be considered unnecessary or a safety hazard must be left in the locker room or given to the instructor to lock up.  Failure to remove electronic items and jewelry constitutes not being dressed out completely.  Should a student fail to participate three times in a term, that students will be assigned to complete a 500-word writing assignment as an extra assignment.  If a student cannot participate due to sickness or injury, they must provide the instructor with an excuse note, written by a doctor, PA, nurse, or trainer.  In most cases, any injury serious enough to prevent a student from participating, is also serious enough for that student to see a medical professional.  If injured or sick and present for class, the student will be exempt from grading as long as they follow the instructor’s directions.  When required to “sit out,” no student may use an electronic device or work on anything that is not related to this Health/PE course without the instructor’s permission.  Each weekly grade is calculated as the average of approximately 5 class periods. 

MATERIALS:  Students must wear school-appropriate athletic/workout clothes as listed on the course handout.  Phones, electronics, headphones, earbuds, etc. are NOT allowed to be with the student during class.  Jewelry, with the exception of close-fitting necklaces and stud earrings, must be removed for safety reasons.  Students should bring water in a sealable plastic bottle.

EXPECTATIONS:  Students are expected to follow directions, give effort, and be respectful and considerate of others.  Students must provide good effort while following directions with a positive attitude.  They should act responsibly and use “common” sense.  Students must be ready for class each day when attendance/dress check is done, using the bathroom and getting drinks only at approved/designated times.  Students must follow all social distancing guidelines and must wear a mask whenever they are not exercising.  All students must focus attention during instruction, participate in activities, answer questions when called upon, and ask questions when necessary.  All classroom interruptions must be reserved for true emergencies only!  Because of the nature of remote learning, students are expected to daily log-in to, access, read announcements, and complete their lessons in Canvas.  When attending class weekly, students will have an opportunity to communicate with the instructor to ask any questions or get any necessary clarification.  Students should keep track of and verify their own grades.  Students are expected to follow NC, UCPS, PWHS, and classroom rules and policies, including dress code and COVID-19 safety guidelines.

COMMUNICATION:  It is vital that students maintain open contact with the instructor throughout the semester through e-mail, virtual meetings, or texting via the class Google Voice number.  Fridays will be reserved for planned virtual meetings following the schedule posted on the course Canvas page.

DISCIPLINE:  Should students fail to conduct themselves in a reasonable manner, consequences will be administered to correct the problem.  These consequences, based on the severity and frequency of the problem, may consist of student conferences, parent contacts, or parent conferences and may result in administrative write-ups.

MISCELLANEOUS:  Students should refer to the new 2020-2021 Parkwood High School Student Handbook for any questions regarding school rules, dress code, etc.  Health/PE Standards are available online through NCDPI or through the link posted in Canvas.