Fit For Life
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Limited openings are available for the 2009-2010 school year. Applications for the 2010-2011 school year are due by
February 5, 2010.

Fit For Life

Make Sure Your Child's Education Includes A Strong Student Body
It is estimated that 75 percent of our youth participate in insufficient physical activity. To combat this problem, Notre Dame Academy developed a physical education program for students that promotes fitness for life.
The daily personal fitness program at Notre Dame Academy:

  • Emphasizes enjoyable participation in physical activity
  • Improves the athletic ability and skills of all age groups and genders
  • Encourages the adoption of a physically active lifestyle
  • Promotes sports participation

As part of every school day, students participate in 30 minutes of physical education.  The focus of the physical education program is to develop a lifetime of fitness.  The program follows the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.  The SPARK (Sports, Play and Recreation for Kids) curriculum and the Velocity Sport Performance program are utilized in class instruction.

The goals of the Notre Dame Academy physical education program are:

  • to emphasize enjoyable participation in physical activity
  • encourage adoption of a physically active lifestyle and develop recommended levels of physical fitness
  • develop a variety of basic movement and manipulative skills so students will experience success and feel comfortable during present and future physical activity pursuits
  • develop the ability to get along with others in movement environments
  • promote sports participation
  • build confidence, health, character, and teamwork that lead to life success

Pre-K to 2nd Grade PE Curriculum
Curriculum encourages maximum participation during class time.  It is the goal at Notre Dame Academy to provide a program with active participation and practice in a positive, non-threatening atmosphere. The program aims to improve the children’s physical skills, fitness, social development, and personal enjoyment.

Activity areas presented, and their major physical parameters emphasized are:

Instructional Units Physical Parameters Developed
Perceptual Power body and spatial awareness, directionality, non-locomotor and locomotor skills
Great Games agility, locomotor skills, fleeing, chasing, dodging, tagging
Beanbag Boogie small object manipulation, grasping, throwing, catching
Parachute Parade non-locomotor and locomotor skills, strength, creative movement
Happy Hoops large object manipulation, general coordination, rhythm and balance
Jumping for Joy balance, rhythm, strength, endurance
Having a Ball small and large object manipulation, catching, throwing, dribbling
Let's Hit It striking; general, hand-eye, and foot-eye coordination
Dance With Me rhythm, balance, creative movement, general coordination, agility
Superkid Stunts strength, general coordination, creative movement, agility


3rd-8th Grade PE Curriculum
The two different types of class activities are as follows:
Type I  Health-related fitness:  Includes the development of muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, locomotor, and non-locomotor skills.

Type II Skill-related fitness: Includes the development of manipulative and sports related skills.  Children learn to manipulate objects, particularly those relevant to opportunities for youth sports participation.  A limited number of skills/sports are emphasized, but these are the ones that have the potential for cardiovascular development.  By limiting the number of sports, the possibility that instructors will teach the generalizable skills and that students will become successful at them are increased.

Sample activity areas and the major physical parameters emphasized are:

Type I Activities Parameters Developed
Group Fitness rhythm, balance, coordination, cardiovascular fitness
Jump Rope balance, hand-eye coordination, rhythm, endurance
Walking, Jogging, Running pacing, gait, cardiovascular fitness
Fitness Circuits strength, agility, balance, general coordination
Parachute Play locomotor skills, rhythm, strength, creative movement
Aerobic Games coordination, locomotor skills, fleeing, chasing, grasping
Dance and
Rhythms		 rhythm, locomotor skills, coordination, creative movement
Cooperative Games aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, agility


Type 2 Activities Parameters Developed
Soccer dribbling, passing, shooting, eye-foot coordination
Frisbee throwing, catching, pivoting, hand-eye coordination
Basketball dribbling, passing, catching, shooting, hand-eye coordination
Volleyball serving, passing, setting, striking
Track & Field running, jumping, throwing, passing, general coordination
Softball striking, catching, throwing, hand-eye coordination
Handball striking, serving, catching, hand-eye coordination
Field Games throwing, catching, passing, pivoting


The physical education program encourages positive interactions where both good sporting behavior and skill performances are reinforced during classes.  Games are modified to promote the development of positive interaction skills at each grade level.

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