I hope you are all having a great summer!!! If you are looking for something fun to do with your family before school starts back check out the Activity Info Tab - - - there is a list of ALL of the events happening at Arkansas Post National Memorial this summer. They are all FREE and open to the entire family!

I have posted new activity calendars for the summer months under the newsletter tab so you can find ways to be active everyday! I am looking forward to seeing you all once school starts back!

Have fun until then!

Mrs. Lindsay
 
Hello Friends,


I am asking that anyone who has ever had an excellent PE teacher, who currently has a great physical education teacher, or loves the PE teacher who teaches their child to contact the Arkansas Board of Education and their Arkansas State Senators and Representatives and tell them you want to keep Certified Physical Education Teachers TEACHING PHYSICAL EDUCATION in public schools! There is currently a pending rule, that if passed by the Arkansas Board of Education, would take away the requirement to have a Certified Physical Education Teacher teaching physical education. To my understanding this will be brought to the Arkansas Board of Education at the September 2011 meeting. The Dept of Education is currently taking comments on this pending rule by email (for sure through July 16th and possibly longer) and I would beg of you all to voice your opinion on the matter. Please send your remakrs to [email protected] and [email protected].

I would also ask that you contact your State Senators and Representatives about this matter. We have made tremendous strides in our state concerning physical education and the prevention of childhood obesity in the past few years, if this new rule passes it will set our state back immensely and will have a huge impact on our children. We have to remember that to have a healthy child we must educate the Whole Child, mentally, physically and emotionally. Taking away a Certified Physical Education teacher would take away the expert in teaching your child in the Physical Domain!

If you would like to see the document being presented to the State Board of Education you can find it on the Arkansas Department of Education website. Go to www.arkansased.org - - - in the search box on the side type in Pending Rules - - when the search appears click on Pending Rules - Arkansas Department of Education (The first item that appears) and then you wil click on "Rules Governing Nutrition and Physical Education Standards...."

You can also try to access it by copying the link below into your browser.

http://arkansased.org/about/pdf/pending/ade_259_nutrition_revised_2011_pending.pdf

If you would like to contact the Arkansas State Legistature and do not know who  represents your area or how to get in touch with them you can find their information on the following sites:

Arkansas House of Representatives - www.arkansashouse.org

Arkansas State Senators - www.arkansas.gov/senate

You can also voice your concerns to Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe and First Lady Ginger Beebe:

Governor Beebe has a contact section on his website governor.arkansas.gov

Mrs. Beebe has a contact section on her website www.arkansasfirstlady.com


I have one more request: If I am or was your childs/childrens PE teacher and you and/or your child LOVES Physical Education at DeWitt Elementary, I would like to compile letters from our students and parents telling why they like PE and why it is important to them. There is going to be a public hearing next Wednesday in Little Rock and I would like to be able to take tangible documents from the children who I teach. This issue is about our children and the quality of education they will receive in the state of Arkansas and I think their voices should be heard by the masses.


Thank you all for your time and your help. If I teach your child I am so happy that I get to work with them every day! Feel free to share this information with others.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Robinson Beaton, M. Ed.
DeWitt Elementary School Physical Education Teacher

2010 Arkansas Governors Council on Fitness Physical Educator of the Year

2010 Arkansas AHPERD Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year