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2022 School Health Profiles Support

Hello Health, Safety and Physical Education Community! 

I am currently in the process of completing the 2022 School Health Profiles Survey.  CDC has selected multiple schools to participate in the National Survey.  The information collected for this survey will help us identify needs around school policies, procedures, curriculum, and professional development offerings.

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Health and Physical Education Advisor Position Reinstated at the Pennsylvania Department of Education

Health and Physical Education Advisor Position Reinstated at the Pennsylvania Department of Education

SHAPE PA would like to congratulate Nicholas Slotterback on returning to his position as the Health and Physical Education Advisor at the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Nick held this position from 2016 to 2019 until he was moved to the Office for Safe Schools at PDE as Safe Schools Coordinator. In 2022, Nick was reinstated as the HPED advisor position.  

Nick graduated from Lock Haven University and received his Master’s Degree in Education. Nick taught elementary and middle school health and physical education from 2005 to 2016 in the Midd-West School District where he also served as the Curriculum Coordinator of Health and Physical Education. In addition to teaching, Nick coached JV basketball at Midd-West and Lewisburg Area School District as well as Varsity Track and Field at Lewisburg Area School District. Nick also served as an Educational Consultant for Playworld Play Systems from 2006 to 2018.

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The Results are In: Conference Feedback Revealed

We asked, and you responded. We listened, and we planned.

We were so overwhelmed and grateful for the outpouring of thoughts and ideas that were shared by teachers across the state as we began to format our 2022 State Conference. So, what did you ask for?

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Thankful for Teachers!

Greetings to a New Year 2022!

My name is Betty Ann Fish, I am your 2022 President of SHAPE PA! I am excited to share my vision for the upcoming year to MOVE, CONNECT, BELONG.

We are a community connected by a passion for movement, health, wellness, teaching students, and making a difference and also for a strong sense of belonging among the SHAPE PA community. Throughout the year, I hope to connect with members and hear what your needs and hopes are. I am eager to host virtual “coffee times” so we can exchange successes we are experiencing to learn from one another. It is the power of sharing that makes us stronger.

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SAVE THE DATE! We are BACK at Spooky Nook!

We are BACK!

Can you believe it's been over two months since we last gathered for our state conference?! We cannot wait to reconnect at Spooky Nook Sports this December 1st and 2nd for our 101 annual state conference. Before we do, we need your help! We want to ensure the conference and professional development we provide is everything you expect it to be. There are two ways to share your feedback with us:

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We are Headed to Seven Springs!

We are Headed to Seven Springs!

 As our organization celebrates its 100th year, we are taking time to pause, focus and celebrate. The landscape of Health and Physical Education has been challenged and changed drastically in recent times and is more than ever a priority needed in our schools. After two school years of navigating this new landscape, we are more than ever grateful to celebrate our teachers, membership, and those who have served our organization.

So, are you ready to join us in person to celebrate?!

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Finding The Summit

Finding The Summit

By definition a summit is:

  1. the highest point of a hill or mountain.
  2. the highest attainable level of achievement.
  3. a meeting between people who are interested in the same subject.

When we tried to think of a name for the relaunch of our professional journal, it only seemed fitting that after a year of what seemed like uphill climbing, we landed on the name, The Summit. While we saw metaphors in the first two parts of the definition, we had our “A-HA!” moment with the third...a meeting between people interested in the same subject. Over 6,300 of you supported our efforts in advocating for Health and Physical Education this year when proposed legislation threatened to cut programs in lieu of athletic substitution. Hundreds of teachers join us monthly, (virtually!) while watching live webinars, or catching up with the recordings later. For the past 100 years, HPE teachers have rallied together at our conferences and workshops to ensure they have access to the most up-to practices, content, and resources to continue their own professional growth. So yes, The Summit just felt right.

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The Future for Future Professionals!

SHAPE PA is excited to announce a new committee designed to meet the needs of our future professional members! The Future Professionals Advisory Committee (FPAC) is composed of a student representative from five Pennsylvania universities with Health and Physical Education teacher preparation programs; East Stroudsburg University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven University, Slippery Rock University, and West Chester University.

Members of this committee will serve as liaisons between SHAPE PA and their universities. Their duties include monthly zoom meetings, reporting back to their universities, creating professional development opportunities for our future professionals through SHAPE PA, and assisting in projects and tasks assigned by the SHAPE PA Board of Directors (BOD).

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How Could We Ever Thank You?

As teachers, we constantly have little reminders that remind us why we do what we do. An email from a former student now pursuing a degree in education because of you. A handmade card from a student. A phone call from a parent thanking you for the support and encouragement you gave their child. Those little moments have BIG impacts. 

As we were gearing up to launch our online learning series, we wanted to find a way to say THANK YOU to you, our membership for standing by. As an organization, we've faced a lot of challenges and changes. You were there with us through it all.  

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Getting Our Act [48] Together

Getting our Act [48] Together

The long wait is over, we are ready to roll out our 2021 Professional Learning Series! We've said it once and we'll say it again. We MISSED you. We missed our in-person gatherings, celebrations, learning, and socials. Despite the virtual shift we've all had to make, we are committed to providing you will opportunities to not only learn but earn Act 48 hours as well. 

Thanks to our NEW partnership with The Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit 5, Act 48 processing is now online, fast and simple. 

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New Year begins with Last Year's Lessons

If anything we learned anything in that year that shall remain nameless, it’s fair to say we learned A LOT, and perhaps, are still processing those lessons. One big take-away as an organization we have is the gratitude for those teachers, former board members, and volunteers who helped us get here. Where is here you may ask? To our 100th year!!! It’s time to celebrate (big time!) our past, present and keep building a strong future. So guess what? We are going to do just that. 

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Meet the 2020 Teachers of the Year

SHAPE PA is proud to recognize and celebrate the work of outstanding educators in Pennsylvania. The current program honors teachers at four levels: elementary, middle school, high school, and university.

Award winners at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels will be eligible and (along with further information and documentation) to become Pennsylvania’s nominees considered for Teacher of the Year with SHAPE America Eastern District and the SHAPE America.

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The Importance of Creating a Health “Re-entry” Unit

It is our time to shine and it is important to seize this moment. 2020 has made it glaringly obvious that our mental, physical, and social health are at the core of what determines our quality of life. Finding that balance and maintaining wellness while navigating through these unprecedented and unknown times has been challenging personally and professionally. To say that I have experienced self-growth is an understatement, and I say that humbly. It required self-reflection, feeling uncomfortable, needing help, an abundance of new learning, and accepting change. 


I will say it again. It is our time to shine and it is important to seize this moment. And yes…I am speaking directly to Health and Physical Education teachers. We must be vocal about the importance of our curriculums while advocating that Health and Physical Education is an essential component of an in-person, hybrid, or online schedule. We must also be intentional in our instruction and content by creating a Health “Re-entry” Unit.

WHY?

SHAPE PA re-entry guidelines suggest that health education reinforce habits that prevent the spread of communicable disease, hygiene habits, health skills related to emotional and mental health, managing stress, and risky behaviors. While these topics naturally surface in the PSAHPERD (soon to be SHAPE) and SHAPE standards, it is essential that we should be intentional in the 2020-2021 school year regarding our re-entry response prior to re-visiting our regularly scheduled curriculums. Our students need to know that we are willing to address their needs by focusing on topics that are relevant and specific to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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20/20 Vision

Oh, the irony that a rollercoaster of a year marked 2020 shares the same numbers as what ophthalmologists use to mark normal vision, 20/20. 

I don’t know about you, but personally, for me looking back on the past 4-ish months I somehow feel that time has flown and it’s also stood still. How is that possible? 

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President Points

Oftentimes I have lots of ideas but it can be difficult to bring them all together. As I was struggling to write the introduction for this article I received this email from a student: 

 

Dear Mr. Schmidt,

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A Letter to the Class of 2020

To our College and University Seniors,  

We know this was a graduation weekend for many of you and things are not ending as planned. As you make this monumental transition into your professional career, you springboard into adulthood as well. Scary when you think of it that way, right?! Sometimes these big life transitions come at us like the seeker in hide-and-seek. Ready or not, here it comes. Don’t worry, you are prepared and ready. You got this.

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2020 PSAHPERD Awards Update

2020, a new decade. Time to reflect, make changes and look for new ways to improve what we want to do heading into the future. That is exactly what PSAHPERD did as it assigned an Ad Hoc Awards Committee to review all our awards and protocols to meet our mission. We wanted to continue to recognize our deserving Health Education and Physical Education teachers throughout PA. We are also striving to streamline the application and evaluation process by updating our criteria, applications, and rubrics. 

Cindy Allen, Judy Conroy, Fran Cleland Donnelly, Craig Kemmlein. Colleen Wegimont, and Margie Wuestner have been working over the past few months on this task.  As the chair of this committee, I have been blessed to work with these amazing and dedicated professionals.

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CPR Mandate: What You Need to Know

Confused by the new CPR requirements? Thanks to Nick Slotterback of PDE for setting the record straight!

According to Act 7 students in 9-12th grade must be taught hands-only CPR as well as the use of the Automated External Defibrillator.  PDE will be working on a resource guide of suggested curriculums and programs schools can choose to implement.  According to the PA Academic Standards, CPR standards are required for the 9th and 12th-grade benchmarks.  It is up to the school entity to decide when they would want to present this curriculum to their students.  Best practice would be in 9th grade and 11th grade since if students are choosing to certified for this training, it generally holds for two years.  However, it is up to the schools to make this decision.  Here is a breakdown of Act 7:

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PSAHPERD Organizational Updates

Hello, PSAHPERD Members! While it’s the end of the school year for many, it’s the mid-way point in our new organizational structure, and still the beginning for us!

We are thrilled to update you on some of the work thus far from the Board of Directors. The work completed would not be possible without:

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Pennsylvania CPR Update for High School Health Curriculum

Background:

State Senator (Killion) introduced a bill (SB521) for hands-only CPR instruction for high school students (PA State Rep R Lee James also introduced a similar bill, HB1097) that passed in the Senate and House. It is important to note that these bills do not state that CPR Certification is mandatory. 

Summary:

  • High School students should have CPR information/knowledge in their HS health curriculum
  • CPR is a component of the new 10th Grade Core Concepts within the PA Health Standards
  • PA law DOES NOT state that certification is needed, rather, it is a local decision if schools want to offer certification
  • Health and Physical Educators must be trained and certified (Red Cross or American Heart Association) if they offer a CPR certification to students.  
    • Schools also have the option of bringing in/paying the Red Cross, Heart Association, etc. under the supervision of a certified H/PE teacher.  

Benefits of CPR in High School Health Curriculum:

  • Career Readiness
  • Resume building
  • Supports Well-Rounded Education  

Funding:

If you are certifying students in CPR, this falls under ESSA- Career Education which contributes to a well-rounded education. As a result, districts may be able to access federal funds (Title II) to cover training costs affiliated with CPR Instructor training. Talk to your district today about including this in your PA ESSA Comprehensive State Plan to access funds!