Physical education is an important component of the educational school day, and current brain research supports the importance of physical activity at school to promote learning. Academics are a prime function of education and their importance should not be minimized. However, neuroscientists are discovering that exercise provides an unparalleled stimulus that helps the brain become ready, willing, and able to learn. “There’s sort of no question about it now,” said Dr. John Ratey, a clinical associate professor at Harvard Medical School. “The exercise itself doesn’t make you smarter, but it puts the brain of the learners in the optimal position for them to learn.”
With childhood obesity reaching epic proportions, it is essential that our students and parents understand the importance of physical activity and its potential benefits for student academic achievement.
Physical Education in Orange County Public Schools is designed to give students the opportunity to learn through a comprehensive sequentially planned program in accordance with Florida Sunshine State Standards.
Middle school students are provided the opportunity to learn through the application of movement skills, fitness concepts, and team related activities which enhance decision making. Psychological and sociological concepts are the cornerstone of the middle school physical education program. The outcome of a developmentally and instructionally appropriate program of physical education is a physically educated person. Together we can help students become healthy, fit, and ready to learn.