MS schedules -- not block schedules -- PE?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, why does middle school have more PE than elementary? This makes no sense.

One quarter is health.

[Anonymous]

Our MS alternates health and PE in the same period...I think currently they do 3 weeks PE/3 weeks Health.

The PE teacher has said that no one ever showers. My girls are fine without a shower--don't know what the boys do. But in a 45 minute period that includes time for changing in and out of gym clothes, I'm not sure how much time they have to work up too much sweat.

Clothes come home weekly. Although I have heard of boys having a contest as to who could leave their clothes at school the longest and be the smelliest (as I said--I have girls, so they don't tend to do stuff like that)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here ---

Yes, it is a 7 period day. Not a block schedule. So, with PE being everyday, but a short class, do they actually shower? SEems like getting dressed and then back into reg. clothes would take up 15 min. of class. Stinky?

Longfellow MS -- 7 period day, PE/Health daily. No time to shower, and nobody showers. Students have to move on to next classes as quickly as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here ---

Yes, it is a 7 period day. Not a block schedule. So, with PE being everyday, but a short class, do they actually shower? SEems like getting dressed and then back into reg. clothes would take up 15 min. of class. Stinky?

Longfellow MS -- 7 period day, PE/Health daily. No time to shower, and nobody showers. Students have to move on to next classes as quickly as possible.

Same deal at Carson. Health & PE everyday. Gym uniforms in lockers. No showers. At BTS nights, the teachers beg the parents to make their kids (especially boys) use deodorant. Based solely on how my DS smells some days after school, I imagine the classrooms are rank by 7th period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why does PE take up a period the whole school year? When I was in school we had PE opposite an elective. Now there is PE everyday and no room to take an elective if your student is interested.

FCPS middle schools have two elective periods available each year. 9th and 10th grade are worse - my DS can't wait to be done with PE and foreign language after sophomore year.

PP, there's an option to do "online PE" in the summers before 9th and/or 10th grades, to get the credit done and to free up an elective the next school year. My DD's friend did it the summer before 9th grade so she could take the year-long theatre elective and my DD is going to do it this summer so she can have an elective period free next year in 10th grade.

It is not for the faint-hearted or for those who travel during July when the class takes place. FCPS does ensure that it's very expensive and difficult (they issue a heart rate monitor and kids must register a certain heart rate for a certain period of time every day, and must do in-person online check-ins every day, for instance, and there are other requirements crammed into the one-month class period). But the up side is that it does mean a kid no longer has PE eating up what could be an elective in their schedule the next school year. I know one family where one kid did it two summers in a row and was glad she did, despite the pretty intense requirements for that one month of summer. And you just can't do it if you're on vacation somewhere, according to the couple of families I've talked with. BUT if it means my kid frees up a class for the entire school year, it's going to be worth it. Look on the FCPS web site for more. Registration for this summer's online PE is open right now. I admit I'm kind of dreading it since my DD has to do some other activities during that same time period but she is very motivated by the idea of not having to spend an entire year's elective slot on PE next year.

There are also online summer language classes to fulfill FCPS requirements but I'm not sure what is involved in those.