Lillian M. Jacobs Elementary School students run laps during their recess as part of the Recess Run Club.
Developed by students and staff, the club is designed to give children in second through fifth grade a reason to be active during recess.
The topic of last week’s Spirit Day assembly was exercise and movement, where students were encouraged to be active for at least 60 minutes a day. Research shows that an hour of physical exercise a day has numerous benefits for the body and mind.
Those who participate in the Run Club will spend their 25-minute recess running laps around the perimeter of the school yard. At the end of recess, students can then share the number of laps they ran with teachers on recess duty, which will be recorded in their Run Club binder.
At the end of each week, Physical Education Teacher Keryn Murphy will tally the results and students will be awarded color-coded “Toe Tokens” for every five miles they run. Five miles earns students a red token, 10 miles, a blue token, and so on. The tokens can then be displayed on students’ backpacks, sneakers and other personal belongings to showcase their achievements. Murphy will also share the total miles run each month by all students during school assemblies.
“The Recess Run Club is a great way for students to stay active and increase their physical fitness,” Principal Cappadona said.
“With the cold weather behind us, and warmer weather on the horizon, we encourage students to put down their devices, head outside and get moving!”
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| Left to right: Sofi Zalduondo, grade four, Grace Naylor, grade four, Leah Frady, grade three, and Meghan McDonald, grade four. |
