Three years ago, our district began an initiative that includes 15 minutes of fitness in every physical education class for grades 1-10.  At Harwinton Consolidated School, the fifteen minutes of fitness is completed at the start of each class.  Ten stations of exercise that include cardio-respiratory endurance, upper body strength and endurance, core strength and endurance and flexibility are performed for one minute each. Students are encouraged to work as long as they can or for the entire one minute at all 10 station.

The week of October 22-30 was RED RIBBON week.  Region 10 schools worked with the towns recreation departments.  Our health and PE lessons focused on  substance abuse prevention.
	This fall we are conducting the CT state fitness assessment in third and fourth grades.  The test includes a push up test, curl up test, sit and reach flexibility test and the mile run/walk.  In addition, our district is one of twenty pilot schools assigned by the state to conduct a modified version of the curl up test. Selected classes in 3rd and 4th grade will be asked to “pilot” this new version.

Following the test, students in grades 3 and 4 participated in a unit of football in November and basketball in December that inclued skills,strategies and some rules of the games.

Kindergarten through second grade began the year with locomotor skills, such as jumping, hopping, galloping, leaping and skipping.   Currently we are working on manipulative skills. This involves using equipment such as hoops, balloons, beachballs and beanbags, while working on hand-eye, foot-eye and body-eye  coordination.