"WE-ARE-PR" by Gerry Cernicky

There are many devices that physical educators can inform parents, students, community, PTA and the administration to our developmentally appropriate programs. This may include links, resources and internet sites for a public relations tool. If we are going to sell our programs, it is apparent that we search every avenue to display the importance of physical education and a lifetime of fitness. By using internet discussion groups, searches, links and a desire of excellence in education, the physical education teacher may integrate, correlate and disseminate information from the global community to their own particular school district .

The initial attempt can be utilized by designing a template from Schoolnotes, a free based program that is sponsored by Allstate Insurance. By filling the designed template, you may address many concerns through a homepage, flashcards , information about your school and anything that is pertinent to physical education . Another program from FAMILY EDUCATION is also a template that can be used as a homepage and ensuing school information. This is done by creating folders and either editing or deleting each week. Some ideas are a school calendar, rules , sports events, teacher roster and a homepage to welcome visitors. These two sites can be viewed as follows :
schoolnotes
family education

To use the second site you must follow these directions: go to the homepage listed; click on Pennsylvania, then the community of Leechburg. This will bring you to Hawks Place and show you how public relations can be a valuable asset to any school .

There are a myriad of other programs to highlight ideas to promote our programs in the global community. Internet competitions like the TELE-OLYMPICS is an integrated/ fitness event between schools around the world . By posting the scores of all participants, it can alert the parents that the students are engaged in fitness activities and core subjects in a celebration of global friendship and friendly competition. It would be amiss to note that we must volunteer our services as presenters at in-service days, speak at PTA meetings and get involved in state conventions and conferences. What better way to learn new ideas and spread the word of the new P.E. and communicate the need for developmentally appropriate programs and clear up the old adage of "throwing out the ball" to our peers and parents.

Finally, there is a site called Thinkwave that offers a free CD to any teacher to design lessons, assignments, rosters, gradebook and calendar to post for parents for information about their child's progress. It can be found at http://www.thinkwave.com and many CD's can be ordered from the homepage. In all the previously mentioned sites, the parents can access the site and can use the information if their child is absent from school for PE homework/make-up suggestions . Also, don't forget about a monthly newsletter that should be distributed for upcoming events, special programs, rules, proper attire and NASPE guidelines.

Gerry Cernicky