Academics
Physical Education
Physical education is an important part of a child’s education. At Grace Valley, all grades incorporate PE into the curriculum. Kindergarten through 5th grades have PE several times per week. 6th through 9th grades have the equivalent of 5 periods of PE each week.
Elementary P.E.
The youngest students work on basic skills such as throwing, kicking, jumping, running and awareness of motion. Physical conditioning (usually running or jump roping) and stretching are introduced in all grade levels and the children work to improve themselves in these areas throughout the year.
Sports lead-up games, such as Danger Zone and Capture the Chicken teach eye-hand coordination and team building. Playground games like Pogo, Dodgeball and Three Flies Up are taught so kids can play independently during recess. The students are introduced to and advance in sports such as soccer, baseball and basketball.
In addition to having fun, an emphasis is placed on:
- Learning to follow rules
- Safe and responsible use of equipment
- Playing individually and with a group/team
- Learning godly sportsmanship
Junior High P.E.
Junior High students focus on two areas during P.E.: Personal conditioning and team sports. Personal fitness is stressed for students in the area of endurance, flexibility and strengthening. Rules and skills in flag football, badminton, volleyball, basketball, indoor soccer, outdoor soccer, ultimate Frisbee and whiffle ball are taught. These skills are put to use in scrimmages and eventually small tournaments within the class.