Dear Parent and/or Guardian:

My name is Jorge Olmedo, I will be your son or daughter's physical education teacher this year.
In this letter I want to briefly describe the physical education program at South Whittier School
District and what your child can expect to learn over the next few years. Let me begin, however,
by briefly describing my professional background.
My degree is in physical education from California State University, Stanislaus. Here I also
played on the baseball team. My core classes for this degree included work in biology, anatomy,
physiology, exercise physiology, and kinesiology. The specialized courses included work in
understanding children's physical development and how they learn motor skills, scientific aspects
of physical fitness and sports, as well as effective teaching techniques and progressions for a
variety of lifetime sports and fitness activities.
My goal is to help children find a variety of ways to enjoy being physically active so that they
will be able to get all of the physical, emotional, intellectual and social benefits that come to
someone who is physically active.
At South Whittier School District your child will have physical education three times a week for
two 1 hour sessions and one 40 minute session. The program has been designed to focus on three
major areas that can contribute to one's physical health and well-being:
Movement concepts: In the early grades, for example, the program emphasizes the variety of
ways we travel (e.g. running, skipping, hopping), changes of directions and speeds, and different
ways to balance, jump and land.
Skill themes: Basic motor skills such as throwing, kicking, volleying, and striking with a
racket are taught in the grades. In the upper grades the children are taught how to use these
fundamental skills in games and sports, gymnastics and various forms of rhythmical movement
Wellness concepts: Are taught throughout the program. They include, for example, health
safety, healthy and unhealthy foods, and ways to improve cardiovascular endurance and
flexibility.
I will attempt to provide all of the children with team experiences that are both beneficial and
enjoyable. Each lesson is also adjusted to take into account the wide range of skill and fitness
levels that characterizes children in elementary school.
I am very proud of the physical education program we are bringing to South Whittier School
District and looking forward to being your child's physical education teacher this year.
Sincerely,
Jorge Olmedo
Physical Education Teacher
South Whittier School District