
On behalf of the Physical Education Team at Bayside, I wanted to welcome you and introduce you to an interesting component of the Gecko PhysEd Program, something that makes it different than other programs you may have experienced. Here at #SISRocks, we think it is very important to quantify students’ efforts in PE. Because of the many advances in “wearable technologies” and their inevitable use for fitness tracking, we have taken the opportunity to fit ALL (yes, each and every one!) of our students with Polar Heart Rate Sensors.
The Polar HR Sensors are a very important part to what we call “physical literacy,” and the PE program uses them to justify the main reporting standard: Fitness Performance. Each student is different when it comes to fitness levels; some have been active for a long time and are physically able to endure more activity for a longer singular period, while others may not have been as active and cannot sustain that same activity level. We are aiming to eject the antiquated mentality in most Physical Education Programs, which penalizes students for not being able to accomplish a timed mile run or reach a certain amount of laps when swimming. At SIS we recognize not EVERYONE is going to be able to achieve the highest level (compared to his/her peers), however, we can take the step to monitor a student’s heart rate and know if they are putting in a good effort (as compared to his/her own previous efforts).
As your student uses the sensors in PE, they will have access to their data immediately through an online portal. It would be great for you to ask them how they are doing, and converse with them about what they can do to improve. Just login to www.polargofit.com and enter their user name and password to see what kind of effort they have been putting in during PE class.
Although this is an informational letter, it’s real purpose is to offer students the opportunity to buy their own strap that houses the sensor. To briefly explain the technology: there is the actual sensor that measures and records heart rate, and the rubber strap it fits into that the child wears (next to their skin, on their rib cage). SIS provides a strap for every student, but those straps are used by multiple classes and different students. In order to ensure proper hygiene, the straps are washed at the end of every day. Upon request from many students, we are now able to offer straps available for purchase.
Here is the information you’ll need to know if your student would like to have their own strap:
- Straps will cost 100rmb and be his/her forever.
- They are responsible for writing their name on it to make sure if lost, it can be identified.
- Bring 100rmb to Apphia (SIS Accountant) on the first floor of Bayside on any FRIDAY from 12:30-13:00.
- Once the strap is paid for, the student will get a Fapiao from Apphia.
- Bring the Fapiao to Mr. Knudsen, he’ll sign off on it and give the student a strap.
If you have any questions, please send mknudsen@sis.org.cn an email and he can answer them.
Thank you for your support and please check out #SISPhysEd on Twitter, and if you’d like to follow any of the PE Team you can find them on the Twitterverse as:
@clos_gm Carlos Galvez (Grade 6-9)
@wondermeaghan Meaghan Wilson (Grade 6-8)
@PhysEdDude Mark Knudsen (Grade 9-10)
Sincerly,
The PhysEd Crew @ Bayside
#SISPhysEd