Email: shapemichiganoffice@gmail.com
Website: www.shapemichigan.us
Phone: 269-521-7871
Facebook: facebook.com/SHAPEMICHIGAN
Twitter: @SHAPEMI

Thank you for a very successful 2024 SHAPE Michigan Convention!

Thank you to all of the presenters, exhibitors, and attendees associated with

the recent fall convention. Congratulations as well to all of the award winners,

grant winners, and honorees...your dedication and commitment to the

Health and Physical Education profession is very much appreciated.

As we approach the holiday season, please mark your calendar and join us for

upcoming December Networking Night - Thursday, December 12th at 7:00.

If you have items to submit for the monthly newsletter, please let us know.

Please send us your suggestions, feedback and and comments.SHAPE Michigan

continues to provide programs, products, and services to

all PhysicalEducation and Health professionals throughout the year.Send

emails to shapemichigandirector@gmail.com or call 269.521.7871

Thank you for supporting SHAPE Michigan

Communication, commitment and collaboration... These three words are critical to our collective success as an organization. Committing to a common cause---- pursuing a healthy, active lifestyle--- facilitates our capacity to collaborate regardless of our professional role.

SHAPE Michigan is home to teachers, coaches, administrators, future professionals, activity leaders, specialists, professors and is open to EVERYONE who supports or wants to take part in our efforts. To increase the probability that we have the opportunity to collaborate, it is imperative that we find ways to easily communicate.Please take time to review the tools that SHAPE Michigan offers.

There are four primary ways that SHAPE Michigan reaches members (and to an extent-non-members). FIRST, the website is open to everyone but there are levels of information that are only accessible to members. It is really important that YOU know your username and password. For most of you, your username will be the email you used to join or register for the conference. If you can’t remember, send me an email (shapemichigandirector@gmail.com) with your name, school district, and the emails you use (if there are more than one). I will check the master file and send you an email with a temporary password. For SOME of you, the username is a system generated number. that can be changed to the email you request.Knowing your login (especially the email) is important for another reason.

The SECOND way, SHAPE Michigan sends information to you is through Eblasts. The news is sent to the email we have on files inside the website. Please take time to identify your username and password. When you join, you are sent an invitation to MIGHTY NETWORK. That initiation is sent to the email you used to register.

The THIRD way information is available is through Mighty Network. This site houses all the convention hand-outs, has an internal chat board and allows you to network with other professionals in your area. Did you know SHAPE Michigan is divided into five regions and you are represented by a Regional Coordinator? Check out the article on Regional Reps elsewhere in this newsletter.

The FOURTH way information is transmitted is through Face Book, Instagram, and X (Twitter). While anyone can request access, those who are members have priority on these sites. Information is shared across platforms so it’s possible that some of you get the same messages twice.

SHAPE Michigan is committed to keeping you informed. I am happy to report that you are now 841 strong and counting. The SHAPE Michigan membership term is one year, rolling and costs $40.00. Please keep track of your membership by going to the website and signing into the Members log in. (Another good reason to know your username and password!)

There were 470 participants at our November Conference. The commitment and collaboration of the planning team was clearly evident. We hope that you enjoyed it. If you weren’t there, start planning for 2025—November 6 and 7. If you were there, register for 2025 NOW. We will be returning to the Lansing Center and Double Tree.

I look forward to working with you in the coming year and beyond. I am grateful for the work that you do and the impact you have on your students as you lead them in the quest to develop skills, knowledge and personal- emotional dispositions necessary for healthy, active lifestyles.

Join your colleagues for another exciting SHAPE Michigan networking session! Click HERE for access link or go to shapemichigan.us.

I grew up in Kinde, Michigan which is a small town in the tip of the thumb. I grew up loving sports and could be found playing them all the time with my brothers, neighbors and friends. In high school I played basketball, volleyball and softball. Physical Education was always my favorite class all the way through school.

I then went on to play basketball for four years at Concordia College in Ann Arbor, where I got a double major in Physical Education and Sports Management. I worked in the sports management field for a few years while working on my master’s degrees in Sports Management and Physical Education from Wayne State University. I worked for the Detroit Pistons and Detroit Shock. I was a manager at the Hazel Park Ice Arena. I also worked for Ann Arbor’s Rec N Ed Youth Sports Department.

But my passion was always teaching and coaching! I was fortunate enough to be an assistant coach for Ann Arbor Huron’s Varsity softball program for a couple of years before my teaching career took off. I taught elementary physical education in Ypsilanti and Jackson for National Heritage Academies for three years. I then moved back closer to my hometown and taught elementary PE in Harbor Beach for nine years. My husband then took the job as the Okemos athletic director so we moved and I taught elementary PE in Williamston for a couple of years. After covid, we decided it was best for our family and particularly my son to move back to Harbor Beach where we have been for the last four years. In addition to teaching elementary physical education I also coach junior high basketball for both boys and girls and have been doing so for many years.

I absolutely love teaching elementary PE! I love the enthusiasm students have! My students have always been so fun and hardworking. I love when they reach their goals or have their aha moments, and you can see them filled with joy! I want my students to come into my class and leave everyday thinking Physical Education was the BEST part of their school day, because that’s how I grew up! I want them to learn and have the skills to live a healthy active lifestyle!

Hometown & High School: Evart - Evart High School

Why did you choose HPE:

I chose health and physical education because I’ve always been passionate about fitness and wellness, and I want to inspire others to lead healthier lives and I know as a health and physical educator, I’ll have the opportunity to make a positive impact on students lives by helping them build healthy habits, stay active, and develop a love and appreciation for health and physical activity. Most importantly, both my parents are educators, and they both inspired me to pursue teaching as a way to positively impact others, just as they have done throughout their careers.

Why did you choose to attend Central Michigan University:

I chose Central Michigan because of the great health and physical education program offered, the welcoming atmosphere, beautiful campus and most importantly it's close to home which means I am able to see my family regularly.

What are your hobbies:

My hobbies are running/working out, being with my family, traveling, going to the beach, playing with my dogs and hanging out with my HPE friends.

Favorite movie: Blended

Two interesting facts about you:

1. As a freshman in high school, I was a track and field state qualifier, a two time all state finisher and broke the school record for the 4x1 relay. 2. I have been working in a restaurant since I was 14 years old.

During my tenure as the Executive Director, I have strongly encouraged the leadership of SHAPE Michigan to mount an effort to provide year round professional development. Everyone is aware of the state conference and it IS the largest focused gathering for members. But everyone can’t attend AND learning doesn’t happen ONLY on two days of the year. So- a focus on the Regional Coordinators has been a project that I have pursued.

I looked for partners and found a group of very talented and dedicated folks who are already in the regions. The Michigan School Health Coordinators’ Association supports 23 coordinating sites in the state and these are housed in the intermediate school districts/regional education service centers. MiSHCA is a non-profit organization that advocates for any or all of the components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model (https://mishca.org/who/). So it made sense to team with this group. They have been very generous hosts and wonderful collaborators. Last year, they hosted 14 professional development events that I conducted in their regions to jump start local efforts.

My goal is have the MiSCHA Coordinators work with the Regional Coordinators to promote and facilitate activities of SHAPE Michigan within their respective regions AND to plan for at least one annual local event at one of the MiSCHA sites in the region that focuses on physical and health literacy ideally in the winter/spring months after the state conference in November. Regional Coordinators serve of the Board of Directors and represent the SHAPE Michigan members who live in their regions.

They also monitor and use the Mighty Network to keep regional members “connected” and informed.

Three regions have selected their dates for their local regional conferences so. More conference dates will be released soon. Check out the dates below and watch you emails for the other which follow soon. Want to meet YOUR coordinator? Contact information is below.

For more information - Contact:

Jeff Wright- Escanaba Area Public Schools jwright@eskymos.com

Amy Nixon- Manistique Area Schools anixon@manistiqueschools.org

Save the date - Region 2 Workshop:

• Wednesday, March 19- Muskegon ISD

For more information - Contact:

Mark English- Holton Public School menglish@holton.k12.mi.us

• Thursday, February 6th at Eaton ISD
• Wednesday, February 26th at Van Buren ISD - Lawrence, MI

For more information - Contact:

Chris Juszczyk - Lawton Community Schools- Retired cjuszczyk1@gmail.com

• Wednesday, February 5th at Washtenaw ISD

For more information - Contact:

Aimee Taylor- Whitmore Lake Schools aimee.taylor@wlps.net

On Saturday November 23rd, the Northeast region hosted a SHAPE MI Regional Workshop. Nicki Schlicht, an Elementary Physical Education teacher at Fancher Elementary School in Mt. Pleasant, presented. Nicki is Generation Pound ICON/Master Trainer and showed how to incorporate the Generation Pound program in the Physical Education classroom. The participants were able to receive the curriculum and equipment for their schools.

A Sping date for another Northeast regional workshop is 'in the works' - watch your email for details.

For more information - Contact:

Josh Boutwell- Gratiot-Isabella RESD jboutwell@giresd.net

Elementary students love when various Physical Education equipment is out and they can work in small groups to build things like turkeys, snowmen and trees. Usually done in small groups where students have to run back and forth to collect equipment and then design the item they are building. The students love it!

Another fun team building activity is to have students try and create the longest connecting line with just the items they currently have on them. Some ideas of things students may use: sweatshirts, shoes, shoelaces, pencils, watches, belts, water bottles, etc. Let the students know the day before so they come in layers for this activity. Students will run back and forth and find creative ways to work together to create the longest line. Some years, students have mad lines that were so long they spilled over into the hallways.

Use this printable calendar as a resource to share with your students to keep them active during the Winter season! Encourage them to participate in the challenge at home too, and even include their family. You can use the Fitness Challenge as a fun way to get kids moving and as a warm up.

At the most recent SHAPE Michigan convention, many presenters in the Adapted Physical Education section mentioned Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Below are the basics of UDL and ways to implement this model within your teaching.

Reimagining Inclusive Physical Education

UDL represents a paradigm shift in how we approach physical education. Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all models, this innovative framework focuses on creating flexible learning environments that accommodate individual student differences, abilities, and learning styles.

Multiple Means of Engagement

The first principle of UDL in physical education involves providing diverse ways for students to engage in physical activities. This might mean offering alternative equipment, modifying game rules, or providing multiple participation options for every student to feel successful and motivated.

Representation Matters

By offering multiple means of representation, physical educators can present movement concepts and skills through various methods. Visual demonstrations verbal instructions, peer modeling, and interactive technology can help students with different learning preferences understand and internalize physical skills.

Action and Expression

The final UDL principle focuses on giving students multiple ways to demonstrate their learning. Instead of standardized performance tests, educators might allow students to showcase their understanding through written reflections, video demonstrations, or personalized skill assessments.

Looking Forward

As schools continue to embrace inclusive education, the UDL model stands as an example for creating accessible physical education programs. By recognizing and celebrating student diversity, we can transform physical education from a potentially exclusionary experience to an empowering journey of movement and personal growth for all learners.

Further Resources Regarding UDL

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-universal-design-for-learning

https://www.cast.org/

SHAPE Michigan is committed to the provision of programs, products and services that support health/physical education teachers, coaches, recreational specialists and allied professionals in their quest to promote healthy, active lifestyles. We offer professional development, advocacy, funding and networking ALL year to our members. Not a member yet? Need to renew? Invest in yourself, sign up/renew today.

Be a part of Michigan's professional organization for Physical Education and Health. Collaborate, network, and support our profession for only $40.00 a year!

A society in which all individuals in Michigan enjoy an optimal quality of life, through appreciation of and participation in active, creative, health-promoting lives.