Special Notice
Last Chance:
Don't miss this unique opportunity to spend a day with Dr. Bonnie Mohnsen learning about how to use technology in physical education. Register now before it fills up:
College credit is available for all the above seminars plus our online courses.
Online courses started in February, but you have until April 1 to sign up - see the list of courses in this newsletter.
Featured Articles
Building a New Gym: Make it Tech Ready
 Whether you are building a new gym or going through rehab - you will want to make sure that your gym is "tech ready." Here are a few ideas to consider:
-wireless access throughout the gym and outdoors
-electrical outlets to accomdodate plug-ins throughout the gym
-a protected area within the gym where computers can be placed permanently
-brackets in the ceiling for a projection system along with electrical plug-in
-wiring inside the walls - so that there are connection points for the projection system at appropriate locations
-a lighting system that allows for darkness when viewing the projected image and lightness when finished (without having to wait 10 minutes)
-sectional lighting so that only the area near the screen can be darkened
-plasma screens on the walls with electrical plug-ins
-curtains for all windows so that the gym can be darkened for projected images
-white board embedded in the walls with connections
-sound system with speakers installed and individually controled with wires "inside the walls" for easy plug-in to MP3 player or computer.
Device Of The Month
Comparing Heart Monitor
 This month instead of highlighting one heart monitor, we will provide you with a chart which you can use to compare the different type of heart monitors and determine which one best meets your needs. Click here to download your comparison sheet. For more information click here.
Comparing Stop Watches
 This month instead of highlighting one stop watch, we will provide you with a chart which you can use to compare stop watches and determine which one best meets your needs. Click here to download your comparison sheet. For more information on stop watches and ordering, click here.
California Notice
Fitness Report
If you are using Fitness Report for Palm OS/Pocket PC to compile your student record for the State Department, please contact Bonnie Mohnsen at sales@pesoftware.com for a 2006 update. Pull ups are no longer an option for state testing and the formatting has change slightly. We have a free 2006 update for Fitness Report 7. If you are using an earlier version, there is $40 upgrade fee.
Tips
Straightening Out Picture Issues
Problem: I can't transfer photos from my camera to my computer.
Solution 1: Try plugging the cable into a different USB port (if you have two or more ports). Turn your camera off and on again and make sure it's set to the transfer mode.
Solution 2: Check the manufacturer's web site for updated drivers. If there are no updates, then reinstall the software that came with your camera.
Problem: My photo editing software won't open photographs emailed to me by a friend.
Solution: Contact your friend and ask him/her to save it in a more common file format, such as JPEG or GIF.
Addressing MediaPlayer Issues
Problem: My video playback is very choppy.
Solution: Make sure your drivers are up-to-date and not corrupted. Determined which video card you have installed and then visit the manufacturer's web site to download the latest driver.
Problem: The audio from my MediaPlayer sounds like Rice Krispies - snap, crackle, and pop.
Solution: Open the Tools menu, select Options, and click the Devices tab. highlight the CD drive, click the Properties button, select the Playback area's Use error Correction check box, and click OK.
Problem: My DVD won't play.
Solution 1: Make sure you have the latest drivers.
Solution 2: Make sure you have the latest verion of Windows and Windows Media Player.
Solution 3: Make sure you have a DVD decoder. You can download a copy from www.microsoft.com/windows/
windowsmedia/mp10/getmore/
plugins.aspx.
April Web Pages for Health Education
Fire Safety Resources
www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/
parents-teachers/
Health Reference Guide
health.allrefer.com/
Consumer Awareness
www.badvertising.org/
Calorie Control
caloriecontrol.org/
April Web Sites for Physical Education
Top Ten Fitness Mistakes
www.dietwatch.com/
dietwatch/diet/dietnews.asp?
show=exercise_mistakes.html
Square Dance Basics
www.squaredancecd.com/
basic/basicsteps.htm
Golf Online
www.golfonline.com/
golfonline/
Coaching Corner
www.thecoachingcorner.com/
Spring 2006 Online Courses
February 1, 2006 - May 15, 2006
Sign up:
Each course is $100 plus an additional $50 for college credit if needed. Click on each course for more information. You may register through April 1, 2006 - last chance to signup!
Task Cards: Package of the Month
Elementary Aerobic Task Cards
 Twenty cards with names and illustrations of cardiorespiratory activities for elementary school students. Exercises include: hopping, jumping, skipping, jogging, etc.
For more information click here.
Note: Once the current inventory of "card stock" task cards is depleted - task cards will only be available on CD. Buy now if you want the cards on card stock!
Click on image to visit their site:
Funding! Funding! Funding!
The U.S. Department of Education announcement of a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year 2006 under the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) has been published in the Federal Register on March 1, 2006. The deadline for the application period will be April 12. The Department expects to award approximately 58 grants at an average value of $300,000. This grants can be from one to three years in duration.
The competition includes one absolute priority and one competitive preference priority. The absolute priority states that the Department will only consider applications which initiate, expand and improve physical education programs in order to meet state standards for physical education by (1) providing equipment and support to enable students to participate actively in physical education activities, and (2) providing funds for staff and teacher training and education. The competitive preference priority will be given to those applications from novice applicants. A novice applicant is any applicant who (1) has never received a PEP grant, (2) has never been a member of a group application that received a PEP grant, and (3) has not had an active grant under PEP or its predecessor program, the Physical Education for Progress Program, in the five years prior to the deadline date for this competition.
Applications will be available beginning on March 1 and can be obtained online or from the Education Department Publications Center. To obtain the application online, go to
http://www.ed.gov/programs /whitephysed/index.html. To obtain a copy from the Publications Center, write to them at P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398 or call at 1-877-433-7827. Reference the competition as CDFA Number 84.215F.
The Department is establishing two new performance and efficiency measures for PEP for this competition. The physical activity measure will be (1) the percentage of students served by the grant who engage in 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity (elementary school students); and/or (2) the percentage of students served by the grant who engage in 225 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity (middle and high school students). The efficiency measure will be the cost per student who achieves the level of physical activity to meet the performance measure. These measures will constitute the Department's indicators of success for the PEP program. All applicants for a PEP grant should give careful consideration to these measures in formulating their approach and evaluation of their proposed project. If funded, applicants will be required to collect and report data on their progress toward these measures. More detail on these measures will be available in the application package.
If we can be of assistance - please email Bonnie at bmohnsen@pesoftware.com
Other Grants
Target Stores Grants. Eligibility: K-12 public and private schools. Regional Restrictions: Locations in the United States where there is a Target store located. Application Deadline: 31-May-06.Description: Grants focus on prevention of family violence. Apply at your local Target Store between March 1 and May 31. Application information available at the store. Award: Most grants range from $1000 to $3000.
Nickelodeon's "Let's Just Play" Giveaway Program - one million from September 2005 to June 2006.
NIKE Bowerman Track Renovation Program.
Deadline: ongoing through May 31, 2009
Hasbro Programs for Children Grants. Deadline: ongoing. |
The time has come to replace your fitness text books with software. The new Health-Rel-
ated Fitness program is a compre- hensive program covering assessment, principles, 
concepts, compon- ents, skill-related fitness, first aid, skill- related fitness, and 
physical activity. In the health-related fitness components section, you will find ex- 
ercises for cardiores- piratory endurance, flexibility, muscular strength, and 
muscular endurance. The envir- onment section covers cold and hot conditions, 
high altitudes, smog envir- onments, and attire. The software provides 
several interactive activities for reinforcing the student's understand- ing. In one 
activity, students design a home fitness center. In a second activity, students 
select food for lunch. And, in a third activity, students create a personal 
fitness plan. In each situation, the software provides the students with feedback and opport- 
unities to try again. The software also includes a portfolio, quiz, video clips for
viewing on a handheld computer, and a dozen task cards. All for $100 for a single computer or $400 for a site license. The site license covers all computers on 
campus - as well as teachers and students' personal computers. Click here for 
EyeToy(TM) is a new PlayStation interface. It is a small USB camera that is placed on top of your 
Sony's new DCR-SR100 Handycam record video directly to a 30GB hard drive. The has a 3.3 megapixel Advanced HAD (Hole Accumulation Diode) CCD that uses 2,048,000 of those pixels to capture video. It also features 10x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch LCD, and support for Dolby Digital 5.1 surround-sound audio recording. For more information click