Exercising Young Bodies and Minds Every Day
Physical activities at The Unquowa School play an important role in the education of our children because we believe that rising to physical challenges can be as instructive as rising to mental challenges. Our program also acknowledges the sad reality that many children in our high-tech society lead increasingly sedentary lives. It is important to tone their young muscles, build their stamina, and provide a wholesome environment in which they may safely burn off excess energy and stimulate their mental skills.
Our program is designed to meet the developmental needs, skill levels, and interests of our students. Locomotor movements, psychomotor skills, coordination and fitness components serve as the basis of skill work within each unit of instruction.
Physical education units of instruction are introduced and proceed along a planned progression (within a grade, and from grade to grade) including fundamental skills, drills employing individual skills, games, rules and strategies. Throughout this progression, the physical growth and development of each student is monitored in conjunction with his or her social, emotional and intellectual development. Within this growth are the vital components of creativity, self-confidence, safety consciousness, decision-making, responsibility to oneself and the team, leadership, character, good sportsmanship, and putting out an effort commensurate with one’s abilities.
Recess
While P.E. offers students daily physical activity with a formal curriculum, recess provides students in PreK through fourth grade with a daily time for unstructured play and physical activity. From swinging and climbing on the playground to imaginative play with friends at the edge of our woods or a quick pickup game of soccer on the field, children have time to simply play without instruction. Teachers schedule recess, and it may vary day-to-day based on the needs of their class.
Sportsmanship
In addition to the cognitive skills imparted, important social lessons are also learned, namely that earning a win is fun, losing is less fun though not catastrophic, and each outcome imparts useful lessons. Winners must be gracious; losers can’t be soreheads; the game is more important than the score and playing by the rule is everything.
Team Sports
Our teams compete as part of the Fairchester Conference which combines elementary and middle schools across Fairfield and Westchester counties.
March Madness Preview
Posted by Sarah Pollex
March Madness has arrived early at Unquowa as the Third and Fourth grade Basketball team brings its season to a close! Over the last two months, all of our players have persevered through the drills, the fundamentals of the game, learning the basics of team play, picking ourselves up when we fall and… feeling the thrill of personal improvement and most important: the camaraderie of group success. For seventy five grueling minutes at each team practice, our Unquowa athletes showed their heart and school spirit, carrying on a tradition of fair play and sportsmanship that are the hallmarks of the Unquowa character for the last one hundred and six years!
Among our many highlights: Every player showed huge skill growth shooting at the ten foot basket (the standard height of the pros!)
For our “team shooting challenge” the team beat its personal best, scoring 56 baskets in five minutes, a full 22 baskets over our previous best!
At our intersquad scrimmages, regardless of the tenseness of the game or the closeness of the score (or the calls by the officials!!) there was always an attitude of “Good Game Well Played!” that made the coaches proud.
Gators on Three! 1-2-3! Go Gators!
I Wanna Be Like…
Posted by Sarah Pollex
At Unquowa PE we start the pro-league dreams early. Here, the preschool and Kindergarten athletes play follow the leader with Mr. Taylor. Once their dribbling skills and fundamentals are mastered, Mr. Taylor will demonstrate 360 degree dunks…well, maybe we’ll move on to throwing and catching! It’s all smiles and fun on the basketball court with Unquowa PE. Go Gators!
A Record Season!
Posted by Sarah Pollex
Cross country, Fall 2022, was a season of records. We enjoyed new members to our squad. They, along with our veterans, worked hard to become faster runners, taking minutes off their best times. Comparing the season’s opening and final mile runs, the team took a total of 10 minutes off its personal best. At every meet at least 5 runners placed in the top 5. At the Penfield Beach meet, a record number of 8 runners placed in the top 5. For the overall season standings, again a record number of 8 runners placed in the top 5. At the Championship Meet, a record number of 4 runners placed in the top 3, including a first place finish. We are very proud of our team! Go Gators!
Staying Strong with Cross Country!
Posted by Sarah Pollex
Our athletes know that best times are the ultimate prize. They are making significant improvements towards this goal at each practice and at each meet. The crowning achievement is for a runner to place in the top 5. Our results from the meets at Ridgefield and Waveny Park:
Ridgefield
- 5th grade boys: Jackson 1st, Adam 4th,
- 6th grade boys: Asher 5th
- 8th grade girls: Charlotte 4th, Eloise 5th ,
Waveny Park
- 5th grade boys: Jackson 4th
- 6th grade boys: Asher 2nd
- 7th grade girls: Chipili 4th, Piper 5th
- 7th grade boys: James 3rd
- 8th grade boys: James 2nd
Congratulations to these individuals for placing in the top 5 and to the entire team for achieving personal best times!
Unquowa Cross Country Is Back!
Posted by Sarah Pollex
Our athletes know that best times are the ultimate prize. They are running against themselves and setting short-term and long-term goals to monitor their progress. On September 30, our Gators raced their first meet of the season at Penfield Beach. The tide was in but that didn’t discourage them! It only motivated our athletes to attack the course with more determination as they raced to the jetty and back again! We had a record number of runners place in the top five:
-Grade 5 girls: Dahlia 1st; Sierra 2nd
-Grade 5 boys: Oscar 1st; Jack 2nd
-Grade 6 girls: Emily 5th
-Grade 6 boys: Ryan 5th
-Grade 8 girls: Madison 3rd
-Grade 8 boys: Bryan 3rd
Congratulations to these individuals for placing in the top 5 and to the entire team for achieving personal best times!
6-8 Soccer Kicks the Season Off!
Posted by Lloyd Mitchell
6-8 Soccer trekked up to Ridgefield Academy for their first game of the 2021 season. Nerves were running and adrenaline was pumping as the squad stepped off the bus and onto the field to play against their first opponent of the season. The game seesawed back and forth for the entire first half ending with a just missed shot as the half ended by 8th grader Michael. At the end of the half, the score stood deadlocked at 0-0.
Second half proved to be another fierce half of soccer with both teams battling for possession and looking for that elusive first goal. In the final 5 minutes of the game, Ridgefield broke through our iron wall defense and tallied 3 goals in the final 5 minutes. While we didn’t come out on top, we are certainly proud of our showing in the first game in nearly 2 years! We look forward to getting back on the field for our next game! Go Gators!!!
