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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2017)
Page 6 August 30, 2017 Movement Zones for Better Learning Rosa Parks students benefit web page: www.sunlanlighting.com E-mail: lightlady@transport.com 3901 N. Mississippi Ave. • Portland, OR 97227 503.281.0453 Fax 503.281.3408 C annon ’ s r ib e xPress 5410 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, Or Call to Order: 503-288-3836 Open (hours) Sun-Thurs: 11a-8p Fri-Sat: 11a- 9p Cannon’s, tasty food and friendly neighborhood atmosphere. Fourth grader Day’Anah is stressed over a new teacher and sometimes doesn’t want to come to school. When she does come to class, “sometimes I get bored and need movement to wake up.” Day’Anah’s recognition that physical activity plays a role in academics has fueled her interest in the Rose Parks Elementary Learning Center’s new movement zone, devel- oped by The Shadow Project, a non-profit serving Portland Public Schools. “Many of my students like Day’Anah are starting to gauge what they are feeling, and they know what they need to do to calm down and focus, so they can get back to class,” says Rosa Parks Learning Center Teacher Kim Giarelli. Kids need regular movement to be successful in school. In addition to the health benefits of physical activity, movement breaks can help students reg- ulate their behavior, and they are then better able to engage in class and retain information. In Ms. Giarelli’s room, stu- dents in grades four and five now have access to a station- ary bike, a fit board, a trampo- line, and a crash pad for timed breaks. “The bike is my favorite,” says Day’Anah. “It helps me to concentrate at school.” In another learning center classroom, students in kin- dergarten through third grade Physical activity breaks up the day and helps Day’Anah keep her focus at Rosa Parks Elementary’s new Movement Zone, a literacy space developed by The Shadow Project, a non- profit serving Portland Public Schools. utilize a weighted lap pad, bal- ance beam, trampoline, crash pad, tunnel for crawling, and squishy balls for shooting in- door hoops. “The movement breaks are helping,” says Ms. Giarelli. “I see the kids really exerting themselves to improve, not just going through the motions. We are already seeing the bene- fits.”