Physical Education & Activity
Our students learn better through movement and play! We encourage movement breaks and mindful movements across the district. PPSD recognizes that school may be the only safe place for free play and all elementary school students receive the benefits of at least 15 minutes of daily recess. As found in our policy, recess cannot be taken away as a form of discipline.=
Physical Health Education based on the standards of the RI Physical Education Framework is required for all K-12 students and promotes age-appropriate social and emotional competencies that contribute to academic success, reduces risk-taking, and supports safe, positive and affirming environments that are inclusive of all students. We believe in empowering our students to have available to them resources that support healthy relationships, as found in our Healthy Relationships Resource Guide.
This is the first clinical/claims-based statewide data set of childhood overweight and obesity in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, the Rhode Island Department of Health’s Center for Health Data and Analysis, the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute, the State Innovation Model, and three health insurance plans – Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, UnitedHealthcare, and Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island collaborated on a project to collect the most accurate childhood overweight and obesity data at the state and city/town level that could also be analyzed by race/ethnicity, age, gender, and insurance status.
Regular physical activity has been shown to improve strength and endurance, help control weight, and prevent chronic disease. It has also been shown to improve academic achievement, including grades and standardized test scores. Research also shows positive effects on the brain, including improved attention, processing, memory, and coping. Provides an overview of current practices and policies regarding physical activity in Rhode Island schools (including recess and physical education), and includes recommendations for promoting increased physical activity in schools.
While no single factor is driving the increased prevalence of obesity in the United States, increasing physical activity is one strategy that can be taken along with others to help prevent and reduce the burden of child and adolescent obesity. However, too few children and youth are physically active for the recommended 60 minutes per day. Rhode Island school personnel experience with the various components of comprehensive school physical activity programs, and provides recommendations for increasing physical activity in Rhode Island schools.