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Health & Physical Education

Health & Physical Education Department 

Edison Health & Physical Education- "Commit to Be Fit" 

We are a department on a mission to improve the quality of life for all students through health and physical literacy. Students will unlock their potential in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains through movement activities, competition, and fitness principles.  Skills-based health instruction will improve students' capacity to analyze resources, information, and services to improve decision-making/health outcomes. Together, we will develop a wellness plan to cultivate strength, resilience, and happiness. 

Health- This required course is scheduled for one quarter in grades 9, 11, and 12. Health includes the study of personal growth & development, pregnancy & parenting, personal safety, health conditions, diseases, medicines, substance abuse/addiction, community health services & support, emotional/social health, and interpersonal relationships.  Analyzing influences, goal setting, decision making, non-fiction reading comprehension, data interpretation, question creation, research, and communication are examples of some of the skill-based objectives over the cumulative high school health experience. 

Driver Education Theory - This quarter course is required of all grade 10 students. Instruction focuses on various aspects of driving including safety, the automobile, laws, liability, insurance, defensive driving techniques, and substance abuse as it pertains to motor vehicle operation. Upon completion of theory, students will be prepared for simulation and behind-the-wheel instruction.

Physical Education- This required course is scheduled for three quarters in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. Emphasis is placed on movement skills & concepts, physical fitness, lifelong fitness, and skills related to team and individual sports activities. Sportsmanship, teamwork, communication, self-reflection, self-awareness, and setting performance goals are additional skills practiced within an individual or team competition. Students will be encouraged to find activities within the community or utilize school resources to apply class concepts independently. 

Electives:

First Aid, Fitness,& Nutrition- (Semester Elective) 

The purpose of this elective course is to provide an opportunity for interested students to study First Aid, Fitness, and Nutrition in greater depth than what is possible in their required health education program. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of accident prevention as a facet of first aid and personal safety. Opportunity to acquire first aid knowledge beyond basic emergency procedures will be provided, as well as certification in Adult, Child, and Infant CPR, along with AED certification. Students will gain an understanding of the need and importance of physical fitness and how to develop, measure, and evaluate their own personal fitness program. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical fitness and nutrition, and the role of nutrition and its importance to fitness, health, disease prevention, impacts on body systems, and everyday functioning.

Contemporary Health Issues- (Semester Elective) Using current events and pertinent health topics, students will be examining issues that impact them individually in various wellness domains: Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Social, Occupational, Environmental, etc. These domains will be discussed in a skill-based setting, revolving around health content matter that is relevant.  Upon completing this course, students will become more confident in examining new information critically, embracing multiple viewpoints, and detecting/deflecting influences that don’t align with their wellness plans. Students will also increase their self-confidence in decision-making practices and goal setting while learning how their actions can have a broader positive impact; influencing their peers, local community, and beyond. Topics include, but are not limited to: wellness/stress management, substance abuse/use, environmental risks, disease risk mitigation, social dynamics, human sexuality, health careers, and consumer health.

All health, driver education, and physical education coursework are guided by the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Comprehensive Health & Physical Education.