Page 4 - SN February - Grade 1

PE

MS. MARIJA DIMITROV

Dear Parents,
Our first grade students started their new year with a unit in
gymnastics.
We stressed the importance of being safe while performing
gymnastic elements, which students took very seriously. They
realized that they can contribute to a safe environment by
putting safety mats on the floor before practicing and through
assisting their partners by checking on their position.
At the beginning of the unit we reviewed the elements that
we worked on last year, such as the “bridge”, the “candle”
and the “bracelet” position, as well as the forward and backward roll.
Apart from improving their skills through the performance of rolls over mats and stances, the stu-
dents faced new challenges, such as linking two rolls in a row, keeping their balance in various poses,
while using different body parts on mats and on the balance beam.
We practiced keeping our body still in a tripod pose (where hands and forehead form a triangle on the
mat and balance is maintained and while knees are on elbows). Then we practiced a headstand pose,
with hands and forehead forming the same position while legs are stretched upwards, above the head.
We also worked on the handstand with the same positioning of our upper body and legs but placing
only our hands on a mat.
Although some students had doubts and worries at the beginning, they were risk-takers and commit-
ted themselves to overcoming them. We can proudly announce that a great majority of first graders
are able to see the world up-side-down now, while keeping their body still in those stands.