Written by Isis Stephanie Cerda, 2^nd Grade Teacher and the TaeKwondo Lead Teacher at UTES

I have mentioned before that one of the great things about being at a demonstration school is that we are encouraged as teachers to find solutions for needs as they come up.  It wasn’t too long after I joined UTES that I came across one.  I was attending a meeting for a student that was struggling academically in my class. The interventionists and school principal gave the parents a wide array of strategies to help this student along. Surprisingly, martial arts was one of them. I had always known that studies have shown the benefits of martial arts in terms of self-esteem  and self-discipline, but I was not aware of the research that supported the benefits that martial arts has on brain functioning. I found this extremely interesting and I got to doing my own research.

So, let me give you a quick course in bio 101 in layman’s terms:

“Cross training”

Most blocks, punches, and kicks cross the midline point of the body. Many times these movements are set opposite the body. So…What’s the big deal? Until recently we did not know that when you cross the midline you force your brain to rewire itself to compensate for the confusion in the movement.  Without going into too much detail, studies have shown that the part of the frontal lobe that controls the primary motor functions of the body must produce neurons and create new pathways to deal with the movement (wow!).  Long story short, the more you force your body to cross the midline plane, the more neural pathways your brain will create to handle the confusion of the movement. More pathways will translate to better defined movement, improved motor skill development and increased cognitive capacity. Essentially, it is fitness training for your brain!

Once I learned about how martial arts could help students not only with behavior but academically, I was sold. I was even more so, after talking to this particular student’s parents again.   Due to work schedulels and finances they had not been able to put their child in a martial arts program. I could definitely sympathize; it is even hard for me as a parent and teacher to get my own children to practices, events, rehearsals, etc. I knew there had to be an easier way.

The initial legwork for me began this summer. Our affiliation with UT, a friendly connection with its Taekwondo Team,  and a presentation at their spring banquet  by yours truly set the wheels in motion. This fall, Kick 4 Kids debuted a weekly low-cost after school taekwondo program set here conveniently at our school.  This year we started off with 20 students from across all grade levels and we hope to continue to expand.   The feedback from teachers, parents and kids has been overwhelmingly positive.   Just another way UTES forms community partnerships for the good of our students… and from the looks on those little faces-it’s been so worth it.

A Special Thank You to the University of Texas TaeKwondo Team

To Learn more about UT TaeKwondo Visit them by clicking the links below
UT TaeKwondo’s Website

http://www.facebook.com/TexasTaekwondo

The LiL Longhorn 5k was a huge success. We had over 260 participants and even more who watched and enjoyed fun games put on by UT Kinesiology students and Active Life.

I, Bob “Coach K” Knipe, experienced goose bumps from the starting line and especially at the finish. Watching our LiL Longhorns complete this run with big smiles on their faces and fists punching into the air would have been enough to make all the time, talent and resources that were put into this event worth it, but to see them also with their families, dogs, neighbors, classmates, and some times babies sisters and brothers in carriages sets this 5k apart of any other event our students can participate in.

The LiL Longhorn 5K gives children a chance to run a 5k in community shows students that the school community that they are a part of values a healthy and active lifestyle first hand. With their teacher running along side them our families realize that we all want the same thing for the children in our community. We want these children to have the experiences and knowledge to live a healthy and active life now and into their future. Some of our students will remember back to their finishers medal and maybe for some of them their time for years to come, but more importantly all of them will carry with them the feeling they felt on that day. Excitement, community, playfulness, and a feeling of WE can! Together with events like the LiL Longhorn 5k schools have an opportunity to provide first hand experiences to students and their families that can touch their lives in unpredictable and some times profound ways.

Running any 5k, 10k, or marathon is powerful.
Done for a reason exponentially even greater.
Achieved in community! Priceless

To see video on our LiL Longhorn 5K Click HERE

To watch the video or read the full article please visit FOX 7 http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/good_day/Physical-Activity-Boosts-Academic-Success-20111114-ktbcw#axzz1dw8V15Sz

The University of Texas Elementary School (UTES) is taking registrations for the Lil Longhorn 5K to be held Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. at Festival Beach Park.

Interested walkers or runners may register at http://lillonghorn5k.eventbrite.com/. The entry fee is $20 for an individual, $30 for a couple or pair, and $40 per family. The annual fun run is an extension of the school’s Healthy Families Initiative, which provides opportunities to explore the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

According to Coach Bob Knipe, coordinator of the initiative, “The Healthy Families Initiative also ties in with the school’s mission to serve as a demonstration school for the East Austin community and beyond. This really is an East Austin community event.”

Former UTES parent Janie Flores-Castillo explained, “The Lil Longhorn 5K is a creative way to get our students focused on health and fitness. The event invites the entire family to participate in a fun and invigorating activity. Many of our students have never participated in an event like this and it takes dedication and motivation to complete the course.”

Sponsors for this year’s run include Walmart, RunTex and the West Austin Youth Association (WAYA). All proceeds go to support the Healthy Families Initiative. For more information, contact rknipe@austin.utexas.edu.

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Visit lil longhorn on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=210695132326989

Melissa Chavez, our Executive Director and Principal, writes about our school involvement in the Healthy Families Initiative for the June issue of Leader of Learners.

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http://issuu.com/texas_ascd/docs/lol_6_11?vie…

Click here to view Video

White House Chef Cooks with Austin Students

Click Here or the picture to the right to view video

By Addie Broyles | Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 06:00 PM The Statesman

Bill Yosses, executive pastry chef at the White House who has earned the nicknamed “the Crustmaster” from the president, says it’s still cool enough in D.C. to be harvesting broccoli, kohlrabi, Swiss chard and kale and that he’s particularly excited about the blueberries, blackberries and raspberries that are ripening on bushes on the White House grounds.

“We’ve also had a bumper crop of rhubarb this year,” he said today after helping University of Texas Elementary School students harvest the last of their spring crop. (You know what that means: Rhubarb crisp for the first family. )

Yosses was in Austin for a Chefs Move to Schools event at UT Elementary, where he helped harvest the last of the students’ spring crop earlier today.

The school has 20 4-foot-by-8-foot raised garden beds in the back of the school property and is one of hundreds of U.S. schools participating in Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move to Schools program, which pairs up schools with chefs to help students learn cooking skills and healthy eating habits.

“The things you are learning in the garden and the memories you are making are so huge, so important,” Yosses told a group of about 20 students at an event that was also part of the International Association of Culinary Professionals’ annual conference. (He later spoke at a rally at the capitol with Food Network star Ellie Krieger.)

After telling the students about his own recent vegetable discovery — carrot lemonade — Yosses asked the kids what they liked from the garden that they hadn’t tried before. “Sorrel,” one student said. “It tastes like lemon lime soda.” Yosses laughed. “I think I was 30 before I tried sorrel,” he replied.

Yosses, dressed in a light gray suit, led the students outside so they could harvest vegetables to take to Whole Foods Market’s Lamar Culinary Center, where they later cooked and served several dishes to their parents and IACP attendees who were tagging along.

Throughout the year, teachers at UT Elementary incorporate the school’s garden in the curriculum for all 260 students, but about 20 of them participate in an after-school program called WellNest, which gives them additional lessons in physical education, nutrition and cooking.

Bob Knipe, who coordinates the program, says it gives students and their families a boost to help put the wellness lessons to use, and it’s working for students like third-grader Felix Sanchez, who has lost 12 pounds in the past year.

With Sanchez (above, cooking at Whole Foods) picking cabbage out of earshot, his mom, Suzanne, said that he first realized he’d dropped a few pounds when his underwear stopping fitting him right.

“Our whole family has a history of diabetes and high blood pressure,” she said. “Growing up, we ate enough, but not the right foods.” Suzanne Sanchez says her son finally realizes what he needs to do to prevent that from happening to him.

More links to related stories:

Pictures http://www.flickr.com/photos/whatscooking/sets/72157626884749270/

http://lightheartedlocavore.blogspot.com/2011/06/white-chef-visits-texas-classroom-with.html

http://www.statesman.com/life/gardening/white-house-pastry-chef-helps-students-in-east-1517628.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage

http://galleries.statesman.com/gallery/ut-elementary-garden-060411/#172902

http://www.utexas.edu/know/2011/06/10/wh_chef/

See this back story from November 2010:

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/good_day/UT-Reporter:-UT-Elementary-Gets-Healthy-20101116-ktbcgd

http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared…

University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) has presented a generous donation of $10,000 to The University of Texas Elementary School’s Healthy Families Initiative (HFI) on Monday, May 23, at 10 a.m. in the school gardens.

Rhonda Summerbell, senior manager of University Relations, said, “UFCU has seen the benefits of the Healthy Families Initiative on students and their families over the years. We are proud to support this model program, and to extend its message by making our own summer wellness program available to students.”

The program, which includes an eight-week activity booklet focusing on physical fitness and nutrition, will kick-off on June 11 with UFCU’s Youth FitFest Day at participating UFCU branches. Students who complete the summer program can participate in a culminating event at UFCU Disch-Falk Field that will include prizes.

UFCU, a longtime supporter of UT Elementary School, chose to give to the Healthy Families Initiative due to the current national concern on childhood obesity rates and the initiative’s proven track record. HFI is credited with reducing the prevalence of overweight and obese students at the school. It offers students a coordinated approach to building and implementing healthy habits into the student’s daily activities. For instance, students engage with a physical education instructor several days a week and are encouraged to participate in several school-wide annual events. The school also hosts several after-school programs, including WellNest, which promotes physical and nutritional wellness.

Robert Knipe, the school’s physical education teacher, is glad that HFI continues to receive such wonderful support from the community.
“Anyone who sees our students’ excitement about eating a vegetable salad that they personally helped grow in the school gardens or sees our kids training for a big event like our annual 5k run, can’t help but get excited along with them,” said Knipe. “It becomes very apparent that these lessons are making deep impressions in how our students are going to live the rest of the lives.”

UT Elementary School, located at 2201 E. 6^th Street, is operated by the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. It serves 260 pre-kindergarten to fifth-grade students in East Austin. For more information about UT Elementary School and its Healthy Families Initiative, visit www.utelementary.org.

With more than $1.3 billion in assets, UFCU is Austin’s largest locally-owned financial institution and serves over 150,000 members in the Austin and Galveston areas.  For more information on UFCU’s products and services, visit www.ufcu.org.

Fifth graders at the University of Texas Elementary School will receive a new pair of athletic shoes for the third straight year from RunTex, the nation’s largest store devoted to running, on Friday, May 20 at 2:30 p.m. at the school.

Paul Carrozza, RunTex owner, is making the shoe donation and sponsoring a group of students involved in Born to Run, an after-school program, to participate in the Congress Avenue Mile on May 21.

At UT Elementary School students are taught the importance of participating regularly in physical activity as a way to keep fit and build a strong foundation focused on the benefits of exercise. Students engage with a physical education instructor several days a week, participate in an annual school-wide track and field day, a 5K fun run that gets their families involved and after-school programs that emphasize physical activity performance like the WellNest and Born to Run.

Born to Run matches students with coaches and athletes from The University of Texas at Austin to train every Friday afternoon. As a goal, students are encouraged to run in a race like the Congress Avenue Mile.

The shoe donation comes before the scheduled run and will recognize the students’ hard work and commitment to the program.

“Running is something I am passionate about, and I see that passion sparked in the students at UT Elementary School,” said Carrozza. “When students set out to train over a period of several months they see the work it takes to improve one’s running time and get better results, and that transfers to other parts of their lives and makes them want to try harder and go farther.”

UT Elementary donates to save lives Fifteen staff at The University of Texas Elementary School boarded The Blood Center of Central Texas’ van in the school parking lot last Friday to give blood, and set a positive example for their students that giving back to one’s community benefits the giver as well as the receiver. The blood drive was organized by Mia Tannous, third-grade teacher, who got the idea after visiting the Red Cross Web site and noting that the organization was in high need of blood donations. Tannous contacted The Blood Center of Central Texas to set up a drive and started to recruit volunteer donors. “This project just proves how much we are givers, not just to our students but to our community,” said Tannous. “We are committed to community engagement.” Tannous’ community service project actually began in January when she enlisted her own class to participate in a collection drive to assist the Red Cross’ efforts to provide relief to several North American states and other countries, including Brazil and Australia that had been severely impacted by major floods last fall and winter. The students learned about the regions where the floods occurred and visited every classroom at the school for two weeks to collect change. The result totaled $190. Tannous is hoping that the Red Cross will write back to the students to extend the project. Meanwhile she may not have to look far for volunteer participation in a future blood drive. Emily Work, UT Elementary School administrative associate said, “I feel good donating my blood for a good cause. I am very thankful to help and would definitely do it again.”