EDUCATION MATTERS—SANFORD SCHOOL'S PRIVATE SCHOOL BLOG

Learn more about current school issues and trends from Sanford School’s educational experts.  Sanford’s blog is sure to help you navigate your child’s educational journey.

5 Tips To Tackle The High School Sports Preseason

Posted by Caitlin Brooks on August 13, 2021 at 12:00 PM

The air is heavy, the sun is beating down, and there is no reprieve from the heat. This can only mean one thing: preseason is upon us. Preseason is an exciting time in many athletes' lives. It is the time where the foundation of the season begins. You get to see your beloved teammates, coaches and compete at the thing you love most. For some, preseason may bring a bit of anxiety and fear. What are ways that you can enter this time with confidence and joy in your heart, you ask? Try the following tips listed below.

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Topics: Athletics, Parenting Tips

Bringing Our "A" Game to High School Sports During a Pandemic

Posted by Caitlin Brooks on March 26, 2021 at 10:00 AM

Offering high school sports during a pandemic is challenging.  However, because athletic programs and participation are beneficial for students, many schools have taken steps to safely and effectively offer sports even in the midst of  COVID-19. Here are a few strategies that our coaches and administrators have developed and implemented to safely play sports in a pandemic.

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Topics: Athletics, Health & Wellness

Strength Training Success for Student-Athletes

Posted by Jamie Clark on October 18, 2019 at 12:00 PM

Strength is the ability to produce force against an external resistance. Speed, balance, agility, muscular endurance, and power are all functions of an athlete’s ability to produce force (Wolf 2012). Training to become stronger provides the best “bang for the buck” when preparing for an athletic season.

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Topics: Athletics, Health & Wellness

Move It!: A Beginner’s Guide to Physical Literacy

Posted by Shannon Helmecki on September 21, 2018 at 12:30 PM

When you hear the word “literacy” you probably think reading and writing, but did you know that there’s also physical literacy? Project Play gives this definition: "Physical literacy is the ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life.”

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Topics: Education, Athletics, Health & Wellness, Parenting Tips

How To Prevent Student-Athlete Injuries During Sports

Posted by Authored collaboratively by Troby Roosevelt & Staci Krape on March 23, 2018 at 4:47 PM

Schools provide opportunities for all students to participate in interscholastic, competitive athletics throughout the school year. The start of a new sports season is an exciting time, as our player's transition from one sport to another. With all of this excitement and the abrupt downtime of a break, early season injuries can be very common. However, by pacing one’s self and properly preparing the body, any athlete can take the initiative to ensure that they will start their season on the right foot.

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Topics: Athletics, Health & Wellness, Parenting Tips

Why are Sports Important to Your Middle School Student?

Posted by Shannon Helmecki on April 26, 2017 at 6:44 PM


Over the last twenty years working with Middle School athletes, I have learned the value of keeping kids active and instilling the importance of lifetime sports at a young age. Often, the lessons learned off the field are greater than the skills and strategies of the game. Many times, these life lessons are so much more impactful than just reaping the benefits of exercise .

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Topics: Athletics, Health & Wellness

Modeling Good Sportsmanship – Everyone is a Teacher!

Posted by Joan Samonisky on May 10, 2016 at 3:00 PM

Too many times, headlines revolve around negative behavior taking place at sporting events involving coaches, players, parents or spectators. As a lifelong athlete and career educator in the field of physical education and athletics, my experiences in sports as a participant, teacher, coach, and athletic director have been many and varied. I have experienced, and witnessed, winning and losing at all levels. 

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Topics: Athletics, Community

It’s a Hard-Knock Life: Taking Concussions Seriously

Posted by Staci Krape, MEd, ATC, and Lauren Ziady, PhD on March 15, 2016 at 3:00 PM

From the big screen, to NFL fields, to high school gymnasiums across the country, the buzz about concussions is getting louder. Just as our awareness is increasing, our tools for evaluation are improving. So is our understanding of why it’s important to give students the time they need to fully recover. Their futures depend on it!

Concussion rates represent a high proportion of all injuries sustained by athletes. In the United States, an estimated 3.8 million concussions occur each year as a result of sport and physical activity.

Schools, parents, and physicians want to work together to keep students safe while they play hard and have fun. That’s why there is greater emphasis on information and prevention, knowing each student’s baseline, and responding swiftly and cautiously when concussions occur. Here are some best practices to consider.

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Topics: Athletics, Health & Wellness

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Posted by Shannon Helmecki on February 23, 2016 at 3:00 PM

Research shows that students perform better in school when they are physically and emotionally healthy. 

That’s why the national organization SHAPE America (Society for Health and Physical Educators) believes in educating the whole child. Their main focus is on children’s physical development and athletic skills, integrating these things into a well-rounded school day that offers kids opportunities to be active.

Physical education classes and participation on sports teams both provide knowledge and experience in different activities and address the social aspects of children's development. Recess, too, offers important opportunities for kids to be active, solve problems, and build skills, friendships, independence, and confidence. Physical activity also contributes to a greater sense of well-being, which has far-reaching benefits of its own.

It is essential to keep kids moving inside the classroom, as well. Studies have shown that information is solidified in the brain when the body moves. Why? Because exercise fuels the brain with oxygen, which helps make connections with the learned material. So next time your child needs to study for a test, maybe suggest that they get up and work out some dance moves while reviewing the material.

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Topics: Athletics, Health & Wellness