Things are moving at Bonham Elementary
All kids love to play. At Bonham Elementary, we take pride in our physical education program. Joy Beckett, a 30-year veteran of AISD, prepares and leads a structured, inventive, and fun PE class for the diverse population of Bonham Elementary. She does not do this alone. She has an excellent assistant, Diana Esquivel, who has been at Bonham for 17 years.
Bonham is home to special district programs. The ADAPT classes, which consist of medically fragile students, and the transitioning behavior classes all have a place in Bonham’s PE program. Susan Ogle, a Special Education PE teacher, comes to Bonham to work with the behavior classes. Ms. Beckett and Mrs. Esquivel work hard to incorporate all students and assist Ms. Ogle in anything she needs. During general education PE classes, Ms. Beckett incorporates the ADAPT classes. She modifies the activities so that all can participate. This gives the general education students at Bonham the opportunity to interact and play with students who learn very differently.
Ms. Beckett, Mrs. Esquivel, and others plan and organize school wide and community events each year. This year we had a community Treat Trot incorporating trick or treating with physical activity. Parents and children walked a mile loop through the Bonham neighborhood stopping at teacher led stations for treats and games.
To involve the entire 5th grade class, Ms. Beckett and Mrs. Esquivel organized a kickball tournament during PE. The overall class winner of the tournament had the opportunity to play the faculty while the entire school watched. This was a fun way to incorporate cooperation, teamwork, physical education, and healthy competition while having a fun afternoon in May.
The last week of school, Ms. Beckett and Mrs. Esquivel have planned a field day full of fun activities for all grade levels. They split the grades into groups and spend two and half hours with each group playing competitive exciting and fun relays and games. They work hard to get parent volunteers for each group and every year it is a highlight of May. They make it a priority to incorporate activities into field day that all students can participate in. The staff works hard to ensure that every student at Bonham gets a chance to participate in field day.
Bonham’s physical education program is an important piece of every students education. We are so thankful for all of the hard work and dedication Ms. Beckett and Mrs. Esquivel show to Bonham Elementary.
