KIDS MARATHON SCHOOL TEAM JANUARY UPDATE

Hello Kids Marathon Friends,

As I sit down to write this update, our country is once again grieving the loss of innocent lives. We, as Oklahomans, know that pain all too well. Our state also knows the importance of teaching our children that the choices they make have a powerful impact on those around them.

As teachers, we want our students to enjoy a happy life full of joy and success. To help guide them, make January a time to focus their attention on setting goals for the upcoming year. This is also the perfect time to kick off your goal setting and training for the 2013 Oklahoma City Memorial Kids Marathon!

GOAL SETTING IN THE CLASSROOM

When discussing goals with your students, encourage them to set a goal that promotes a healthy mind, body, or character. Ask students to choose a personal and realistic goal and write a goal statement. Then, encourage them to brainstorm and write their plan using the following ideas:

  • How do I get started? What is the first thing I need to do?
  • What action steps do I need to take?
  • What are some important milestones along the way that show me I'm working toward my goal?
  • Who will support me and how? What will I need?
  • How will I feel when I reach my goal?
  • Have students draw a picture that shows them reaching their goal and how they will feel.
  • Use this picture as a visual reminder, hanging in the classroom or glued in their writer's notebook, so they can keep focused. Show your support by checking in on students periodically to see how they are progressing. Offer help when adjustments and redirections are needed and encourage them to write about their journey to reach their goal.
  • Use these same strategies to help kids set their training goals for this year's kids marathon as well.

January Focus: Kids Marathon Training Kickoff! Let's get registered and get running!

If you haven't already kicked off your training for this year's kids marathon, now is the time to do it! Make sure you do the following:

  1. Read the online resources on our webpage including: monthly school updates, team captain welcome packet, and important race day information. If you have any questions about any of these items or how the program works, please contact Shanda (kids@okcmarathon.com).
  2. Discuss the details of the run with your principal and get approval. Recruit other adults in the school to help you organize this event and begin planning how your school will handle the details.
  3. Contact Shanda and verify your status as a school captain. Please email your name, school name, and city. This applies to new and returning team captains. You will receive directions on how to set up your team. All returning team captains must create a new team from scratch using the above mentioned directions. You will need to create a new user name and password as well.
  4. Set up your team and decide how you want your participants to register. For more detailed information on this, please see the Team Captain Welcome Packet. ***Remember, the deadline for school team members to register is April 1st!
  5. If you decide that you, as the team captain, will be registering team members, please use the Team Captain Registration Form for team members found in the Team Captain Welcome Packet. Copy, distribute, and have students return it to you so that you have the information you need to register your team members.
  6. Send out a letter to your parents and school staff. A sample can be found in the welcome packet. Please edit this to fit your school's needs and include all of the information from our additional resources that you see fit.
  7. Have a kick off assembly to explain the program to your school and get them excited to train! Start logging those miles (this year's mile log is included in the welcome packet. Please copy and provide for your students). As a school, offer incentives for reaching training milestones and celebrate successes!
  8. Take a look at the Called2Change lesson plans (link provided on our page of the website) to plan how to teach your kids the lessons of April 19, 1995 so they know their reason for running.
  9. Visit OklahomaCityNationalMemorial.org for additional educational resources.
  10. After students are familiar with why they are running, have them submit an entry in our Poster Contest (link on the webpage).
  11. START REGISTERING AND RUNNING!!!

The hope of the Oklahoma City Memorial Kids Marathon team is that the children who train and run our race learn what a positive difference they can make in their own lives, in the lives of others, and in our world. I know that, despite the sadness and hurt in the world, I have a renewed faith in our future each year as I watch thousands of kids cross our finish line.

Shanda Bandi, MEd., NSCA-CPT
Kids Marathon School Coordinator
kids@okcmarathon.com