About Us ....

A Professional Service

The Manitoba Physical Education Teacher's Association is affiliated with  the Manitoba Teacher's Society as a special area group.  MPETA is an educational and professional organization which is dedicated to serve physical education in Manitoba Schools.

Vision
Active Kids...Healthy Future

Mission
MPETA exists to positively influence the lifestyles of Manitoba's children and youth through the provision of quality leadership, advocacy, and resources in the area of physical education.

Objectives

• To promote and advance the teaching of physical education in Manitoba schools;

• To protect the identity and importance of physical education in Manitoba schools and react to all matters affecting the image of physical education in Manitoba through The Manitoba Teachers' Society;

• To foster a closer personal and professional relationship among physical education teachers;

• To further in-service training of teachers of physical education at all levels of the school system;

• To disseminate information about current physical education developments;

• To promote continued and improved relationships with all affiliated agencies who are associated with physical education;

• To promote quality daily physical education.

Goal

• Every school provides a quality daily Physical Education program for every student, every year.

• Graduates from our schools are indeed "physically educated" in that they form a society which is known for its active lifestyle.

• All physical education programs are taught by qualified physical education specialists.

• School boards and the provincial government provide the necessary leadership and financial support to the physical education, intramural, and interscholastic programs.

“Two-thirds of Canadian school-aged children are not active enough for optimal development and they become more inactive as they get older.”
Source: The Progress of Canadian Children 2001, Canadian Council on Social Development.

Beliefs:
The Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba believes that:

• an effective physical education program contributes to the health and well-being of our children and youth;

• physical activity is an integral part of, but not solely limited to, a quality physical education program;

• every child in every grade has the right to a quality physical education experience;

• an effective physical education program should be taught by a qualified physical educator;promote positive attitudes and social responsibility; be equitable in all respects.

We believe that local school boards, school officials, and Department of Education have a responsibility to provide physical education leadership and appropriate support services to teachers in physical education as well as adequate facilities, resource supplies and equipment.

We also believe that regular physical activity provides positive effects on student performance and academic achievement in terms of memory, observation, problems-solving and decision-making, as well as significant improvements in attitudes, discipline, behaviours and creativity.

We further believe that health-enhancing physical activity is:

• physical movement performed at an amount and level of intensity that enhances health and well-being;

• integral to a quality physical education program as a requirement and valued outcome.

We believe that it is the responsibility of both schools and the community at large to promote and provide quality physical activity opportunities on a daily/regular basis that is separate from, but compliments, the delivery of the curricular physical education program.

Therefore:
It is first and foremost the position of the Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba that every child in every grade has the right to receive quality physical education instruction for a minimum of 150 minutes per week.

It is also the position of the Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba that schools and communities provide additional health-enhancing daily physical activities as recommended by Canada’s Physical Activity Guide for Children and Youth…i.e.: 90 minutes per day of which 30 minutes should be moderate to vigorous.

Recommendations:
The Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba advocates for the adoption of provincial legislation that will make daily physical education mandatory in all schools and all grades from Kindergarten to Senior 4. In doing so the Coalition recommends that the province’s Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth mandates that:

• every child in every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 8 receive quality physical education instruction for a minimum of 150 minutes per week;

• the graduation requirements for Senior 1 to Senior 4 include 4 compulsory credits of physical education.

The Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba also recommends that schools, school divisions and districts, recreation commissions and boards and community organizations collaborate to offer physical activity opportunities in school facilities before and after school and at noon hour; as well as outside the schools in community facilities during the day and evening.

Definition of Physical Education:

Physical education is

• a curriculum-based subject;

• a carefully planned program of instruction that incorporates physical activities and learning experiences that are developmentally appropriate and sequential;

• designed to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes that promote an active healthy lifestyle.