As the school year continues to evolve, Macaroni Kid Pensacola chats with Alie Fowler of Panhandle Perfection Gymnastics. Check out the program they have envisioned as a possible alternative for parents! Details below:
Tell us a little bit about your vision/inspiration for creating this program?
Panhandle Perfection Gymnastics, Trampoline & Tumbling has been offering quality gymnastics instruction in Gulf Breeze for the past five years and is pretty in tune with the community and trying to find a way to meet community needs. Having been a teacher in the public school system and a homeschool parent, I personally know how teachers and parents are feeling right now with the uncertainty of COVID-19. In designing PPG Gym School, we want to provide some help in navigating these challenging times by offering a solution that is safer than the local brick and mortar schools and will offer guidance and assistance in the virtual schooling process. Parents have enough to worry about, PPG Gym School will take this worry of their plate.
Where will this be offered? What hours can parents have childcare coverage? What age groups are you accepting? Will you accept students from both Escambia & Santa Rosa counties?
PPG Gym School will be offered at our 7,000 square foot facility located in Gulf Breeze. We have more than enough space to accommodate several groups with social distancing. We hope to have classes of 10 children, grouped by grade level (1st-3rd, 4th-6th, and 7th-8th). The students will attend PPG Gym School from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 - noon on Fridays. PPG Gym School students will have the ability to add on gymnastics classes or after care activities, if parents need extended care.
Students will be accepted from both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, as long as they are enrolled in FLVS or Santa Rosa online for virtual schooling.
What kind of academic support can parents expect for their children? What kind of adult/children ratios should parents anticipate?
PPG Gym School students will be required to enroll in Florida Virtual School Flex (FLVS) or Santa Rosa Online. Having homeschooled my own children for the past five years, I'm quite familiar with these programs and able to provide support. I am a licensed Florida teacher and taught in Escambia for one year and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for 12 years prior to that. I absolutely love teaching and helping to inspire a love of learning in my students. PPG Gym School is a great opportunity to get to do that in a safe environment. My husband, Blain, also has administrative experience in an educational setting and is very knowledgeable about the homeschool programs. Both of us have been coaching all levels of gymnastics for years and are experienced with differentiating instruction, learning styles, and confidence building in an educational setting. The students will be grouped in classes of 10 maximum. The classes will rotate through the daily schedule and only join together if playing outside or on a field trip, etc. PPG Gym School has enough space (following CDC guidelines) to accommodate the needs of 30 students with the addition of another qualified teacher.
Can you walk us through a sample day?
Sample Schedule
8:30 a.m. - School Opens
8:45 a.m. - Morning announcements
8:45 - 10:45 a.m. - Core Class Work
10:45 - 11:45 a.m. - PE/Art/Music
11:45 - 12:45 p.m. - Lunch
12:30 - 1:00 p.m. -Literacy/Creative Writing/ Journaling
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. - Core Class Work / Tech Time
2:30 - 3:30 p.m. - STEAM / Games
3:30 p.m. - Dismissal
Give us a glimpse into your COVID-19 safety plans.
The students will be spaced 6 feet apart within the classroom to do their school work. For group projects/partner work, masks may be worn. The entire gym is sanitized several times per day, as are the classroom work areas. The students will also be using hand sanitizer / hand washing at regular intervals. Students will remain with their class group and rotate through the schedule without coming in contact with other groups, unless playing outside or on field trips.
Temperatures will be taken upon entry to gym school and policies are in place that if any child exhibits COVID-19 symptoms, they will be asked to stay home. PPG Gym School wants to keep all students and their families safe.
Where can parents get more information?
Pricing is available by emailing alie@panhandleperfection.com. The cost is extremely reasonable for small group sizes, experienced homeschool teachers, organized activities, and a unique full day experience in a safe environment.
Anything else you’d like our readers to know?
Panhandle Perfection Gymnastics also offers gymnastics and tumbling instruction, as well as competitive teams in Gulf Breeze and at Pensacola State College. Classes are available for all ages and ability levels. Visit panhandleperfection.com for more information about recreational gymnastics, competitive teams, birthday parties, field trips, open gyms, etc.
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