Welcome

Welcome to 7th Grade Wellness!

I want to take a couple of moments to introduce myself and the program here at Harmon Middle School.

My name is Miss Kurtz and I have been teaching at Harmon for three years. In that time, I have coached Soccer, Basketball, and Softball for the district. I am also involved with 7th grade Student Council. I am a very active person - trying to "practice what I preach" - so to speak. I play in an adult Lacrosse league and also participated in my first triatholon in the summer of 2008.

At Harmon Middle School, our goal is to help to develop your child completely - including academically, socially, and physically. As a department, we work together to give students a variety of opportunities for activity and also to make decisions that are in their best interest. In saying this, I also introduce our schedule. We rotate days - one Health, the next P.E. At times, does this become confusing? Yes, even for us, but we feel that 18 weeks of P.E. every other day is better than 9 weeks of P.E. everyday - it increases their exposure to movement and activity. In order to prevent confusion, a hard copy of the schedule is passed out to your student at the beginning of the semester. One is also available online - go to the Aurora Schools website and click on Harmon - and also in the office.

In Health class, we focus on making healthy decisions - doing a lot of hands on activities and practicing our ability to access QUALITY information. We cover the topics of alcohol, personal nutrition and eating habits, eating disorders, sexual harassment, and puberty, growth and development.

I will TRY and update the blog on a regular basis - letting you know of upcoming topics and assessments. It will also be used - from time to time - as a place for students to have discussions on health-related topics of my choosing. Please note that ALL students will sign a contract and are responsible for the content of their posts. Inappropriate use of blogs will result in appropriate consequences including, but not limited to - detention, suspension of computer privelages, and office referrals. If you find something posted that is inappropriate - please notify me IMMEDIATELY - your support and help is greatly appreciated!

At any time, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me personally at jkurtz@aurora-schools.org or leave me a message at 330.954.2235. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS BLOG AS A PLACE TO HAVE A PERSONAL DISCUSSION! It is not private and I do not check it daily.

I am looking forward to getting to know you and enjoying a great and healthy semester!