Articles

Articles & Highlights

Here you’ll find articles on fitness, education, and academics, as well as school news highlights. Looking to catch up on school updates & announcements. View our Weekly School Newsletters.

Legislative Push to Fuel Minds Through Movement

 Legislative Push to Fuel Minds Through Movement 1024 683 FIT Academy

At FIT Academy, daily fitness classes boost academic performance, character development, and long-term student health. Since our founding in 2017, incorporating movement into daily learning has been a central feature of our curriculum.   Last week, a proposed Missouri bill (House Bill 2748) seeks to mandate 60 minutes of daily physical activity for all K-12…

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The Modern Student Needs Movement

 The Modern Student Needs Movement 1024 683 FIT Academy

Think about a student getting ready to walk into their school’s classroom today. What are they thinking about? What body language do you picture? The visual that comes to mind for me is a fifth-grade student, backpack on, getting stuck in the doorway, unable to fully enter the room. Why are they stuck? Their head, filled with…

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A Word about Academic Rigor at FIT Academy

 A Word about Academic Rigor at FIT Academy 150 150 FIT Academy

FIT Academy’s mission states that we believe students must have a healthy foundation to achieve academic excellence. Our mission is to provide a rigorous academic experience by offering a balanced approach to the mental, physical, and emotional development of our students. Some of you may wonder, “What exactly is academic rigor and how does it…

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Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension

 Rethinking How to Promote Reading Comprehension 1023 545 FIT Academy

It is February 2015, and I am at a national conference listening to a panel present the results of their research on improving reading comprehension. Several members of the panel, like myself and a few others in the room, are funded by the Institute of Education Sciences as part of the Reading for Understanding Initiative.…

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Student Chasing Other Student in Game

Why Kids Need to Move in School!

 Why Kids Need to Move in School! 1024 543 FIT Academy

A few years ago, when my girls were in the second and third grades, they raved about the dance breaks they would occasionally have during the school day. Their teachers would put on a video, which encouraged the kids to get up and dance, and then they’d get back to work. “What a brilliant idea,”…

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Children Running

Benefits of Learning Multiple Languages

 Benefits of Learning Multiple Languages 1024 384 FIT Academy

At FIT Academy, we introduce students to three world languages in the earlier grades and our goal is to provide opportunities for students to specialize in a chosen language through high school. You may wonder why so much language? Well, bedsides the social and educational benefits, learning multiple languages is proven to improve working memory…

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How Yellow Affects Your State of Mind

 How Yellow Affects Your State of Mind 269 187 FIT Academy

Ever heard that if you looked at the color yellow for too long, you might begin to feel anxious or irritated? Or that babies are more likely to cry in yellow rooms and a colleague sporting the color would be judged deeply? Or considered a coward? The rumors are out there, and have been for…

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Curious Students Learning

How Important is Teaching Literacy in All Content Areas?

 How Important is Teaching Literacy in All Content Areas? 460 345 FIT Academy

You are busy this summer planning and reworking lessons — adding, adjusting, and tweaking. Here’s something to think about, fast forward to fall: We know students do plenty of listening in our classes, but what about the other three communication skills they should be engaging in and practicing daily? Read Full Article at Edutopia

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Symbols in the Brain

Time for A Brain Break!

 Time for A Brain Break! 620 349 FIT Academy

Adolescence is a time of rapid change and growth. The brain undergoes major reorganization and bodies start to mature. Middle school students develop an awareness of and respect for other people’s points of view, feelings, and rights as their moral and ethical reasoning abilities increase. At the same time, the flood of hormones that intensifies…

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ASCD's Whole Child Model

FIT Academy to Consider Adopting ASCD’s Whole Child Model

 FIT Academy to Consider Adopting ASCD’s Whole Child Model 224 225 FIT Academy

At the regularly scheduled board meeting on December 14th, the FIT Academy board will consider adoption of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)’s Whole Child school model. For more information visit ASCD’s Whole Child Model.

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Symbols in the Brain

Energy and Calm: Brain Breaks and Focused-Attention Practices

 Energy and Calm: Brain Breaks and Focused-Attention Practices 620 349 FIT Academy

When presented with new material, standards, and complicated topics, we need to be focused and calm as we approach our assignments. We can use brain breaks and focused-attention practices to positively impact our emotional states and learning. They refocus our neural circuitry with either stimulating or quieting practices that generate increased activity in the prefrontal…

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Student Running Track

Can Running Make You Smarter?

 Can Running Make You Smarter? 1024 384 FIT Academy

To strengthen your mind, you may first want to exert your leg muscles, according to a sophisticated new experiment involving people, mice and monkeys. The study’s results suggest that long-term endurance exercise such as running can alter muscles in ways that then jump-start changes in the brain, helping to fortify learning and memory. Read Full…

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