Lauren Superintendent Letter

Dear Superintendent,

I am writing this letter to request funds for the expansion of the new dance program I wish to incorporate at our school district. Physical Education is heading in a new direction, especially when it comes to technology and fitness. The amount of physical activity that children are getting has been decreasing dramatically over the years due to the amount of technology our country is now exposed to.
According to the YMC Longitudinal Survey, 61.5% of children from ages 9-13 do not participate in any physical activity outside of school. Dancing is a great lifelong activity that is fun and can also bring people together in a positive, social way. One very popular form of dance during this era is hip-hop. Hip hop dance is an upbeat sort of dance comprised of many basic foot maneuvers, To get kids introduced to hip-hop dance there is a great program that will make the coordinated in basic dance steps while also getting massive amounts of physical activity! Exercising while playing video games (exergaming) is a great way to incorporate today’s technology with the physical activity that children should be getting inside and outside of school. Not only does exergaming improve physical health, but it also improves mental health along with social interaction that will be beneficial for a lifetime. One of the up and coming exergames that is very popular is called iDance. Idance, part of the Positive Gaming series, is similar to the program Dance Dance Revolution, but is more in tune with fitness by recording heart rates, step counts, gives instantaneous feedback, and can accommodate up to 32 students at a time! As well as being able to incorporate this positive gaming sysytem into our curriculum, it would be very beneficial to set up an after school program for students to get an extra opportunity to participate in this great activity.
With this said, the iDance program coordinators can be set up to visit our school at any time to show the program in detail. I have been in contact with the physical educators of our neighboring districts and they are also interested in purchasing this game, which can be a benefit due to it’s cost. I am in the process of setting up a fundraising committee while brainstorming ideas to get this great system into our district. Along with this program, I am a Certified iDance Exergame Trainer, which allows me to help train other employees as well as run the program. Thank you for your time and if you have any questions you can contact me at needphysed@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Lauren Tinger