At Alice Birney, we save competitive sports until grade 4 (soccer, basketball, baseball, etc.). We believe this is healthy because it allows children to stay in the world of imagination and practice skills using their whole body before the confines of rules, teams, and scores. After grade 4, children are more developmentally ready to play competitive games when referees/umpires are not present and they must self-regulate. Playground rules are followed for all games.
District Team Sports
Competitive team sports are played in middle school, grades 7 and 8. Students must be able to manage the demands of an extra-curricular activity while maintaining all of their class work. This will be monitored by having students take the responsibility to complete classwork, have positive behavior, and complete expected responsibilities. The teacher or parent may communicate with the coach if a student is not meeting the expectations and should not participate.
