Cloudy skies, sunny friends!

Wow, it’s already autumn! We’ve been super busy here at Move2Learn, crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s for Alexandria public school students. Some efforts are behind the scenes and others are on full display! We–

  • Finished delivering all of our Active Seating Packages;
  • Continue to get our Outside the Classroom programs up and running;
  • Created 10 short and fun videos to help our teachers get their students moving during class;
  • Developed an additional five lessons for our Social, Emotional and Academic Learning work, for a total of 10;
  • Worked with an amazing outside team on a new way of measuring our programs to make sure we’re having the biggest impact for the most students; and
  • Had a ton of fun at the Run! Geek! Run! 5K and 1-Mile Fun! Run! on behalf of Move2Learn. Check out our reel on Instagram!

The energy at the event was incredible—despite the drizzle and gray clouds, the community sunshine was bright and warm! A huge thanks to our friends at Run! Geek! Run! and their corporate host, Ironistic.

Two of our longtime supporters joined in the festivities, making things even brighter! The LizLuke Team sponsored the Eugene bobbleheads, the “trophies” of the event, and Rosemont Landscaping and Lawncare sponsored the RGR first-ever 1-Mile Fun! Run!

RGR Race Director Rita Foss (l) here with M2L’s President and CEO Brooke Sydnor Curran, worked tirelessly with her team to put on a truly spectacular event.
John Adams ES teacher and M2L Movement Mentor takes a break with her family. Note 1: She and son Cole are sitting on M2L accordion stools. Note 2: Cole came in 3rd in the 1-Mile Fun! Run!
These race participants were at the starting line waiting for the signal to go!
L to r: Move2Learn’s Jen, Danielle and Brooke hang with good friend and M2L sponsor Sean Sutherland, owner of Rosemont Landscaping and Lawncare.

Run! Geek! Run! 5k and 1-mile Fun Run/Walk

Get ready for the RUN! GEEK! RUN! race, coming up on September 24 right here in Alexandria. The race benefits a different Alexandria-based nonprofit each year. This year — its 16th race — benefits Move2Learn and Alexandria public school students! An in-person event, the race will be held at 1005 Mt. Vernon Ave. in Alexandria on a USATF certified, flat and fast course. REGISTER TODAY!

For extra fun, sign up for Team Eugene, RGR’s awesome mascot! Eugene is recruiting all geeks and runners of all skill levels to run for him to support our amazing cause. Heck, the top 5 finishers for Team Eugene could lead the team to a Community Team award! The annual charity is truly a community event that’s hosted by Ironistic, an Alexandria small business, and supported by local schools and organizations. Since 2016, RGR has raised $140,500!

M2L, friends deliver active seating packages to ACPS

When we were expecting our order of 290 Move2Learn accordion stools, our awesome friends over at Tech Painting Co. transformed their warehouse into a staging area for the drop off and pick up/delivery of them.

M2L’s Brooke Sydnor Curran with Tech Painting’s Monica Santillan.
Brooke with Tech Painting’s Armando Herbas

Then our awesome friends at Rosemont Landscaping & Lawncare supplied us with their truck, a driver and many helping hands to deliver the stools and the rest of our Move2Learn Active Seating Packages—balance ball chairs, wobble cushions, under desk pedals, desk bikes and fidget bands— to 16 Alexandria public schools and Chance For Change Academy. That’s 71 classrooms and about 1,775 students!

Sean Sutherland, owner of Rosemont Landscaping and Lawncare.
Rosemont helps unload and deliver active seating to Lyles Crouch Traditional Academy.

Just in time for the start of school! Teachers are so excited to unpack their classrooms; here’s what one teacher had to say:

“Thank you for helping make our classroom that much more welcoming, comfortable and accessible for my students. So many will benefit from the active seating!”

Run! Geek! Run! mascot Eugene peeks out to remind everyone about RGR’s 5K fun run 9/24 on behalf of M2L and ACPS kids!
Brooke and Jen delivering boxes to Charles Barrett ES.

We’re so grateful for the support from Tech Painting and Rosemont Landscaping—we’d have been hard pressed to pull this off without them!

We’re also grateful to our generous donors who make our programming possible—so our students can feel and learn their best. Donors like The LizLuke Team, Mason Hirst Foundation, Bruhn Morris Foundation, Mclaughlin Ryder, Core Wellness, The UPS Store Alexandria, Adrien Cotton, Janet Lewis,–and you!

The science behind active seating: it allows students (all of us, really!) to move their bodies with purpose, which in turn increases oxygen and blood flow to the brain, keeping it more focused and alert. Simple yet revolutionary.

Meet Arturo, our newest family member

Just in time for the new school year, we couldn’t be more excited to introduce the newest Move2Learn family member, Arturo Yaggia! As our project manager, Arturo works with the whole team—in particular Jen Wiser, our director of programs—to expand movement opportunities within Alexandria public schools in the areas of Move2Learn’s Social, Emotional and Academic Learning lessons, Active Seating Packages and Out of School Programs.

His primary role is bringing a holistic, wellness experience to Hispanic youth and their families in collaboration with community partners, including Alexandria City Public Schools, INOVA Healthy Plate, Neighborhood Health, Casa Chirilagua and Mind the Mat. We bring the movement, and our partners offer education in healthy eating, hygiene and mindfulness. We’re super excited to have Arturo lead this effort! 

Arturo was drawn to the role, he said, because Move2Learn’s vision and mission resonates deeply with him.  He’s excited to participate in creating a positive impact on students’ lives and is thrilled to be able to contribute to a transformative educational experience for all students!

Arturo comes equipped with the passion, drive and energy that have quickly made him an integral part of the M2L team. He has an MBA and law degree and is trained for Mental Health First Aid, a program administered by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing that prepares people to recognize the signs of—and respond to—mental health challenges. 

He brings a fresh, new perspective to our work and invaluable experience working with the Hispanic immigrant community. He’s a native Spanish speaker and is fully proficient in English. 

In other words, he’s perfect for his role as project manager! Please join us in welcoming Arturo!

July goings-on at Move2Learn

I hope you’re enjoying your summer and finding a little downtime for some R&R and relief from the heat. Here at Move2Learn, we’ve been in planning mode for the 2023-24 school year. Like what, you might ask? Well–

  • We ordered our Active Seating Packages that we’ll be delivering to Alexandria public school classrooms in August. 
  • We’re finalizing our Social, Emotional and Academic Learning lessons, including five new ones, along with associated activities and videos. 
  • And…we brought on a new team member, Arturo Yaggia! Arturo will coordinate our holistic Out Of School Time program, primarily for Hispanic youth at George Washington Middle School, in collaboration with ACPS and other local partners. 

Another highlight for us was the National Landing 5K Your Way “race” earlier this month. It was organized by our friends over at the American Physical Therapy Association here in Alexandria on behalf of Move2Learn and ACPS students. Here are some photos from the event!

A huge thanks to APTA as well as event sponsors Brooks Running and Health Professionals Service Organization for making great things happen!

Next, we’re gearing up for another 5K/1 mile fun run September 24—the annual RUN! GEEK! RUN! charity run/walk race, hosted by Ironistic, a small local business. It’s truly a community event supported by local schools and organizations and benefiting a different locally based non-profit each year. This year it’s MOVE2LEARN on behalf of our students!

Register today — it’s never too early!

Hope you’re staying cool, and thanks for caring about our students.☺️

Summertime Update

Meet Eduin, Samuel Tucker Elementary School 1st grader, and his teacher, Ms. Grossman. Eduin uses the MOVE2LEARN under-desk pedals that give him the freedom to move at his desk, helping him stay on task and get the blood flowing to learn his best!

His smart teacher says: “My students have shown much better focus when given the opportunity to move during lessons!”

Helping our students like Eduin feel and learn their best through movement is what we do all year long. Our programming revolves around the all-important mind-body connection—whether in or out of the classroom—to prime students’ brains for learning.

Read on for our mid-year/summer update!

The 2022-23 School Year

  • Outfitted 48 classrooms with Move2Learn Active Seating Packages, benefitting 1,200 students K-12.
  • Launched 14 Move2Learn Out of School Time Programs—like running, yoga and dance—free to students K-12.
  • Developed 5 Move2Learn social and emotional lessons that teachers K-12 use to help students work through emotions that get in the way of learning.

Looking ahead to 2023-24

  • Deliver 70 Move2Learn Active Seating Packages to benefit 1,750 more students K-12.
  • Manage 20 Move2Learn Out of School Time Programs, with 10 returning and 10 brand new, for students K-12.
  • Develop 5 additional Move2Learn social and emotional lessons for teachers and students K-12.

More than 2,100 additional students benefit from Move2Learn programs

“This is wonderful news. I’ll inform the staff and we’ll celebrate!!”
“Hooray!!!!!!!!!”
“Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!”
“FANTASTIC!!!!”

Happy ACPS Teachers

Comments from some very happy teachers when we accepted their applications for Move2Learn Active Seating Packages and Out of School Time programming!

That’s 70 packages/classrooms, 20 out-of-school-time programs, benefitting more than 2,100 additional students who now get to join their peers already using movement to feel and learn their best! 

    What’s new this round of applications? Plenty! 

    The Freedom to Move With Purpose

    So many of our students struggle with learning loss, mental health and absenteeism. Teachers tell us active seating is a critical tool that gives them the power to overcome feelings that get in their way of learning and keeps them in the classroom and focused. The foldable desk bikes for middle and high school are new to our active seating offerings.A la carte menus so teachers get exactly what their classroom needs.36 out of 70 packages are going to classrooms that currently don’t have any active seating.

    • The foldable desk bikes for middle and high school are new to our active seating offerings.
    • A la carte menus so teachers get exactly what their classroom needs.
    • 36 out of 70 packages are going to classrooms that currently don’t have any active seating.

    Getting Active Before, During and After School

    Getting active, developing confidence and a sense of community and discovering the mind-body connection—these are just some of the benefits our programs offer. And all of these benefits follow students back to the classroom, helping them focus and learn so they can do their best.10 returning programs and 10 new ones!2 new clubs at Alexandria’s International Academy—a special program designed for recent immigrant students—including girls’ soccer and futsal.First-time participating school Jefferson Houston K-8 will offer double-dutch jump roping, boxercise and running.Another first-timer, Patrick Henry K-8, will offer golf, pickleball, football, soccer and yoga!

    • 10 returning programs and 10 new ones!
    • 2 new clubs at Alexandria’s International Academy—a special program designed for recent immigrant students—including girls’ soccer and futsal.
    • First-time participating school Jefferson Houston K-8 will offer double-dutch jump roping, boxercise and running.
    • Another first-timer, Patrick Henry K-8, will offer golf, pickleball, football, soccer and yoga!

    2022: A year of progress!

    Every year, our Year in Review report is a chance to share Move2Learn’s proudest achievements for our students. This year, we’ve made tremendous progress in our efforts to transform learning through movement. Take a look

    Through our newly launched before-, during- and after-school clubs, expanded Social, Emotional and Academic Learning lessons, active seating in classrooms and stationary bikes in libraries and administrative offices, Movement Challenges and Professional Developments, our 2022 programming has benefited 10,000+ students and hundreds of educators. 

    Thanks to the support of our donors, we’re able to apply solutions to drive change in Alexandria to level the learning field for children who are most in need. Using movement to wake up the brain, redirect energy, reduce stress and anxiety, increase focus and so much more, together we’re helping students reach their highest potential. Learn more from our year in review!

    What kind of learner is your student?

    Some of us are auditory learners, some visual, while others may be tactile learners, and then there are the ones that fall within the Kinesthetic learning group. What kind of learner is your student and how you can best help them?

    For kinesthetic learners who learn their best through doing and moving:

    • Act out or role-playing new information
    • Go on field trips
    • Have freedom of movement whenever possible
    • Use movement to study

    Check out more tips from parents.com!

    The CDC on physical activity in classrooms

    The importance of getting movement throughout the school day is widely accepted as a fact these days.

    The idea behind this report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 2018—five years ago—was already in the mainstream, even back then. It fully supports the work we do here at MOVE2LEARN—bringing movement to students before, during and after school, helping kids feel and do their best.

    Some sobering statistics from the report:

    • In 2016, Colorado was the only state that reported requiring classroom physical activity breaks for elementary school students. No states required breaks in middle or high schools.
    • Nationwide, elementary schools are less likely to include physical activity in planned academic instruction in schools with a majority Latino population than in schools with a majority white population.
    • Nationwide, elementary schools are less likely to include physical activity breaks in schools where a majority of students have a low socioeconomic position than in schools where a majority of students have a high socioeconomic position.

    Another big takeaways of the report is how few schools nationwide require brain boosts throughout the day.

    From the CDC

    MOVE2LEARN would love to see Alexandria public schools in the mix and will work with ACPS leadership to make that a reality.