Physical Education Week Newsletter Template: How to Celebrate PE and Make the Case for Active Students

National Physical Education and Sport Week falls in the first week of May and offers schools an annual opportunity to celebrate PE programs, communicate their value to families, and encourage physical activity beyond the school day. A newsletter that makes the case for physical education, not just celebrates it, builds the family support that PE programs need to thrive.

This template covers what to include, how to balance celebration with advocacy, and five topic ideas that families will find genuinely useful.

When to send it

Send the Physical Education Week newsletter on Monday of the first week of May. Activities and special PE programming typically run throughout the week, and a Monday send gives families the context to follow along as their child comes home excited about whatever special event or activity is happening. Include any family-facing events, like a family fitness night or a fun run, prominently at the top.

How to structure the newsletter

A four-section structure covers the celebration, the information, and the home connection:

1. What is happening in PE this week. The specific activities, challenges, or events your PE program has planned. Be specific about what students are doing and whether any activities are family-facing or observable.
2. Why physical education matters academically. A brief, evidence-based case for how physical activity affects students' ability to learn. Keep it to three to four sentences of substance.
3. A spotlight on your PE teacher and program. A brief profile or quote from your PE teacher about what they love about working with students and what the program prioritizes. A personal voice makes the newsletter more engaging than a generic program description.
4. How families can support physical activity at home. Specific, accessible suggestions for family physical activity that do not require expensive equipment or gym memberships. Keep the bar low and the options varied.

Five topic ideas for the Physical Education Week newsletter

1. The research on physical activity and learning. Studies consistently show that physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, improves attention and executive function, and correlates with better academic performance across subjects. Students who are physically active during the school day are more focused during instructional time than students who are sedentary. A brief, specific note on this research gives families a concrete reason to value PE beyond its obvious health benefits.

2. What your PE curriculum actually includes. Many parents imagine PE as a loosely supervised free play period. Describing the actual curriculum, including the skills students are developing, the movement literacy goals, the cooperative games and sportsmanship focus, and any fitness testing components, corrects that misconception and builds respect for the program's educational intentionality.

3. The recommended physical activity guidelines for children. The CDC and the American Heart Association recommend that children get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. A brief note on this guideline and how much of it is met during school versus after school helps families understand the role they play in completing the picture. Most children do not meet the guideline through school alone.

4. Simple family physical activity ideas. Walking to school, a family bike ride, a backyard game, a free community pool, a hiking trail, or a movement-based video game are all legitimate physical activity options that cost little or nothing. A newsletter that lists five specific, accessible options for the family to try this week is more motivating than a general call to "be active together."

5. The non-physical benefits of PE. Teamwork, resilience, sportsmanship, goal-setting, and self-regulation are all skills that a well-run PE program develops explicitly. A newsletter that names these social and emotional learning connections helps families see PE as part of the school's whole-child development mission, not a break from the "real" curriculum.

What to avoid

Avoid a newsletter that only addresses physically fit or athletically inclined students. PE serves all students, including those who are not naturally athletic or who find physical activity challenging. A newsletter that speaks to the breadth of students served by a good PE program communicates that physical education is for everyone, not just kids who are already good at sports.

Also avoid any language that stigmatizes students based on physical fitness levels. A celebration of physical education is not a commentary on individual student fitness.

Sending it with Daystage

Daystage makes it easy to build a Physical Education Week newsletter with a celebration section, a research section, and a family activity section all in one send. Track open rates to see whether the PE newsletter reaches the same families as your regular classroom newsletter. Low open rates can indicate that the PE newsletter needs a catchier subject line or a more personal opening.

Physical activity and learning are not separate

The best Physical Education Week newsletters communicate one core idea: physical activity and academic learning are not in competition with each other. Students who move learn better. A newsletter that makes that case clearly, celebrates the people delivering physical education in your school, and gives families tools to continue the habit at home does real work for the students in your community.