Turf Field
Mt. Bethel Elementary School Foundation funded a new synthetic turf field in 2018 which replaced the “dirt field” located behind the kindergarten hallway and Annex. The Foundation’s mission is to ENRICH. EMPOWER. EXCEL. and to enhance every student’s education at Mt. Bethel beyond what Cobb County funding provides. This major enhancement to our field helped us achieve our mission in the following ways:
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ENRICH: The turf field provided both a safe and fun environment for the kids to use during recess and PE.
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EMPOWER: There were many new units and games incorporated into our PE program due to the additional amount of space. Brain Breaks/movement breaks took place immediately following a rain storm, and classroom teachers had more freedom to utilize the space without the worry of tracking in dirt or mud into the classroom environment.
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EXCEL: There is compelling research supporting a strong correlation between physical activity and academic performance. SPARK! morning runs with the PE Department along with teacher access to a much larger and safer space helped our students excel physically and academically.
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According to Active Living Research,
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"Physical activity can have both immediate and long-term benefits on academic performance. Almost immediately after engaging in physical activity, children are better able to concentrate on classroom tasks, which can enhance learning. Over time, as children engage in developmentally appropriate physical activity, their improved physical fitness can have additional positive effects on academic performance in mathematics, reading, and writing."
Per the CDC Physical Activity recommendation:
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Students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, cognitive performance (e.g., memory), and classroom behaviors (e.g., on-task behavior).14, 15
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Higher physical activity and physical fitness levels are associated with improved cognitive performance (e.g., concentration, memory) among students.14, 15
Per Time Magazine article:
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2009 study found that 8- and 9-year-old children who had at least one daily recess period of more than 15 minutes had better classroom behavior.
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Thank you for enriching the lives and education of all our children by supporting your Mt. Bethel Foundation!
YOUR donations MAKE a DIFFERENCE!
Turf Field
Q & A
Why Synthetic Turf?
Today’s synthetic turf is designed to simulate the experience of practicing and playing on the best natural grass.
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At Mt. Bethel, our field is unable to be used after rain or lengthy periods of drought. It is uneven, muddy or dusty, and skinned knees or dirty shoes tracking into the building cause constant concern to the health and safety of our students and campus.
Natural grass simply cannot remain lush and resilient if used more than three to four days a week, in snow or drought, or during months when grass doesn’t grow. This, coupled with an escalating need for durable fields that accommodate multiple teams and activities, the high cost of maintaining a grass sports field or landscape, and the need to conserve water, have prompted our desire to replace the current field with a quality product.
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Hundreds of studies have shown that the risk of injury is no different on high quality synthetic turf than natural grass. FIFA Quality Turf, in particular, has been extensively benchmarked and tested against natural grass for player safety and performance measures.
YOUR donations MAKE a DIFFERENCE!
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