Health Ed Journeys Spotlight: Katy ISD

September 22, 2022  | By CATCH Global Foundation

In late July, the CATCH program portfolio got a major expansion and upgrade with the launch of two new curriculum products: Health Ed Journeys and PE Journeys. Katy ISD in Katy, Texas was one of the early adopters of the new curriculum as a result of the recent statewide Health and PE Curriculum Adoption. The teachers in Katy ISD use CATCH Health, PE, and SEL programming to meet the Whole Child needs of their students. 

“My favorite thing about CATCH is the Philosophy,” says Katy PE teacher Scott Power. “CATCH keeps kids first in all they do and believe in.”

Health Ed Journeys is CATCH Global Foundation’s comprehensive K-8 health education program. Covering national and state-level health standards, Health Ed Journeys offers an update to CATCH’s classic evidence-based health program, which is backed by over 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles. The program integrates movement into every lesson to keep learning active and fun.

Health Ed Journeys provides a 36-week scope and sequence for health education, spanning the following topics:

• Foundational Health Literacy
• Nutrition & Physical Activity
• Physical Health & Hygiene
• Mental Health
• Substance Misuse Prevention
• Injury & Violence Prevention & Safety.

Katy ISD is not new to the CATCH program; they have done an incredible job of prioritizing Coordinated School Health in their schools for many years, and incorporate the principles covered in CATCH’s approach to physical education and child health on a schoolwide basis. 

In addition to the new health curriculum, Katy teachers are enjoying all the new features of PE Journeys, which introduces a new 36-week standards-aligned scope and sequence for physical education with sample units, student-facing visual resources, flexible assessment tools, and self-guided training on inclusive teaching practices. These tools provide a framework for engaging students in the hundreds of time-tested CATCH PE games and activities that develop physical & social-emotional skills and maximize the time students spend engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). “CATCH has improved our student’s MVPA, academic success, and has aided our students to make lasting healthy choices,” says BreAnn Alatorre of Randolph Elementary in Katy.

Health Ed Journeys and PE Journeys can each be used on its own or in combination with other CATCH programs including SEL Journeys and the CATCH Whole Child Coordination Kit. The CATCH curriculum map shows how all the pieces fit together.

Katy has also utilized CATCH’s in-person and virtual training offerings to support and prepare teachers to lead physical activity, teach health concepts, and engage the community in Family Fun Events, spirit weeks centered around health themes, and more.

As Alatorre said, “CATCH is a community-wide program that reaches beyond the classroom.”   CATCH Global Foundation is thrilled about our continued partnership with Katy ISD. Together, we can improve children’s health!