Randomly selected Pasadena ISD students will have the opportunity to take part in a new technology-based program designed to improve and expand physical education programs at all grade levels.
  With parental permission, students selected for the program will wear a Polar Active Activity Monitor, a watch-like device that records the amount of physical activity the student engages in over a specified period of time. 
  Students from kindergarten through the fourth grade will be asked to wear the device for four days. Students in grades five through 12 will be asked to wear the device for seven days.
  Students chosen to wear the device will receive a parental permission letter that includes additional information about the project. The program is funded with the help of a Carol White PEP Grant. 
  The goal of the project is to provide teachers and students with a better understanding of healthy eating habits, proper nutrition and opportunities for increased physical activity to improve overall health.
  Data from the project will be collected from a different sampling of students four times during the school year and downloaded into a program that will provide the district with information on the average activity level of students. 
  The data will be combined with surveys on nutrition and eating habits to develop health, nutrition and physical education programs to empower students to stay active and healthy for a lifetime.
  Information gathered from the monitors will be private and will not be shared with anyone in a form that can be associated with any particular student.
  Parents with questions about the project should call Angela Balch at 713-740-0830, Ext. 62115.