Participation, skills, safety and motivation for a lifelong desire to participate in sports are high priorities for our Physical Education program. All children are valued members of the team and each student is given individual attention to achieve visible goals within the class.We have developed strong links with local Sporting Clubs, Secondary Colleges and Victoria University where our children receive enriching programs through specialised coaches during class.
FOUNDATIONIn the Foundation years we cater to the students Fundamental Movement Skills which are essential for developing further skills in later life. Each grade receives one hour of Physical Education each week. Students work towards the achievement of Foundation standards in the Movement and physical activity dimension, they engage in a variety of physical activities on their own and with their peers, with and without equipment, and in a range of environments (indoor, outdoor and aquatic). Students begin to develop basic motor skills such as running, hopping, jumping, skipping, catching, throwing, kicking, rolling, balancing, twisting and turning.We provide a range of activities, such as dance, gymnastics and games where students progressively gain control of their movements in personal and general space, whilst stationary and moving. They explore ways of moving and developing control when stopping, starting, springing, landing, and changing direction and speed. They respond to movement stimuli such as rhythm, beat, music and words.
YEAR 1 / 2Throughout this level the students participate in a variety of physical activities in a range of environments (indoor, outdoor and aquatic). They explore different actions of the body and begin to understand how these actions affect movement efficiency.Students are introduced to more complex skills such as leaping, dodging, the over-arm throw, dribbling and striking balls and our much loved unit in gymnastics. They participate in and develop control over a range of locomotor activities that require a change of speed (such as fast and slow movements), direction (such as up/down, forward/backward, right/left, clockwise/anticlockwise) and level.Students advance from creating and playing games on their own or with a partner to playing in small and large groups. They begin to combine motor skills into movement sequences, and create simple movement sequences in response to a variety of stimuli.
YEAR 3 / 4As students work towards the achievement of Level 4 standards in Health and Physical Education, they practise and use complex manipulative and locomotor skills. During class, they practise and develop competency in a range of complex motor skills such as leaping, dodging, the over-arm throw, dribbling and striking balls, cartwheeling and rolling.Students discuss and begin creating the performance criteria of motor skills and practise observing a partner’s performance. Through modified major games (for example, games with modified rules, equipment, playing field, length of game or numbers on a team such as modified netball), and athletics activities (for example, discus, shot put and modified versions of jumps), students begin to apply their skills in sport-specific settings.During gymnastics or dance sessions students learn, reproduce and choreograph more complex movement sequences. Students participate in a range of activities that promote health-related fitness components of cardio-respiratory fitness, flexibility and strength and explore the link between health-related fitness and lifestyle activities.Students explore basic games’ tactics/skills such as: introducing the concepts of attack and defence; following the rules of the game; and describing the roles of various positions, reading the play and making appropriate spaces on the court/field. They begin to work with others to set and achieve goals in both cooperative and competitive games’ settings. Students are introduced to SEPEP and take on various sporting roles including umpiring, coaching, reporting, providing statics and first aid during competition days.Games are invented for themselves and others to play, and we discuss and practise appropriate safety considerations for these games, how all students can have equal opportunity to participate, irrespective of skill level. Where appropriate, students participate in competitive activities through intra-school sport.
YEAR 5 / 6Students in Grade 5/6 learn to refine and expand their range of skills and perform them with increasing precision, accuracy and control in more complex movements, sequences and games. They are given the opportunity to observe, and give constructive feedback on, the skill performance of their peers.Students use strategic thinking, communication and cooperation to enhance performance and participation in order to improve game performance; for example, encouraging tactical awareness of space, force, time, self and others when making games-based decisions. Students begin to set personal goals to improve performance by reflecting on their skill development needs and explore strategies to achieve them.Students undertake a variety of roles when participating in modified sports, such as umpire, coach or selector, and are supported in taking responsibility for organising and conducting competitive activities in which decisions are made about procedures, rules and fair play. Our school's participation in Interschool Sports with the local district and in Gala days conducted by local and state associations give our students the opportunities to perform as a team and to include all abilities into sports to make it an enjoyable event for all.