Sowing the SEADs of Success

From the Assistant Principal Wellbeing and Engagement R‑12

Bring on PE Week in Australia next week! … “Girls who play Sport become Women who lead” What a marvellous statement to celebrate body positivity, movement, belonging and wellbeing.

At Loreto College Marryatville, we are committed to offering a range of sporting and physical activities in our co-curricular sports program. We are led by expert sports educator Ms Sophie Hage, Director of Sports Performance who coordinates an amazing diverse sports program at the College. 

I loved reading about the UK Big Sister program and the new initiatives to provide gym membership for girls aged 9-15 to access girls only workouts!

https://womeninsport.org/resource/big-sister-impact-report/

We acknowledge the importance and benefits of physical movement and wellbeing.

Girls aged 9 to 15 across the country will now get free or discounted gym memberships, access to girls-only sessions and tailored advice to help them navigate puberty, as a result of our Big Sister initiative🥳 Big Sister was initially piloted in three counties, and has since been rolled out to ALL Places Leisure centres across England 🎉 10-year-old Holly has attended Big Sister sessions in Derbyshire... She said "You can join in and do what you like, you can pick what you want to do, and it makes you feel proud of yourself after every lesson."

Why a choose an all-girls school in relation to physical education. 

Research has found less aggressive behaviours in girls’ schools than in boys’ and co-educational schools (1), while many girls report preferring girls-only science, computing and IT classes where they are not subject to stereotyped beliefs and bullying by boys (2). Similarly for physical education (PE) classes and sporting activities, international research shows that a large majority of girls strongly prefer all-female PE classes and sports where they are not self-conscious of their body image and what they are wearing. They do not have to take part in competitive mixed-gender activities which reinforce existing stereotypes and undermine girls’ enjoyment of physical exercise which is so important to their long-term physical and mental health (3). 

(1) Gee & Cho, 2014.

(2) Fisher, Lang & Forgasz, 2015.

(3) Morgan et al., 2019; Robinson et al., 2021; Timken, McNamee & Coste, 2019; Wallace, Buchan & Sculthorpe, 2020.

Let’s also celebrate and not forget the wonderful parents and friends who are encouraging, coaching, transporting, scoring, motiving, cutting oranges, towing trailers, managing uniforms, cheering from the sidelines. 

To all the sports parents who embody this spirit of generosity and compassion, thank you for your tireless dedication, unwavering support, and willingness to go the extra mile. You may not receive trophies or accolades but know that your impact is immeasurable. You are shaping not just better athletes but better human beings!

Emma Searle 

Assistant Principal Wellbeing and Engagement R-12