Physical Education

From Kale Vagnoni and  Mark Quinn, PE teachers

Springing into ACTION

Molesworth Campus

Friday the 16th of October marked our annual Junior Sports Day on the Term 4 calendar. Classroom teachers and parent volunteers got a slice of PE teaching life, running the kids through the following old school games; Tug-o-War, Egg and Spoon Race, Tunnel Ball, Giant Naughts and Crosses and Ten Pin Bowling. And of course there was the modern spin on the obstacle course, the Ninja Warrior Challenge. Reports of cheering so loud the roof was nearly blown off the Molesworth St gym certainly suggest the kids had a blast. And it sounds like a fun time was had by all the active-wear clad adults, too!

In other Molesworth movement news it’s been all thinking outside the box these past few weeks. The students have been digging their enthusiasm into some new equipment for some creative movement activities. On our new green (not so soft) Extra Soft Extra Large Crashmat (™) we’ve seen rolling, crawling, balancing, tumbling, flipping, handstanding, breakfalling, sidestepping action. We’ve even had some wild dance moves!

Here’s hoping the junior campus crew can maintain these energy levels for a little while longer before Term 4 fatigue fully kicks in.

Skate Warriors

Errol St Campus

Up at Errol Street we are deep into skateboarding season. For many of our Year 3’s, it’s the first time they’ve dipped their toes in the water by putting them on a skateboard. It’s a beautiful thing bearing witness to those first instances of sheer stoke that a lot of new skaters feel. 

For most of our Year 4’s, 5’s and 6’s we are building on skills we have already established in previous years. It hasn’t taken them long to get back into the full swing of things with carve turning, tic tac turning, acid drops, ollies, kickflip attempts and of course some courageous roll-offs and ollies off the South Side stairs.

Our big skating focus this year has been participation. Even when the weather heats up it’s been wonderful to see skaters of ALL levels pushing their limits and seeking feedback on taking things to the next level. 

This year we will be including some of our core Health Curriculum concepts in the PE Dept Newsletter. The idea behind this is to give families a little more scope into the Health curriculum that is delivered in lessons throughout the year. These Health Hacks are designed to be a great talking point for discussions at home surrounding Health and Movement. 

As things heat up…

It’s certainly that time of year where things are hotting up at school. So use this variable Spring weather change as a jumping off point to remind your kids about the importance of staying hydrated. Let them know that without some consistent extra sips that they might feel sleepy and grumpy, without even knowing why. 

Primary school aged children should drink around 1.2 - 1.6 litres of water a day. Sometimes this is not enough, like when it’s hot or on days where they are adding the joy of PE class into the mix. So remind your kids to listen to their bodies and that drinking water is like adding oil to a rusty bike chain - it helps everything run smoother!