Educación Física y Salud

It’s been a busy and exciting few weeks in Physical Education, with students across all year levels working hard, having fun and developing key movement skills in preparation for our upcoming Athletics Carnival.

Foundation

Our foundation students have been actively practising their locomotor skills, including running, dodging, jumping and hopping through fun activities like mushroom tiggy, relay races and parachute games. These foundational skills are essential for their overall physical development and will set them up for success at their very first Newlands Athletics Carnival in Term 3.

During relay races, students have explored the concept of trial and error—learning when to speed up or slow down, how to high five smoothly and what strategies help their team succeed. Games like scarecrow tiggy and mushroom tiggy have also helped reinforce the importance of following rules, a crucial part of early learning that builds respect and fairness.

Looking ahead, our foundation students will be introduced to sack relay races, more parachute fun and a range of other exciting activities as they continue building confidence and coordination.

Years 1/2

Our Year 1 and 2 students have been developing creative thinking through movement challenges. They’ve explored how their bodies move at different levels—low, mid, and high—and have applied these movements to a variety of games and tasks.

A big focus has been on creating and holding body shapes while balancing on narrow paths, which is crucial for developing core strength, coordination and spatial awareness at this age. Students have also worked on transporting objects from one end to another while maintaining balance and incorporating landing shapes to show control.

Years 3/4 

Students in Years 3 and 4 have tackled movement challenges that involve both underarm and overarm throwing. They’ve been targeting stationary objects with different types of balls and learning how to pass accurately to moving partners—an important skill in many team sports. These activities encourage teamwork, spatial awareness and anticipation of movement.

In addition to skill development, students have reflected on how physical activity contributes to overall wellbeing, fitness and mental health. Understanding these lifelong benefits helps students develop a positive attitude towards staying active.

As we move closer to Term 3, students will begin practising throwing techniques for shot put in preparation for the Athletics Carnival.

Years 5/6 

Our senior students have had a blast participating in game-based activities focused on throwing skills. Using balls and mini rockets, they practised targeting both moving and stationary objects. Games like Hula Hut, Dodgeball and Beating the Cone brought fun and challenge to each lesson.

Students also explored offensive and defensive team strategies—learning how to coordinate, communicate and adapt tactics depending on the game situation. For example, in Hula Hut, teams had to construct their huts, defend them, and plan attacks on others—all while applying teamwork and quick decision-making.

They’ve begun linking throwing with other fundamental skills like running, jumping, and dodging—essential for success in athletic events. This work will continue with discus and shot put practice in the coming weeks.

Cross Country Districts

A huge congratulations to all our Year 4, 5, and 6 students who represented Newlands at the Cross Country Districts. Your determination, resilience and effort were truly inspiring. You’ve set a strong foundation for the Athletics Carnival, and we can’t wait to see everyone push themselves even further while having fun and staying healthy. Refer to previous newsletters to see Cross Country photos.

Stay active and healthy, everyone!

Yours faithfully, 

Raúl - HPE Teacher