Physical Education

P.E February Newsletter 2025

Foundation

The PE Team has had an absolute blast getting to know our new Foundation students over the past few weeks! Our focus has been on introducing them to our incredible gymnasium and helping them settle into the routines and expectations of PE.

We’ve been busy practicing how to move safely around the gym, stay within boundary lines, and respond quickly to the whistle. The students had a fantastic time reinforcing these skills through an exciting game of musical freeze!

As the term progresses, we’ll be diving into the Fundamental Motor Skills of ‘Run’ and ‘Vertical Jump.’ We encourage families to keep the momentum going by practicing these skills at home—every little bit helps!

Year 1 and 2

Our Year 1 and 2 students have kicked off 2025 with great enthusiasm! We’ve revisited our school values and PE routines, and we’re so impressed with how much they’ve remembered from last year—they’re already demonstrating fantastic commitment and sportsmanship.

This term, we’re hitting the ground running—literally! Our focus is on the Fundamental Motor Skill of ‘Run,’ with Year 1 students working on building their confidence and coordination, while Year 2 students focus on refining their technique and increasing their speed. Students are enjoying some of their favourite running games, using the key steps: “eyes forward,” “robot arms,” and “big steps” to develop strong, efficient running form.

We encourage families to keep the energy going by practicing these skills at home—every step counts toward building confidence and speed!

Year 3 and 4

The Year 3 and 4 students have had a fantastic start to PE this year, showing great enthusiasm and effort in all activities. This term, we are focusing on developing key skills across different sports while encouraging teamwork, confidence, and a love for being active. Year 3 students are focusing on building their fundamental skills and coordination across multiple sports, while Year 4 students are working on refining their technique and game strategies.

In the coming weeks, students will be learning important batting skills in Cricket, helping them improve their coordination and control when making contact with the ball. Following this, we will begin our Tennis unit, where students will focus on the forehand strike. They will also work on understanding the basic rules of the game and demonstrating fair play during matches.

To monitor fitness and endurance, students have completed their Term 1 Beep Test, which will be reassessed each term to track progress and improvement.

We encourage all students to keep practising their skills at home, enjoy being active, and continue to display great sportsmanship in everything they do. We look forward to seeing their progress throughout the term!

Year 5 and 6

It has been a fantastic start to the year in Years 5 and 6, with students actively engaging in our PE program. There are plenty of sporting opportunities ahead, and we look forward to seeing students develop their skills throughout the year. Students have completed their Term 1 Beep Test to assess their current fitness levels. This will be repeated each term to track progress in endurance and overall fitness. Year 5 students are focusing on building their fundamental game skills and teamwork, while Year 6 students are working on enhancing their tactical awareness and leadership during gameplay.

Our Interschool Sport teams have been selected, and training is now underway in preparation for the upcoming games. Congratulations to all students chosen to represent Gilgai Plains – we wish you the best of luck!

In PE, students will soon be focusing on Cricket, with the main emphasis on the two-hand side-on strike while batting. This skill is crucial for building control, accuracy, and confidence when making contact with the ball. Following Cricket, we will move into our Tennis unit, where students will refine their forehand strike, improve their ability to rally, and develop better movement and positioning on the court.

Additionally, we are assessing students' ability to dodge in a range of games, focusing on how effectively and quickly they can change direction. This will help improve agility, reaction time, and overall movement in different sporting situations.

We encourage students to practise the skills they learn in PE at home, share them with family members, and make the most of the sporting opportunities ahead. We look forward to an exciting term of sport and can’t wait to see the progress students make!