Physical Education

From Kale Vagnoni and  Mark Quinn, PE teachers

The Beginning of The End

With the change of clocks to Daylight Saving Time our tired students have taken a little longer to get the engines running in PE so far this Term. Be sure to check out our Health Hacks section below for some cutting-edge science-based tips on how to help adjust your family’s circadian rhythm (internal clock) to suit the new morning alarm clock time.

Molesworth Campus

Down West at the junior campus it’s been all about the almighty powerful SH word…SH…SH….SHARING!

We’ve been working with small groups and limited equipment, to learn more about the art of give and take. Working with your classmates as opposed to against your opponents. It’s a valuable skill that even some adults can’t seem to get a hang of, so we make sure we cover this concept again and again and again and again…

Some of the many actions and movements we have been sharing thus far are; running, jumping, balancing, stacking, lifting, dropping, bouncing, throwing, spinning kicking, throwing, skipping and cross-stepping.

Errol St Campus

We got Term 4 rolling with a big week of Gymnastics, which included fun physical challenges and Strength and Conditioning work. The challenge that seemed to pique the most interest was our ring slap challenge, where students had to jump an almighty gymnastic equipment gap and attempt to high five a hanging target. Check out the photo below to catch the moment just before a successful ring slap - it was one of only a small handful within the entire Year 3-6 cohort.

From Week 2 onwards until at least Cup Day, Skateboarding is our sport of choice. Sadly the rain has dampened our efforts early in the week. Our backup Ping Pong session proved to be a fun alternative nonetheless.

As discussed with each Year 3-6 PE class this and last week, students are welcome to bring their own skateboards, helmets and protective gear (or any combination of) to use within our skateboarding classes. These will happen during regular PE sessions, if the weather is dry. Students who do not have skateboards do not have to worry - we have a school set of skateboards, helmets and protective gear (wristguards, kneepads) for use in our classes. 

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. 

What’s the time again?

With the change of the clocks for the introduction of Daylight Saving knocking us all for six, we thought it was a good idea to again remind families about the importance of sleep. On average, primary students need 9-11 hours of sleep a night. And these numbers can grow with intense exercise, growth spurts and sickness. 

If your family is struggling to recalibrate after losing an hour of sleep in the morning, try this research backed method to help align your circadian rhythms.

In the morning, get sunlight in your eyes within an hour of waking up. Sunlight through glass will not have the same effect, so get outside to do this. 10-15 minutes of exposure is required. Now do the same within an hour or two of sunset in the evening. Hit repeat on this for a few days in a row and your body will naturally adjust due to exposure to the specific wavelengths of light we get at these times of day.

If the science behind this is interesting to you, look into the work of Dr Andew Huberman. His new book, Protocols, has an entire chapter dedicated to sleep and the many ways we can optimise it.

And of course, don’t forget to avoid screens at least 60 minutes before bedtime!