Over the past 3 years, the Health and Physical Education curriculum at Logan Park has been adapted to reflect the needs of our students. Today, students now learn more than simply basic skills and playing games.
In the junior school students started the year off taking part in the 5 Star Athletics programme. This internationally recognised programme requires the students to not just take part in a range of track and field activities, each giving the students points for their ability, but also, and more importantly requires them to plan and goal-set their way forward. As the students improve their grade improves, up to the highest level, a 5 Star Award. This activity also prepares the student for NCEA where they can continue this activity right up to Y13. Therefore, self-management, teamwork and determination are critical skills that we try and develop with the students to help them achieve well in this activity. The Y13 class also developed their knowledge and understanding of safety, looking at various incidents and reporting back on how they could be made safer. They then experienced their own outdoor activity to give them a better understanding. This theme of self-discovery, and self-management carries on into Term 2 where junior students take part in a module called Sports Education. Each class in divided into teams and each team has a group of students with their specific roles that need them to complete their own tasks in order for their team to be successful. In Year 9 the students take part in Futsal. This year we also had Futsal South coaches attend to help teach the students some basic skills before the module started. From then on, each team manager organises their games against each other, while student coaches take warm ups, coaching sessions, referee games and captain teams. In Y10, the students get to choose their sport with the teams playing the choice of the home team. This module is designed to teach team work, responsibility and cooperation. In Term 3, Y10 students take part in an adapted sports module which requires them to investigate and experience various disabilities, and how PE and sport can be adapted to meet these needs. In the senior school, Y13 students are developing their sport based on their interests. They ranged this year from gymnastics, climbing, netball, football and basketball. The Y11’s were being introduced to some serious science and how their ability can be influenced by outside factors such as projectile motion, force summation and how the body reacts to exercise. We have also had a large number of students taking up handball. For the last 6 weeks, handball coaches have introduced the sport to our juniors and as a result we will incorporate this sport into next year’s Term 4 curriculum. Overall, throughout the year, and from year to year, the PE programme has helped develop and refine the critical skills that we believe the students need when they leave school. PE is no longer about running around getting sweaty, or about just sports, skills or how good you are at them, but how well you can use the knowledge and skills that these activities use to develop yourself as a person.
Health has been a big area that we have changed over the past three years. Although it is only the junior school students who receive this instruction, we cover some powerful and interesting skills and knowledge that we hope the students will remember and use well in the future. Although we do cover some traditional areas such as substance abuse, anti-bullying, sex education etc. the main direction and focus is on staying safe, staying healthy and developing the strategies needed to do this as they become adults. Knowledge is only as good as the application of it, and it is this theme that drives our programme. We have also introduced a module of the body and how it works, and more importantly how it is abused by not looking after it, how to take care of the body and why this happens. Our final term in Y10 asks the students to look at their future, where they see themselves in it and how they can get there. Hauora, the Maori philosophy of well-being is fully ingrained in all our PE and Health programmes, and we often come back to how our actions, thoughts and attitudes affect our well-being, and that of those around us. We also have visits from outside specialists, and this year our Y9 students have had Rape Crisis talk to them about staying safe, and being assertive. Overall, it’s been a very busy but productive year. All the students have worked very hard and this has been reflected in the large number of Excellences the students have gained for their final examinations.
