Health & Physical Education Mr Rod Rainer Head of Health & Physical Education The Western Australia Department of Sport and Recreation has recently released a new resource ‘Brain Boost – how sport and physical activity enhance children’s learning’. This document has been prepared by Curtin University outlining the positive link between children being active, playing sport and their ability to get better marks at school. The research makes it very clear that children who are more physically active learn better. I am pleased to say that Trinity College is well-placed with a comprehensive Health & Physical Education program to complement a diverse sporting program to fully support this research. The research between physical activity, fitness and academic achievement is supported by a number of studies: “The average academic achievement of children who received extra physical education is significantly higher than children who were in a control group which did not receive extra physical education.” (Ardroy et al., 2014 Shephard RJ et al., 1994) “Cognitive benefits are maintained over time.” (Koivusilta, Nupponen, & Rimpela, 2012; Stevens et al., 2008; Wittberg, Northrup & Cottrell, 2012). Participation in physical activity at Trinity College is designed to aid in developing life skills, good sportsmanship through supporting the notion of fair play and the confidence to take on challenges whether they be academic or physical.
Physical Education in Years 7–10 The year 2015 promised to be a very challenging year with the loss of facilities due to the development of the new gymnasium. With no oval or outdoor courts available for most of Semester 1 the program had to be modified to suit without majorly disadvantaging the education of our students. The ground staff did a magnificent job in renovating the oval and enabling classes to use it for most of Term 2. Coupled with the availability of the outdoor courts most of the normal program was resumed. Another major change this year was the return of Year 10 Physical Education with the College returning to a six period day. A more varied program has been offered with inclusion of such activities as rowing, badminton and 242
ultimate frisbee. The approach has been to further develop the sport education approach with the emphasis on interclass competition in a range of sports. Congratulations to the following boys as recipients of awards: Year 7 Physical Education: Ethan Regan (7.4) Year 8 Physical Education: Reesjan Pasitoa (8.6) Year 9 Physical Education: Michael Le (9.7) Year 10 Physical Education: Brandon Starcevich (10.1)
Fitness and Health Education These units are designed to be an extension of the physical education program, providing a more in-depth approach. Boys taking part in these units gain a greater understanding of fitness training principles and methods. They are exposed to a greater range of training methods designed to assist the aspiring athlete or those who just want to develop a healthier approach to life. They also complement material covered in Year 9 Health in relation to fitness profiling. New electives such as sports science, strength and conditioning and aquatics have provided a greater range of learning environments with these electives now being offered in Year 10. These units provide a working knowledge and practical experiences for the various Physical Education courses offered in Years 11 and 12.
Aquatics: Mr Dion Mepham Middle School aquatics is an elective designed to introduce the students to life around the water. The Year 8 unit is broken into four areas: 1. stroke technique 2. water polo 3. lifesaving 4. coaching and management Year 8 Aquatics is fundamentally a skill-development year in which the boys learn how to dissect and analyse sport through its decisions and tactics. Year 9 aquatics extends the boys’ knowledge in stroke technique and lifesaving, culminating in a bronze medallion exam. During 2015, a record 21 Year 9 students completed their bronze medallion award. Finally, the boys undertook an aquatic recreation component, integrating the running and supervision of various aquatic sports.
