Personal development, health and physical education (PDHPE) is mandatory from Kindergarten to Year 10.
According to the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), students are expected to participate in PDHPE for between 1.5 and 2.5 hours per week in Kindergarten to Year 6.
PDHPE provides students with opportunities to explore issues that are likely to impact on the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others – now and in the future. Students also participate in challenging and enjoyable physical activity, improving their capacity to move with skill and confidence.
The NSW curriculum outlines that physical fitness and sport must be offered to students for no less than 2 hours per week. We offer many opportunities to our students to build their sporting skills, increase their fitness and compete outside of school.
In K-2 our Physical Education (PE) programs develop students’ Fundamental Movement Skills eg catching, throwing, running, jumping and striking, through gross motor activities as well as the social skills of team work. In Years 3-6 students are taught specific sport skills each term in PE lessons. Part of PE is also the teaching of gymnastics and dance. As a school we employ professional organisations to teach gymnastics and dance. This enables the students to learn from coaches where they are exposed to the expertise of qualified professionals.
Swimming Lessons:
Our Year 2 students undergo a departmental program called ‘School Swimming Scheme’. This program covers 10 lessons over a two-week block.
Year 3 students are also offered 10 lessons over a term as part of the grade sport program. Classes attend either in Term 2 or 3.
PSSA: PSSA (Public School Sports Association) is an inter-school competition where students are selected to represent ODPS and play weekly at various locations. We participate in the Friday Castle Hill PSSA competition. Students are able to trial for 2 of the summer or winter PSSA teams. Teachers select their students on their performance during trials and the skills they demonstrate. Each sport has a particular number of students playing on the field/court plus reserves. This limits the number of students who may be selected into a PSSA team. Successful students are offered a position within a team. We participate in some of the following sports, depending on the availability of coaches:
Summer
Junior & Senior Girls Touch Football
Junior & Senior Boys Touch Football
Junior & Senior Cricket
Senior Boys & Girls Basketball
Junior Boys and Girls T-Ball
Senior Boys and Girls Softball
Winter
Junior Netball (3 Teams)
Senior Netball (3 Teams)
Junior & Senior Newcombe Ball
Junior & Senior AFL
Junior & Senior Boys Soccer
Junior & Senior Girls Soccer
Junior students include 8, 9 and 10 years (Year 4 – Year 5 students)
Senior students include 11 and 12 years (Year 5 – Year 6 students)
Summer PSSA runs in Term 1, end of Term 3 and Term 4. Winter PSSA runs in Term 2 and 3. This is a fee incurring activity to cover registration, field or court hire and transportation.
Home Sport: As an alternative to PSSA, students are offered a range of activities during Home Sport. Home Sport encourages the development of skills, where a variety of sports are available. In conjunction with Home Sport, students are offered the opportunity to partake in tennis lessons held at Oakhill College. Students are organised into groups across the summer or winter season. Each group participates in learning a variety of skills needed for each sport and playing organised modified games against other groups within Home Sport.
Knockout Competitions: NSWPSSA Knockout is a statewide competition between NSW Public Schools who enter. Teams are based on the regular PSSA team and students who have been successful in a different PSSA sport, may still be selected in a minor trial for a Knockout team. Schools go head to head in organised rounds where future draws are determined on the winner of the previous game. Teams might only play one game against another school or take it all the way to the state final.
Clinics: Clinics are offered when a local sporting club or organisation provides a free one-off lesson. This is to promote and encourage participation of this sport outside of school.
Gala Days: Gala Days are one off day competitions, where we compete against schools in the neighbouring area. PSSA team members are usually chosen to enter the Gala Day and addition students may be asked to form a second team. We consider the following Gala Days: Paul Kelly Cup AFL, Paul Wade Soccer or Futsal, Hills Basketball, Oz Tag and Milo Cricket. Our school’s participation in Gala Days is determine by other planned school events as they take precedence within the term.
Representative Sport: Oakhill Drive Public School is part of the Beecroft Zone PSSA. We compete in 3 annual zone carnivals: swimming, cross country and athletics. Students who represent at these carnivals are selected based on the results of our school carnivals and may be required to meet qualifying times or distances. Students from the 21 schools in the zone carnival may gain a place to Sydney North Area and potentially through to State and National carnivals.
Individual Representative Sport Trials: Students who play at a representative level or Division 1, outside of school may be given opportunity to represent the school at Beecroft Zone or Area level. These are held outside of our school. We are often limited to 2 students from our school for each trial and need to make a decision based on the potential of highest selection. Trials include for boys and girls: AFL, Basketball, Cricket, Diving, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Rugby League and Rugby Union (boys only), Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Touch Football.
Premier’s Sporting Challenge: Students participate in the Premier’s Sporting Challenge to encourage involvement in fitness activities in their everyday life. This is a valuable program for the school as our participation enables Oakhill Drive Public School to receive a funding for sport equipment.
Carnivals:
K-2: Athletics
3-6: Cross Country, Swimming Carnival, Athletics Carnival
Students who are in Year 2 turning 8 are entitled to attend Year 3 – 6 carnivals.