110
Example I
Strengthening School Sporting Culture through Life-wide
111
2. Activity zones
A number of exercise zones of popular activities such as table-tennis, hula hoop and rope-skipping are set up in the school campus for students during the three recesses which take up a total of 35 minutes each day. The following measures are taken for the smooth running of the activities:
Students are allowed to wear school uniforms for the activities in the “activity zone”.
Teachers, including non-PE teachers, and school prefects take turns to be “on duty” to maintain the order of activities.
Primary 4-6 students are responsible for the set up and restoring of the equipment.
Members of the rope-skipping team share their skills with their fellow schoolmates in the school hall.
3. Junior Athletes Programme
The Junior Athletes Programme is organised for the following aims:
To set up an appropriate standard for training to motivate more students to participate in sports;
To promote sports with the use of exhibitions, featuring videos and display boards;
To set up information booths on four to five different sporting themes to allow students to learn more about a wide range of sports;
To enrich students’ knowledge in PE by asking them to do worksheet with answers from exhibition and display boards; and
To set up the Athletes Challenge Spot, which is guided by PE teachers, to ask the Student Sports Ambassadors to help their fellow students learn various types of motor and sports skills during recess time.
4. Major sporting events
Sports Day: Students are encouraged to take part in at least two events and also participate in the “inter-house” cheering teams.
Physical Activity Day: There are inter-house competitions including table-tennis, basketball and obstacle course held in the morning. Students are free to take part in competitions of their choice including golf, squash, basketball, volleyball, rope-skipping, shuttlecock, over-arm throwing and dribbling in the afternoon.
112
Fitness Day: All Primary 1-3 students are required to take a fitness test with the assistance of Primary 4-6 students.
Exercise Day: All Primary 1-3 students participate in dance, fitness and martial arts under the guidance of external coaches.
A consecutive 4-day squash competition: Parents are invited to cheer for their children and share the excitement of the competition.
5. Improving students’ physical fitness
Apart from participating in the School Physical Fitness Award Scheme, students are encouraged to participate in a school-based fitness award scheme. It helps them understand their overall fitness levels and weaknesses, so that they can work on their own fitness plan.
During recess, the PE teachers lead the Sports Ambassadors to guide students in taking fitness tests correctly. A Hall of Fame which lists names of students with the highest test scores is posted on the school campus to motivate students to try harder in the tests.
113
6. Promoting squash Whole-class (school-based):
Squash Tryout Day: All Primary 1 students have a chance to “taste” the squash.
Interested parents are welcomed to join.
Multiple Intelligence Lessons: All Primary 1 and 2 students have a chance to learn squash.
Pull-out (school-based)
Squash training course: An after-school squash training course is arranged for more able senior primary students. There were 8 training classes per week.
Off-campus support
Senior primary students with good potential are selected to join the school team, aiming at a higher level of performance.
More able students are recommended to join the Hong Kong Youth Squad for more advanced training as well as helping them become elite athletes.
7. Physical activity – diversified choices
A wide range of sports teams and interest classes are provided for students, including athletics, swimming, Chinese Dance, lion and dragon dancing, squash, basketball, football, table- tennis, rope-skipping and taekwondo.
Each student is allowed to choose at least one sport of his/her own preference for advancement.
114
8. Multiple intelligence lessons
Multiple intelligence lessons are arranged every Friday afternoon to provide students with more opportunities to try or engage in different types of physical activities. The arrangement are as follows:
Squash classes and rope-skipping classes are specially arranged on the school timetable for Primary 1 and 2 students, and Primary 3 and 4 students respectively. As such, all students have a chance to try these two sports throughout their study in the school.
Three individual sports groups, namely table-tennis, rope-skipping and football, are provided for Primary 5 and 6 students for more focused sport trainings. These groups will take turns for the three types of training with 8 sessions for each sport.
9. Parents’ Praise Dance class
Praise Dance classes are provided two to three times a week. It is a good opportunity for parents to experience the benefits of exercise so that they would influence their children to participate in sports.
The parents’ participation in sports is a strong element in promoting the sports culture in the school.
10. Participation in outside school sports scheme
All students are required to participate in the sportACT Award Scheme organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Students’ results in the scheme are linked to the scores in the school inter-house competitions. In other words, if a student gains an award in the sportACT scheme, he/she will contribute to his/her house total score. This arrangement has attracted more students to participate in the Scheme, which contributes to the overall participation in physical activities.
115
Impact
Since the 2009/10 school year, there has been a sustained and notable increase in the number of students participating in after-school physical activities. In the 2015/16 school year, around 70% of students were regular participants which did foster the school’s sports culture. It is believed that the students’ whole-person development is strengthened through these life-wide learning programmes.
Parents’ awareness of the importance of physical activities is raised through receiving regular notices and attending a series of seminars and parents’ meetings. Their mindset of allowing their children to join the after-school physical activities, such as sport teams and interest classes, has changed and parents have become more supportive of physical activities.
(Source: S.K.H. St Joseph’s Primary School)
116
Example II