LIVING
Junior School Sport 2021 has started out as a year of renewed enthusiasm for our young sportsgirls. The Ministry of Health recently reported that children aged 5-14 years usually watch screens outside of school (including TV) for two or more hours every day. With the increase in access to devices and media, we know the temptation is there for our youngsters to sit and watch screens for entertainment instead of being active with their friends. In light of this, we are delighted that our sport participation rates at the Junior School remain very
high, with over 80% of our girls involved in some form of sport. The benefits of sports are well documented and wide ranging. Primary school years are the perfect time for our girls to be exploring a range of activities and giving them a go. Our after-school sports programme provides the opportunity to take a break from the classroom or screen, meet a new friend, discover a new
FLIPPA BALL / MINI POLO
passion, learn a new skill, grow strong, become fit, develop physical co-ordination and have a whole lot of fun. Our Junior School winter programme is well underway now with the following codes: netball (12 teams), hockey (11 teams), futsal (6 teams), flippa ball (5 teams), ski racing, artistic gymnastics (4 teams) and playball.
Year 3 flippa ball - Naledi Mhuka
Our flippa ball and mini polo programme continues to deliver for our Years 3 - 6 girls, and is as popular as ever with both our student coaches and junior players. Having missed a lot of development time last year due to the restrictions on training and playing during the COVID pandemic, the girls are now in full swing. The Dio Otters, Penguins, Dolphins, Seahorses, Starfish and Mermaids are competing throughout the year in the Epsom Flippa Ball League. We are very proud of our structure, processes and people. Hannah Ngare, our head coach and Dio Old Girl, facilitates a fully developed curriculum. She is supported by Charlotte Worth, our mini polo specialist. This term Charlotte is training our Year 6 Mermaids and our Year 5 Starfish transitioning into deep water polo. Our student coaches are alongside, taking personal ownership of their teams, delivering skills-based modules, knowledge modules and cultivating the behavioural elements that contribute to our fantastic water polo culture here at Dio.
DIO TODAY
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