Domain - HPE

Health and Physical Education (HPE) took on a new look this year engaging students in practical and active learning experiences online and offline, focusing on Geography and Physical Education. Throughout this unit students develop knowledge, understanding and skills to move safely and competently while valuing a positive relationship with and promoting the sustainable use of outdoor environments.

The Adventure unit in the Year 9 Discover Program provided students with a range of environmental knowledge, not only of our surrounding environment such as the Dandenong Ranges but also National Parks like the Grampians. The students learnt how to read and create maps and graphs in Geography, as well as how to prepare nutritious meals that could be used in camping experiences. Throughout the unit the students also participated in a range of physical and mental challenges to help improve their fitness and teamwork. The students created a 7 - week fitness program based around a goal which they wanted to achieve relating to their wellbeing. They also taught their peers how to tie different types of knots as well as the seven principles of Leave No Trace and how as a class they could follow these.

After Year 9 the next opportunity to continue with the challenge of Outdoor Education is VCE Outdoor and Environmental Studies available at Year 10, 11 and 12. Through adventurous activities, fieldwork, nature study and conservation work, students are exposed to issuebased approaches that involve philosophical enquiry and systematic thinking. This content encourages students to face issues and consider their societies existing values while determining the values society needs to adopt for more sustainable lifestyles.

In February, the Year 12 Outdoor and Environmental Studies class participated in a 3-day camp hiking the Eastern Circuit at Wilsons Promontory. The students took part in an educational session by a Park Ranger who discussed the Indigenous culture and heritage of Wilsons Promontory as well as historical events such as European settlement, Industrialisation and Nation Building. The students were physically and mentally challenged as they carried their clothes, food and shelter for their entire hiking trip. Throughout the trip, students were engaged in practical experiences that enabled them to make comparisons between and reflect upon outdoor environments, as well as develop theoretical knowledge and skills relating to Wilsons Promontory.

Eliza Johns HPE Domain Leader