Ticking all the boxes

Opened for use in Term 4 2020, the Sports Precinct has changed the shape of the HPE curriculum, sports program, and assemblies and events, as well as providing the boarders with an incredible new backyard. We asked the HPE and sports staff what it has meant to have this versatile facility at their disposal for their practices and programs.

2022 HEAD OF FACULTY – HPE (PP-12): HELEN LOBEGEIGER

The Sports Precinct has energised the sporting program and has been a hive of activity. It is a space where multiple learning and training opportunities can occur simultaneously. This enables more girls to be active in a whole range of different environments that previously did not exist. The precinct allows for all girls to play, train and compete which ultimately culminates in girls feeling empowered. The precinct has incredible flow, enabling a sense of community between the different environments, sports and activities. This flow also allows for staff to stand at different points within the precinct and view all the activity that is occurring at any one time for supervision purposes.

HEAD OF ROWING: JARED BIDWELL

The newly developed sports precinct has helped to launch St Margarets Sports into the stratosphere! From a rowing perspective, the ability to have multiple year levels training in the one location has been invaluable for bringing the shed together. With numerous options of training and confidence-building activities at our fingertips, we have been able to bring out the best in every student. The Sports Precinct with a designated aquatics area has allowed us to incorporate recovery sessions in our program, optimising athletic performance.

SECONDARY HPE TEACHER: SARAH HARRE

The new Sports Precinct has proven to be a valuable asset to the delivery of the Health and Physical Education curriculum. The precinct provides students with the opportunity to experience an array of contemporary learning experiences, acquiring movement skills on the land, in the water and even in the air.

Perhaps one of the greatest assets of this new learning space is the multitude of sports, games and physical activities that can be undertaken within the precinct. From scaling the rock-climbing wall to rowing purpose-built boats in the pool, the new facilities provide an engaging, challenging and modern learning space. Providing the girls with opportunities to develop and transfer skills in a variety of authentic contexts is largely beneficial to ensure the girls can competently, confidently and creatively participate in physical activity beyond the classroom. The more activities we can expose the girls to, the more likely they are to find something they enjoy and develop a lifelong appreciation of physical activity. Another strength of the new precinct is the central design with health classrooms located in close proximity to the pool, gym and multi-purpose courts. Accordingly, the girls can easily transition to learning about movement in the theory space, to learning in and through movement in the practical spaces. With movement being such a powerful medium through which learning can be achieved, the new precinct plays a key role in the development of the well-rounded St Margaret’s student.

HEAD OF NETBALL: GAYLE COUTTS

Having the Philip Harris Gym (PHG) which has a purpose-built netball flooring that is the same as what the Firebirds play on at the Nissan Arena is a great asset for the players, especially senior players who are playing from four to six times a week. The flooring provides a superior surface for the girls and helps prevents injuries such as shin splints. We started 2021 off with our first ever indoor club netball trials. This was great for everyone, especially parents new to the school. It also allowed coaches to work indoors instead of spending up to eight hours in the sun and there was no chance of wet weather cancellations. Combining the PHG with the multi-purpose courts provides a huge area where we can coach six teams at a time. Throughout the year, we have been able to run our training sessions for Years 2 to 6 club netball, taking away the cost and time delay of getting the girls on the bus to Windsor Park and again avoiding wet weather cancellations. We also used these spaces for all the senior and open QGSSSA teams to train. In Term 4, we also used the PHG for our Magnettes program (Prep to Year 2) and our New to Netty program. The space has also allowed us to run lunchtime shooting sessions for our goalies, which has improved our teams’ overall shooting statistics considerably.

CORE SPORTS COORDINATOR (SECONDARY SWIMMING, CROSS COUNTRY AND ATHLETICS): SUSAN UHLMANN

At St Margaret’s we focus on educating the whole child, and an excellent educational offering includes the emotional and physical wellbeing of our students. The St Margaret’s Sports Precinct enables us to provide programs and facilities that are central to our holistic education. Physical activity is vital to improvements in students’ self-esteem, energy levels and their ability to concentrate in class. The new Sports Precinct is a happy hub of activity from 6am through to 6pm, and we have seen improvements in our engagement and results across the core sports since the precinct opened. We are able to run activities with a large volume of students, and host competitions with other schools seamlessly. Importantly, we are also able to offer world class strength and conditioning classes, and injury rehabilitation offerings with our new gym and equipment, and are seeing a lower injury rate due to the improved strength and agility of our students. St Margaret’s is one of the strongest competitors in the QGSSSA, with incredibly high participation rates, and our new precinct matches our students’ abilities and potential and will see them thrive for years to come.

WATER POLO COORDINATOR AND SECONDARY HPE TEACHER: TALIA O’CALLAGHAN

The new pool has provided the water polo community with exceptional facilities and resources. As a training venue, the pool caters for multiple teams to work with experienced coaches in the pool, on deck and in the strength and conditioning room. The retractable shade roof reduces player exposure to the sun, and the pool lights have been fantastic for our early evening training sessions. The St Margaret’s pool offers a personalised experience for players, officials, and spectators during competition. The water polo playing field offers an Olympic-sized field or two junior playing fields, and the balcony on level 2 overlooks the playing area to provide an excellent vantage point to live stream or video approved training sessions and games. The precinct offers a global community experience and has been well received by parents and guests. Within the pool area, players and parents have access to the parent support group barbeque and there are multiple spectator areas, including seating along the southern and western sides of the pool. The ability to watch from multiple locations around the playing field increases game-day excitement, exposing players to a positive crowd atmosphere. The program at St Margaret’s is benefitting greatly and club participation numbers have increased with the inclusion of three additional teams in 2021/22 season.