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.
Sport at our school
Sport and physical activity is a valued and accepted part of our school’s curriculum, contributing to the development of the whole child.
It provides a vehicle for social, physical, emotional and moral learning and is an important expression of our culture. We have physical activity programs for all children, with a focus on fundamental movement skills.
There are also opportunities to represent the school at inter-school sports competitions and activities. See the School Sports Unit for details.
DHPS has four sport houses named after well-known Australian sportspeople: Freeman (yellow), Hewitt (green), Thorpe (blue) and Sauvage (red). During the enrolment process students are assigned to a house for their time at school. House groupings are mainly used at the school swimming and athletics carnivals and students are encouraged to wear their house colours on these days. Each house has a girl and a boy captain and vice-captain, elected from Year 6 students at the beginning of each year. Siblings may not necessarily be placed in the same house.
Sports Carnivals
Early in Term 1 is DHPS swimming carnival for students in Years 3 to 6. This is a school day and all students are expected to attend. Times are taken for age divisions in all strokes to determine eligibility for the PSSA zone swimming carnival.
Regardless of student swimming ability, all students are encouraged to participate in the activities provided for their proficiency. In this way all children earn house points and contribute to the overall point score for the day. Students are encouraged to wear house colours and parents are welcome to attend, but must make their own way to the pool.
Years 3-6 athletics carnival is held with similar organization which encourages all students to participate, earn house points and perhaps qualify for the PSSA zone athletics carnival. Parents are welcome to attend.