Xavier is home to many local and international sporting success stories and we have tailored our learning to help support these students participate and achieve in their sporting fields. From Kayaking to Go Carting - the sky is the limit.
At Xavier College we value the importance of sport in our students’ learning, that’s why Xavier College participates in a multitude of sporting activities at many skill levels.
Xavier has been supportive in creating avenues for particular sports that are generally not included in the Sports curriculum. For example, Xavier has had spectacular success taking what was a routine school sport activity and driven by student interest and turning it into a successful National Fencing Team.
The students themselves wanted to asked whether this sport could be taken further and Xavier leapt at the idea to the point where a dedicated team, trainers and equipment were sought through sponsorship and partnerships with local Fencing training Academy. The students committed to the initiative by signing up for 12 months and their hard work and efforts have been rewarded and recognised on a National Level. The Xavier Fencing team, pictured above, have competed against Nationwide Catholic and GPS school such as Newington College.
The reason Xavier is so committed to initiatives like these is that we understand that sport in Education benefits a students physical and mental wellbeing and Active Students become better learners. This has been well Documented.
In an Article published Clearinghouse for Sport, the information and knowledge sharing platform for all things Australian Sport, they broke down the clear benefits for Sporting activities in Schools and its association with improved learning. They identified that physical activity and organised sports programs were related to improved academic performance as well as physical well being.(1) Notably it was recognised that Moderate to Vigorous physical Activity allowed students to perform better particularly in writing and numeracy. (2)
School day physical activity, PE, and sport contribute to the development of the whole child in several ways (e.g. health, physical and emotional wellbeing, cognitive and social development).
Valuable contributions to a child's overall accumulation of regular physical activity are made through PE, sport in school, and active transport (to/from school).
Children who achieve 45minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity perform better in writing, numeracy, and overall proficiency.
Sport in the school environment can be a positive influence on lifelong participation in sport and physical activity.
References:
Prepared by: Dr Ralph Richards and Christine May, Senior Research Consultants, Clearinghouse for Sport, Sport Australia
Evaluation by: School Engagement & Partnerships project team, Sport Australia (formerly the Australian Sports Commission), (December 2017)
Reviewed by network: Australian Sport Information Network (AUSPIN)
Last updated: 18 July 2019
(1) Active Education: Growing evidence on physical activity and academic performance, (PDF - 1.4 MB), Active Living Research, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, USA (January 2015).
(2) The associations between physical activity, sedentary behaviour and academic performance (abstract), Maher C, Katzmarzyk P, Dumuid D, Cassidy L and Olds T, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, published online ahead of print (23 February 2016).
Learn more about Xavier's three tier sports system
View our Xavier Sporting Hall of Fame