It's been a busy term for running, jumping and throwing as our annual Athletics Days take place along with the 2020 Northern Bays Athletics Cluster.

It all started with our Senior Athletics Day which was held on Thursday 19th November. Students from Years 3 to 6 descended on the school turf and Northcross field to participate in various athletic events. These ranged from sprints, long jump, high jump, shot put, discus and fun games. 

Each event required students to draw on their knowledge from our Run, Jump, Throw unit which focused on developing complex movement sequences. Despite being an incredibly hot day, the students put in a huge amount of effort and should all be very proud of themselves. Congratulations to those who managed to get in the top 3, that is no easy feat! A special congratulations to the following classes for winning their class relay races:
Pohutukawa H

Nikau P

Rata D

As for the infamous Staff vs Students relay race, things did not go according to plan for the staff. They thought by roping in a team of parents it would be enough to distract the students so the staff could have a 1st place finish. Turns out we may have recruited an undercover professional running team as the parents screamed ahead in 1st place with the students a close 2nd and a minute or so later the staff collapsed over the line in 3rd (and last place) Congratulations parents and staff on an excellent race. Preparations have already begun for 2021! 

It was then the Juniors time to shine on Thursday 26th November with the Year 0 to 2's hitting the events with ferocious enthusiasm. The junior event focused on students putting their learning into practice and to give everything a go. And by golly did they give everything a go! 

It was amazing to walk around and see the awesome running, jumping and throwing taking place. The juniors have certainly been working hard and it's paid off, well done to all the students for the fantastic skills you demonstrated!

The day couldn't have gone ahead without the help of our amazing Year 6 students who pretty much ran the whole event themselves. A massive thank you to those students! 

To wrap up the athletic season for 2020, 18 students from Years 5 and 6 ventured out to Kristin School to participate in the Northern Bays Athletics Cluster. Despite some dodgy weather in the morning, the day was still able to go ahead. 

The team were up against some tough competition this year but they proved they could hold their own. Every student gave it their all and should be incredibly proud of their efforts. 

Although the event had schools competing with each other, it was clear that everyone was just happy to be out and about. Whilst they weren't competing, students from different schools came together to play games and have some fun. When they were competing, the level of sportsmanship shown was commendable. For every big throw or jump there were cheers and high fives from the rest of the competitors. 

Congratulations to all students who participated in the event, you were awesome ambassadors for Sherwood! Some of our athletes managed to secure a podium finish in the running events with others getting the top 10:

Zach Lowe -  2nd in the 10 Year Old Boys 100m sprint. 
Donald Tian, Danielle Anderson, Erica Zhou and Zach Lowe - 3rd in 10 Year Old Relay. 

I would like to thank all the staff, parents and students who helped with these events. You are all amazing and your efforts are greatly appreciated! 

Andrew Smart
Physical Education Specialist & Sports Coordinator