Inspiring Others to be Active and Healthy at Kerang Primary School

What are you waiting for? Get Walking Gannawarra! Kerang Primary School students want to inspire everyone to Get Walking. After all, it’s a free and fun activity that the whole family can enjoy and it’s a great time of the year to be out and about connecting with others in your community and checking out what’s going on in the environment around us.

A Ready, Set, Go Walk to School Treasure Chest at Kerang Primary is helping students improve their literacy skills by writing down inspirational tips each week that they want to share with everyone. 

Aochim, Bainli and Xander were presented with $10 vouchers for the local sports store as prizes for the great inspirational tips they put in the Treasure Chest the first week of Walk to School month: 

“If you’re running and you’re tired, don’t give up”. Aochim Grade 6

“I think kids should Walk, Ride and Scoot to school to get their blood pumping through their bodies”. Bainli Grade 3

“Stop, Look, Listen, Think! Do you need a drink? Walk, Ride, Scoot, Skate, everything you do is Great!!!!!”  Xander Grade 5/6A

And the Winners of the Week 2 Ready, Set, Go Walk to School Treasure Chest inspirational tips are:
“Jump, walk, hop and skip – it’s fun!” Kai Prep

“When it’s raining you can still walk using an umbrella” Azaihlee Grade 1

“Walk with somebody else it makes it more exciting” Natalie Grade 1

Being healthy and active every-day is something the students at Kerang Primary School take very seriously. Each morning they walk or jog around the block before going into class to learn. They are one of eight of the eleven primary schools across the Gannawarra Shire that has been presented with a Get Active statement demonstrating the local partnership approach between schools, Gannawarra Shire Council and partner agencies to supporting every child to have a great start to life.

And being healthy doesn’t just mean being active, it also means eating a healthy diet including lots of fruit and vegetables.

Kerang Primary School students work hard to keep their Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden in great shape, producing lots of yummy fresh vegetables and herbs. In season now are broad-beans, spinach, parsley, broccoli, parsley, chives, basil which are being turned into delicious meals. Next week some parents are coming to enjoy homemade pasta using spinach and parsley out of the garden.

Sometimes the students graze in the vegetable garden before school and on Friday’s sell some of their fresh and produce at the school gate – the students have made $39.50 over the past two weeks which will help buy supplies to keep the garden growing.

All eleven primary schools across the Gannawarra Shire are participating in this year’s Walk to School program with students encouraged to ride, walk or scoot to and from school, the school bus or while at school, throughout October.

It really is Cool to Walk to School! And students are busy recording their activity on Walk to School classroom calendars in an effort to win prizes for their school. Kerang Primary are also one of seven local schools competing for a Gannawarra Golden Shoe trophy which will be presented to the class with the highest participation walking, riding or scooting to school, or the school bus, throughout October.

The Walk to School program promotes the importance of children being Active and Healthy in their communities and fitting at least 60 minutes of physical activity into their daily lives. Getting actively to school, the school bus, or while at school not only helps keep children fit and healthy, it also helps them to stay alert, to concentrate and improves learning outcomes.

The Gannawarra VicHealth Walk to Scool program is rolled out across the Gannawarra Shire as a Gannawarra Local Agency Meeting (GLAM) partnership project. This is a partnership between Gannawarra Shire Council, Northern District Community Health, Kerang District Health, Cohuna District Hospital, Mallee District Aboriginal Service, Victoria Police, with support from the Southern Mallee Primary Care Partnership.

Walk to School is a VicHealth initiative. For more information go to: www.walktoschool.vic.gov.au

Follow along with the Gannawarra VicHealth Walk to School program: www.facebook.com/HealthyGannawarra and the Gannawarra Walk to School BLOG: www.gannawarrawalkstoschool.blogspot.com.au