Leitchville Primary School

A healthy breakfast is a great start to any day but it’s not every day that children get to enjoy breakfast with their friends at school. That’s what happened at Leitchville Primary School this morning with a breakfast set up in the outdoor area ready for when children arrived.

 

Those students who were lucky enough to have been able to walk to school were keen to quickly hang up their school bags and record their walk on their VicHealth classroom calendars. As the school children tucked into their breakfast children from the Leitchville Pre-School arrived. The younger children, parents and teaching staff were greeted with a warm and friendly welcome.

 

Following breakfast, Cr. Neville Goulding Mayor of the Gannawarra Shire spoke to the group and launched the new Gannawarra Walk to School media clip. He encouraged the children to live a healthy lifestyle so that they can grow up fit and strong. He said that as a Shire Councillor he spends a lot of time sitting in the car and at meetings, but when he’s away from home he always gets up early and goes for a walk. It’s a great way to check out different places and a dose of fresh air is good for getting the body and mind ready for the day. Walking is also a great way to wind down at night.

Amy, an Occupational Therapist with Northern District Community Health, spoke to the children about the importance of being physically active and eating healthy foods. She said that as part of her job she works with people who have injured themselves such as by breaking a bone or being involved in an accident, or perhaps they have suffered from a stroke and lost body movement as a result. Her job is to help people get movement back, to regain their balance and strength so that they can do as much as they can for themselves. Amy said that active and healthy children are more likely to grow into active and healthy adults with strong bones less likely to break or become injured.

The children listed off lots of interesting fruit and vegetables like kiwi fruit, pomegranate and watermelon as well as other healthy food options like cereals, yoghurt, cheese, milk and meat. They also listed off some not so healthy food options like fish and chips, party pies, sausage rolls, soft drinks, lollies, chocolate bars and chicken biscuits. While the children said they enjoyed eating these foods, Amy said that these foods should be kept for special occasions as they are high in salt, sugar and fat.

 

Three vouchers at local businesses were awarded as part of a poster competition the children had participated in as part of the Leitchville Walk to School and Healthy Breakfast event. Prizes were presented by Cr. Goulding and Amy and the three prize winners described their posters to the group. Entries in the poster competition depicted healthy eating, described the joys of walking, or the benefits of physical activity. As one entry said “I like walking, it is good for you. I like walking, you should do it too!” and “Walking is the best, never let it rest!”.  

 

Following the formalities the school and pre-school children, parents, teaching staff and visitors participated in a 1.2 kilometre walk on the town walking track. Along the way the group spotted some animals, noticed that the rabbit proof fence needed some repair work, and the school students pointed out how well the 200 or so trees they had planted along the track to beautify the area were growing.

Walking certainly is a great way to check out what’s going on in the world around us; to meet and connect with other people along the way, and to improve our mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Quambatook Primary School will host the next Gannawarra Walk to School/Healthy Breakfast event on Friday 15^th November commencing at 8:30am with a healthy breakfast. The breakfast will be followed by a leisurely walk along the town walking track to the recreation reserve and back to school along the scenic Avoca River. 

Stay tuned for more on that event Friday. Until then, remember that at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day will help support you to lead a happy and healthy life….

Murrabit Group School

Murrabit Group School’s Walk to School event started with an early morning drop off on the New South Wales side of the Murray River before children, teachers and parents walked across the bridge then followed the walking track 3.5 kilometres back to school. The scenic route passed through river redgum forests and orange groves where early morning bird calls continued despite the chatter of children.  Some children choose to run while others were happy to take their time, to talk and catch up with friends, or to explore the environment.

 

Murrabit Playgroup families joined in along the way and the procession continued through to the school where a healthy breakfast was waiting. The children had worked up a great appetite after their walk and enjoyed trying various types of cereals, toast, milk, yoghurt and orange juice. Delicious fruit platters were provided by the parents and friends group.

 

Following breakfast the school’s Principal welcomed all in attendance and explained that today’s Walk to School event was a great way to support the school’s commitment towards encouraging a healthy lifestyle. The school’s bike education camp held the week prior was highlighted with students from grade 3 to 6 riding 35kms before camping overnight and riding 35kms back to school the next day. Without a healthy lifestyle and building muscle strength and endurance the children would not be sustain this distance on their bikes. Incorporating physical activity into their daily lives and looking after their bodies by making good food choices were really important in being able to learn well at school and participate in life.

 

Cr. Oscar Aertssen outlined the partnership approach involved in the Gannawarra Walk to School/Healthy Breakfast program which has been funded by VicHealth, coordinated by the Gannawarra Shire Council and supported by a range of local health agencies including Northern District Community Health, Kerang District Health, Cohuna District Hospital, Mallee Sports Assembly, and the Southern Mallee Primary Care Partnership. He acknowledged businesses providing food to support the healthy breakfasts and launched the Gannawarra Walk to School media clip.

Tanya from Northern District Community Health said that her role as a community health nurse involved supporting people to lead a healthy lifestyle. She encouraged the children to be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day and to have a look at their diets and make sure they are eating at least 5 serves of vegetables and 3 serves of fruit. She also told children to be aware that foods that come in packages like chips, bars, biscuits, lollies and juice are generally high in salt, fat and sugar and should just be eaten occasionally. Tanya explained that good health is also about looking after your mental health and taking time out to enjoy life.

 

The event ended with the children giving an impromptu demonstration of their gymnastic skills and agility.

 

The Gannawarra Walk to School/Healthy Breakfast program moves on to Leitchville on Wednesday 13^th November where an combined event between Leitchville Primary and the Leitchville Kindergarten has been planned to commence at 9am.

Walking is a fun activity that can be enjoyed alone, with your dog, friends or the whole family. It’s a great way to take in some fresh Spring air and while doing so you might just add a little extra ‘spring’ to your step and improve your physical and mental health along the way.

More details later in the week….

St Joseph's Primary School

Despite waking up to an early morning shower of rain, the weather cleared and lots of children from St. Joseph’s Primary School in Kerang were still able to walk or ride to school this morning as part of their commitment to the VicHealth Walk to School program occurring across Victoria throughout November. Around 50 schools have registered on the Walk to School website, and their students have already walked a combined total of over 7500 kms, with many more schools like St. Joseph’s recording their students’ walks on printed classroom calendars.

Monday morning assembly set the scene for the day, not only relating to Walk to School but planned community activities to commemorate Remembrance Day. Cr. Keith den Houting represented the Gannawarra Shire Council at the assembly and launched the new Gannawarra Walk to School media clip. He said that walking is a fun activity to enjoy at any age and that he regularly jogs to keep fit and healthy. Cr. den Houting told the children how fortunate they are to have such a great school to go to and that friendships made at school can last a lifetime.

Angela a Community Health Nurse with Northern District Community Health highlighted that being active is really important whether you’re very young or very old. Being active increases strength and fitness but it also keeps your weight under control; helping to prevent diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Making healthy food choices like cereals, grains, proteins and fruit and vegetables helps to keep the body in tip top condition so that you have energy to be active and participate in life. As the children named some healthy foods, Angela highlighted that eating a whole orange is a healthier option than drinking orange juice, and instead of sugary drinks, water or milk are good choices.

Following assembly, the whole school plus visitors walked around the block before enjoying a healthy ‘breakfast style’ morning tea in the outdoor undercover area. Kerang Technical High School year 9 students were kept busy keeping toast up to the 100 hungry school children, along with a range of donated cereals, yoghurt, milk, orange juice and apples.

The next Gannawarra Walk to School/Healthy Breakfast event will be held at the Murrabit Group School on Tuesday 12^th November. Weather permitting the day will start at 8:35am with a walk from the Murray River along the new walking track back to school picking younger children (including Murrabit Playgroup children and families) up along the way. The 2.5km or so walk will be followed by a healthy breakfast.

Stay tuned for further details throughout the week…

Kerang South Primary School

Children from Kerang South Primary School burst into the school yard early this morning after walking to school, or the bus stop, eager to enjoy a healthy breakfast set up in their undercover outdoor area. The healthy breakfast was part of the school’s involvement in the Gannawarra Walk to School/Healthy Breakfast program running at 12 locations across the Gannawarra Shire throughout November. Over 200 children plus parents, teaching staff and community supporters ate their way through a range of healthy food options including cereal, milk, yoghurt, orange juice and toast amid lots of before school chatter and laughter. Seven students from Kerang Technical High School assisted Council staff to serve the breakfast.

 

Year 6 students then lead Friday morning assembly with a welcome, singing of the National Anthem, and weekly award presentations based on good learning outcomes and positive behaviour. The Principal  then went on to highlight the school’s involvement in Walk to School and how important it was for all children and their families to make walking part of their everyday routine. Being physically active is encouraged at school by walking/running around the oval each morning and this helps students to not only learn better, but also to develop friendships, confidence and healthy habits that will hopefully last a lifetime.

Cr. Brian Gibson represented the Gannawarra Shire at the event and just about all students raised their hands when asked if they had walked, cycled or scooted to school, or the school bus, this morning. Cr. Gibson said how pleased Council was to be working with primary schools and kinders across the Shire on such a great project. He acknowledged students from the Kerang South Primary School involved in the development of the new Gannawarra Walk to School media clip and highlighted how their Walk to School stories will encourage all school students across the Shire to be physically active, either by walking to and from school, the school bus, or while at school.

 

Tanya, a Community Health Nurse with Northern District Community Health, lead the students on a interactive session based around the importance of being physically active and selecting healthy food options.  She highlighted that her role as a Nurse isn’t just about trying to make people better after they are sick, but in preventing people from becoming sick in the first place. She encouraged the children to be active every day and to eat healthy foods so that they reduce their chances of getting diseases such as diabetes and heart disease later in life.

The morning event ended with a walk around the school oval before students headed into the classroom to view the Gannawarra Walk to School media clip and to enjoy Fresh Fruit Friday.

Walk to School is part of the Gannawarra Shire Council’s commitment to encouraging healthy lifestyles and building on local partnerships to support health and wellbeing outcomes for Gannawarra Shire communities. The next Gannawarra Walk to School/Healthy Breakfast event will be held at St. Joseph’s Primary School in Kerang on Monday 11 November commencing at 9am.

Until then, keep on walking…..

Kerang Primary School

The Gannawarra Walk to School/Healthy Breakfast program kicked off this morning with an event held at the Kerang Primary School. The new Gannawarra Walk to School media clip was launched by the Gannawarra Shire Mayor, Cr. Neville Goulding. Neville said how great it was to be involved in the event and to see so many happy, smiling children. He outlined how he incorporates physical activity into his daily routine on his dairy farm and by using a push mower to mow his lawns rather than a ride-on-mower. What a great effort!

Rhonda from the Mallee Sports Assembly highlighted the benefits of physical activity in preventing illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. She said how important it is to look after your body and your health by exercising every day and eating healthy foods. Importantly she pointed out that daily exercise and eating healthy foods doesn’t have to be expensive; getting out and about walking doesn’t cost a cent and healthy foods like an apple or a milk shake can be much cheaper than processed foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt.

 

After going for a walk around the block, a team of Kerang Technical High School year 9 students assisted to serve a healthy breakfast to over 80 hungry children who enjoyed a range of cereal donated by Kelloggs and Sanitarium, yoghurt donated by Fonterra, toast donated by Gray’s Bakery and milk and orange juice donated by Pauls. The local IGA also supported the event by providing a voucher for butter and vegemite.

 

 

 

After a healthy breakfast the children enjoyed a range of outdoor team activities coordinated by Rhonda from the Mallee Sports Assembly with the assistance of the Kerang Technical High School students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking improves strength, balance and fitness and it’s a great way to get out in the fresh air, meet others and to enjoy the environment. So pull on your walking shoes, and get walking…..

 

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Activity Details

Event Date                  Event Location

6 November            Kerang Primary School
8 November            Kerang South Primary School
11 November          St Joseph's Primary School
12 November          Murrabit Group School
13 November          Leitchville Primary School
15 November          Quambatook Primary School
20 November          Gannawarra Shire Children's Centre
22 November          Lake Charm Primary School
26 November          Cohuna Consolidated School
28 November          Koondrook Primary School
29 November          Cohuna Pre School

Healthy Breakfast Supplies

Great news kids! The breakfast cereal has arrived thanks to our sponsors at Sanitarium and Kelloggs.

Now...where do we store enough cereal to feed 1000 hungry children?