'Walking Wednesday' at Te Totara Primary School

'Walking Wednesday' at Te Totara Primary School

Te Totara Primary School opened in the north east suburb of Rototuna in Hamilton in 2008 with a roll of 58. Since that time the roll has grown to over 180 and will eventually cater for 650 students.

The school is fortunate to have wide footpaths and nearby roads have underground walkways allowing for safe walking to and from school. During 2008, the school and surrounding roads were still being built so we decided that once all the building was complete we would launch a programme to use the fine new facilities. A recent initiative has been “Walking Wednesday”, to help develop the habit of walking to and from school.

This involves students walking to school, at least each Wednesday and often with other families. Older students record the percentage of walkers from each class and the room with the highest percentage wins a trophy for the week. This initiative is proving popular with over 80% of students walking each Wednesday. The school has now extended this initiative to include wheels, as a number of students come to school on scooters or bikes.

A well as the programme helping to encourage students to walk, the school has noticed a number of families who are sharing responsibility for others as well. The school is working with Julie, the Hamilton City Council Walking School Bus Coordinator to further develop the programme and encourage even more participation. To find out more visit www.tetotara.school.nz

Further information: Brian Sheedy, www.tetotara.school.nz.