Walk to School Party -Greenacres

Walk to School Party -Greenacres

Background

In 2007 we completed a case study detailing Greenacres School  efforts and successes with addressing;

• community traffic and parking behaviours at our school gate

• pedestrian safety in our community and at our patrolled crossing point

• attitudes and practicalities related to walking in any season

• the significant upgrade required to the secondary access route into our

• school through reserve

l• and by liaising with the Wellington City Council.

We are very proud to announce that since this time we have have seen an increase, on average, of 32% in the number of students actively walking to school or being dropped of near school to walk the final distance.

In addition, the Wellington City Council have come on board and cleaned up their overgrown reserve land and laid new tracks making access into the school form this point a far safer and more viable option for students and families all year round.

Parties

One of the ways we encourage community involvement in our physically active school culture, is through our ‘active transport’ initiative. Part of this initiate is to hold once a term “Walk to School” parties to promote and celebrate walking to school.

Last terms party was a great success, despite the rain, with our local Police Education Officer joining in the fun as well as many parents, grandparents and younger brothers and sisters of our students.

Staff were also extremely busy setting up for the party and then running activity stations.

Activities included;

• Drawing feet with chalk

• Hula Hoop and skipping in the bubbles

• Dancing aerobics

• Jumbo Connect Four challenge

We concluded our event with a whole school road safety discussion with our Education Officer, Senior Constable Ian Browne followed by an extremely humourous Wacky Clothes Parade.

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone involved in making our most recent party such a success.

Further information: sfarrand@greenacres.school.nz, .