Golden Plains Shire has joined VicHealth in encouraging kids to walk, ride or scoot to school as part of the annual Walk to School program.
Every October, Walk to School encourages families to get active on the trip to and from school to help kids build healthy habits for life.
Golden Plains Shire Council is working with local primary schools to deliver a range of activities to support more families to walk, ride or scoot to school this month thanks to $15,000 funding from VicHealth. All 15 schools in the Shire have registered to participate in this year’s program, by either encouraging children to get active on the way to school, or participate in walking activities within school, where it is more difficult for students to walk or ride to school.
To launch this year’s local program, Golden Plains Shire Council has partnered with St Mary McKillop Primary School and Bannockburn P-12 College to invite families to participate in ‘Walk or Wheel Wednesday’. On Wednesday 9 October, local families that walk or wheel to school will see roving performers along two key routes to the local Bannockburn schools. Starting at Lions Park, there will pop up music and performers on High Street, Milton Street and Moreillon Drive, and small giveaways for children and parents.
Mayor Cr Owen Sharkey says that Walk to School is a fantastic program, and great way to encourage not just children, but also their families to get active on the way to school.
“School is back today, and with the warmer weather now with us it couldn’t be better timing for the start of this year’s Walk to School Program.”
“Council is proud to join this important initiative by VicHealth to encourage all our kids and their families to get more active either on the way to school, or during the school day.”
“It fantastic to see that every one of our Shire’s 15 schools is participating in this year’s program. We know that for a variety of reasons, not all families and children can always walk, ride or scoot to school, particularly in our rural areas, which is why we’re providing funding from VicHealth to all schools to run walking activities within the school grounds where this is not possible.”
“We’ve got an exciting morning planned for this week’s launch on Wednesday, and I encourage all local children and their families to come along and enjoy the festivities as they walk, ride, scoot or skate to school.”