Caught having a healthy lunch!

Caught having a healthy lunch!

Walk into Manurewa West Primary School at interval or lunchtime, and you’ll see a teacher carrying a little notebook in the playground. It’s a very important notebook. From big to little, the children know that if their name goes into the book, they have been “caught”.

It’s all part of the school’s innovative health programme. The children have been “caught” because they were spotted having a healthy lunch or being active.

All names in the notebook go into a draw at Friday’s assembly, and the prizes are great! There is sports equipment like tennis balls, frisbees and skipping ropes, or family passes to the movies.

The enjoyment factor is a strong theme in the school’s health programme. David Wallis, principal, said it all started when he realised that the children’s participation and endeavour in their daily fitness programme was low-key.

The children weren’t conditioned for it. So, we focused on dreaming up a physical activity programme with lots of enjoyment for them. It coincided with our selection by the MoE and SPARC (Sport and Recreation NZ) to participate in a physical activity pilot programme.”

Mr Wallis is also a representative on the Let’s Beat Diabetes (LBD) School Accord. The Accord is an initiative of collaboration between LBD and Counties Manukau schools developed to ensure children are ‘active, healthy and ready to learn’.

One aspect of the school’s health programme is 20 minutes of structured physical activity each day. Several times a week the activity is mass aerobics. The children are so keen on the aerobics that some children have been trained as support instructors.

As for the 34 teachers at Manurewa West School, it’s quite clear that they are walking the talk. At lunchtimes, in addition to the teachers who coach major sports, there are eight teachers supervising minor games.

There is a full gym available free for staff members, and even subsidised massage sessions once a week for staff.

Another initiative that the school has taken is towards healthy eating. They realised that the foods they were selling in the tuck shop were contradictory with their healthy living message.

They have progressively changed over to a healthy selection, recognising along the way that not only taste, but also packaging and peer influence were important in the children’s acceptance of new foods.

Parents are saving money because the prices are fair and children aren’t buying unhealthy alternatives on the way to school.

Supporting children and their families to swap to healthier choices is a campaign which is part of the Let’s Beat Diabetes programme.

The campaign, called Swap2Win, promotes healthy lifestyles and the need to stop obesity. It highlights healthy swaps that can be made to increase physical activity and change to healthier foods