HOCKING students will put their feet first when heading to school on Friday.
St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary School will join others around Australia to take part in Walk Safely to School Day on May 17.
Principal Carmel O’Shaughnessy said this would be the fourth year the school had taken part in the national initiative, with many already regularly walking to school.
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READ NOW“Whilst we have only students in the early years, we encourage parents to park at a small distance and walk with their children through the gates,” she said.
As part of the day, classes will take part in activities to remind them to walk safely to and from school.
This will be the 20th anniversary of Walk Safely to School Day, which aims to raise awareness of the health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits that regularly walking can provide for the long-term wellbeing of children, and to reduce traffic congestion around schools.
Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman Harold Scruby said children required at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
“We should encourage them to include walking at the beginning, during and end of each day – if you can’t walk all the way, use public transport and get off a few stops earlier and walk the rest of the way to school,” he said.
He said the main road safety message of the day was: “Until they are 10, children must always hold the hand of an adult when crossing the road.