The shoes that Batemans Bay Public School students and staff wear are made for walking, and that’s just what they’ll do on May 7 when the school participates in the Pedestrian Council’s Walk to School Safely Day.
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The majority of staff and between 100 and 150 students will be making the epic journey from Sunshine Bay Public School to their own school in Surfside.
They will start at the Sunshine Bay school at 7.15am and pick up groups of students at various points, including Corrigans Reserve and Hanging Rock, on the way.
Another group will begin the walk at Surfside.
“Of course the kids have the option of being driven in, so we don’t get the whole school, but we get good numbers,” Batemans Bay Public School deputy principal Eric Lloyd said.
To the school, the concept is not treated as a yearly event.
“We aim at doing it every term,” Mr Lloyd said.
Moruya Public School also embraces the event enthusiastically.
“We do it every year, so we will definitely be getting involved again,” school assistant principal Annette Millidonis said.
The school has a comprehensive approach to the day.
“We will hold a special assembly in the lead up to the day to plan it with everybody, and we will be handing out stickers and promotional flyers to the students,” Ms Millidonis said.
Those who live in the township of Moruya will be walking to school with parents and staff, while those who live outside the town and usually catch the bus will be asked to walk from their house to the bus stop.
“At infants assembly, we ask the students to put their hands up if they walk to school, so we can work out with them what to do,” Ms Millidonis said.
“Students must all be supervised by adults on the day.”
Like Batemans Bay Public, Moruya Public doesn’t see it as simply walking to school one day a year.
“It is about learning the right way to get to school, like staying on the footpaths and not walking in the gutters, and crossing the road safely,” Ms Millidonis.
“It’s also about encouraging the kids to get some fitness by walking to school rather than getting a lift around the corner.”
Independent research has shown that an impressive 92 per cent of primary schools throughout Australia participated in Walk to School Day 2009, setting the benchmark for schools to achieve a 100 per cent participation rate in this its 11th year.
