May 2nd, 2018

Walking/Biking To School For The Month of May

May is heart health month.  We want to thank all of the students, parents, staff and community members who were able to join us today for our community walk to school.  We would like to see this initiative continue throughout the month.

For the month of May, we are designating every Wednesday as “Walk to School Wednesdays”.   We are encouraging all parents to walk or bike to school for the next four Wednesdays.

We also want to share with you some of the health benefits for walking to school.

Walking or cycling to school; a smart choice

Walking to school can lead to better academic performance. Just 20 minutes of walking in the morning can increase mental focus at school for up to four hours! This can lead to higher test scores, better music practice, or even a better soccer game! Just look at the difference between brain activity in a student who sat quietly in the morning and one who was active for 20 minutes:

How long does it take to walk to school?

The average rate of walking for an elementary school student is 4.34 kilometres per hour. That means the average student can walk our maximum walking distance – 1.6 kilometres – in 22 minutes at a comfortable pace. It probably doesn’t take that much longer than driving, and it’s a great way to add up those recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity!

Do You Need to Drive to School?

Parents who drive students to school face important maneuvering and parking decisions every day that can put our students at risk. The more individual car trips to school, the worse the congestion and the more confusing school traffic can become. Our best course of action against traffic dangers is to reduce the overall number of cars that arrive at the school each day.  We understand that from some parents, walking to school is a challenge versus driving to school.  We suggest that you park on a side street that is 5 minutes from the school.  Park your car there and walk to school.  We call this the “Drive to 5” initiative.

Thank you for your continued support of this initiative and your ongoing efforts in ensuring that our students arrive and leave school safely every day.

Helmut Tinnes

Principal