The playground has been resounding with the excited cries of children and the pounding of feet as Prep to Year 6 participate in the Jump Rope for Heart program. Kristy Moresi launched the program at the beginning of May with a special guest, Jason, who introduced the children to the finer skills of using a skipping rope.
Whether it was individually or as a group, the children ‘jumped’ into the program, raising funds to assist the Heart Foundation fight heart disease. Not only is the program designed to support a fund raising effort, it is designed to get students skipping to good health. Statistics from the Heart Foundation tell us:
- one in four 5 to 12 year olds are either overweight or obese
- 80% of students are not getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity
- physical activity makes you less likely to have a heart attack and can help prevent and manage over 20 chronic diseases including cancers, Type 2 diabetes and depression
- heart disease is Australia’s biggest killer.
Last Friday we had ‘Jump Off Day’ where the Year 6 House students organised a series of skipping activities to celebrate the excellent effort of all the students in raising $3383 and logging a total of 65.5 hours of skipping. This highly energetic afternoon allowed the children to demonstrate the skills they have been practising throughout the term, and saw some of the staff joining in, resulting in plenty of fun being active together.
Not only has skipping been high on the agenda recently, but Music has featured over the last couple of weeks. The Winter Strings Concert, the Band presentation and the Curriculum Choir Concerts have provided much entertainment for the Junior School Donvale community. The staff and students are to be congratulated on the high standard of their performances. Their beautiful harmonies have joined the flourishing birdlife around the campus to send us into the holiday break uplifted and grateful for our spectacular environment and talented students.
I wish everyone a safe and relaxing Term 2 break. It is a great opportunity to enjoy family life without the normal routines and to gather our strength for the exciting upcoming production of Aladdin, Jnr. So, let’s get ready for a magic carpet ride into the whole new world of theatre that promises high adventure in Term 3.
Margaret Adams
Deputy Head of Carey Donvale
