Nor'West News: July 05, 2017

10
Tuesday July 5 2016
SPORTS
Challenging children
JUNIOR PUPILS at Wairakei
School participate once a week
in a multi-level sports
programme catering for different
needs through a variety of
activities.
While the year 5 and 6 pupils
head off for their inter-school
winter sports tournament on
Friday afternoons, the year 1 to
4 pupils get outside and take on
many different challenges.
Generally, the year 1 children
participate in the school’s
perceptual motor programme,
which teaches them some of the
most basic elements of sport.
The others are mixed into
different groups and have skillbased
lessons and other physical
activity to encourage wellness.
Principal Shane Buckner said
it is so great seeing the older
children supporting the younger
ones.
“It is absolutely brilliant to
have the parents come along and
support the teachers by providing
extra supervision and assistance,”
he said.
Getting to grips with gym gear
BOUNCING ON trampolines
and learning forward rolls
were just two of the activities
Cotswold School pupils got into
at the Christchurch School of
Gymnastics.
The junior school pupils put
the skills they have been learning
at school into practice and after
a jazzy warm up, pupils were
separated into different stations
around the gym.
They used the big trampolines,
the rings and bars, the beams, and
the forward roll mats.
Eight-year-old Lewis Ashby said
it was great to learn new things.
“We learnt new things on the
beam like backwards dips, bunny
hops and even ribbon throws,” he
said.
Seven-year-old Jayden White
said he enjoyed flipping around
the bar.
A highlight for the year 3
pupils was watching a one of
the instructors demonstrate
his fancy flips on one of the big
trampolines.
Even some of the teachers gave
it a go – showing the kids their
attempts at trampolining too.
NOR’WEST NEWS
FOCUSED:
Seven-yearold
Ella-Rose
Wakeling
concentrates
hard on
balancing on
the beam.
FRIENDLY COMPETITION: Wairakei School pupils in a match
against Westburn School as part of a programme to encourage
wellness.
HAVING FUN: Jay-Xuan Tan, 7
(right), had a good session on
the trampoline. Far right – Eve
McManus, 5, prepares to use
the beam.