Pakaraka School came on board with Project Energize late 2014. Energize is all about improving children's physical activity and nutrition, and ultimately to improve their overall health.  The project works alongside Teachers to support them too. 

Principal Vee Singh, Lead Teacher Dee Walker and the staff have all been very excited about Energize.  “Since Project Energize started, we have found the program has engaged and motivated tamariki to participate in regular physical activity, as well as adopting a healthier lifestyle. Gina has supported staff with planning and implementation with a range of cooperative techniques, including ball skills and swimming. Teachers are also making more of a conscious effort to integrate PE and Health throughout the curriculum. Additionally, Gina has helped our school connect with families and the wider community – building and strengthening relationships through inter-school events” says Dee Walker, Lead Teacher at Pakaraka School.

Following the gathering of baseline data (which includes interviews with the staff, surveys with parents, fitness testing the students), we then moved into some education around swimming in rivers and swimming holes to ensure the children knew how to keep safe at their local swimming holes over summer. They had fun learning how to check the current of a river before crossing, how to cross safely in a group, how to survive should they fall into a current and the importance of checking the swimming hole for changes each day, before jumping in.

They dressed up in full clothing, put backpacks on and created a current in the pool – which simulated a current in a river – they then had fun crossing the current and also working as a team to “survive”.

The highlight thus far however has been teaching the children Ki-o-Rahi, right from the new entrants to the senior students.  They have learnt the history of Ki-o-Rahi and how to play it and for the first time, the school entered two teams at the annual Mid North Yr 5 – 8 Ki-o-Rahi event held at Lindvart Park, Kaikohe.  Over the coming term, the school is looking to organise a Matariki Celebration, where they will have a healthy kai and invite their neighbouring school Oromahoe to play some Ki-o-Rahi and have fun as a whanau.

“It is such a lovely school to work in, small in size but big in heart” says Gina Harris, Sport Northland Energizer for the Mid North. The children are all very polite and respectful and always offer to help carry gear and set-up the day’s activities.