Keeping Ourselves Safe

Stepping Out is the Junior Primary programme in the Police Road Safe Series. This is a co-ordinated, integrated series of programmes with the intention that our young people learn appropriate road safety skills and are given the opportunity to practise and reinforce these.

Stepping Out aims to encourage and assist children in a safe way as pedestrians or passengers in a traffic environment.

General Objectives for Children:

Children will be able to identify types of traffic and know that it may be dangerous.
Children will recognise the different parts of the road and know how to behave on each.
Children will be able to identify the benefits of walking, as opposed to always being driven.
Children will have the skills and knowledge to cross the road safely.
Children will identify hazards on or near the road and be careful near these.
Children will demonstrate appropriate behaviours in and around a vehicle.
Children will be able to ask for help with a road safety problem.
Children will be familiar with the operation of School Traffic Safety Teams and will follow their instructions.
Children can identify safe places to play.

General Objectives for Parents:

Parents, caregivers, school and community will work together to help their children be safe on, and around, at the road.
Parents and caregivers will model safe behaviour on or near the road.

The following messages should become part of children's thinking as a result of working through activities in Stepping Out. It is not intended that they be handed out to children as a list;

I know what traffic is.
I know that traffic can hurt me.
I know I must be careful on the road.
I can help myself be safe on the road.
There are other people who can help me be safe on the road.
I know that walking is good for me and the environment.
I know the different parts of the road and how to behave on each.
I can cross the road safely with an older person.
I will stop, look and listen before I cross the road.
I can tell when it is safe to cross the road.
I can decide what to do to keep safe on the road in risky situations.
I use the safe way I worked out with my caregiver to get to and from school.
I know to get out of a vehicle on the footpath side.
I can make my safety belt 'click'.
I can behave in ways that keep myself and others safe when I'm a passenger.
I can get on and off the bus safely.
I know why we have school patrols, traffic wardens and bus wardens and I will follow their instructions.
I will play in safe places.
I can decide what to do when I face a hazard on or near the road.

Why should you teach road safety?
Children are vulnerable road users. Children are not mini adults.

They do not see and hear things in the same way as adults.
Their eyesight is not well developed, especially their peripheral vision.
They are easily distracted by noises or things such as animals.
They are short in stature and so can't see over or round things easily.
They can't judge safe distances or speed easily and so may make poor decisions about crossing the road.
They may forget road safety rules if something unexpected happens, such as their ball bouncing out on to the road.

Take a walk in their shoes. When you want to cross the road, crouch down between parked cars and see what you can see and hear. How easily could the driver of a large heavy motor vehicle see you?

BikeWise - we are learning about road safety whilst riding, wearing correctly fitting helmets and signalling.

Fire Wise - we had some really cool visitors! A fire truck and some firemen came to talk to us about fire safety.

Power Kids

Kidpower provides a safe and effective learning experience for children to take positive and effective action to keep themselves safe. The students all learnt about their 'Powers' and how and when they could use them.

Some new Road Patrol Monitors getting some training.

KidsLink - Finding Help for Kids

Henderson North School is a KidsLink School.

KidsLink is an online resource for schools, parents and caregivers to find a range of service providers for children and young people. Find help (and fun) for: Learning / Behaviour / Physical Needs / Extra Curricular / Childcare

It is KidsLink belief that finding help for children and young people in a timely manner will assist in their journey to reach thier full potential. The website is a starting point for anywone who wants to find possible causes and solutions to the most common issues and needs affecting, children, young people and their families.

Check us out at http://www.kidslink.co.nz/

Travel Wise is an ongoing project with a set of practical actions that aim to improve road safety and promote sustainable school travel journeys. It is a partnership between Auckland Regional Transport Authority, Auckland City Council, and our school.

The benefits include:

Reduced traffic congestion at the school gates, this improves safety for all children
Reduction of polluting car emissions in the environment
Helping children learn road ssafety skills and become familiar with their community
Improved engineering infrastructure to promote walking/cycling within the school zone
Encouraging walking/cycling to improve children's fitness and health
Encouraging walking/cycling to ensure that children arrive alert and ready to learn

Did You Know:
Walking is a learned behaviour. If children are driven everywhere they will expect to be driven. The more you walk, the more likely you are to walk - to the shops, to a friends house, to the beach. People who get into good exercise habits in childhood are more likely to grow into healthy adults. Nearly a third of New Zealand children get very little or no exercise every week. Childhood obesity levels are rising, and with them health problems, such as high blood pressure and joint problems.

Benefits of WSBs for children include: better health and fitness, increased independence, a way of learning to interact with the road environment safely, new friends and lots of fun.

Benefits of WSBs for parents include: less time stuck in traffic getting the kids to school, knowing your child is getting to school safely with supervision, more community involvement and extra free time when you don't have to pick up and drop off children every day at school.

We were visited today by The Walking School Buss - to celebrate some of us got Funky Feet!