Hutt Central School in Alicetown have just kicked off a new fitness regime
By Jamie Melbourne-Hayward
Hutt Central School in Alicetown have just kicked off a new fitness regime and are continuing to reap the benefits of a ?Reading for Life? programme. With help from local business the school has two fantastic programmes underway, and the fitness programme has started for the first time this term. Principal Tony Horsfall says the Fitness for Lower Hutt schools and staff is ?a big push for physical wellbeing in schools?. The school?s 300 students are doing ?body combat? courses and Mr Horsfall says the teachers are are giving it a go as well. The classes run for free at the school every fortnight, and began this term. ?All the school is doing it, and I?m trying to? it?s the staff that are taking a bit longer to adjust,? he laughs. The Les Mills Health and Fitness Club organise the programme, called Les Mills School of Fitness, and Mr Horsfall says many parents use the clubs services and this is a way for them to give back to the community. Another programme underway is called ?Reading for Life?, which brings tutors into the school to teach parents how to pass on good reading practices to their kids. ?A lot of parents get a taste of the tricks of teaching reading.? Unilever provide funding for the lessons, which Mr Horsfall says has great spin offs for the parents as they can ?learn the intricacies of teaching reading?. ?Unilever used to operate a trust, but they thought they were just giving out uniforms to sports teams and wanted to assist children better,? he says. The classes take place two to three times a week, run for 10 weeks, and mid-way through around 40 parents and grandparents have taken part in the programme. The funding for the course is appreciated by the school as it is ?limited by resources ... a bit of a charity organisation itself?. Mr Horsfall says both the schemes have ?provided the resources that we struggle with.? The ?Reading for Life? programme costs around $15 thousand to administer and Mr Horsfall says, ?It really does make a difference?.
