December Special edition

Transcription

1 December 2011 Special edition The School Travel Magazine for Havering Schools What s inside Page 2 Update from Councillor Tebbutt Olympic Relay in Havering Page 3, 4 & 5 The Big WoW 2011 WoW what a great day! Page 6 Olympic Torch and Vest Winners! STAR Accreditation Congratulations Page 7 What s new on the School Travel Bulletin Board Page 8 Updates from Havering s schools

2 Comment from Councillor Tebbutt Councillor Barry Tebbutt, the Cabinet Member for Environment, is fully behind both the School Travel Plan programme and Taking Steps magazine, he commented: I am delighted to see the superb results our schools are continuing to achieve with their travel plans. The health and fitness benefits of an active School Travel Plan are really positive as is the reduction in congestion and pollution around our schools. Record levels of reduction in car use at nearly 14% in the Borough are excellent and the second highest in all London Boroughs, the London average is 6%. We have more pupils cycling than ever before, up by 3%. This is the third best in London, and lots of cycle storage in our schools to encourage more bike use by all. Torch Relay Starts at Whybridge The Big WOW 2011 was a cross London Olympic walking relay that involved all 33 Boroughs, an idea that started here in Havering two years ago. This is the fifth consecutive year we have held an event in October and the level of support from schools was huge again! The Olympic torches from London 1948 and Melbourne 1956 were passed through every Borough over nearly five weeks finishing their journey in Greenwich. The torches arrived in Havering on Tuesday 4 October when pupils from the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham delivered them to Whybridge Infants School. The Mayors of both Boroughs were present at the handover. We had 52 schools take part in the Big WoW in October and I was delighted to attend and enjoy the day with you. The WoW scheme itself is enjoyed by pupils each month in Havering and 54 primary schools take part throughout the academic year. There is so much going on and lots of opportunities where schools can make an impact as you will read in Taking Steps. Please get in touch with the Smarter Travel Team if you have any ideas or questions. It s clear you are really making the changes that the School Travel Programme is all about and I thank you for all the hard work you are putting in to deliver those changes. Finally, may I wish you all a Happy Christmas and a peaceful and successful New Year. Produced by the Regeneration, Policy & Planning Service of the London Borough of Havering. Taking Steps Special / December 2011 Job no: D353 The Torches Visit Crowlands Primary The two Olympic torches called in at Crowlands Primary early on Wednesday 5 October 2011 en route to the Big WoW event. John Greatrex, Martin Day, and Councillor Tebbutt spoke to the pupils in a full school assembly about the importance of the Olympic torches through history and the Olympic Games coming to London next year which will be such a special occasion for the whole country, particularly London. The torches toured the school with lots of children and teachers getting to see them close up. The younger pupils formed a guard of honour and lined the route as the lit torches and school representatives left the school for the short journey along London Road to St Edwards school, the venue for the Big WoW 2011 it was quite a sight as the group headed to the venue and it was a day the school will never forget! Taking Steps

3 On Wednesday 5 October 2011 it was Havering s turn to celebrate The Big WoW, and this time at a new venue for the event at St Edwards CofE School & Sixth Form College and Westlands Pavilion & Playing Fields in London Road, Romford. Nearly 300 pupils from 52 schools made their way to the venue either walking all the way or by part bus, part walking. Special issue November 2011 Page 3

4 Did you know The Olympic Motto In 1921, Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, borrowed a Latin phrase from his friend, Father Henri Didon, for the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius ( Swifter, Higher, Stronger ). Continued... Waiting for them at the venue were two Olympic torches, real pieces of Olympic history. As well as the torches there was a central marquee for reception and speeches and three activities for all pupils to enjoy, something for mind, body and soul! Did you know The Olympic Oath Pierre de Coubertin wrote an oath for the athletes to recite at each Olympic Games. During the opening ceremonies, one athlete recites the oath on behalf of all the athletes. The Olympic oath was first taken during the 1920 Olympic Games by Belgian fencer Victor Boin. The Olympic Oath states, In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams. The first activity was an Olympic quiz in St Edwards School where schools were paired together to work out the answers as well as an Olympic based sports activity, which was held on the playing fields and a dance workshop in the Westlands Pavilion. Sainsbury s kindly provided bottles of water and fruit. Nearly 50 Olympic vest and torch designs came with the schools and were stored for judging after the event what an incredibly high standard they were too! During the lunch break when everybody was seated in the main marquee there were speeches by The Mayor of Havering, Transport for London s Chris Mather and John Greatrex (the man who kindly brought along the torches). Following that there were two inspirational interviews between Lloyd Scott MBE and the local International athlete Victoria Ohurougu and Olympic Gold Medal rower Mark Hunter MBE. All three having strong links with the Borough and all went to school in Havering. It was great to have three ex pupils of Havering together who have achieved so much in their different fields. Mark Hunter then spent the afternoon talking to pupils and adults, signing autographs and allowing people to get a close up look at a real Olympic gold medal! It was great to see the pupils enjoying the three activities and getting so much from the day. On departure they were each given a Big WOW t shirt from TFL as a lasting memory of the day. I would like to sincerely thank everyone for coming to the event with such enthusiasm and all those (and there were many) that helped make it possible, it was a great day and we hope you all enjoyed it. Martin Day - Smarter Travel Officer Page 4

5 Did you know The Official Olympic Flag Created by Pierre de Coubertin in 1914, the Olympic flag contains five interconnected rings on a white background. The five rings symbolise the five significant continents and are interconnected to symbolize the friendship to be gained from these international competitions. The rings, from left to right, are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The colours were chosen because at least one of them appeared on the flag of every country in the world. The Olympic flag was first flown during the 1920 Olympic Games. Quiz winners: Congratulations to the following schools for reaching the Big WoW 2011 Olympic Quiz Final! The Albany School / Benhurst Primary School Langtons Junior School / Squirrels Heath Infants School St Peter s Catholic Primary School / Gidea Park Primary School St Ursula s Catholic Infant School / Hall Mead School St Patricks Catholic Primary School / Hilldene Primary School The Frances Bardsley School for Girls The final will take place on Friday 20 January 2012 at the Council Chamber in the Town Hall, Romford if you haven t already done so, please confirm your attendance. Special issue December 2011 Page 5

6 CONGRATULATIONS Olympic Torch/Vest Competition S T A R accreditation The STAR accreditation scheme is a reward for your school for the excellent work you do. We have 30 schools that are accredited and it would be great to have even more, it s a great scheme as those who attended the recent awards day would testify, check it out at if you are accredited already then why not go to the next level, we ll help you get there, just get in touch. First of all, we would like to say THANK YOU for all your amazing entries. The standard of the torches and vest was extremely high and it was clear a lot of energy, enthusiasm and thought had gone into them. We received a spectacular 47 entries, which were judged on their creativity, craftsmanship and how well the continent was conveyed. We are pleased to announce the winners are: INFANT - Scargill Infant School PRIMARY - Vest Rainham Village Primary School PRIMARY - Torch Hylands Primary School SECONDARY - Hall Mead School Gold - Outstanding Standard Towers Junior School Silver - Higher Standard Brady Primary School Engayne Primary School Parklands Junior School Rainham Village Primary School Ravensbourne School Squirrels Heath Infant School The winners are invited back to the Town Hall, together with the Quiz finalists on 20 January 2012 where the overall winner will be announced. A Great Honour. In 2008, Sophie Lewis s letter was chosen out of thousands to take part in the Beijing Olympic torch relay. She carried the Olympic torch from the Minories in London across Tower Bridge. Sophie said It was a great experience where I got to meet a lot of famous people, but it was also very scary as I had to carry it through a lot of rioters. I was lucky enough to be one of the only people who got to keep the torch. I am also going to be carrying the Olympic torch in the London 2012 relay which will be a great privilege. Bronze - Sustainable Standard Abbs Cross Academy Branfil Primary School Clockhouse Primary School Crowlands Primary School Gidea Park Primary School Goodrington School Harold Court Primary School Harold Wood Primary School La Salette Catholic Primary School Langtons Junior School Mead Primary School Parklands Infant School Rise Park Infant School Scargill Infant School Scotts Primary School St Mary s Catholic Primary School St Mary s Hare Park School St Patrick s Catholic Primary School Suttons Primary School The Coopers Company and Coborn School The James Oglethorpe Primary School The Mawney Foundation School Upminster Infant School Did you know The Medals The Olympic medals are designed especially for each individual Olympic Games by the host city s organising committee. Each medal must be at least three millimetres thick and 60 millimetres in diameter. Also, the gold and silver Olympic medals must be made out of 92.5 percent silver, with the gold medal covered in six grams of gold. The last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in Page 6 Taking Steps

7 School Travel Bulletin School Travel Plans Save the date As we approach the end of 2011, I thought it timely to let you have the headline news on various STP matters for 2012 and beyond Transport for London have recently announced an all new way to report your STP review and do the STAR accreditation scheme at the same time! The new online system will be available fully in the Spring of Its going to be easier and quicker than ever before. On 23 February 2012 you are invited to attend a half day STP Seminar and lunch, at CEME, to be shown how the new system can help you do the reporting that is so important for you as a school and for the Local Authority and TFL. Annual reviews clearly evidence the great work going on in our schools and show its effect on modal shift etc; - it also helps you and us plan what measures are needed in future. Small Grant Funding All those schools that complete an annual review can apply for Small Grant funding in the Autumn. This Capital funding helps with projects you have identified in your annual reviews, such as pedestrian waiting areas, cycle or mini pods storage, controlled access barriers, new signage etc. The money must be spent in the financial year it is awarded and has proven to be a great help to so many schools. Introducing Amandeep Kellay My name s Amandeep and I am the borough s Cycling Officer. As a Biking Borough we are trying to encourage all able pupils in Havering to cycle to school. Travelling to school by bicycle is good for both parents/guardians and children because: the added exercise will improve your health, stamina and energy and reduce the risk of health problems it teaches pupils to travel safely and independently, and the more people walking and cycling means fewer cars on the road and therefore a less polluted environment. As a Biking Borough we have been given extra money for Bikeability training! We want to encourage families and adults to realise how enjoyable and safe cycling can be! So get in touch if you want to book yourself or your family on a free course. Not only is physical activity crucial to children s health but it also directly benefits academic performance. House of Commons Select Committee on Health, Report on Obesity, 2004 amandeep.kellay@havering.gov.uk t: Walk on Wednesdays - WOW Cycling The WOW badges and programme continues to go from strength to strength and just about every Primary school in Havering is signed up. If you aren t but would like to have this very flexible and effective scheme to encourage walking in your school please contact us in the Smarter Travel Team. These materials are provided free to your school. Contact the Travel Team Officers: There are lots of exciting cycling based activities going on across the Borough and cycling is more popular than ever before especially the Cycle Awareness Days (CAD) and Bikeability cycle training, if you would like to book these for your school or simply want more information visit or call Jeff Wade at Cycle Training East on All these sessions are free as is adult training for teachers and support staff. martin.day@havering.gov.uk jay.amin@havering.gov.uk Special issue December 2011 Page 7

8 Design a Banner Competition - Squirrels Heath Infant During the Summer term, Squirrels Heath Infant School s Eco Council decided that they wanted to try and do something to stop people from parking on the yellow zig-zag lines at the start and end of the school day. We thought it would be a great idea to run a competition, asking all the pupils to come up with a brilliant design that would be made into a banner to be permanently displayed along the school gates and would help to remind people that the zig-zag lines are there to keep everyone safe. We contacted Martin at the Havering School s Travel Team and he came along Please Keep WALKING In Havering we have achieved very high levels of walking to and from our schools for many years and we hope that continues with your help, so why should you keep walking? There are many really good reasons, here are some I have thought of but you can probably think of more Because it keeps you fit and active Because you can have a chat to your parent or guardian on the way to and from the school It means cars don t cause congestion on our roads at school times You can see new and interesting things on foot that you can t see in a car You can meet up with friends You get to know how to plan a to an assembly to launch the competition. He also provided us with 3 Vue Cinema vouchers as prizes. The response from the pupils and the parents was fantastic and after lots of hard decision making a winner and 2 runnersup were chosen. Hannah, James and Oliver received a Vue cinema voucher each and James is also having his design made into a banner which will be displayed on the school railings. With such a clear message we are sure that parents will find safer places to park their cars each day. route and cross the roads in the correct places Means you experience the different seasons of the year You won t be delayed because of traffic jams so you get to school on time and feeling ready to start your day Walking doesn t damage the environment You can take part in the exciting WOW badges reward scheme You can join a Walking Bus Its free! Its FUN! Ravensbourne s walk through Ravensbourne is a Special School in Harold Hill. Pupils are aged between two and nineteen. As part of the school s 40th birthday celebrations we went on a virtual walk through time. Each department took a decade from the school s history as a theme. There was a great range of fancy dress from 70 s flares, Grange Hill uniforms, Fame legwarmers, Teletubbies, Shaun the Sheep, the Spice Girls, through to current day Royal Wedding Guests. We also linked the walk to Brake s Walking Bus world record attempt. At 10am, thousands of children across the country, including other schools Winter Wonderland Photography Competition!!! WIN A Digital Camera We are looking for the most creative or interesting photo that shows what amazing things you can see as you walk to school. Take a picture of something that you see on your walk to school. Entries to be ed to jay.amin@havering.gov.uk Deadline is Friday, 27 January 2012 the decades in Havering, marched in their local areas campaigning against speeding motorists. A march through the streets would not have been appropriate for us, so we walked in school instead. We had independent verifiers (a Governor and Martin Day from the School Travel team) to ensure that we met the rules of the record attempt. Each class visited the other classrooms in the school, finding an activity from that department s decade. They recorded how far they travelled on each leg of the journey. The winners were Red Class, who clocked up an incredible 434 virtual miles - this would get them from Romford to beyond Edinburgh. In real terms, the class walked nearly half a kilometre. Page 8 Taking Steps