Cross Country:
Rethinking Cross Country
Kia ora whānau,
We are excited to share some changes to our school cross-country event! Traditionally, cross-country hasn't engaged all of our tamariki. Many haven't enjoyed it and it’s failed to get all tamariki excited about physical activity. Research from Sport New Zealand shows that one in four children aged 6-13 don’t like cross-country, and by the time they are 13, only 52% enjoy participating.
Many schools in Aotearoa are reshaping their cross-country events to make physical activity more engaging and fun for everyone. While competition is important for some, we believe it shouldn't dominate the whole event. Our focus is on being physically active and building skills like communication, persistence, resilience, problem-solving, and teamwork, all while having fun with our peers!
This year, our cross-country has been renamed Haerenga Māia, meaning Brave Journey/Adventure.
The competitive race will be held in the morning for Year 4-6 tamariki wishing to trial for interschool cross-country. These tamariki will be supported by the Kauri team and will run approximately 2km (3 laps of the school track).
After morning tea, the whole school will gather on Pūtikitiki for Haerenga Māia. We will set up an obstacle course inside the school grounds. Tōtara/Kauri tamariki will complete 1 lap of the obstacle course, and Kōwhai will complete 1 lap of Pūtikitiki. This shorter course will allow the whole school to support each other, promoting kotahitanga. All teachers will be there to support all tamariki, and we know the kids will love cheering each other on.
This year these two events will be held on Week 7, Friday 6th September.
We are also looking for parent helpers to act as course marshalls. If you are available and willing to help, you could either offer your time for the competitive race (Approximately 9:30-10:30), Haerenga Māia (Fun Run - 11:00-12:30) or for both. Please email us your preference if this is something you are available to do. Your support will be greatly appreciated and will help ensure the event runs smoothly.
Round the Bridges
If your child is keen to try the 1km or 2km fun run during Round the Bridges, we’ve created a Hamilton East School group.
Event date: 8am Sunday, 17 November
- The Grassroots Trust Kids Challenge is for 7 – 13 year olds (based on age at date of the event)
- 7 year olds run 1km
- 8 – 13 years run 2km.
- Every finisher gets a medal, and there are prizes for fastest individuals
- Kids' entries are $8 through 31 August.
Hamilton East School is NOT organising the event but we have created this group to generate camaraderie for any keen runners. For questions about the HES group registration, email jessica.wholey@gmail.com.
To register for this event as part of group Hamilton East School please follow these steps:
Go to the website using this link: https://eventplus.net/RTB24?code=HES2024
- Either create your account, or login if you already have an eventplus account. You can request a password reset if you need to.
- After logging in you should be prompted to join the group.
- Your group code is HES2024
- Valid categories for this group are: Kids Challenge
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