St Joseph's Nudgee College

November 12, 2010

St Joseph’s Nudgee College Year 5 students went on a very practical excursion recently when they rode their bikes to Shorncliffe and back. 

The approximate 14 kilometre round trip was the culminating activity for the students Term 4 Health unit and consisted of riding on bike paths, footpaths and bike lanes on suburban streets.

Once at Shorncliffe Pier the students enjoyed a sausage sizzle, touch football on the beach, a walk on the pier and time in the playground before riding back to the College. 

“The students had been learning about bike and road safety in Health class,” said teacher Mr Dave Sullivan.

“In the lead up to the excursion, the boys learnt things like how to ride with, and against, the traffic and the importance of looking both ways. They also performed pre-ride checks to make sure everything on the bike was in working order and that their helmet wasn’t cracked. 

“All up it took about 45mins to an hour for everyone to get one way and there were no major problems. It is always hard riding in a big group and while there were some minor accidents, the boys did very well and everyone came back in one piece.”

Year 5 students do one Health lesson per week. The theory based subject is taught by the student’s classroom teacher and forms part of their Physical Education classes. The boys also spend time outside with a dedicated Physical Education teacher for practical lessons.

In addition to the bike riding unit, the Health unit also covers a ‘friend’s program’ to help the boys settle into Nudgee College life.

“The ‘friend’s program’ is taught from the start of the year. It looks at relationships, interacting with peers and the challenges of starting at a new school which is important, especially in a place as big as Nudgee College,” said Mr Sullivan.
 

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