Waterwise

Waterwise takes place twice in Term One and twice in Term Four for all Year 5&6 classes. The programme has an ultimate goal of the children confidently sailing an optimist in buddies, or towards the end of year six, on their own.

The Year Five children are initially checked for their water competence and the year fives are asked to swim 50m (wearing a buoyancy aide) and capsize and safely re-surface. This is a really great session to have as many parents as possible for. The Year Fives appreciate the high level of encouragement and of course the more parents to help out with the equipment, the better.

"Ccccaaa went my teeth as I plunged into the freezing cold water as they lifted up the capsized boat. l was now just about to swim under the boat. 3. 2. 1 Go! here goes nothing. As soon as I opened my eyes I released I had made it through. It was a thrilling experience to have."

The children also do some land-based work around rigging boats, knot-tying, reading the ocean and working with the wind. They are buddied up with a Year Six for their first outing on a boat, which may be during the first or second session depending on a few factors.

The children thoroughly enjoy their day and all parents that come with us always say what a great day they have. I too, think it is a bit of a treat to spend a day at the beach watching the children experience success with something a little different from normal classroom work.

Like everything extra we do at school though, we need parents to help. We have a preferred minimum requirement of four parents but the more we have - the better the sessions. The children get more support, boats come in and out quicker and they get to go out more often.

We are always looking for more Waterwise Instructors to allow this excellent programme to continue to run for our Year 5&6 children. If you would be interested in training or have any questions please email byrons@ptchev.school.nz - No sailing experience is necessary, just enthusiasm.

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