Global Children's Challenge™ Class Profile

We'd like to introduce you to one of the 4,000 classes taking part in the 2011 Global Children's Challenge™

Class name: Year 4,5,6 & 7
Number of students: 13
School name: Tagai State College Poruma Ngurpay Lag (was Poruma Campus, now Learning Centre in the traditional language)
School location: Far North Queensland – an island in Torres Strait.

Tell us about the location of your school?

There are thousands of islands between Cape York and Papua and New Guinea belonging to Australia. Eighteen of these have Education Queensland Campuses on them under the banner of Tagai State College. These island campuses are divided into inner and outer islands and the outer islands are divided into Eastern, western and central islands. We are in the central island group. To get to Poruma Island you need to get a plane to Horn Island from Cairns and then a plane to Poruma will take about 20 minutes.

Conventional exercise activities are limited for the following reasons. It is an island surrounded by extensive areas of coral reef. It is 1.4 km long and 400m wide. The beach area all around the island is sloping. There is one main cement paved street going half way down the middle of the island with two parallel sandy roads and an airstrip. There are no mountains or hills and sandy dunes are artificially created to stop erosion. We have an oval area mostly covered in sand. It is not lit so it can’t be used at night. Swimming in the ocean is limited due to the presence of sharks, jellyfish and crocodiles. We have a sandy dance area at the community hall.

How have some of your students got their best steps?

They have:

• Played soldiering and other games on foot in the bush area on the far end of the island
• Visited their extended families homes before and after school
• Done jobs for adults by carrying things to specified locations for them
• Helped set up and run feasting and church events which involves a lot of walking backwards and forwards carrying things
• Reef walking looking for squid and shellfish to eat
• Netting fish
• Beach games including touch, volleyball and riding eskies where they use Styrofoam eskies to sit in and they drag each other in the water for a ride
• Going on picnics at the far end of the island to which they walk or ride bikes
• Going for walks with their families or friends

What’s the most popular food in your class’ lunchboxes?

• Rice crackers with avocado, ham, tomato and cheese
• Apples, oranges, mandarins, or bananas
• Boiled eggs
• Fruit juice poppers

What’s the most unusual way students get their steps up?

• Walking round and round the room they’re in
• Walking up and down the outside of the church while they wait for their parents to go home
• Traditional dancing sessions
• Stepping to drum beats

What game do your students play at lunchtime?

The following are played when it’s not too hot:

• Austag
• Touch
• Basketball
• Hide and Seek
• Newcomb
• Skipping to music
• Playing on playground equipment and digging in the sand

Then games in the shade when it is too hot like skipping, hopscotch, boardgames, playing music…