STUDENTS from Swan Hill Primary School have come together to celebrate National Walk to School Safely Day.
The group of about 50 students, teachers and parents gathered outside Swan Hill Stadium on Friday before making their way to school.
Children walked in pairs along Gray Street led by teacher Clare Phyland.
Ms Phyland said the school had a focus on keeping their students active.
“It’s so important for everyone to stay active,” she said. “Obviously for physical health, but also for our emotional and mental-health wellbeing.
“That really gives our students the best chance of being able to do their best learning at school.
“We encourage our students to stay active and walk to school every day, so it just makes sense that on National Walk to School Safely Day we hold a walk from the stadium to our school.”
Ms Phyland said the day wasn’t just about keeping students active, with staff and families keen to get involved as well.
“We encouraged as many families to as possible to come down today,” she said. “And we have a lot of staff attending too.
“We have a big focus on being active learners here at our school, but we also have a really strong emphasis on staff wellbeing too.
“Our group of staff has been involved in doing things like yoga and walks together as staff.”
For Ms Phyland, the day was about fun, just as much as it is about reinforcing good road safety behaviour.
“It’s always a really fun morning,” she said. “My boys, who usually take the bus, are here walking together.
“It’s a great thing for the community, especially after COVID-19, as we haven’t been able to do the walk for a few years so it’s a really nice way to get back into that together.”
