From the 17th of November to the 21st, primary students came to school wearing their PE uniforms, ready to enjoy the week of fun and invigorating activities. This week, referred to as ‘Health Week’, happens twice a year for our primary students, once during November and a second time during February (along with the annual Sports Day).
During health week, primary students come to school wearing their PE uniforms. Moreover, they are encouraged to limit their use of plastic and pack their lunch boxes with healthy food, as health week also focuses on the importance of the food pyramid and following it. Form classes also carry out tasks during the day linked to the topics discussed throughout the week, such as mental health, exercising, maintaining a healthy diet and more.
The Activities:
- Dancing
These days usually start with a ‘wake up and shake up’, a morning exercise similar to the one done by secondary school students on health and fitness days. Teachers go up on a blue platform and, with the help of a handful of students, make up dance moves for other students to follow. This is done for about 10 to 15 minutes and happens early in the morning.
- Walking
After morning exercise, form classes take turns walking on the Jabriya walking track whilst enjoying the fresh air. Normally, each class is assigned one or two periods for this activity.
- Class Activities
While other classes had similar activities, such as the ‘Food Plate’, Year 6 students enjoyed an extra activity: each student had to bring in some healthy food for their ‘restaurant’ on the final day of the week. This ‘restaurant’, as it was referred to by the teachers, is a group activity, each group consisting of 4-5 students, where each student has to bring in food for their own table.
Tables could be decorated or left empty. Each child had to somehow contribute to their table, either by bringing decorations or by bringing snacks for the other group members.
“This is a tradition that started a few years ago,” said Mr. Melvin, teacher of 6.3 and Head of Year, in an assembly. The activity was fun and a good end to the week.
This is 6.4’s tables. It is arranged with flowers, drinks and fruits as shown.
Although this was a somewhat hectic week due to exams, it was also a lively week, full of exercises, dancing, walking and healthy food. In fact, the success of the first health week was so great that Thursday left students with just one question: how will the second health week of the year go?
