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Stay Happy Healthy Strong!

iKiFit is empowering and equipping many regional NSW schools.  Below we let the principals of these schools do the talking for us.  It's a privilege to work alongside talented and respected educators, and to know that together we are making a difference.

Anthony O’Leary, Principal St John’s Primary School, Dubbo

I have had the privilege of being involved with the iKiFit program over a number of years. I have found the program to be of the highest quality. The program is unique in that it provides for high quality teacher professional development, amazing dance routines, fitness development and strategies to develop positive behaviour.  The students have been totally engaged with the high-energy music and iKiFit skills.

iKiFit has added to the quality of our school sport programme. iKiFit has provided instructors that are experienced and knowledgeable in their field. Their ability to communicate appropriately and manage our primary aged children has been excellent.

I would recommend the iKiFit program as the premier product that is holistic in its approach to overall fitness and wellness.

Darryl Thompson, Principal Wellington Public School, Wellington

The introduction of iKi at our school has been a significant contributor to improved learning outcomes for all of our students.  As a program it has allow three very important aspects of our school to flourish:

1. Our iKi Crew have been provided with quality leadership training. All have grown personally and their support of younger students in mentor roles has reduced the incidence of poor behaviour by more than 50%.

2. The tenants of the iKiFit program are now integrated into the school's behaviour policy. Each day our students pledge to Be Learners (If you look and listen you will learn), Be Respectful (I'm OK you're OK) and the Be Safe (No Play, No Play).

3. As a program the fitness and coordination aspects cannot be understated.

The program for our school addresses many of the physical activity components of the PDHPE syllabus and keeps children active through structured routines and exercises.

The professional approach adopted by the iKiFit team have allowed us to build an engaged, collaborative and focused culture in both the playground and classrooms across the whole school.

Dan Williams, Deputy Principal St Joseph’s Primary School, Walgett

The iKiFit program has been running in our school for almost 4 years.  Our school has adopted a whole-school approach to delivering the iKiFit program.  As the Year 6 teacher, I have also personally found great value in the iKiFit program on so many levels: 

• Physical Health benefits. Obviously, the core fitness (dance) component of iKiFit delivers a high-energy, convenient and engaging way to involve students in cardiovascular movement.

• Motivation & enthusiasm in class. My students consistently look forward to our iKiFit sessions, and are very disappointed on occasions that we miss or cancel our daily workout.

• Leadership. The iKiCrew initiative has identified and encourage a wide variety of students to take on leadership roles – particularly indigenous students, and students who do not usually ‘fit the mould’ of traditional school leaders (for example, that of a School Captain or SRC Captain).

• Self-esteem and confidence. I have found that iKiFit empowers students, and helps them to feel better about themselves and their abilities. Many students, who do not usually excel or apply themselves in class, often excel and apply themselves fully during iKiFit.

• Goal setting. I have had numerous students – predominately indigenous – who have aspirations to become iKiFit instructors when they are older. They have really taken to the program and what it stands for.

 

Battling along as parents is enduring and often unrewarding. When we think we have our kids worked out, they throw another log in the middle of the road for us to trip up on.  Parenting can be exhausting and lonely at times, as in protection of our family we often feel that we can't express our concerns to others.

I've been thinking a lot about how to be a good parent recently.  It's heart wrenching when your five year old son's teacher calls you in to chat about his "wayward behaviour", and real cause to address what is going on with this child.  It seems his mother - yes me - needed to have a look at how she was parenting, and discovered a few hard truths.  

Remember the old saying, "do as I say, not as I do"?  I've determined that just doesn't work.  Well I guess if you take into the account their new found love of swearing, then it actually does work.  It's hard to scold your child for their slip of the tongue when five minutes earlier the same word fell out of your mouth.  I tentatively put my hand up in admittance to this crime.  Explaining that adults sometimes use "naughty words" doesn't quite cut it with a five year old.   So what I learnt in a not so pleasant way, is if we as parents don't live what we preach, our words will fall on deaf ears and possibly create rebellious hearts.  It is vital we impress our principles and values on our kids, and talk genuinely about them.  Our kids won't catch the truth by osmosis.  We have to talk, and not in monotones that they'll tune out, but in natural language, at natural times and in natural ways.  Like when you're kicking the ball around the back yard, reading a book or eating dinner.  Even while indulging in some iKiFit!

Unless there was an instruction manual that I missed out on at child birth, it's pretty certain we will make mistakes along our parenthood road.  Kids are kids.  We create boundaries, they test them.. and test them and test them.  But kids are resilient, and we just have to be consistent and fair in our discipline, teach our principles and overall let them know we love them.  

Equipping our kids is tough work, especially when we're not perfect ourselves.  But I think as long as we're genuine about what we believe in, our morals, and in teaching right from wrong, our kids will be empowered to be the best they can be.  

 - Thoughts by Honorable Hayley (iKi Team Member)

iKiFit PARTNERS WITH HOUSING NSW BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES TO DEVELOP iKiCREW
- from September 2010

iKiFit will develop, manage and implement training, capacity building, development, mentoring and leadership for 12 identified social housing residents from the Dubbo area.  This is an exciting project that will see an opportunity for our youth to gain employment as instructors with iKiFit, as well as enhance confidence and skill levels.

As a result of support and funding provided by Housing NSW Building Stronger Communities, iKiFit will be targeting individuals aged 16 and 25, with an emphasis on Aboriginal and social housing residents. 

iKiFit is seeking the assistance of local high schools, as well as employment and service providers, in promoting the project to our target group.  We will provide demonstration days, workshops and mentors to encourage individuals to become participants in the iKi Crew project.

The iKi Crew project will initially run over a seven-month period in which participants will undergo intensive training and refining of skills, and will be able to identify appropriate certification training in line with this. 

iKiFit provides fitness, wellness, mentoring and behaviour management designed specifically for our youth. iKiFit combines elements of martial arts, dance, and aerobics to create an interactive fitness program that equips and enables.  We are thrilled to be able to partner with Housing NSW Building Stronger Communities to develop our unique iKi Crew program.  The ultimate aim is to empower our youth with employable skill sets, and the capacity to obtain employment.

Two Dingos
One evening an aboriginal elder told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two dingos that live inside us all.
"One is Evil - it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
"The other is Good - it is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which one wins?"
The grandfather replied simply, "the one you feed."
Sing your own Song, and take responsibility for your own happiness.  The two dingos do live in all of us, and we all face the ongoing struggle everyday of which dingo we will feed.  It is sometimes easier to feed the evil dingo by our thoughtless actions and unrealistic desires.  Food for the Good Dingo can be more obscure, so there are times when this dingo gets a little hungry.  
We need to peel back the veil that prohibits us from seeing beyond our self and look further than the neighbor's new car. Yes, food for Good is stopping to help an elderly woman cross the street, listening to your child, cleaning the house, preparing a meal with your loved ones, feeling the rain on your face after years of drought, the sun rising in the morning.  Good is not just doing what is moral, it is as the cliche states; "stopping and smelling the roses."   Take a deep breath, appreciate the small things, and remember that happiness is found within you, not outside you.
Here's some food for Good.  Smile.  Smile today, because it is a gift worth giving, and a gift that keeps on giving back.

New hit track from the unique sounds of bARd & Co is now doing the rounds on YouTube.
The music is amazing.  It's powerful, with a clear message we can all take heed of.  Yeah that's right, Suck It Up.  
The footage is pretty spectacular too.  It showcases what iKiFit is all about, and our resident dancer, Emma, displays some pretty awesome moves and choreography.
So jump on to YouTube now and check it out for yourself.  Let us know what you think.