Please note that Walk and Wheel Wednesday has been postponed for the 24th March due to weather conditions.
Our Active School Travel program
Coomera State School has been a participant in the Active School Travel program since 2020. In 2020, we were privileged to receive a donation from the Gold Coast City Council Donna Gates Cr, Deputy Mayor of the Gold Coast to expand our storage area for bikes and scooters.
This was the beginning of our journey in the Active School Travel initiative of the GCCC and Coomera State School.
Why we’re fans
Our Active School Travel (AST) program encourages families and staff who are able, to leave their cars at home. In return, we get:
- healthier, more active students and parents,
- greater road safety awareness among students and families,
- a safer school environment and reduced traffic congestion at the school gate (by at least 16 per cent in peak periods),
- a cleaner, more sustainable Gold Coast, and
- a more social and connected community.
How can families participate?
Active school travel options include:
Walking
Leave the car at home and walk to school. If you live too far away, you can drive part of the way, and walk the rest. This is called “Park & Stride.” Why not meet some friends at the park and walk together? It’s a great way to meet other parents and make new friends. Hint: 500m is about a 10 minute walk.
Riding or scooting
Ride your bike or scooter! It’s legal to ride carefully on the footpath – and remember to always have your helmet secured. Riding with children can help boost their confidence; teach them about road rules and give them exposure to traffic situations.
Carpooling
Find a friend and carpool to school. It saves money and time. Talk to friends in your child’s class and see who lives nearby and is going your way.
Public transport
The City of Gold Coast works in partnership with TransLink , which has a school service finder to help families find bus, train and tram services within one kilometre of school. They also have information on school travel safety, tickets and travel.
It is recommended that parents and carers travel on public transport with your children to demonstrate how to tap on and off with a go card, find a seat and travel safely.
Bus stops
There are several buses that stop close to our school gate.
[List of bus stops / roads / leaving times]
[How to request a bus pass]
Weekly Active Travel Day
Families are encouraged to participate in Active School Travel events. Every Wednesday is our school’s official Active Travel Day. We encourage everyone to get to school by means of active travel each Wednesday, with incentives and rewards for students who do, such as prizes for reaching 10 active travel days.
- Students walk, park and stride, scoot, ride, carpool or catch public transport to school (usually with their parents). Our fantastic student leaders are stationed at school entrances, ready to stamp AST passports. Prizes are available once a student has received a certain number of stamps as highlighted in the Passport.
- Prizes have included handballs, bag tags, drink bottles and book bags.
- There are also two ‘bonus’ stamp days each term where stamps and prizes will be awarded on other days of the week. Special events are also held throughout the year to reward participants and have a bit of fun!
- Teachers survey their students in the classrooms and record those actively travelling each Wednesday. The class with the highest percentage wins the coveted ‘Golden Star’ trophy for display in their classroom.
Photo and Video Gallery
What else is on?
- Day for Daniel
- National Ride2School Day
- National Walk Safely to School Day
What’s in it for the students?
Our program encourages active students. The benefits of physical activity for students include:
- arriving at school alert and ready to learn,
- improving concentration, sleep and relaxation,
- improving self-esteem, confidence, and independence,
- providing opportunities to make friends and enhance social skills; and
- providing more time together with family and friends.
Maps
To help you plan your Active Travel, here is a printable map of the area around Coomera State School.
Support
Our Active School Travel program is supported by the City of Gold Coast at no cost to our school. The program is tailored to our school and surrounds, and provides us with funding for events, professional advice to develop a customised active travel plan, along with resources and activity ideas to help us step away from the car, and into active travel.
If you are interested in becoming involved in our Active School Travel program please contact the school for details.
Useful links