1. What are the benefits to children?
2. What are the benefits to the school?
3. What are the benefits to the community?
4. My staff is already busy enough without taking on any extra commitment
5. We already have government assisted fruit in schools
6. Ours is a high decile school, so we don't need the programme
7. We might try it with one class only
8. Can we start the programme at any time of year?
9. Other club members might ask: How much time will the programme take?
10. How quickly do families enrol?
11. Was your question not answered?

1. What are the benefits to children?

• Consistently good health, good behaviour and good performance at home, school or work because basic healthy needs are being met.

• Giving them the best change to succeed over a lifetime by ingraining the right healthy habits as the basis for all forms of success and happiness.

2. What are the benefits to the school?

• Healthy Heroes complements the school healthy curriculum and supports the work being done particularly in Healthy Promoting Schools

• The school appreciates that the onus is on the family to implement the programme.

• Better behaved, caring, healthier and higher performing children are a pleasure to have as pupils in (and outside) the classroom.

3. What are the benefits to the community?

• Society needs people who are healthy, who care about others, and who contribute to the economy through a long, useful working life.

• Building healthier children greatly reduces the risk of major health threats that can shorten life (and working life), entail high cost medical or hospital care, and undermine the integrity of the family.

4. My staff is already busy enough without taking on any extra commitment.

• We understand their situation and appreciate that they have a heavy workload.

• This is one of the chief reasons why the onus in our programme is placed directly on the family. It is the family that implements the Healthy Heroes programme, ensures that their children meet the five challenges, and monitors their returns each week.

• We also believe that the outcomes justify some extra effort to make them happen. The outcomes are healthier children who develop more self-responsibility, are better behaved, are more caring, have higher self-esteem and produce better work day after day.

• When this pattern is repeated over time, each child is placed firmly on the path toward success and happiness. They are also very likely to repeat these health patterns in their adult life.

5. We already have government assisted fruit in schools

• We are glad it is available, and we hope the habit catches on in the home.

• It helps children to meet our programme's second Challenge, but doesn't otherwise compare with the holistic health programme we offer.

6. Ours is a high decile school, so we don't need the programme

• 31% of our children are overweight or obese, and the trend is worsening. Over 60% of schoolchildren arrive at school by car - no exercise there. And they are driven home later - no exercise there either.

• At home children in higher socio-economic areas may be more likely to sit down for a considerable time looking at various screens - TV, computer or computer games. Again no exercise there.

• If they snack and have soft drinks as they sit around, they could be consuming too much fat, salt or sugar, or simply too much altogether.

• And do they regularly help around the home, at school and in the community? Or could they do more?

7. We might try it with one class only

• That's fine, as it will get the high benefits of Healthy Heroes starting to impact on your school.

• However, what we have found is that when a family accepts Healthy Heroes they won't apply it to just one child in a given class. They will include the whole family. This is one of the big payoffs of the programme.

• Therefore we would recommend starting the programme in two or three classes (if not the whole school), ensuring that the whole school has the opportunity to complete the programme at least once.

8. Can we start the programme at any time of year?

• Yes, that can be done. The important thing is to get families started on the programme which has so many health benefits.

• The normal pattern features the programme starting in term 2, as the first term is short and busy. We then expect children to complete at least 9 successful weeks in term 2 or 3.  On a points basis this means they would accumulate at least 25 points each week (5 Challenges over 5 days) to total 225 points after 9 weeks.

• Children can catch up during school holidays.

• If a school starts too late in the year for children to complete 9 weeks, we can either arrange a special awards ceremony (particularly for children who may be moving on to another school), or we can carry over their points to date to the following year as a credit.

9. Other club members might ask: How much time will the programme take?

• With a membership of 70 (and a committee of around 5) the Rotary Club of Wellington North successfully introduced the programme to 4 schools.

• The tasks are not onerous, but will vary throughout the year.

For example:

• -Preparatory time

• -Prior reading of materials

• -Approach to school principals

• -Acceptance? Ordering of copies of kits from Rapid Copy to supply the school or downloading the material from the website.

• -Help with the launch meeting for parents, staff and Rotary

• -Approach to local suppliers for sponsorship of the programme to award the children that complete the programme.

• -Arrange with the school to read the children's weekly responses. It gives you a feel for how they are coping with, and responding to, the programme.

• -At the end of the programme there should be a presentation of Achievement Awards. Photocopy on to light card. The school enters the details. This is a special ceremony celebrating the achievements of the qualifiers for Healthy Heroes Club Membership. It needs to be planned with the school well in advance. Invite early: Local MP, prominent sportsperson(s), media, public health representative, and parents. Make an occasion of it.

• -Sponsored Club T shirts (or similar) would be useful to present with the Certificates of Achievement (see back of Manual).

• Ask the school if there is any help Rotary (and connections) might be able to offer. One school ran an art competition in 3 age bands on the theme of Fruit & Vegetables, and invited two Rotarians to join the school judging panel. The art produced was diverse, novel, colourful and fascinating.

10. How quickly do families enrol?

• Responses normally come in slowly to start with, but build over the following week or two. Two factors will influence the speed of responses: The availability of local sponsorship as rewards; and an interactive website.

11. Was your question not answered?

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