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Name: Pauline Johnson
Rating: 5
Author: Pauline Johnson

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Bikes in Schools has been awesome. Our tamariki are out every day (all day if they could!) riding the bikes. Kevin ‘the bike man’ has been amazing – I have never seen someone teach children to ride a bike so quickly and it is great to see their faces when they have learnt to ride – and it is not just the 5 year olds. It has been great for our rural kids because they don’t have access to places to ride.

Pauline Johnson Principal at Poroti School

We love Bikes in Schools at St Francis Xavier Catholic School. So many of children can now ride a bike and this new skill has given them confidence in many other areas of learning.

We love the bike track and use it every day.

Kevin is a superb trainer and we all really enjoy working with him. keep up the great work!

Glenys Jakicevich Deputy Principal at St Francis Xavier Catholic School

We are extremely grateful for the support Bike Northland has and still gives our school. From the development of our very own bike track through to the supplying of the bikes. We have noticed the confidence in our tamariki grow tremendously through these resources and the lessons from their skilled instructor Kevin.

Matua Joel Sports Coordinator at Whau Valley School

My class biked 4 times a term to WGHS for music lessons. It would not have been possible to take up this opportunity without the bikes being available.

Every person in my class can now ride a bike. Every child in our school now has their own helmet!

Kevin was so helpful and our tamariki enjoyed remembered what he taught. The tactics he showed for non-riders were great and they are now riders.

We loved seeing the growth in confidence in students moving from being unable to ride to being able to ride in one session.

The kids really enjoyed the visits from Kevin. We are now able to run school tryathalons with our bikes and the kids are getting outside more to ride.

"I learned that biking is an important skill to learn. I always thought that biking was something that young men would do in their free time. I was wrong, I learned that biking is a sport and it's very common.

My favourite part was when we were driving around the cones even though I accidentally squished one with my bike. I loved the way you had the time to teach us how to be safe on a bike."

Ayla

"I learned the A.B.C.D.E. test which helps me to check my bike safety. I also learned that if you pull the front brakes too hard you can lean back and you will be ok. Another thing I learned was if you're going right you need to put your right hand out."

Ryan

"Well, I learned a lot of things such as the A.B.C.D.E., safety bike check and to not bend your arms when you look back. Eventually, I learned how to get the ball off the top of the cone without having to reach out. At first, I would get it but then drop it. When I could finally do it, I was so proud. I also learned that I had built more of my courage and that I must never ever give up."

Tyla

"I learned about the A.B.C.D.E. safety rules. In my opinion, I think that those rules work really well because they keep people safe on bikes but also safe on roads too. Another thing I learned was that when you turn a corner you have to put your hand out. Don't worry....next century they'll probably have indicators on bikes!!"

Kaya

"Thank you for helping us with the biking and teaching us about indicating with our hands. Thank you for teaching us that when you want to turn right you have to put out your right hand.

I learned that every time you go on your bike you need to do the A.B.C.D.E. test. I learned that every time you get off your bike you go on the left side."

Ben

"Thank you for showing me how to ride the red bikes and to ride with one hand. I really appreciated the help from you. I enjoyed the 'guess the colour' picture game a lot. It was a fun exercise, so thank you so much.

All of my class enjoyed it, including me. I had fun during the bike ride to the windows and back. I enjoyed the 'try not to touch the ground' game. I also remember the safety shake."

Hanna

"Thank you for taking the time for us. When it was rainy, you still taught us and focused on teaching us. I think that was really nice of you. Thank you for helping me learn things I didn't know.

I learned how to nearly ride with one hand, and that was really fun. At first, I was really scared but then each time I started to lift my hand up off the handlebars more and more. It really made a difference each time I tried.

My favourite thing was going around the cones. Sometimes it was hard going around the sharp corners but I got the hang of it. Each time I went around the cones I started to get more balance and in the end, I was able to do it without putting my feet on the ground."

Charlotte

"Thank you for teaching me how a bike works because I didn't know anything about the bike check - Air - Brakes - Chain - Drop - End plugs. When the first lesson started, I was so excited until I nearly fell off! By the way, once I fell off my bike at home and I scraped my knee. The graze was about 6cm long. It really did hurt.

The best thing I learned was how to look backwards and how to put a ball on a cone while I was riding. The most important thing I learned was the importance of safety when you are riding on the road. My favourite course was the second one when you needed to turn your head and guess the object on the card. My 2nd favourite thing was you teaching me and my classroom what to do on a bike."

Kaea

"Thank you for the course you provided to help us learn the skills to ride bikes safely. The safety lessons to help stay safe on the road when we are biking are very important. The epic games we played with you on the bikes were a fun way to learn. I really enjoyed it when Mr Hacker joined in the games we played on that day. I learned how to stay safe on the road by always staying on the left side of the road. Learning how to indicate with our hands to let other cyclists or cars know if we're turning this or that way is a new skill for me. I got better at riding around the big orange cones which you made as obstacles for us to face, thank you.

My favourite thing was having a free ride on our bike track."

Liam

"Thank you for teaching us how to put our helmet on, and thank you for teaching us how to ride bikes properly.

I learned that our bikes have two brakes and that I can ride with one hand. I learned that if you apply the back brake, you will only do a skid but if you apply the front brake, you will flip and hurt yourself or another person.

My favourite thing was when we had a race to the end of the courts and you told us to stop on the line or else we would crash into the bush. Riding bikes with you was so much fun,"

Tyler

"My class and I would like to say a big thanks for teaching us sensible ways to ride a bike. I really enjoyed it. Now I feel safe when I do the A.B.C.D.E., bike check before I ride my bike.

I learned that riding a bike is not just a thing that comes straight away, it's actually something that takes lots of practice and requires you to think safely.

My favourite part of the learning experience was when you taught us how to look over our shoulders to see the cars behind us. Also when we had to carry the ball with one hand around the cones which I know helps our balance in this situation."

Jack

"Thank you for teaching us how to ride a bike safely. People that did not know how to ride, do now.

I liked the obstacle courses, going round and round. It was a very cool way to learn how to signal where you are going, to be aware of the cars by making eye contact and looking over your shoulder.

My favourite thing was putting the ball on the cone so now I am really good at signalling. I am also a much better bike rider. I like being your helper and the leader."

Izzy

"The children loved the games/skills introduced. At least 2 of mine made amazing progress from not wanting or really being able to ride to being very engaged and trying to win the games."

"The programme provided the children with a varied and exciting way to learn more about riding and controlling their bike."

"Watching senior non-riding students learning successfully to ride was a highlight. (Kevin's skills were superb)."

I am writing to express my delight at the programme that Kevin has offered the students here at Whangarei Intermediate School. Kevin, when teaching, has a calm demeanour. This helps a tremendous amount with what is for some of our students quite a tricky skill. As adults I think we take for granted that all Kiwi Kids can ride a bike. Some of our students have never actually had that opportunity. Both Kevin and Gwen are patient and do not make our students feel anything other than confident. Meaning here that they do not make them feel shame for their lack of skill.

Kevin and Gwen take what could be a very risky operation, that of going on the road, and make it seem seamless. It is very nice to see the kids out of school grounds. Our school has somewhat of a reputation in the local area for being a bit rough. By cycling out of the school I believe that the local community can see our kids for what they are, kids.

Kevin has also done extra work for the school by taking a group of 10-15 students to the new facilities and shown them what skills they need to use the bike tracks effectively. This has given the students another activity to do on the weekend, apart from staring at their devices.

Yours sincerely,

Shannon Watson

Shannon

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