SKiPPS Walkathon 2026: Get Ready to Walk, Run and Raise!

One of our favourite SKiPPS community events is nearly here! On Wednesday 9 September, the whole school will head across to Albert Park for our 2026 SKiPPS Walkathon, an afternoon of activity, music, fun and fundraising.

The Walkathon has become an important event on our school calendar. It is a chance for every student to get active together, challenge themselves and enjoy being part of a whole-school event. Just as importantly, it is one of our major fundraisers for the year, with every dollar raised going directly towards improving the school environment for our students.

We are incredibly grateful to Rachael O'Connor from Marshall White for their generosity in sponsoring our Walkathon this year. Rachael has kindly offered to donate 50 cents for every lap that our students complete on the day - added motivation to get active!

We also wish to acknowledge and thank Woolworths Metro St Kilda for their support of this event.

What are we raising money for?

This year, our fundraising has a very visible goal.

Money raised through the 2026 Walkathon will go towards creating a new landscaped, tiered bench seating area and platform alongside our basketball courts.

This is an area of the school that has enormous potential. 

The project will provide students with a much better space to sit, gather and socialise during breaks, while also creating a useful outdoor platform and seating area for classes, performances, presentations and other school activities.

The concept image included in the parent information letter gives families an idea of what we hope to achieve, transforming what is currently an underused edge of our basketball courts into an attractive and functional part of our grounds.

The more we raise, the more we can achieve, so we would love every SKiPPS family to get behind this year's event.

How does the Walkathon work?

From 2.00pm until 3.00pm, students will complete laps of a 400-metre course around the edge of the oval, with no roads or paths needing to be crossed. Students can walk, jog, amble or run and complete as many laps as they feel comfortable doing. They can stop whenever they need to, with one hour being the maximum participation time.

All students participate in the Walkathon as part of our Physical Education program, whether or not they receive sponsorship.

And, of course, a SKiPPS event needs a soundtrack! Our resident superstar DJ Mat Gdanitz will once again be on the decks, providing plenty of music and encouragement as students make their way around the course.

For safety reasons, this year's event will be entirely on foot, with no bike or scooter course. We will save the wheels for Ride to School Day later in the year.

Sponsor your child's class

As with last year, all sponsorship is being managed online through MyCause. Each class has its own fundraising page, so families can make donations directly to their child's class.

We encourage families to share the fundraising page far and wide. Grandparents, extended family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues can all get involved.

There is no need to calculate sponsorship on a "per lap" basis. Sponsors can simply make a one-off donation to support a student's participation and leave a personalised message of encouragement for the class.

And there is some friendly competition involved! We will have prizes for:

• the class that raises the most money

• the class that completes the most laps

   

So start sharing those links and rallying your supporters!

Donations are tax-deductible

A particularly helpful feature of this year's fundraising is that donations made through the Walkathon page are tax-deductible. Donors will receive an emailed tax-deductible receipt after making their contribution, which can be retained for tax purposes.

We need parent and carer volunteers!

A whole-school event involving hundreds of students completing hundreds, and hopefully thousands, of laps needs plenty of helping hands.

We are looking for parents and carers who can join us between 2.00pm and 3.00pm to help with jobs including course marshalling and marking student wristbands after each completed lap. These wristbands allow us to keep an accurate tally and eventually determine our champion lap-running class.

If you can spare an hour, we would really appreciate your help.

What students need on the day

Students will be moving continuously for up to an hour, so please make sure they come prepared for an active afternoon. Comfortable clothing and sneakers are ideal, along with a wide-brimmed hat and water bottle. Fresh fruit will also be available during the event to help keep everyone going.

Let's make it a huge SKiPPS afternoon!

The Walkathon is always a wonderful example of what makes our community special: the whole school getting outside together, students encouraging one another, families getting involved and everyone contributing towards something that will benefit our school.

Our students will provide the energy and the laps. We need our families to help provide the sponsorship, spread the word and, where possible, volunteer on the day.

So please visit your child's class fundraising page, share it with family and friends, and help us make the 2026 SKiPPS Walkathon our biggest yet.

Wednesday 9 September | 2.00pm–3.00pmAlbert Park, beside SKiPPS

Sponsor a class: 

SKiPPS 2026 Walkathon on MyCause

Volunteer: Walkathon volunteer sign-up