A visit from an Olympian!

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As part of our Active Flag Campaign we had a very special sports person visit our school on Wednesday the 7th March ‘18.  Brian Gregan, Olympic Athlete visited, as part of the Sports for Schools Initiative. All of the children got active in completing various circuits and they also learned lots about what’s involved in becoming a famous athlete. Our school also received money towards PE equipment, which we were delighted about. We have ordered some new supplies and we will definitely be putting them to good use outdoors! Please have a browse at our photos to see some of the fun activities the pupils got involved in.

Active Yard Leaders

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This year we have active leaders from fifth and sixth class as we feel they are the most responsible members for carrying out leadership roles in games. Leaders select an active game from a list compiled by the teachers and also from suggestions received from pupils (via our suggestion box). The games that take place every Monday, Wednesday and Friday are a massive success and it has proven to be a fantastic way of promoting team work among our children and also a way of ensuring that every child gets involved in physical activity. Keep up the great work leaders!  See our Active Leaders below!

 

Here are some pictures of our Active Leaders at work indoors and outdoors and also some of our Busy Break or Brain Break activities carried out by our teachers throughout the school day!

Active Breaks

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Active Breaks involve the children dancing and participating in various busy break activities which promote physical activity. Some of these examples include Just Dance, Go Noodle Dance, Busy Breaks and 10@10 challenges.

Children also do various exercises after each break for 10 seconds (Active Lines led by our Active Leaders) before entering the school.

Food Dudes

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Food Dudes is a programme developed by the University of Wales, Bangor, to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables both in school and at home. It is based on positive role models (the Food Dudes characters), repeated tasting and rewards. For the second time in May 2016 our children participated in this programme, tasting a variety of fruit and vegetables and receiving some wonderful awards for their efforts.  Children got to taste foods they hadn’t eaten before and  experiment with trying out some new ideas for healthy snacks.

Healthy Eating

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As part of our Healthy Eating Promotion and our Irish Lessons, children got the chance to eat a healthy breakfast in school ‘as gaeilge’.  Our Health Promoting Team continue to monitor the eating habits of the pupils in our school. Each class has appointed junk detectives to remind children of healthy eating Monday to Thursday, allowing for a small treat once a week on a Friday. Once a month a member of the team discretely does a lunchbox spot check to see that everyone is doing their best to eat healthily. We also choose one person a month from each class who has made a special effort to bring in a healthy lunch. Their names are displayed in our school each month.  Literature and Newsletters are constantly sent out, providing parents with information on maintaining a balanced diet, providing parents with tips for healthy lunches and meals and also information on recommended portion sizes and daily dietary requirements for both adults and children. Our committee members have surveyed children on the most popular treats they eat and from that have compiled a Sugar Display Chart-highlighting the amount of sugar in those foods. They regularly visit the rooms to remind children of these ‘sugar-rich’ food. They also bring food props to our classrooms-showing children what portion sizes look like for children and adults alike.  This gives a child a better idea of how much they should be eating each day.  A suggestion box is also available for children to post suggestions of any healthy lunch ideas they may be able to provide!

                        

World Mental Health Day

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World Mental Health day is celebrated every year and this year in school, we focused in particular on mental health among our pupils.  We incorporated mental health lessons into our teaching on each day of this week!

We used child appropriate  lessons to teach children about the importance of looking after their mind, just the same as they would look after any other part of themselves if it was unwell.  The children enjoyed learning about their feelings and emotions and finding out some techniques for dealing with ‘negative’ feelings they encounter as part of their everyday lives!

We also listened to and learned about how real people (both adults and children) deal with difficult feelings.  The website https://walkinourshoes.org. was used to explore these feelings. The children were interested to find out that everyone experiences ‘negative’ feelings sometimes and that this is perfectly normal.  We also talked about different ways we may find useful to help us deal with our emotions

Healthy Living and Mental Health

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We held a design competition which encouraged children to design a poster incorporating a healthy living motto. Congratulations to Kiva who designed, what I’m sure everyone would agree, is a perfect Active Motto for our school to follow!

We use our WOW WALL to recognize children’s achievements both within school and also outside of school! This wall is an excellent way of encouraging both physical and mental well-being in our pupils!

Easter 2019 in the Infant Classroom

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Junior and Senior infants designed their own Easter Eggs using a combination of printing with pom-poms, and using a variety of brush strokes with their paint brushes. They also made beautiful Easter cards. However, the highlight of our Easter crafts was making our Krispie bun nests with mini eggs..Yum Yum!!

We had an Easter colouring competition and congratulations to our two winners as they proudly present their prize. Well done to all the children who took part as the standard was amazing!

Happy Easter from all the children in Junior and Senior Infants!!

Planting Seeds in Infants

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As part of our SESE programme, the infants learned about Living Things and Non-Living Things. They learned to identify the parts of a plant together with the functions of each and the essential elements plants require for growth. To consolidate this learning the children planted their own seeds which they will nurture in the coming weeks and watch them grow…how exciting!!