What is an Active School?
The Active School Flag (ASF) is awarded to schools that strive to achieve a physically educated and physically active school community. The process aims to get more schools, more active, more often. This year Ms. Shaughnessy and Ms. Sherwin will be helping our school achieve an Active School Flag. All the classes and teachers have been getting involved by taking part in lots of activities. Have a look at what we have been doing so far.
Physical Education in our School
PE (Physical Education) is such an important part of our school curriculum.
The curriculum contributes to children’s overall development by helping them to lead full, active and healthy lives.
The PE curriculum provides a balanced range of activities for children through the six strands:
Athletics
Dance
Gymnastics
Games
Outdoor and adventure activities
Aquatics.
Our PE plan ensures that each class is taught the at least 5 strands of the curriculum in line with the fundamental movement skills using resources from the PSSI, PDST and 'Move Well, Move Often'.
We make every effort to ensure that classes are simultaneously working on the same strand, where possible. This allows resources & ideas can be shared freely and the necessary equipment is easily accessible for classes to use.
Each class has two half hour timetabled slots for PE each week as well as active movement breaks daily.
The children complete swimming lessons yearly with 'Swim Ireland'. The Land PAWS Water Safety programme is taught in Junior and Senior Infants.
This year due to Covid-19, PE boxes with necessary equipment are stored in each classroom corridor and quarantined and changed when changing strand.
Bibs have been distributed to each class so that pods are easily identified and grouped for PE activities.
The curriculum contributes to children’s overall development by helping them to lead full, active and healthy lives.
The PE curriculum provides a balanced range of activities for children through the six strands:
Athletics
Dance
Gymnastics
Games
Outdoor and adventure activities
Aquatics.
Our PE plan ensures that each class is taught the at least 5 strands of the curriculum in line with the fundamental movement skills using resources from the PSSI, PDST and 'Move Well, Move Often'.
We make every effort to ensure that classes are simultaneously working on the same strand, where possible. This allows resources & ideas can be shared freely and the necessary equipment is easily accessible for classes to use.
Each class has two half hour timetabled slots for PE each week as well as active movement breaks daily.
The children complete swimming lessons yearly with 'Swim Ireland'. The Land PAWS Water Safety programme is taught in Junior and Senior Infants.
This year due to Covid-19, PE boxes with necessary equipment are stored in each classroom corridor and quarantined and changed when changing strand.
Bibs have been distributed to each class so that pods are easily identified and grouped for PE activities.
EUrOpean school sports day 2022
We are getting our school to #beactive for at least 120 minutes today. Running, walking, skipping & dancing, all activities count! We’ve incorporated mindfulness activities into our day today too! Take a look at some of the activities below.
Dance
This year we have chosen to review our dance strand. As a staff we have decided what folk and creative dances will be taught at each class level. We have implemented dance Friday's on yard where by the children can get creative and showcase their own style of dance with their classmates. Dance wands are used on Dance Fridays and the children are responsible for choosing the playlists each month!
We have a suggestion box at the entrance of our school where the students can pop in their PE suggestions. We have all committed to being active every day! Our Active School committee do a great job promoting active initiatives in our school and ensuring that everyone is encouraged to be as active as possible! The team meet regularly with our teacher representatives to identify priorities, offer suggestions, problem-solve any issues and plan new ideas. Each committee member is in charge of liaising with designated classes in the whole to ensure that everyone’s feedback is taken on board. This ensures that the Active School Flag process is inclusive of everybody. The committee members are also very good at reminding their teachers to take movement breaks throughout the day.
PE Homework
PE Homework is assigned weekly in our school using the 'Super Troopers Journals', choice boards or teacher assigned tasks.
| slide-5-asf-active-homework-chart-d-eng.pdf |
Physical Education & Well being day 2020
This September we joined lots of other schools in Europe in taking part in European Schools sports day. Our day was divided into two sections, sports and well-being timetabled activities.
We did this to:
1. Raise the profile of physical education (PE) and sport in schools
2. Create fun and enjoyment through physical activity for young people
3. Promote health and well-being for lifelong learning
4. Encourage social inclusion and develop social competence amongst students
5.Connect with other European countries. Take a look at some of the activities and how or day ran below.
We did this to:
1. Raise the profile of physical education (PE) and sport in schools
2. Create fun and enjoyment through physical activity for young people
3. Promote health and well-being for lifelong learning
4. Encourage social inclusion and develop social competence amongst students
5.Connect with other European countries. Take a look at some of the activities and how or day ran below.
Fundamental Movement skills
Fundamental Movement Skills are the building blocks for movement. They are the skills which children need to participate successfully in all types of games, physical activities and sports.
Our aim is to support the development of the physically literate child through the lens of fundamental movement skills.
We have created a whole school plan which prioritises one fundamental movement skill per month.
We are working on...
Catching for fun!
Our aim is to support the development of the physically literate child through the lens of fundamental movement skills.
We have created a whole school plan which prioritises one fundamental movement skill per month.
We are working on...
Catching for fun!
Beyond the Classroom
CThe PDST have created a new resource called beyond the classroom to help parents engage in their child’s physical literacy journey. They will be uploading videos to show children different activities that they can do at home to continue to develop different skills.
Check out the videos below for some great games and activities you can practise at home. Don’t forget to take some pictures and videos!
Throwing
https://vimeo.com/211489230
https://vimeo.com/400896888
https://vimeo.com/402212771
https://vimeo.com/402220846
Running
https://vimeo.com/211489161
https://vimeo.com/404404521
https://vimeo.com/404409956
https://vimeo.com/404412589
Balancing
https://vimeo.com/214481395
https://vimeo.com/409588960
https://vimeo.com/409589413
https://vimeo.com/409589781
Catching
https://vimeo.com/211488363
https://vimeo.com/412274551
https://vimeo.com/412280738
https://vimeo.com/412282658
Check out the videos below for some great games and activities you can practise at home. Don’t forget to take some pictures and videos!
Throwing
https://vimeo.com/211489230
https://vimeo.com/400896888
https://vimeo.com/402212771
https://vimeo.com/402220846
Running
https://vimeo.com/211489161
https://vimeo.com/404404521
https://vimeo.com/404409956
https://vimeo.com/404412589
Balancing
https://vimeo.com/214481395
https://vimeo.com/409588960
https://vimeo.com/409589413
https://vimeo.com/409589781
Catching
https://vimeo.com/211488363
https://vimeo.com/412274551
https://vimeo.com/412280738
https://vimeo.com/412282658
PE Equipment
We have 3 PE storage areas in our school. One close to our PE Hall which is our store for indoor equipment. One downstairs close to our playing field for outdoor equipment and our 3rd store is close to the main entrance/our yard area and stores lunch break equipment which our playground leaders distribute each day.
Our Active Walkway
During European School Sports Day, we launched our Active Walkway. We went on a wellbeing walk to mark the occasion. We have a 'Slí na Sláinte' map that lays out our walkway and the different distances we can cover for various activities. We had great fun this year using our Active Walkway during Maths Week.
PE Surveys
In April 2020, we issued PE surveys to both parents and students using Survey Monkey. We collected and analysed the results to further improve both PE and break times in our school to keep the children as active as possible. Here is a summary of the results below!
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Student Survey
Do you enjoy PE class? |
Parent Survey
Does your child enjoy PE? |
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What is your favourite part of PE?
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What part of the PE programme does your child enjoy most?
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Do you enjoy PE homework?
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What is your opinion on PE homework?
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How could we make PE better?
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How could we make PE better?
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Do you enjoy taking part in the Run a Mile Active Break Every day challenges?
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Do you think your child has benefitted from the Run a Mile and the Active Break Every Day challenges?
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Do you enjoy classroom-based physical activity breaks ?
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Does your child enjoy breaktime?
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Do you enjoy using PE equipment on yard?
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Do you think that our school provides a playground that encourages the children to be active?
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