Active School Squad

Welcome to our Active School Flag Page. The Active School Flag is a Department of Education and Skills initiative (DES) supported by Healthy Ireland (HI) which aims to get more schools, more active, more often. It is awarded to schools that strive to achieve a physically educated and physical active school community. We are working towards renewing our Active School Flag having received our First Flag in 2019/2020. Please feel free to follow our progress throughout the school year on the website and our newsletters.

Active Schools Committee

Our Active School Committee is formed from children in each class. They are responsible for attending meetings and keeping the other children in the school updated on upcoming events. They also come up with new ideas for events and help in the organisation of such events. We also ensure that the PE store is kept organised, resources are updated and that equipment is easily accessible. 

Physical Education

The PE programme in Coldwood N.S incorporates six strands – Athletics, Dance, Gymnastics, Games, Aquatics and Outdoor and Adventure activities. Our targeting of the Active School Flag has required an audit of our PE programme. When we first applied for the ASF we looked at our PE Plan in the school and we felt that the strand of Gymnastics was one that we would focus on. This examination has helped us improve our provision of Physical Education in the school.

For the renewal flag application this year we looked at all strands in the PE curriculum and have focused on the strand of Games. We have picked focus Fundamental Movement Skills (Throwing/Catching) that complement this strand as an area of focus. 

We are very fortunate to have Coaching development officers from our two local GAA clubs in attendance each week to assist with the development of skills in both Hurling/camogie and Gaelic Football. 

Physical Activity 

• Coaching - During Term 3, children from 5th and 6th class undertake coaching sessions with the younger classes. The younger classes really enjoy the coaching sessions at lunchtime and the coaches developed key skills also. The aim of these playground games is participation, inclusion and enjoyment.

• Halloween Parade - The children all dressed up in their favourite spooky costumes and parade around the walkway to some Halloween songs.

• Santa Dash - Our Santa dash takes place the week leading up to the Christmas holidays. All the children wear Christmas hats and jumpers and ran a lap of our running track. At various intervals around the track there are activities and challenges for the pupils to try out. Our Active Squad are positioned at each station to demonstrate how to carry out each task. It is a great way to finish up for our holidays and to get us into the Christmas Spirit.

• Céilí Mór- We hold a céilí on leading up to St. Patrick’s Day and for Seachtain Na Gaeilge. The children dress up in green and dance the afternoon away to traditional Irish dances.

• Active Walkway - Previous Active Squads have been very busy setting up our Active Walkway. We measured our running track and placed our markers every 32 meters. We can now count how many meters we have walked at break times and when we are completing our mile a day challenge for Active Schools week. We use the walkway every day during break times and also for movement breaks throughout the week. 

Partnerships

• Every second year, the children in 5th/6th class participate in a Cycle Right Workshop which takes place over a couple of days. The children learned many valuable skills to improve their cycling and also some important rules of the road when cycling.

• Our annual 4 Mile Road Race takes place in January. Pupils participate as well as adults. Infants run a lap of the track, there is a 1k for children from 1st - 3rd and a 2k race for 3rd - 6th class. 

• We undertake regular surveys with children and parents about the provision of PE in the school. We look at the main concerns & strengths and use the findings inform teaching practices going forward

• We are investing in more equipment for outdoor play times. Recent purchases include - a set of moveable goals for the senior classes and junior pop up goals for the infant classes. 

• We often have Transition Year students coaching alongside Club Development Officers from Craughwell & Athenry GAA Clubs to aid with the coaching and promotion of Hurling, Camogie and Gaelic Football to all classes in the school. They are incorporating the fundamental movement skills we are focusing on (throwing/Catching) in school during their sessions also. We are very grateful for their time and their commitment.

Active School Week 

Our Active School Week is held annually. Here are some of the activities which the children participate in: 

• Daily Mile challenge - Each class ran, jogged, walked and skipped 5 laps of our running track each days and on the Friday of ASW the whole school completed the Daily Mile challenge together.

• Obstacle course - 1st to 6th class take part in a battle of the classrooms.

• Sports Day

• Pupils vs Teachers Challenge