Active School Week
Active School Week 2024 took place this year from May 7th to 10th.
Our school commits to having Active School Week as part of our annual school calendar. We welcome suggestions from pupils and parents about the design of our program, aiming to ensure that our activities are accessible by all pupils. It is one of our busiest weeks in the year and this year was a huge success.
We kicked off ASW 2024 with a good luck message from Kerry Senior Football Captain Paudie Clifford.
This year we were fortunate enough to be able to use our wonderful Glebe walk and the surrounding area in order to take part in walkway learning challenges.
As part of our staff physical activity initiative we organised a walk around our local GAA pitch.
A wonderful week was had by all with numerous activities taking place each day. A huge thanks to our ASC (Active School Committee) who put in huge work during the week.
Friday 10th May
As part of our whole school fun event, the entire school gathered together to show off the Line Dancing skills Ms Dowling taught us earlier on in the day.
Our annual Staff vs Students penalties and rounders was a great success. The staff were winners 3-2 on penalties and also won the game of rounders.
Caithriona from Scoil Rince Lár na Tíre joined us this morning to teach the children some basic Irish Dancing steps. What a fabulous day to be outside learning to dance!
Ms Dowling showed each class how it’s done with some Line Dancing! Miss Carthy and Ms Gorman were certainly in the groove.
The Active School Committee have been very busy every morning (and every day) organising the 10 @ 9.10. The whole school got out every morning to exercise for 10 minutes and start off each day with lots of energy and enthusiasm.
Thursday 9th May
For the afternoon session, the whole school took part in stations. We had an Obstacle Course, soccer/football and a game of rounders. Here’s just a selection of photos from each station.
Basketball
Ms Walsh (Infants teacher) and Ms. Kelly (SNA) did some basketball drills with all classes in the morning session. Some future basketball stars on show!
Wednesday 8th May
Pilates
Michelle Flynn who is a Pilates Instructor visited the school and all the children from infants to 6th class enjoyed the routine that Michelle went through with them.
Judy Bryant who is a badminton coach at the Kilcormac/Killoughey Badminton Club came to the school to show the children some basic badminton skills.
On Wednesday morning Junior and Senior Infants as well as 1st and 2nd Class went to the local playground. The sun was shining so the children really enjoyed the short trip and had great fun!
Tuesday 7th May
On Tuesday afternoon, Katie Henchy (a past pupil) came in to demonstrate some Karate moves with the children. Katie has competed at World Championships in Karate so we were thrilled to have Katie in (ably assisted by her brother!)
Our first activity for ASW 2024 was Athletics with Seán Sweeney. Seán is the father of a past pupil of the school, so we were delighted to welcome Seán back to do Athletics.
Physical Education
Dance
This year, all teachers worked together to prioritise the dance strand of the P.E curriculum. Staff members took part in CPD training (Continuous Professional Development) in Irish Dancing. Caitriona Greene from Scoil Rince Lar Na Tíre, School of Irish Dancing held a two hour workshop at our school in February. The staff then taught the pupils some of these dances in preparation for our Céilí Mór during Seachtain na Gaeilge.
Feel Good Friday
As part of our focus on the dance strand of the curriculum, Mr Galvin led the school in many dances throughout the school year. It was a great way to kick off our weekend with #FeelGoodFriday
Below is an example of some of the #FeelGoodFriday events:
It might have been a chilly day but that didn’t stop us taking part in an #ActiveEaster activity. To keep warm after our scavenger hunt along our Active School Walkway, we did another Feel Good Friday dance. This time it was a song/dance we all knew…. The Chicken Dance.
The weather may not have been too favourable today (February 2) but that didn’t stop us from doing another Feel Good Friday Dance. Today’s dance was led by 6th Class who showed everyone the steps to Cotton Eyed Joe. Well done everyone!
As the weather was played it’s part on Friday January 26th , the whole school danced to “An Dreoilín” for our Feel Good Friday Dance. Led by Mr. Galvin, the children did a great job in the afternoon sunshine. Looking forward to the next Feel Good Friday Dance already….
Just before we finished up for our Christmas Holidays, the whole school got into the festive spirit and danced outside to “Snow is falling, all around me”. It’s part of our Feel Good Friday activities.
Active Homework
The results from parent and pupil questionnaires gathered by our Active School Committee showed that Active Homework was enjoyed by all. The committee decided it would be a great idea for class teachers to designate Active Homework every Thursday. In addition to this, the ASC suggested the month of June should be dedicated to Active Homework within our focus P.E strand of the dance curriculum.
The PDST “Active Homework” booklet has been invaluable this year.
Land Paws Water Safety
In May, all junior classes started the Land PAWS Water Safety Programme. This programme, from Water Safety Ireland, outlines the life-saving skills that every child needs to know.
P.E Equipment
Our ASC (Active School Committee) did a stock check on our PE equipment for the year ahead. Our store room is now easily accessible and all PE resources are ready for use!
Fundamental Movement Skills
We focused on the following fundamental movement skills throughout the year; walking, running, jumping for distance and skipping.
Physical Activity
Run Around Europe
The entire school took part in the Run Around Europe Challenge from 26th February to 22nd March. Some children walked the daily laps and some people ran them. It was a great chance to apply our knowledge of the Fundamental Movement Skills in Walking and Running which we have been working on this year.
Olympic Movement Breaks
We had great fun completing the Olympic Movement Breaks over 4 weeks. Each day an Irish Olympic athlete set a challenge for the whole school to complete.
Active School Walkway
Pat Foley from Geashill Tidy Towns very kindly assisted us with putting up signposts around our beautiful village to make an Active School Walkway route. The children really enjoy learning on the move along this walkway.
FAI 5 A Side Soccer Tournament
Geashill N.S. entered both a boys and a girls team in the FAI 5 A Side Schools Soccer Blitz held in Tullamore recently. Both teams represented the school so well and they can all be very proud of themselves.
Table Tennis League
Our Active School Committee have been liasing with the Student Council at setting up a Table Tennis League. The games take place at lunchtime under the supervision of the ASC (Active School Committee) and Student Council.
Tullamore Harriers Athletics
2nd, 3rd and 4th classes took part in 100 metre Sprint races organised by Tullamore Harriers at the end of November. All the children who took part on the day, did a fantastic job representing the school and they all won medals on the day! The below videos features some of the children in action!
Lots of happy faces with their medals. Well done to everyone on representing the school so well.
Witches’ Walk
On Friday October 27th , the whole school went on a Witches Walk. This has become an annual event in our school, where everyone dresses up before the Mid Term Break. We went for a walk through The Glebe Walk and we did some stretches and exercises along the way. Well done everyone!
Cross Country at Tullamore Harriers
The children from 4th to 6th were invited to the Cross Country Meeting at Tullamore Harriers in early October. They represented the school so well and every child did their best and gave 100%. Congrats to those who won medals on the day also.
Rugby
John from Tullamore R.C. is back with us again for a some Tag Rugby coaching. The children have been putting into practice some of the FMS (Fundamental Movement Skills) such as side stepping and running.
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GAA Coaching
Emer from Offaly GAA began coaching the children at the end of November. They have been learning lots of new Gaelic Football skills and have been enjoying all the different games as part of the coaching.
Table Tennis
John Finn from Table Tennis Ireland paid a visit to the school to introduce us to a new sport. He showed us the different skills and techniques involved in playing table tennis. Mr. Hyland even had a go…..we think it was a draw!!!
Athletics
We have started our school year (2023/24) with Áine from Offaly Schools Partnership. She showed us various movements and skills in Athletics. The children braved the cold weather and had lots of fun!
GAA – Hurling
Eimear from Offaly GAA was back with us in February. She has been teaching the children the basic skills of hurling. The children showed wonderful enthusiasm and had great fun picking up new skills!
Partnerships
Active School Committee
This years Active Schools Committee has been selected for the year ahead (2023/24). This committee, along with Ms Leonard, Ms Bourke and Mr. Galvin are looking forward to rolling up their sleeves and helping the schools achieve its targets this year!
Active School Slogan
The children in the senior classes were tasked to come up with a slogan for the school for this year. The following slogan from Eva was chosen by the Active School Committee. “Be active, be cool, come on let’s be an active school!”
Playground Leaders
Our Active School Committee has put together some games for the younger children to play at lunchtime. As Playground Leaders they set up different stations which encourages the children to play various games. The leaders have been doing a fantastic job and the children have really enjoyed all the different games.
What club are you in?
In order to find out about physical activity opportunities in our local community, the Active School Committee conducted a “What Club Are You In” survey. They displayed the results beside the Active School noticeboard for all to see.
Proud Cloud
We are super proud of these amazing children who have won medals in their chosen sports. Well done on your amazing achievements!
Questionnaires
The ASC wanted to get feedback from both parents and pupils on how the school is doing with regard to PE in the school. They distributed questionnaires and displayed the overall results on the Active School noticeboard.
Some interesting results from the parents questionnaire found that:
- 95% of parents said their child enjoys PE
- 89% of parents said their child enjoys ASW
Results from the children’s questionnaire showed that:
- 98% of children enjoyed PE homework
- 100% of children enjoy ASW
The Active School Committee used the information gathered in these questionnaires in order to implement actions in response.
Inclusive Athletics
We contacted Aoife (Sports Inclusion Disability Officer) from Offaly Sports Partnership to seek advice on becoming more inclusive as a school in terms of PE and physical activity opportunities. She very kindly allocated us a 6 week block of inclusive athletics at the end of January. It is vitally important as we strive towards the Active School Flag, that physical exercise is accessible to each and every child in the school.
***Active School News 2022***
May 3rd – 6th 2022
Take a look at the highlights from this year’s Active School Week!
“Active HOME Week” challenge
April 26th – May 3rd 2020
Hello everyone! This time of year we are usually busy preparing for our annual Active Schools Week. Unfortunately, because of Covid-19, it is not possible for this to go ahead this year. Alternatively, you are invited to take part in the “Active HOME Week” challenge.
Children need 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Participating in the “Active Home Week” challenge is a great way to reach this target and to find new ways of being active.
This week we will be giving you lots of ideas to keep active whilst staying within 2km of your home. Staff, students, members of the community and https://activeschoolflag.ie/ have come together to share daily challenges and activities. If you would like to suggest ideas for this week, contact your teacher via email or ClassDojo and they will be happy to share it online.
Competitions:
There is a form below to be filled in daily. Use this form to track the activities you have tried this week. All students who complete and submit this form in full for their teacher by this Sunday at 6pm will have their names submitted for our prize draw. You can send this form via email or send a picture of it to your class teacher. Click here to download the form: 5. CHALLENGE Chart (Schools Working Towards ASF) ‘Fillable’ PDF
Step challenge: you are invited to take part in a daily step challenge. Using a Smart watch, Fitbit or a free phone app such as “step counter” or “pedometer”, track your steps this week. Take a picture of your steps and submit your highest daily step count for this week to your teacher. The student with the highest number of steps in each class will receive a prize.
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Monday 27th April 2020
Good morning!
Feel free to share pictures or videos of your active work to your class teacher. They will be added to a slideshow video showcasing this week’s activities.
Here are today’s activities:
1. Handball
Peter Funchion is one of Ireland’s leading handball players. Click on the video below to see the challenge he has set out for you today.
GAA Handball have lots of coaching videos on their website. Take a look here: https://www.gaahandball.ie/coaching/coaching-videos
2. TikTok challenge
These three stars have sent in a great tutorial and demonstration of a popular TikTok challenge. Get practicing!
Mrs Gorman, her boys and Mrs Burns have all given it a go:
3. Couch to 2k: a two week running plan.
This is one you can get you parents and siblings involved in!
Day 1 on the plan:
- Warm up
- 5 mins walking
- Alternate 1 minute easy running and 1 minute walking for a total of 10 minutes. (Within 2k of your home.)
4. Boxing circuits
Irish professional boxer Katie Taylor has shared a series of boxing workouts to try at home without equipment. Give it a go!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1244297889939099655
The staff have been busy with their own circuits this week- all to be revealed in the coming days!
An Garda Síochána:
Finally for today I have a very important message to share with you from a member our incredible front-line staff.
Stay home, keep safe and BE ACTIVE!
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Tuesday 28th April
Maidin mhaith gach duine,
We have received some fantastic videos and photos of yesterday’s activities. Keep sharing these with your class teacher as they will be included in a video compilation of all your hard work at the end of the week.
Continue tracking your steps daily and recording your activities on this form 5. CHALLENGE Chart (Schools Working Towards ASF) ‘Fillable’ PDF for your chance to win some active prizes.
Here are today’s activities:
1. Warm ups
It is important to warm up before physical activity. Podge from Strength and Conditioning in Tullamore has kindly sent us a video with animal themed warm up activities for you to try at home. Which one is your favourite? Let your teacher know!
2. Skipping challenge
Today we have a skipping challenge from another member of our Active School Committee.
How many skips can you do in thirty seconds? Click on this video for your thirty second timer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2dhD9zR6hk
Why don’t you challenge yourself even further by trying this “side swing open” tutorial from SKIPnROPE Ireland.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1250351784826032128
3. Ball clap
Practice some throwing and catching- with a twist!
Try the following before catching the ball:
- Clap your hands
- Clap behind your back
- Clap under each leg
- Do a 360 turn
Take a look at this video from FingalSports
https://twitter.com/i/status/1250017403074985987
4. Squat challenge
The final activity of the day is a tough one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bql6sIU2A7k
Mrs Kearns has been practicing her squats at home. Send us your squat videos!
Finally, Tullamore Ambulance Service have kindly taken time out of their busy day to share some words of encouragement for you.
Keep up the wonderful work and remember: stay home, keep safe and BE ACTIVE!
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Wednesday 29th April
Hello boys and girls,
Thank you for sending in your brilliant videos and photos of yesterday’s activities. Keep sharing them with us as we love to see all of your hard work. If you would like to share an idea for your own challenge for Thursday or Friday, send your teacher a video via ClassDojo or email.
Again keep tracking your steps daily and recording your activities on this form 5. CHALLENGE Chart (Schools Working Towards ASF) ‘Fillable’ PDF for your chance to win some active prizes.
Here are today’s activities:
1. Football challenge
One of our Junior Infants has been busy practicing her football skills at home. As you can see, all you need is a ball and a wall!
Eimear from EB Health Wellness Tullamore has very kindly sent us today’s football challenge. Using both feet, how many catches can you make in one minute?
2. Activity stations
Fiadh from 4th class sent in this great idea. Make some activity stations outside using chalk.
Similarly, Eimear has suggested making an obstacle course outside- you don’t need much equipment for this. Be creative and use whatever you have at home!
3. Running: Couch to 2k
On Monday we received a brilliant post-run picture. Running is such a great way for families to keep active together. It is also one of the fundamental movement skills we have been working on this year.
Day 3 of the plan: (Yesterday was a rest day from running.)
- Warm up
- 5 mins walking
- Alternate 1 minute easy running and 1 minute walking for a total of 10 minutes. (Within 2k of your home)
4. Gymnastics
Gymnastics Ireland have posted a series of fun fitness workouts to their page.
Here is the first one:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwqHitlVPfk&list=PLe1I02KkrDG_9e7reCMJBVDtg_RwRmJ_q
Find more details and videos on Gymnastics Ireland’s page:
Staff circuits
While you have all been exercising at home, so have we! Have a go at this:
You will have seen some familiar faces here- have you noticed that two of our key staff members are missing? Mr and Mrs Hyland! I wonder what they have planned for tomorrow’s video…
Today’s message was kindly sent to us from two of the many wonderful staff members from Tullamore Hospital.
Have a great day everyone!
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Thursday 30th April
Hello all,
It’s day four of Active Home Week; we are over half way there. Continue to track your steps, make note of your daily activities and keep up the great work!
1. Fitness challenge
John McDonald, a Tullamore based Personal Trainer, has kindly submitted today’s challenge. Give this a try and send us your photos and videos!
2. Plank activities
Today Eimear (EB Health and Wellness) is sharing some variations of core strengthening exercises based on the plank.
One of our 5th class students has been practicing her own variation of the plank:
Once you have become confident with these plank variations, challenge yourself even further! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFKjiVsMBkI
3. Hurling skills
Cormac Martin, a Tullamore senior hurler, kindly demonstrated some hurling skills for you to try at home.
One of our Junior Infants has been busy practicing his hurling skills out in the garden. Great work!
4. Foot dance challenge
Mr and Mrs Hyland have mastered this challenge. Take a look:
Now it’s your turn! Here’s a tutorial:
Today’s message was kindly sent to us from Liam and Joe in Tullamore Fire Station.
“Stay safe, stay home and be active!”
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Competitions:
There is a form below to be filled in daily. Use this form to track the activities you have tried this week. All students who complete and submit this form in full for their teacher by this Sunday at 6pm will have their names submitted for our prize draw. You can send this form via email or send a picture of it to your class teacher. Click here to download the form: 5. CHALLENGE Chart (Schools Working Towards ASF) ‘Fillable’ PDF
Step challenge: you are invited to take part in a daily step challenge. Using a Smart watch, Fitbit or a free phone app such as “step counter” or “pedometer”, track your steps this week. Take a picture of your steps and submit your highest daily step count for this week to your teacher. The student with the highest number of steps in each class will receive a prize.
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Friday 1st of May
Hello everybody,
Well done for all the great work you have done so far. You have certainly not let the weather deter you from your activities!
Please continue to submit pictures or videos of your active work over the weekend to your class teacher for our Active Home Week video compilation.
Competitions- final reminder:
Complete and submit this form in full for your teacher by this Sunday at 6pm in order to be entered into the prize draw. Click here to download the form: 5. CHALLENGE Chart (Schools Working Towards ASF) ‘Fillable’ PDF
If you have been tracking your steps this week, take a picture of the highest step count you achieved in one single day and send this to your teacher by Sunday at 6pm. The student with the highest step count from each class will receive a prize.
Winners will be announced here on Monday. Good luck!
Here are today’s activities:
1. Plank challenge part 2
See if you can complete one round of this tricky challenge-
2. Indoor activities
These two activities can be completed indoors or outdoors.
3. Couch to 2k:
Yesterday was a rest day from running.
Day 5 on the plan:
- Warm up
- 5 mins walking
- Alternate 1 minute easy running and 1 minute walking for a total of 15 minutes. (Within 2k of your home.)
Don’t forget to follow the fundamental movement skills we have been working on for running this year.
4. Rugby
Tag rugby is a sport we have really enjoyed doing in school this year with our rugby coach. Here are the Whelans in action:
Mrs Gorman’s family are avid rugby players. They sent us a video challenge all the way from New Zealand!
Mr Galvin also has a rugby related challenge for you. An Haka Gaelach. Bain triail as!
Weekend activites
There are two days left of our Active Home Week. It is up to you now to come up with some activities of your choice.
Here are some ideas you may be interested in:
- 30 second challenges submitted by Conall in 5th Class:
- Step up challenges https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHllf5Zd7hk
- Tennis challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDx2Pu2TVPQ
- Squat challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJObqwC5qPI
- Plank challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfLfXMwXXqI
- Speed bounce challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWHnVq5j3zo
2. A selection of activities submitted by Ailish in 1st Class:
- Draw your own hopscotch grid and play hopscotch.
- Have a dance off with your siblings or your parents.
- Go to an open space with your siblings or your parents and take part in family relays and races.
- Skip a Mile: If you skip 1609 times, you have skipped 1 mile.
- Play a game of football with your family.
- Air Boxing: Stand with one foot in front of the other, elbows bent ready to box. Now throw imaginary punches, using both arms one after the other. How fast and how many can you do?
- Floor Sits: Can you go from sitting on the ground to standing upright, without holding onto anything? If so, how many can you do?
- Circle Arm Walk: Starting in a press up position, arms shoulder width apart. Can you walk your hands around in a circle until you reach your starting point again?
- Catch it If You Can: You can play this game on your own or with a partner. If you want to try this on your own, just throw and catch against a wall. Grab a ball and practice throwing to a partner/wall. Try an underarm throw, an overarm throw, one-handed/two-handed throw and one-handed/two-handed catch. How many catches can you get without dropping the ball? How many times can you catch in a row? Can you catch high and low? Try changing direction as you throw.
3. Active Home Week ideas cloud from https://activeschoolflag.ie/:
4. Couch to 2k: week two of the running programme.
Follow https://twitter.com/DcuHealthy as they progress through this programme.
Our final positive message of the week comes from Lieutenant Brian Clarke who is based in Custume Barracks in Athlone.
A word of thanks
Many thanks to all those who helped us over the past week, from Tullamore to New Zealand. It is with your passion and commitment to your work that you will continue to thrive in your chosen field as we navigate through these challenging times. Thank you kindly to the wonderful frontline staff for their words of encouragement. We cannot praise them enough for all they are doing for our community and beyond. Finally a huge well done to you, the children of Geashill N.S. You are doing a great job by staying home and keeping safe. Your parents, along with the staff in this school are incredibly proud of you.
Stay home, keep safe and BE ACTIVE!
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Active School Update: March
Our “Run Around Ireland Challenge” is taking place for the month of March. Each class has chosen a destination in Ireland and recorded its distance from Geashill. Every day we will run 1km a day in an attempt to virtually run to our destination by the end of the month. If 18 children in a class run 1km each per day, we will count that 18km as the total distance for the class on the day.
**All children are asked to wear appropriate running footwear and tracksuits for the month.**
Run, skip, jump, play- let’s be active every day!
Playground Leaders from 5th and 6th class have been working hard to organise structured, fun games at lunchtime for pupils from Junior Infants up to 4th class. All children are enjoying the games and we could not be more proud of our thirteen playground leaders as they continue to model excellent team leadership qualities to the younger children.
Physical Education
Fundamental Movement Skills
FMS are the basic building blocks of movement and are an essential part of everyday life and recreational activity. It is only when these skills are mastered that a child can go on to develop specialised movement skills,
which will allow them to reach their potential in sports-specific endeavours.
This year we are working on the following skills:
- Jumping for height
- Running
- Balancing
- Throwing
More information on FMS can be found here: https://www.pdst.ie/physlitJ
Jumping for height:
:
Aquatics:
While the senior classes have been busy with swimming lessons, Mr Galvin’s class have been learning about Primary Aquatics Water Safety (PAWS).
PAWS teaches children how to be safe around water in homes, farms, pools, beaches and on our waterways. Further information on PAWS can be found here: http://www.iws.ie/education/paws.2925.html
PE Equipment:
Our annual PE equipment audit took place on the 19th of February. All P.E equipment and resources are clearly labelled and organised.
PE lessons:
Early in the school year; Class Teachers took the time to ensure they were implementing the following conditions for Physical Education:
- All pupils provided with at least 60 minutes timetabled PE per week.
- All classes taught at least 5 different PE strands each year: Athletics, Aquatics, Dance, Gymnastics, Games and Outdoor and Adventure.
- Our school PE programme allocates a balanced amount of time to each of the PE strand units.
- All teachers use the PSSI lesson plans to guide their delivery of the Primary PE curriculum.
- Our school ensures that all PE lessons are planned so that they are accessible by all pupils.
- Every child’s progress in PE is discussed with parents at PT meetings and feedback is included in the annual school report.
Let’s get moving!:
We have been very active here in school since we came back after Christmas. Tag rugby has begun again for the senior classes, swimming begins on Friday, Offaly Sports Partnership is running a six week P.E programme for the Cairdeas children and all classes have been very active at lunchtimes and during P.E. classes.
To keep up the activity why not take part in the Operation Transformation walk on Saturday 18th January in Tullamore. See full details below.
Physical Activity
Playground Leadership Training
In February pupils from 5th and 6th class trained to become Playground Leaders. Jean Brady from Offaly Sport Partnership provided workshops teaching the pupils to lead younger pupils in structured, fun games at lunchtime. The Playground Leaders were taught skills to promote effective communication, inclusion, organising fair groups/teams and team building skills. Take a look at the video below.
Active calendar events:
Before the Christmas holidays, the whole school came together to perform “Fight Song”, a dance we learned for active homework.
https://vimeo.com/user107543132/review/385110345/2316ea7fb2
Hallowe’en Walking Parade
We braved the rain and ventured out for our spooky Hallowe’en Walking Parade.
Take a look at some of the activities we have been getting up to since September
Partnerships
Offaly Sports Partnership:
Cairdeas children taking part in activities run by Offaly Sports Partnership:
Active School Flag slogan:
We worked together to find and agree on an Active School slogan. We received fantastic slogan entries from every class. Our Caretaker, Eddie, found it difficult to choose just one slogan. In the end, he picked a slogan created by Ciara in 5th class, which was: “Run, walk, jump, play. Let’s be active in every way!” As a reward, our winner was credited with an extra P.E lesson for her whole class.
Active School Committee
Introducing our new Active School Committee for term 1. Each child here will be representing their class on our mission to keep active. Welcome to the team, boys and girls!
What Does The Active School Committee Do?
The committee has a number of roles including:
- Attending Active School Meetings
- Coming up with ideas for different activities that classes can do throughout the year.
- Making announcements in each classroom
- Checking the PE equipment and keeping it tidy.
- Taking on the role of playground leaders
- Planning, organising and running “Active School Week.”
What club are you in?
Senior members of our Active School Committee, along with their friends, conducted a “What club are you in?” survey. They learned that there are many different clubs in local areas. They created posters to inform the rest of the school about the various clubs and organisations operating in the local community.
Physical Activity Acknowledgements
Our school praises and encourages physical activity efforts and success both during school and outside of school hours. The children display photos of their achievements in the “Proud Cloud” section of our Active School noticeboard.
Parent and Student Questionnaires
Our senior Active School Committee distributed parent and student questionnaires. The committee spent some time discussing and recording the responses from these questionnaires. The information gained from these questionnaires will inform our Active School initiative going forward.
Active School Week
Our annual Active School Week will run from 5th – 8th May 2020. (Weather permitting.)
Any parents/family members who wish to participate or make suggestions for this exciting event are invited to contact Ms Leonard here in the school. More information will follow in the coming months.
The staff and students of Geashill N.S were delighted to be awarded the Active School Flag in June 2017. As a newly accredited active school we will continuously strive to achieve “a physically educated and physically active school community.”
What is an active school flag?
The Department of Education and Skills wishes to recognise schools that strive to achieve a physical educated and physically active school community by awarding them the Active School Flag (ASF). The Active School Flag will be awarded to schools that:
- Adhere to DES guidelines regarding PE timetable provision for all students
- Teach a broad and balanced PE curriculum
- Inform and invite the whole school community to participate in the ASF process
- Self-evaluate current provision in terms of PE, Physical Activity and Partnerships
- Plan, implement and monitor improvements for each of the aforementioned areas
- Organise an ‘Active School Week’ as part of the annual school calendar.
The Active School Flag is funded by the Teacher Education Section of the Department of Education and Skills and based in Mayo Education Centre. Once awarded the ASF remains valid for a period of 3 years.
To learn more please visit the Active School Flag website
Some of the activities we took part in last year:
Yoga
Active Art
10 @ 10
The Geashill to Malin Head Running Challenge
Walk On Wednesday
Hockey
Penalty Shootouts
“Climb the Heights” Skipping Challenge
