Welcome to the Active Flag Page
This month the children will be 'Running Around Ireland'! This is an initiative to encourage children to run regularly over four weeks. We will create a measured running track around our school and pupils will have the opportunity to challenge themselves to run and record on their class map of Ireland, where they have collectively run.
Active Walkway
The Active Walkway always gets lots of use in the Spring and Summer term. It has lots of diverse activities and challenges of a cross-curricular nature for all classes to partake in.
Congratulations to Attila Magyar (5th class) who came 2nd at a recent Munster Table Tennis Grand Prix held in Cork. What a wonderful achievement! We are delighted for you, Attila. Please continue to share good news stories with us! We love to hear of personal achievements.
Mrs. Buttimer and Ms Kingston are coordinating the Active School Flag this year. It is important that we maintain our Active School status and continue our Active initiatives - it is vital that we all keep our bodies healthy by moving! Did you know that the World Health Organisation recommends that all children and young people should be active, at a moderate to vigorous level, for at least 60 minutes every day?
The following pupils are on the Active School Committee:
Junior Infants:
Senior Infants: Emma Nnamani
1st Class: Lucille Schaffhauser
2nd Class: Rachael Foulds
3rd Class: Luke Johnston
4th Class: Olivia Ingles
5th Class: Paddy O'Riordan
6th Class: Alice Connaughton
At the moment, all class teachers and children are endeavouring to include some short movement breaks into the school day. It is said that movement breaks help to make learning more efficient, increase oxygen to the brain and help us to self-regulate.
While we know many of the children are involved in many activities outside of school, here are a few interesting ways to reduce your sedentary time:
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Sit on a yoga ball while completing a writing activity
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Try completing some written tasks standing up rather than sitting down
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Incorporate some movement breaks into your homework time
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Learn your spellings and tables outside and on the move
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Go outside to have a discussion while on the move!
Mrs. Buttimer has left a suggestions basket outside her classroom door. Should any of the children or parents have some novel ideas for the committee to discuss, please feel free to add those to the basket for consideration by the committee!
There are plenty more activities and plans on the horizon. Keep an eye on Twitter for reports on our weekly activities.
We are delighted to announce that St. Multose has been awarded the Active Schools Flag. This has been a two year long process and on Wednesday 24th January we had a visit from the Schools Active Flag Accreditor, Catríona Casey.
Work to earn the flag has been spearheaded by the school committee which consisted of 8 pupils with the help of two teachers and two parent reps.
Our Active School motto is: Don’t be lazy; Go outside and go Crazy!
St. Multose Snow Rap
Go outside. Play in the snow.
Please don’t say no, no, no!
It’s active. It’s fun!
It’s for everyone.
There’s snow on the ground,
So don’t stand around!
(As rapped by Ben, Kara and Lucy )
Junior & Senior Infants climb very steep hill to get to the Post Office!
The activities promoted by the committee have been various, challenging and fun. They ranged from inviting speakers on sport to the school: for example, the local table-tennis coach and a local international Paralympian, as well as another local international triathlete, a hockey player for Ireland, the runners-up in the women’s All-Ireland club football final, running enthusiasts and a physiotherapist.
The pupils on the committee ran various Active Leagues during lunchtime. Primarily, these focussed on athletics and orienteering. We started off on individual competitiveness, which was a lot of fun; then moved to a more collaborative model where all the classes were mixed which was also great fun!
The senior class had “Cycle Sense” teach them how to ride bikes safely on the road. We have had school walks and play initiatives such as the Buddy Bench. We celebrate children’s achievement in sporting activities outside of school through our Active Board.
Our teachers took part in PE courses and shared ideas amongst the staff. I think the best success has been the idea of the Active Classroom. It has now become a part of the school day to have regular active breaks particularly after a prolonged period of sitting. The children get out of their seats and perform various active challenges where the emphasis is on one’s personal best and improving one’s own score.
Thank you to the fantastic committees we have had over the two years. Special thanks to our parent reps, Karen Mason and Annette. Their enthusiasm and communication skills have helped to get us all moving in St Multose.
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.
ASF is a Department of Education and Skills initiative supported by Healthy
Ireland.
Don’t be lazy; go outside and go crazy!
At St.Multose we will emphasise 5 key points during the week
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To wear tracksuits/shorts to school
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Teachers will set active homework
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DEAR!- Drop Everything And Run! Each teacher will implement this every day
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Our curriculum focus this year is Dance so Ms. Sutton will teach the classes different folk dances.
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The active committee pupils will be in charge of setting up play equipment in the yard during big lunch. We will have badminton, football skills, hulla hoops and high jumps.
Children had a great time during Active School Week, enjoying the dances Germany, Clap dance and Cuckoo dance, outside in the sunshine.
We are focusing this school year on the dance strand in P.E. The pupils took part in a Ceilí Mór for Seachtain na Gaeilge. Here they are practicing "The Walls of Limerick."
Orienteering
Who was the fastest team to search high and low around the school, find all the clues and break the code!
Ms Curtin’s Senior Infant’s and First class were spending time outside looking for webs and bugs and all the lovely secrets in nature.
Senior Infants and First Class have been exploring light and strong movements during our creative dance lessons.
Walk on Wednesday
On Wednesday 17th May the whole school went on a morning walk to promote walking to school or the shops rather than always taking the car.
Active Initiatives
Children are encouraged to bring in trophies, medals and certificates for any activities they have engaged in outside of school. Photos are posted on our Active Flag notice board. The active schools notice board is regularly updated and new achievements are posted on this bring a sense of pride to many young children in the school!
D.E.A.R time/Active line
Dear time for St. Multose is a class based break where the children have five-ten minutes of activity at certain times during the week. In consultation with the class teacher the class sets up a rota of exercises from week to week. Ever child has to challenge themselves to beat their previous score e.g. a child may have reached a score of 20 star jumps in the time given on week one, and then tries to beat their own score the following week. This class based activity gives the chance to the whole class to challenge themselves in how active they can be. This activity is also run as part of an active line. During tidy up time at the end of a day or while lining up for lunch the children can carry out some fun physical activities such as lunges, running on the spot, star jumps and even burpies!
Supertroopers
We took part in the Supertroopers campaign - children kept a diary of activities at home and healthy eating options they tried. This not only had an effect on the children but also encouraged parents to get involved and be active at home.
Lunch time active league
Following the success of the Lunchtime League last year the active school committee were strongly in favour of having them continue in the 2017/18 school year. Last year saw an emphasis on the Athletics and also the Games part of the curriculum while this year staff decided we would focus on the Outdoor and Adventure strand of the curriculum.
We began this year with orienteering. Along with the help of some teachers the active schools committee set up a course using numbers 91-26) and letters (a-z) hidden all over the school grounds. The aim was to find the letter that matched the number using only a small photo as a hint. The school was divided into groups. Each day for a period of 2 weeks a group would challenge themselves against time to see how fast they could crack the code! On cracking the code children would shout out the slogan to stop the timer!
We look forward to what is to come after Christmas!
The Physical Education Curriculum
Games
Anyone for some tennis? It may be a while away yet, but every year during the Summer term Gregg joins graces the tennis court of St. Multose to teach every child a number of skills and techniques of Tennis such as sending and receiving of the tennis ball. It has often been said that Gregg brings the sun, but without a doubt he also brings much excitement.
Jolly Hockey Sticks!
Many new third class students have joined us for our after schools hockey training at St.Multose. This runs for twenty weeks of the year and children have the opportunity to learn new skills as well as represent the school at a number of hockey matches throughout the year. Wearing the St. Multose hockey jersey brings a sense of pride to many of the children as they represent the school.
Swimming
Each class from 1st class to 6th receive swimming lessons in one of the local hotels in Kinsale. These swimming lessons run for seven weeks for each class with qualified swimming teachers. Children have loved the whole experience, from travelling on the bus to learning how to swim.
Lessons progress in difficulty throughout the years and among the older children we have many competent and strong swimmers.
Children also learn about water safety before they commence their swimming lessons.
Gymnastics:
During late November and early December 2nd /3rd and 5th/6th are concentrating their PE time on gymnastics. This is a favorite for many of the children as they all love to get involved and try new things. Mr. Quins class are concentrating on developing the basic skills of gymnastics and moving on the turns such as the full turn and half turn, as well as learning new jumps such as the split jump and straddle. Miss Giles class meanwhile are on a different level! they are able to carry out all kinds of rolls and balances! By the end of this term children should be have the ability to make sequences of gymnastics incorporating jumping, moving, turning, rolling and balancing on the gym mats!
"5th & 6th class did a gymnastics show a little while ago. First we split into groups and did some moves that would be included in our routine. Shortly after that we put the whole thing together and added the music. It was hard work but everyone did a great job and the show was fun. When we finished we wanted to do the whole thing again!" By Jessica (6th class).
2nd and 3rd class have been learning about gymnastics. They have become confident with some complex balances, rolls, tensions and jumps. They even put together sequences of all they learned in a show for their class. Well done to all the students involved !!!
Poster & Slogan competition
During the 2016/17 school year we had a competition to design posters and create slogans to encourage us all to get active. Congratulations to Oliver Forde, whose slogan becomes our school’s Active Flag slogan. This slogan will continue until the end of the 2017/18 school year!
Don’t be lazy; go outside and go crazy!
Easter Egg Hunt
Last year St. Multose, with the help of parents expanded our Easter egg hunt on the school grounds. The children ran around trying to collect as many egg tokens as they could. They had great fun searching high and low.
Classroom Updates
5th and 6th class spent 8 weeks learning Gaelic football skills with Anthony Shannon, ably assisted by TY students from Kinsale Community School. Each session began with a warm-up lead by the children themselves. They practised the drills and played mini-games in preparation for a blitz in the spring.
Since the October midterm break, the children have worked on gymnastics: balances - individually (on the mat and on the beam) and in groups; rolls and tumbles, cartwheels; leaps, turns, twists and other movements; used the springboard and the vault. In groups of 5 or 6 the children choreographed a routine to music incorporating all the skills they learned – each to his/her ability.
Partnerships
PA
Active Schools Week