Our school community received our first Active School Flag Award in 2019. We achieved this by increasing levels of physical activities in our daily lives (both in school and at home), looking at specific areas of the PE curriculum, ensuring that all aspects of the curriculum are being taught and creating links with sporting agencies and community groups in our local area. The main goal of participating in this scheme is that a sense of health, well-being and physical activity will continue to be fostered in our school. We are currently in the process of renewing our Active Flag.
After some general information about our work towards achieving an Active Flag, you will find on-going updates of our progress in four categories:
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- Our ASF co-ordinator oversees a committee comprised of staff members and pupils.
- Discretionary time throughout the year is being used by teachers and qualified coaches to coach the children in a range of non-competitive activities including individual and team sports. For example, swimming lessons are taking place for 1st class and above in the third term. Gaelic football and hurling skills are taught after school as well as athletics and basketball.
- Each class is provided with at least 1 hour of timetabled Physical Education per week. This is comprised of at least two 30-minute lessons.
- Our PE Curriculum Policy was drafted by teachers as part of the Active School Flag process in 2018. It was ratified by the Board of Management. This plan will be reviewed and amended by staff on a regular basis. All staff members have access to the PE plan as well as the PDST lesson plans for teaching all aspects of the PE curriculum.
- An audit of all PE equipment was made and an itemised list ongoing acquisition of new equipment takes place.
- The specific area of focus within the curriculum was the Games Strand for our first Active Flag. This year the school is focusing on the Dance Strand for our flag renewal.
- We are aware of the importance of being physically active on rainy days when the children cannot play outside. If the children are unable to go outside due to rain, each teacher ensures that he or she gets at least 10 minutes of physical activity that day. Each class has a ‘Go-noodle’ or ‘Just Dance’ account.
- We are incorporating physical activity into our everyday lessons. For example, as part of Maths Week, all classes went on an maths trail. Walks around Knocknacarra, Cappagh Park and Bearna Woods have become more active and fun as well as educational.
- We have an ASF notice board whereby we inform our school community of our progress to date and any upcoming school events.
- All the children and staff love to dance in KETNS. We have explored dance at events such as the Halloween disco, Christmas disco. Every Friday the children dance in the yard listening to music on the school’s “party rocker” using a school’s playlist.
- We have liaised with the Health Promotion Officer with the HSE, and our school co-ordinator attended a Health Promotion Healthy School’s activity day in March 2018. All staff are aware of the importance of a healthy and balanced diet along with an active lifestyle.
- The KETNS yard is kept very busy. All the children are encouraged to run and travel freely around the yard. Ball and tag games are permitted and encouraged. The older children often teach the younger children new and exciting games. Yard markings were painted by a volunteer parent last in Spring 2019. The yard is divided into zones to facilitate different activities such as basketball, soccer, four square, skipping rope and running games.
- The school creates opportunities to exercise where emphasis in on fun e.g. active line where the children do different activities every morning during small break. Each day a different child from each class leads the activity. All classes engage in Busy Breaks throughout the day.
- Classes regularly take running breaks, and in the past we participated in a challenge of running around Europe.
- Every Thursday the children get ‘active homework’ where they are encouraged to get not only themselves physically active but also their other family members physically active too.
- The school has sent teams of students to hurling and soccer blitzes. An athletics team has represented the school at Galway City Sports. We are in the process of purchasing sports kits for school teams.
- Active School Week takes place annually in May.
Physical Education

Swimming and Water Safety

Fun with the Hoops

Creative Dance with Matt

Corpoideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge le Ger

1st Class Outdoor PE

Catching and Throwing

Damhsa Gaelach/Irish Dancing in Rang a Dó

Athletics in First Class

Creative Dance in Rang a 3

Gymnastics with Senior Infants

Games: Fifth Class playing basketball

Gymnastics with Senior Infants

New PE equipment

Obstacle course at the Spring Fair

Physical Education (PE) with Second Class

PE with 5th Class in the winter sun

Balancing !

Junior Infants PE Outside

Animal Games with our new Junior Infants

European Schools Sports Day

Junior Infants doing Yoga for PE

Ball games in the Yard

Physical Education (PE) with Fourth Class

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow….

Junior Infants doing Target Throws

Physical Education (PE) Inside School and Out

Junior Infants having fun with Bean Bags

More Basketball drills

In door ball games

European School Sports Day

Yoga with Ranya

May Good Weather Physical Education – PE

Physical Education Classes in March

Visits to Barna Woods and Cappagh Park

Draft PE Curriculum Plan

European School Sport Day

New Facilities and New Opportunities to be Active!

Sports Day

2nd Class PE at Miller’s Lane

Soccer on the Beach

Swim-a-Mile Challenge

Seachtain na Gaeilge

PE Classes
Physical Activity

European School Sports Day

Sports Day 2023

Junior Yard Activities

City Sports

Junior Infants using the Active School Walkway

Training for City Sports

Running Initiatives

FAI 5-a-side Competition

Soccer League

Yard Zones

New soccer goals

Bizzy Breaks

Bizzy Breaks – School Staff start a trend

Fun Friday Halloween Disco

Halloween Active Line

European Day of Sports

All School Yoga

Circus Skills in Barna Woods

Active Line Activity in the April Sun

Junior Infants and Second Class Participating in Busy Breaks

Active line activities during December sunshine!

Junior and senior infants completing their daily run!

Fourth Class get Active by running around the yard.

Virtual Sports Day: Activity 5 – Throwing Games

Virtual Sports Day: Challenge 4 – Target roll and kick

Virtual Sports Day: Activity 3 – Yoga

Virtual Sports Day: Activity 2 – Penalty Shoot-out

Virtual Sports Day: Activity 1 – Skipping

Can you spin a basketball?

Staying active during the Lockdown

Junior Infants having fun on a cool January morning

Whole School Assembly

Physical Activity in the Autumn Sun

European School Sports Day

Physical Activity During Yard Time

The Whole School completing Active Line during Pyjama Day

Friday Discos

Yard Games

Friday Discos

WOW – Walk on Wednesdays

Afterschool Clubs

Run Around Europe Challenge

Yard Time in the Sunshine

Active Homework

Active Line Leader Jackets

After-school Clubs

Whole-School Running Challenge

Rainy Day Breaks

Active Line

Friday Yard Discos
Active School Week

Active School Week 2023: Folk Dance with Matt

Active School Week 2023: Races

Active School Week 2023: Our Final Class with Laura

Active School Week 2023: Parachute and Playground Games

Active School Week 2023: Basketball with Hector

Active School Week 2023: Connaught Rugby

Active School Week 2023 Timetable

This is what Third Class got up to during Active School Week

Fourth Class enjoying Active School Week

Fifth class and their Active School week activities

More throwing and catching with our Junior Infants

Active School Thursday

First Class practicing their ball skills over Active School week

This is What Second Class did over Active School week

Active School Week – Active Wednesday for our Junior Infants

Active School Week – Throwing and Catching in Junior Infants

Active School Week – First Class Learning how to Skip

Active School Week, Run Around Europe Challenge

Active School Week, Yoga and Fitness Training

Active School Week with Galway Bay Rugby Club

Active School Week, Yard Games

Active School Week, Soccer with guest soccer coaches

Active School Week: Ball Game Stations

Active School Week: Walking Bus

Active School Week: Infants Obstacle Course

Active School Week: Rainy Day Activities
Partnerships

New sports kits

Hurling Blitz at Rahoon/Newcastle GAA

Active School Week 2023: Connaught Rugby

Dance with Laura from Genevieve Ryan Dance Academy

Afterschool Clubs

Visit from an Olympic Medallist

Circus Skills and Science with Galway Community Circus

New Committee

Whole-School Commitment

Support from Rahoon/Newcastle GAA Club

Gymnastics with Ranga 3

Gymnastics with School Fitness Ireland

5th Class doing Gymnastics with School Fitness Ireland

All school Zumba

School Fitness Ireland

Gaelic Football Skills

Rugby Fever !!

Second, Third and Fourth Class trying out Tai Chi

Yoga with Ranya

Tuesday’s GAA training with Johnny

Dancing with Erris

Badminton Lessons with Declan

Sports Day

City Sports 2018
