Active Schools

The Active School Flag

The Active School Flag is a Department of Education & Skills initiative which sets to recognise schools that strive to achieve a physically active school community.St. Oliver Plunkett's N.S. is a very active school and we are hoping to receive our Active School Flag this coming Academic year.Our school has always been very aware of the importance of physical activity and the benefits it holds for adults and children alike.

The Active School Committee

In order to continue our strife for the active school flag we have elected an active school committee in the form of our students.The committee is made up of pupils from first to sixth class and they shall be busy throughout the year organsing lots of fun and physical activities throughout the coming year.

The Active School Team

In St. Oliver Plunketts' National School we recognise the importance of physical activity in children and the benefits and rewards that come with it. Over the past year a group of nine teachers assisted with our caretaker Peter Maguire have come together to create an active school team. We hope to improve the physical activity within the school.

This year one of our main objectives is to create an active school yard.

The aims of our Active School Yard are

to increase children's physical activity levels
to increase children's energy expenditure
to promote fair play
to reduce bullying and playground confrontations
to teach cooperation and respect for others
to promote creativity and problem solving skills
to decrease playground injuries

The Zones

The yard has been zoned for different activities for different class groups. Playground specific equipment has been purchased and is now stored in an area convenient to the yard.

Our Yard Games

Skipping Ropes
Lolo Balls
Soccer
Handball
Parachute
Playground Games
Athletics
Circuits
Dance

Yard Leaders/ PALS

We have introduced the idea of Physical Activity Leaders (PALS). As part of this system, the children from the senior classes are taught how to lead physical activity on the school yard break times. There are benefits for all to be derived from such peer tutoring schemes.

The younger children will enjoy increased physical activity that is structured and well managed. The older children will develop a range of other skills. It will require them to enable the younger peers to participate in the activity through clear demonstration and explanations. In addition to all of this, they will assume responsibilty for the layout and collection of equipment.

The PALS will be rotated so that the leaders will be given the oppurtunity to enjoy the activities on their own yard. Below are some of our PALS in action on the Junior Yard.

The Active School Board

As part of our Active School campaign we have devised an Active School Board. The Active School Board was created to recognise the physical and sporting achievements amongst our very talented students. Our pupils excel in many areas of physical activity including dancing, football, boxing, athletics, karate, swimming and basketball. Pupils are given the oppurtunity to write about their physical activity which is then displayed on our 'Wall of Fame' with their photos.

Our Active Board also provides information on upcoming events in our school community including lunch time and after school training sessions.

Furthermore, our Active School Board displays the class winners of 'Line of the Week' for each yard; Junior, Middle and Senior. This award is a very much coveted and sought after prize as the class winners receive an extra ten minutes physical activity time on the yard, which all our pupils enjoy immensely.

The Active School Song

"In Ollies we're all playing along and we're all busy and active..."

St. Oliver's Active School Song

Our school held a competition at the beginning of the year to find a song that would encourage physical activity in our school. Many talented pupils entered, however we could only pick one. Click the link below to watch our Active School Song, it's sure to get you moving!

Our Active School Song: https://youtu.be/O8qjc0bJHQc

Other Activities

Our students take part in a range of physical activities throughout the year. This year alone, pupils have been given the oppurtunity to try out zumba, yoga, skip hop, athletics, swimming and many more activities. We are currently organising our annual 'Active School Week'. which will be held in May.This week is designated to promoting fitness and healthy eating among our school community. Please follow the link below to our gallery where you can find pictures of last year's Active School week and many more photos of activities carried out by our students over the academic year.

Gallery