Scoil Íde is working towards earning their 2nd Active School Flag. Read about it here.

Active School Week will take place in Scoil Íde from May 21st – May 25th
For more information click here to view the Active Schools website.

This year, the Scoil Íde community is actively working together to renew our Active School Flag Award. We first received the flag in
2015. Since then, we as a school community have continued to increase levels of physical activities in our daily lives (both in school
and at home), create links with sporting agencies and community groups in our local area, we have developed specific areas of the PE
curriculum while ensuring that all aspects of the curriculum are being taught successfully. This year, we will also be holding an Active
School Week from May 21st – 25th.

The main goal of participating in this scheme is that a sense of health, wellbeing and physical activity is continually fostered in our
school.
Our ASF coordinator has established a committee of students, parents and teachers to oversee the progression of physical education, physical activity, partnerships and an active school week, in Scoil Íde.
Physical Education:
▪ Our PE policy has been reviewed by teachers as part of the Active School Flag process. It was ratified by the Board of
Management in March 2018. All members of staff have agreed to review and amend the P.E Plan accordingly every two years.
All staff members have access to the P.E. plan as well as the PDSP lesson plans for teaching all areas of the curriculum.
▪ Our school is focusing on the teaching of fundamental movement skills through the ‘move well, move often’ approach.
This year we are developing locomotor skills:

• Walking
• Running
• Hopping
• Skipping
• Jumping for height
• Jumping for distance
• Dodging
• Side stepping.

We ensure that all children in Scoil Íde are developing their physical literacy in line with activities that are both age and stage appropriate to their level of physical development. The curricular strand that we are focusing on is ‘Athletics’. Through developing FMS through Athletics, the children are given the building blocks for increased levels of physical activity in later life. Two teachers attended workshops in this area and have provided regular feedback to all teachers.
▪ Each class is provided with at least 1 hour timetabled Physical Education per week. This can comprise of 2 x 30 minute classes or 1 hour slot.
▪ More investment has been made in the area of Physical Education resources. We have bought new equipment and a new equipment area has been established. An audit of equipment is carried out on a regular basis. Equipment that is used for Playworks is stored separately.

Physical Activity
▪ Discretionary time throughout the year is being used for qualified trainers and teachers to coach the children in a range of competitive and non-competitive activities including individual and team activities. For example:

• 1. Gaelic Football (training after school – matches played during school time)
• 2. Swimming lessons for second and third class 3. Hurling for first class
children
• 3. Hurling for first class children
• 4.Soccer for fifth and sixth class
• 5. Athletics for 3rd- 6th class
• 6. Olympic Handball for 4th-6th
• 7. Yoga classes.
• 8. TriHeroes programme for 5th and 6th class – an initiative by Triathlon Ireland.
▪ We are becoming more aware of the importance of being physically active on rainy days when the children cannot play outside. If the children cannot go out to the yard to play, each class teacher ensures that he or she gets at least 10 minutes of physical activity that day. Each class has a ‘Go-noodle’ account, busy breaks, yoga ,etc.
▪ This year we are engaging in ‘chair breaks’. Our ASF committee have each been assigned a class and carry out a simple seated movement routine.
▪ We are incorporating physical activity in our every-day lessons.
Older classes are working with younger classes. As part of Maths Week, the girls in sixth class led a Maths trail with the younger children. On Tree Day, orienteering field trips took place around the school garden. Walks to the Aquarium and various locations around Salthill have become more fun and active!
▪ Playworks is be implemented in our school weather depending. It is an initiative to include all children in yard games which promotes inclusivity and social skills in an active, fun and noncompetitive way.
▪ We have set up an ASF notice board whereby we celebrate not only sporting achievements but participation. Check out our notice board at the bottom of the stairs by the foyer.
▪ We have re-established our WOW active travel system. Every Wednesday morning (rain or shine!), a dedicate teacher leads the ‘Scoil Ide Walking Bus’ from the Salthill Promenade car park. The children wear high-visibility jackets (if available) to ensure that they can be seen. Road safety is hugely important to us here in Scoil Íde. We thank the parents and grandparents who make WOW such a success each year. Every step counts!
▪ We have established an Olympic handball team, a GAA team, a soccer team, an athletics team and a cross-country team. In recent years, our profile as a physically active school has increased greatly. Our school has been represented in the Galway Schools Handball Competition, local GAA blitzes, Galway Cross Country competitions, the SPAR 5-a-side competition, City Sports. Girls from Fourth, Fifth and Sixth class, have been training hard since October, developing skills and enjoying playing these fast-paced, exciting game!
▪ We all love to dance in Scoil Íde. Not a day passes without music filling the halls and corridors! We have explored dance at events such as the Hallowe’en discos, the Christmas Danceathon where the girls in sixth class taught the infants a dance routine, and all classes explore folk and Irish dancing in March, performing at our lively Ceili as part of Seachtain Na Gaeilge.
▪ We have liaised with the Health Promotion Officer and Healthy Eating Schools Promotion committee in our school, becoming aware of the importance of a healthy and balanced diet along with an active lifestyle. All children have received a SuperTrooper activity pack where they are encouraged to take part in physical activities every day at home and record it in their activity tracker. Children are also asked to take part in family activities. Children also receive ‘active homework’ as part of their homework.
▪ Each morning before school, the children are supervised in the school yard while playing games and being physically active. On rainy days, ‘wake up, shake up’ is provided in the school hall. This is a great start to the day!
▪ Extra-Curricular Activities taught weekly throughout the year include: GAA, Olympic handball, cross-country, athletics and hockey (running club in summer term)
▪ The Scoil Íde yard, although small is very busy! There are no specific zones in the yard except for the Sixth class area. On days that Playworks is carried out, junior coaches zone the yard for necessary games.
▪ All children are encouraged to run and travel freely around the yard. Balls are not allowed on yard during break as there is not enough space however Sixth class girls may play ball games if they wish. Older children often lead playground games for the younger children.
▪ Students sporting achievements are acknowledged and celebrated at assembly each month.