Active Flag 2015-2016
Welcome to the page for all things associated with our quest to achieve the active flag for our school. After working successfully for the past number of years we now have four green flags so our attention has now turned to the gaining our first Active Flag.
This involves all things active.There will be a lot of hard work and dedication needed if we are going to be awarded this flag.
Mrs.Golden has taken on the role of coordinator and formed two committees one of teachers and one of children who will work alongside her and help her with anything she needs.
This is a whole school initiative and we want all the children and their parents to be involved. There will be lots of events ongoing throughout the year and all students and parents will be encouraged to participate. We already have a Well Done wall situated just passed the junior infant classroom which will be updated with achievements from the girls both in and out of school.
Check this page regularly to keep up to date with all things active.
This involves all things active.There will be a lot of hard work and dedication needed if we are going to be awarded this flag.
Mrs.Golden has taken on the role of coordinator and formed two committees one of teachers and one of children who will work alongside her and help her with anything she needs.
This is a whole school initiative and we want all the children and their parents to be involved. There will be lots of events ongoing throughout the year and all students and parents will be encouraged to participate. We already have a Well Done wall situated just passed the junior infant classroom which will be updated with achievements from the girls both in and out of school.
Check this page regularly to keep up to date with all things active.
For lots more information and tips on getting active why not check out www.getirelandactive.ie
13/6/16: Third, Fourth and Sixth class enjoyed a cycling session with Donal Jacob today.The weather prevented the girls going to the nature park but thank you to Donal for coming up to the school.
Active Flag Newsflash:3/6/16
Something very special arrived in the post today. Yes that's right the news we have all been waiting for.We got our Active flag after all our hard work and efforts and many months of dedication from all the girls and their teachers. Our flag will now have pride of place outside the school. It is a fantastic achievement to earn the flag on the first time applying for it ( not many schools get the flag the first time and have to reapply) and we should all be so proud. Thank you to the parents for helping their girls with active homework and to all the teachers and the girls for their participation in Active Week and really to the girls for being so active in general. Mrs.Golden deserves a special mention as she was the driving force behind the whole application and she spent many hours making sure all our paperwork was correct and that we ticked all the necessary boxes and categories. Thanks for all your time Mrs. Golden. Don't forget we're still in active mode as our School Sports is on Wednesday 8th June in the De La Salle field next to the Teacher's Centre.
3/6/16: Congratulations to the 24 girls who went to Dungarvan last night with Mrs.Golden to participate in the county school championships.The girls performed so well in their relays and some girls won medals. Sophia Paparova from sixth class also won an individual medal and can now proudly say she is the fastest girl in the county in her age group. Thanks to Mrs. Golden and Mrs.O'Neill for training the girls.
3/6/16: Congratulations to the 24 girls who went to Dungarvan last night with Mrs.Golden to participate in the county school championships.The girls performed so well in their relays and some girls won medals. Sophia Paparova from sixth class also won an individual medal and can now proudly say she is the fastest girl in the county in her age group. Thanks to Mrs. Golden and Mrs.O'Neill for training the girls.
30/5/16: Congratulations to Robyn and Niamh from Miss.O'Connell's First Class who were presented with awards from the Waterford Ballet Academy.
29/4/16: Day one photos and news of Active Week can be found here . Days two to five can be found by clicking here. There were so many photos and so many activities it was hard to keep up so now everything can be found in one place on the school news page.
25/4/16: Day one of active week is done and dusted and we are tired but happy. Check out all the galleries below for photos of the activities. Tomorrow is the athletics in the R.S.C so another busy day ahead.
First Class: Miss.Crowley and Miss.O'Connell Orienteering around the school.Mayhem ensued but it was fun ! 25/4/16
Junior and Senior Infants Balance Bikes:25/4/16
Junior Infants : Mrs. Hanrahan and Miss. Dowling enjoyed our Walk on Wednesday route as a way of getting active and out in the fresh air:25/4/16
Martial Arts Demonstration all classes got to see some moves from Pat Rockett:25/4/16
First Class: Miss. Crowley and Miss. O'Connell playtime in the park.A nice easy introduction to Active Week:25/4/16
20/4/16: As if this morning wasn't busy enough this afternoon we went to the park for P.E to do orienteering with Mrs.Jephson. We had the perfect day for it .
18/4/16: The girls selected from first to sixth class for the athletics event in the R.S.C next Tuesday the 26th of April have been hard at work training with Mrs.Golden and Mrs. O'Neill. The girls have been training after school in order to be in tip top shape for the relays and individual races. As Active Week is next week this event will be an important day and will certainly have the girls all fit , active and tired by the end of the day. We wish the girls lots of success for next week and lets hope the sun shines too !
14/4/16: Schools Tennis: Emma Beadle, Sophie Kirby and Lydia Rowe attended the schools tennis competition today. Sophie and Emma lost their first match but won their second match. Aoife and Lydia won both their matches. Everyone was pleased with their achievements. They played Balinalough and they were good too! St .John of God won overall so they are headed to the cup. We wish them the best of luck.
11/4/16: Congratulations to all the girls who participated in the Ferrybank AC open meet at the R.S.C yesterday .The conditions were atrocious but fair play to Mrs. Golden the meet went ahead and it turned out to be a great day. Well done to the girl who took part and to those who won medals. A great way to be active over the weekend.
Cycling Lessons with Donal Jacob: 5th class:5/4/16
Tricks for Sticks Hockey Lessons:4th, 5th and 6th :4/4/16
16/3/16: Congratulations to every girl in the entire school on completing their W.A.S.P active card over the past four weeks. Every girl received their certificate this morning. Don't forget to keep active over the holidays.Active week is coming up the last week of April.
10/3/16: Many thanks to Ms.Sheane for organising Golf Ireland to come to visit the school today. The girls from third to sixth class participated in a workshop where they got to learn some golfing skills. Golf is a great way of keeping active outdoors and maybe after today some girls may decide to take it up.
9/3/16: Today saw the turn of third and fourth class with two teams participating in the Basketball Blitz in the Mercy gym. There was stiff competition from many other schools but the girls put on a great display which saw fourth class the winning through. Congratulations to the girls on the fourth class team.Many thanks to Mrs. Jephson for her hard work preparing the girls and to Ms.Butler for accompanying the girls t the competition.
7/3/16: A team from fifth and sixth class participated in the Basketball Blitz held in the Mercy gym this afternoon. There was a great effort from the team as they reached the final but unfortunately they were runners up. Many thanks to Ms.Hartrey for accompanying the girls and to Mrs.Jephson for organising the teams and for all the practice with the girls.
16/2/15: Mrs.Golden has been busy researching different programmes which would involve us getting out and active and help us achieve our active flag.Next week sees the launch of WASP-the Waterford Active Schools Programme. This programme lasts for four weeks and involves both the children and their parents.It is funded by the Health Service Executive. The difference between this and last weeks 'We do P.E for Homework' is that all physical activity be it dancing or basketball etc that takes place in school can also be counted.As well as the various activities the children take part in outside of school. The aim is to increase awareness in families of the importance of being active and make activity a natural part of daily living resulting in families being more active, more often.
We are encouraging you to do at least 30 minutes activity and your child to do at least 60 minutes activity at least five days a week. It doesn't have to be all at once , it can be done alone or with others and it can include any activity : dance, school PE, club sport, walking etc. It's all about getting active. Your child will have a record card which needs to be initialled by you to confirm activity by yourself and/or your child. All the teachers will give out Wizzy stickers ( the WASP mascot) for your child's record card. The aim is to earn as many Wizzy stickers as possible. The class teacher also takes part in the programme. ( Does yard duty count???!!!!!) On completion of the programme each child will receive a certificate of achievement.
Why take part?- For fun ! For healthier, fitter children, parents/guardians and families.
To find out more check out the WASP section of the Waterford Sports Partnership website for ideas, resources and updates on the programme from around the city and county. www.waterfordsportspartnership.ie
Many thanks in advance for your co-operation and enthusiasm for this programme.
Fourth Class Get Active: 15/2/16
Today we went out to the yard and played some active games. First we went up to the garden and looked at the daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops. Then we played Bulldogs in the little yard.Anabelle was on.It was great fun. After that we got into a big circle and played Jackie Bluebells. Our teacher Ms.Butler took some pictures of us. We enjoyed being outside and being active.
Today we went out to the yard and played some active games. First we went up to the garden and looked at the daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops. Then we played Bulldogs in the little yard.Anabelle was on.It was great fun. After that we got into a big circle and played Jackie Bluebells. Our teacher Ms.Butler took some pictures of us. We enjoyed being outside and being active.
12/2/16: Well done to every girl in the school who completed the active homework this week set by Mrs. Golden and the active committee. No homework/reduced homework for all next week. Mrs. Golden and her team have more great active ideas coming your way soon.
Orienteering in Kennedy Park : Fifth and Sixth Class 11/2/16
8/2/16: Mrs. Golden and her active flag committee have been busy again thinking of new ideas which will help us get active and achieve our active flag. This week every girl will receive active homework. The girls spend some time doing anything active outside of school : swimming, walking, skipping, athletics , dancing anything at all. All activities and their length must be recorded on the sheet here and brought back to school next Monday 15/2/16. If a girl completes the active homework there will be no homework/reduced homework the week beginning the 15th of February. So what are you waiting for girls? Go out there and get active!
4/2/16: Guard Brennan came to tell us about road safety today.Mrs. Golden distributed hi-vis vests to all the girls. They will put to great use especially for W.O.W- Walk on Wednesday.
3/2/16: Well done to the whole school. Our first W.O.W - Walk on Wednesday was a great success.
29/1/16: Our active Flag noticeboard and well done wall have found a new home at the end of the lower corridor. They are packed full with news of all things active.
29/1/16: Ms. Fitzgerald's class third class have put together a booklet of games their grandparents played when they were younger. Have a look at the link .The girls today might still love to play them and some would help keep them fit and active.Click here for the link.
Sport Changes Life
On Thursday the 28th of January, Katie and Jasmine came to visit our school. They are both basketball players from America. They told us to follow our dreams and do what we love. They came to Ireland for the Sport Changes Life programme. They now teach children how to play basketball at the Mercy Secondary School Hall. It is open to everyone. Unfortunately, they are leaving Ireland at the end of summer. We loved hearing their stories about how they started playing basketball. We also loved hearing their American accent! We enjoyed their time at our school. We wish them every success in the future and we want to thank them for taking the time to come to our school.
On Thursday the 28th of January, Katie and Jasmine came to visit our school. They are both basketball players from America. They told us to follow our dreams and do what we love. They came to Ireland for the Sport Changes Life programme. They now teach children how to play basketball at the Mercy Secondary School Hall. It is open to everyone. Unfortunately, they are leaving Ireland at the end of summer. We loved hearing their stories about how they started playing basketball. We also loved hearing their American accent! We enjoyed their time at our school. We wish them every success in the future and we want to thank them for taking the time to come to our school.
27/1/16: Walk on Wednesdays begins next week on February 3rd and will take place every Wednesday for the first few minutes of lunchtime for the next four weeks. All classes will be encouraged to participate. Wednesdays will certainly be full of activity as the girls have P.E that day with Mrs. Jephson.
27/1/16: On Thursday 28th of January some members of the staff as part of our plan towards gaining our active flag will attend a course on Disability Awareness Training in the W.I.T Sports Campus. Hopefully it will be very beneficial to all our P.E lessons .
27/1/16: Tomorrow some members of the Wildcats basketball team will visit the girls in third to sixth class. They will talk to the girls about all the fun they have on the team and also how basketball is such a great form of exercise and it keeps you active and healthy. Hopefully some of our girls may decide to take up basketball after they hear what the team have to say.
22/1/16: Dawn has now moved on to line dancing with the classes from first to third.All the girls are loving the new form of dance lessons.Even after one session they are brilliant. Miss. Crowley wanted to join in to only for all the copies she had to correct !
16/12/15:Congratulations to the winning team in our inter school basketball competition organised by Mrs. Jephson. Thanks also to Miss. Gleeson for her help in refereeing. The winning team received a lovely healthy voucher for Jump Juice in Ardkeen Stores from Mrs. Jephson.
10/12/15: Thanks you Mrs. Golden for organising the Santa Dash 2015. Every girl in the school wore something festive and we walked around the park singing Christmas songs. We gathered as a school at the bandstand and sung our favourite Christmas carol. Well done to everybody for being so active and festive.
3/12/15: Mrs. Golden's girls had great fun on the balance bikes today as part of their P.E lesson. Great to let off some steam!
26/11/15: Well done and thank you to the committee members from sixth class- Moya O'Shea, Laura Kennedy and Ameile Falconer.The girls presented a review of physical education in St. John of God at the Parents Association A.G.M on Wednesday night. Many thanks to Mrs. Golden for helping the girls prepare for the presentation. A copy of the presentation will be uploaded on this page soon for all to view.
20/3/15: Nothing like a bit of 'healthy' competition to get you active at break times as fifth class put their basketball skills to the test in a match today.
17/11/15: Mrs. Golden's girls certainly got active when they were stuck inside at break time with the rain lashing and the wind howling. The sixth class girls got them up and moving and dancing along. Well done girls .Keep it up .
13/3/15: Here is the committee formed for the active flag with girls from third to sixth class. They held their first meeting on Friday afternoon and have already come up with some excellent and useful suggestions. We look forward to working with them in the year ahead as we strive to achieve the active flag for our school.
11/11/15: Congratulations to Ava Lynch- fourth class who won a medal at the Cross Country Championships held in Carraiganore recently.
4/11/15: Many thanks to athlete Niall Tuohy for coming into our school today to talk about healthy living. Niall is an ambassador for Chia Bia. Chia Bia are a local company based in Tramore who have had huge success with their range of Chia Bia products.Niall spoke to fourth, fifth and sixth class about the benefits of healthy living. Amongst the many things which he talked about were the advantages of a healthy balanced diet and plenty of sleep. The teachers and girls were very impressed with Niall's enthusiasm and energy for his subject. The school are delighted to be establishing links with Chia Bia especially as they are at the heart of healthy living in our local community. Good luck to Niall as he continues his training in the hopes of reaching the Olympics next year in Rio. Many thanks to Mrs. Golden for organising the talk and for all her dedication and hard work in working towards achieving the active flag.Today was a great step in that direction.
8/10/15: The two first classes, Miss.Crowley, Miss O' Connell and Lynn had a fun filled morning in Ardkeen Library as part of the Children's Book Festival- despite getting a soaking on the way there! We met Wayne who was very funny and he told some alternative stories by Roald Dahl- The Three Little Pigs and Jack and the Beanstalk. He had everyone laughing even the teachers with his antics and drawing weird and wonderful drawing.The girls even got a treat on the way back from Miss.O'Connell and Miss.Crowley for being so good.Many thanks to the library for having us.
1/10/15: What beautiful weather we have had this week. So first class took advantage of the sunny morning today and went on a nature scavenger hunt in the park with Lynn and Miss.Crowley. The class were divided into pairs and given a clipboard each. Each pair had a list of items they needed to find. We walked all around the edge of the park exploring and trying to find some items on our list.Then we moved in and around the centre of the park to locate the last few remaining items. As we had been learning all about autumn in the classroom we also looked at how the trees are changing colour and the leaves are falling. We found lots of leaves and seeds. Ellie found the biggest horse chestnut shell of all.There was even two conkers inside it! All the girls had great fun and nearly all the pairs managed to collect everything on their list. It was Lauren's birthday so we went to the playground and sang happy birthday to her and ate some delicious cupcakes her mum had sent in. We even had time for a run around and play on all the brilliant things in the playground. Miss.Crowley may have gone a bit overboard taking photos but it was such a nice day and everyone was having a brilliant time. Take some time to enjoy the slideshow below.
1/10/15: The girls in first class ( Miss. Crowley) and the infant classes love the Go Noodle website and ask for it everyday.There are lots of dances and songs to get us energised and fit. Also there are plenty of relaxation videos for when we need to calm down just that little bit. Our favourites have to be Moose-ta-cha and Peanut Butter in a Cup. We all found Maximo's Dancing Bear very challenging ( even teacher) and kept falling over but with some more practice we will master it. Teacher caught us mid dance and took some photos. Check them out below.
18/9/15: Junior infants, senior infants and third class took a trip to the park to have a play around in the playground. Great to make the most of these dry, bright mornings before Winter sets in.Lots of fun was had by all.Check out the gallery below.
18/9/15; Sixth class and Ms.Sheane spent a lovely morning walking the 'Waterford Walls' as part of their history programme. They took a few photos along the way.
17/9/15:Fifth and sixth class enjoyed a morning orienteering at Carraiganore. Ms. Sheane and Ms.Hartrey were relieved it was nice and sunny and not too mucky and that everyone came back in one piece!
15/9/15: What a fantastic day we had down at the R.S.C today for the schools cross country organised by Mrs. Golden. The sun shone and all the girls had a great time. There were lots of individual medals won and overall we won second best girls school. Thanks to Mrs.O'Neill, Ms. Fitzgerald and Miss. Crowley for going with the girls. Check out the slideshow for lots of photos from the day.
Miss. Crowley's first class were busy planting spring bulbs outside the front of the school.They planted crocuses, tulips and daffodils which will hopefully flower in the spring months. They also gave our garden a quick tidy up.
Junior Infants enjoying their first dancing lesson with Dawn.