Active Schools
The Active School Flag (ASF) initiative is a Department of Education and Skills initiative (DES) supported by Healthy Ireland (HI) which aims to get more schools, more active, more often. It is awarded to schools that strive to achieve a physically educated and physically active school community. Take a moment to watch our video which details some of the elements of the Active School initiative in Brannoxtown CNS.
Brannoxtown CNS: Active Flag Application
The mailing to all families before February mid-term includes two Active Challenges to help us achieve our Active Flag:
1. Active Challenge 1 starts on Monday, February 22nd, 2021 (for three weeks). Each child records their progress with daily physical activity using the large, ‘Your Homework Challenge’ sheet mailed to each child. The ‘Active Homework Challenge: Exercises’ sheet (one mailed to each family) explains exercises for each week of the challenge. Children can use our Active Schools Padlet (you’ll find a preview, below) for ideas on additional daily activities.
2. Active Challenge 2 starts on Monday, March 15th, 2021 (for four weeks). Families record the combined totals of their walks and runs using the ‘Brannoxtown CNS Community Challenge’ sheet mailed to each family before February mid-term. Múinteoir Anne Marie leads this initiative and will help us to track the distance travelled across Kildare in kilometres. We’ll develop our knowledge of Kildare’s geography also!
Brannoxtown CNS: Active HOME Week Challenge
National “Active SCHOOL Week” takes place every April and is a really enjoyable part of the school year for many children. In 2020, because of the school closure, it was not possible for this to go ahead so we invited families in our school and our school community to take part in the “Active HOME Week” Challenge instead. During Active HOME Week:
– We invite families to incorporate at least 60 minutes of physical activity into the day.
– We encourage children to find NEW ways of being physically active that they ENJOY.
– We raise awareness about the fact that children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
To complete the challenge:
- Children are encouraged to find four different ways of being active every day (Monday to Sunday), making sure that they add up to 60 minutes.
- Children record their physical activity on the Challenge Chart or draw a similar chart and share it with us.
- Children can use the Ideas Word Cloud for inspiration or come up with their own ideas.
Brannoxtown CNS: Active Padlet!
Check out our Active HOME Week Padlet. Here you will find lots of ideas for indoor and outdoor physical activity. Remember to have fun with these ideas and to record the activity on your Challenge Chart.