Here at St. Columba’s N.S. we are working on making our school an Active School and towards the Active School Flag.
Physical activity is extremely important for both adults and children. It is recommended that children get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily. Physical activity not only benefits children physically, but mentally also. Physical activity can help children to concentrate more, and thus learn better at school.
For more details on the Active School Flag please visit:
Physical Education
The primary school PE curriculum comprises of 6 strands: Games, Aquatics, Gymnastics, Dance, Athletics and Outdoor & Adventure. Schools are required to teach 60 minutes of PE weekly. At St. Columba’s we ensure that all pupils get their timetabled 60 minutes of PE weekly. Our pupils are taught each of the PE strands yearly. Each year we choose one strand to further develop. We are developing our teaching of Dance for the 2020/2021 school year. We have also introduced a standardised PE timetable, meaning all our classes learn the same strand at the same time. Follow the link for more information:
https://spark.adobe.com/video/rRD8741dEjzC6
Physical Activity
Throughout the year our pupils get involved in many physical activities. We incorporate physical activities into our calendar events. Below are a list of the activities we complete annually:
- European Week of Sport
- National Tree Day Walk
- Maths Week Trail
- Witchedy Walk
- Halloween Disco
- Crazy Santa Dance
- PTA Christmas Walk
- Mid-Term Disco
- Active Break Challenge
- Running Challenge
- Playground Leaders
- Active Lines
- Active Walkway
Click the link for more:
https://spark.adobe.com/video/LSLzY1DREZXhd
Partnerships
We have built many partnerships between our school and local sports clubs. We have visiting coaches from the following:
- St. Patrick’s GAA Tullow
- Carlow GAA
- FAI soccer
- FAI FUTSAL
- Leinster Rugby
- Hip Hop
- Tullow Tae Kwon Do
- Tullow Tennis Club
- Tug of War Ireland
- Active School Committee
- Parent Teacher Association
Click the link for more information:
https://spark.adobe.com/video/ZuM2TZVH0T8Hr
Active School Week
Each year we hold an Active Schools Week. This year our ASW was from Mon. 31st May to Fri. 4th June 2021. Throughout the week the pupils got involved in many sports and physical activities. Sports coaches were invited into school to give taster sessions. Local coaches set video challenges. We visited some local amenities. Active homework was given throughout the week, including teacher challenges. We have a suggestion box in the hall where pupils can put their ideas for the week. We try to incorporate active learning in a cross-curricular way throughout the week, such as playing active games through Irish and using our Walkway. Follow the link to see our ASW 2021:
https://spark.adobe.com/video/NkrUNjliPc47B
‘What Club Are You In?’ Survey
Some of the senior members of the Active School Committee conducted a ‘What Club Are You In?’ survey among the pupils. We found out that most of our pupils are members of a club outside of school. Take a look at all of the clubs available to join:
- St. Patrick’s GAA Club Tullow
- St. Anne’s LGFC
- Parkville Ud. F.C.
- Rathvilly GFC
- Burren Rangers GFC
- Burren Celtic FC
- Kirwan Academy of Irish Dancing
- St. Fiacc’s Swimming Club
- Mount Wolseley Swimming
- Tullow Tennis Club
- Tullow Rugby Club
Active Home Week 2020
On the week of April 27th to May 3rd, we participated in Active Home Week. The aim of Active Home Week was to encourage our pupils, and their families, to keep active. Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.
To complete the challenge, we asked our pupils to find 4 different ways of being active each day, totalling to 60 minutes or more.
We set out some sample activities for each day that they might have liked to use and we encouraged everyone to create their own activities and try different activities.
We had lots of fun being active with our families.
Active School Blog 2019
ASW 2019 Day 4
Today the children took part in sports tournaments. They played basketball and soccer. In the evening, the PTA organised an end of year disco for the pupils. They all had great fun dancing!
ASW 2019 Day 3
This morning the whole school took part in orienteering. We split into groups with pupils from each classroom in each. The pupils used a map to find numbers and clues. They had great fun working together. In the afternoon 1st to 6th class walked down to the local GAA pitch where they played gaelic football and rounders.
ASW 2019 Day 2
Today we had our sports day. The kids took part in a hockey and basketball match. They also took part in races such as running, egg and spoon, sack race and jersey race.
ASW 2019 Day 1
Today was the first day of our ASW. In the morning we took part in stations. We had an obstacle course, water relay, Frisbee golf, crochet, space hoppers, parachute, volleyball and tennis. The kids had lots of fun at each station being active. After break we went for a walk in the local area. After lunch we had our Skipathon event.
IT Carlow, Wednesday 5th June 2019
Today the pupils from 1st to 6th class went on a trip to the Sports Lab. in IT Carlow. The pupils visited the physiology lab, where they tested how fast they could sprint and how high they could jump. They also learned about the importance of building body strength. The pupils also took part in circuits such as press-ups, jumping jacks, planking, squats and more!
The pupils learned that sports aren’t just about playing games, there are many other aspects that contribute to being healthy, active and a good athlete.
Skipathon Cards, May 2019
The pupils in 1st to 6th class have been given sponsership cards to raise money for the Irish Heart Foundation. All pupils, including infants, will be taking part in a skipathon event on Mon. 17th June as part of our active schools week.
The children in the Junior and Senior Room were brought to the park today. The children soaked up the sunshine as they played on the swings and other equipment available.
Next time, we might bring a picnic!
Spring Clean, April 2019
Thank you to our helpers who took part in the Spring Clean 2019. Our school grounds are much tidier now thanks to all their hard work.
Playground Leaders, 6th March 2019
Some of our playground leaders have started doing skipping activities at break times to get more of our pupils active at break. The pupils have really been enjoying this new addition to the playground.
GAA, February 2019
The pupils from 1st to 6th class have been participating in GAA training over the past few weeks. The infants have also been having a go. Thanks to our coach for coming into school. Pupils from 3rd to 6th will attend a GAA games day in May.
FUTSAL, November 2018
The pupils in 3rd class and 4th class attended a FUTSAL blitz in Carlow. They had great fun playing against the other schools.
Soccer Training, October 2018
The pupils from 1st to 6th class have been participating in soccer training over the past few weeks. Thanks to our FAI soccer coach for coming into school.
Playground Markings
We wish to extend our sincerest thanks to the Parent Teacher Association who hosted a fundraising event to raise funds for our playground equipment. The money was used to purchase playground markings, which were put down over the summer. The kids were very excited to see the markings when they returned to school in September. The markings are encouraging the pupils to be more active during break time.
