Fitness Fluffy and Active Archie
There are a few cuddly characters making themselves at home in Bunscoil Bhríde these days. Ms. Rowley’s Senior Infants are having great fun with Fitness Fluffy. Fluffy gets to go swimming, to ballet classes and to gymnastics with the girls. They love bringing her to lots of different places. In First Class a cheeky little sheep called Archie is on the go every day, trying to keep up with the busy girls in room 4. They bring him running, dancing (Irish and hip-hop) and cycling. He must be the fittest sheep in all of Kildare. In Second Class, room 6, another Active Archie spends his evenings moving and stretching. He has tried jogging, cycling and every type of dancing. He loves all the activities and, like the girls, he is on his way to being super fit.
The Active Schools committee receive lots of suggestions from their classmates. The committee made up a suggestion box which has been placed on the ledge in front of the Active school board. We look forward to lots of good ideas!
Updates from the Active School Committee
Active School committee meeting – 30/01/18
At a recent staff meeting (15/01/18) it was reported that the lines in the yard are not tidy because of ‘active lines’. Senior classes are not trying hard at active lines. A discussion took place as to how we can motivate senior classes to perform better in active lines. It was decided that we should introduce an incentive in the form of a homework pass as a reward to the class with the best active lines over a week. Mrs Rogerson will record the winning class each day on a chart. The AS committee feel that this reward system has made a big difference, with all classes in the senior yard making greater efforts so far.
We decided to do a Grand Canal Run for our running initiative this year. The committee members will go back to the classes with the maps of our ‘Run along the Grand Canal’, and explain the running initiative to their classmates.
We discussed our plan to employ a new group of playground leaders to help the junior classes to play with the playground equipment. The role of these new playground leaders is different to that of the AS committee members.
The girls are checking the suggestion box on a weekly basis.
Active School committee meeting – 8th March 2018
The committee reported that some classes have not done much of their running laps as they have been involved in rugby training and other PE activities. We will all go back to our classes with a reminder to keep doing the laps.
The committee reported that not all classes are writing down their PE homework in their journals every week. We will remind the teachers that this is important.
The storage of hula hoops is posing a problem. We need to look at ways we can store them in a neater and safer way.
We will introduce small balls to the range of equipment that the juniors can have in the yard.
Everyone agreed that the skipping workshop was a great success.
Staff meeting on 25/09/2017
The work of the Active Schools Committee was discussed at length during a staff meeting held on 25th September 2017. It was stressed that much of the focus for the coming year will be on trying to build 60 minutes of activity into our day. Among the decisions agreed on by all teachers were:
- We will all do PE homework on a Thursday night. The Active School committee will make an announcement on the intercom each Thursday morning.
- It was felt that the 5 kilometre run that we did last year was too long, and training for it, that is, doing laps, took up too much of our PE time. Instead our running initiative for this year will ‘follow the canal in kilometres’.
- Active Archie will appear in classrooms after Hallowe’en.
- All classes will partake in National Fitness Day on the Friday, 29th September.
- We will get some new routines going for active lines.
- We will invest in new Gaelic football jersies and a new basketball strip for our school teams.
Active School committee meeting on 12/10/17
At the October 12th meeting the students raised some issues that they are concerned about.
- They requested that the area marked out for junior classes to play with equipment should be made bigger.
- Some extra help is needed getting equipment out to yard on the days 4th and 5th class go swimming as committee members are missing.
- We need to inform all classes that they need to wrap up skipping ropes after use.
- Some of the basketballs are flat.
- We need to get a new suggestion box in a central place.
- We need to make some new posters of our Active School motto, and display them around the school.
Active School committee meeting on 9/11/17
The following issues were discussed at the meeting of November 9th:
- The area in which junior children play with equipment has been made larger as requested.
- Extra helpers have been co-opted to cover for people who go swimming.
- Classes are still not wrapping up skipping ropes properly after use.
- One of the basketball hoops/nets needs attention. We will bring this to Nigel’s attention.
- Teachers should use Active School committee members to collect and return equipment to the store room.
- Some junior children are running across the basketball court at break time. This is dangerous.
- The equipment room needs a good clean.
- Could we start cross country training earlier in the year?
- The good news that our Parents’ Association will fund our new football and basketball strips was warmly welcomed.
