Active School

The pupils and staff of St. Enda’s National School are working hard at becoming more active. We hope to work together by becoming an active school and receiving the Active School Flag. This flag is awarded to schools that ‘strive to achieve a physically active and a physically educated community’.

As an active school we aim to:

• Provide all pupils with appropriate PE provision which is broad and balanced with access to a variety of PE resources
• Encourage pupils to be physically active for at least 60 minutes every day, through promoting active breaks and active travel
• Collaborate with students, parents and the local community to encourage everyone to take part in the Active School Flag process.
• Organise an Active Schools Week as part of the school calendar

 Active School Committee

Here is our Active School Committee which is dedicated to promoting and leading active school initiatives.

The committee consists of pupils from Junior Infants to Sixth Class. We meet regularly to discuss and share our ideas for making the school a more active place, the committee members then present these ideas to their respective classes and teachers. The committee has set up a notice board in the junior end of the hall which will show all our active news and achievements, so check it out and read about famous sports stars, learn about the importance of being active for our bodies to grow and you might even get a healthy recipe for breakfast or dinner!

Active School Flag Process

Here are some of the activities pupils in St. Enda’s have been up to while trying to achieve Active Schools Certification:

• Taking part in the Super Troopers Active Programme
• Creating an Active School’s notice board
• Taking part in a basketball blitz during lunch
• Walking while we talk on the yard
• Active lines on the yard
• Most active class award
• Using active awards in place of other treats

Active At Home

While we are busy being active at school, it is important for everyone to continue this at home to create a positive attitude towards physical activity. Each family has received the Super Troopers pack to encourage everyone to get moving. Here are some ideas to help you get active at home and we would welcome anyone with suggestions for keeping active to let us know!

Suggestions for being active at home:

1. Go for pre- or post-dinner walks
2. Turn up the music and boogie down!
3. Make a game out of household chores.
4. Sneak workouts into other activities i.e. taking the stairs instead of the escalator.
5. Turn TV ad breaks into fitness breaks.
6. Have a weekly sports night, where everyone in the family gets involved.
7. Let the kids help with work in the yard and with gardening – catch leaves, raking, sorting, digging, planting, etc.
8. Walk the dog
9. Use active rewards i.e. a visit to the playground

 Here are some websites with more ideas to get people moving:

 http://www.getirelandactive.ie

http://parentsforhealth.org

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/staying_fit/exercise.html