Active Schools 2025/2026
The Active School Flag (ASF) is awarded to those schools that strive to achieve a physically educated and physically active school community. The process aims to get more schools more active more often.
Schools wishing to achieve the ASF begin the process by self-evaluating their current provision across 3 areas: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Partnerships. Schools must also organise an Active School Week programme and commit to having it as part of their annual school calendar. Schools that can say ‘yes’ to all of the ASF success criteria will be awarded with the active flag. The flag remains valid for a period of 3 years, after which time schools will be invited to re-apply.
ASF is a Department of Education and Skills initiative supported by Healthy Ireland.
We achieved our first Active School Flag in 2017 and regard this achievement as one of our most significant to date. We are proud to see our Active School Flag flying in front of our school (although it is pretty weather-beaten at the moment) and continually strive to maintain and further develop the initiatives that led to this award. This year we seek to renew our flag.
2025/2026 School Year - Time for Active School Flag Renewal!
Our active school committee is busy planning lots of ways to keep the pupils and staff healthy and active during the school day and after school. This month we are completing the skipping challenge.
The committee are currently choosing four of the fifteen fundamental movement skills for our school to focus on after Christmas, as part of our commitment to the Active Schools initiative.
The 2025/2026 Committee includes pupil representatives from 3rd – 6th Class: Fionn, Anya, Joe, Isla, Adam , Daniel, Ava, and Jamie.
Physical Education
Tuesdays and Thursdays are the PE days in our school this year. Children should wear their PE tracksuit and runners. While these are our timetabled PE days, each day the classes enjoy physical breaks. There are six strands in the PE Curriculum: Athletics, Dance, Gymnastics, Games, Outdoor and Adventure and Aquatics. The class teachers cover each strand over the course of the year.
6th class have commenced swimming lessons on Tuesdays and 5th class will start after Halloween.
Physical Activity:
Skip Around the World
During October we have been taking part in the 'Skip around the World' challenge. Each skip is 1 km. We have skipped in excess of 79000 skips to date, visiting many landmarks on the way. We've really enjoyed counting the kilometres and learning about the world's famous landmarks along the way.
Lunch time Basketball League
5th and 6th class are enjoying a fun lunch time league during October. Thank you to Ballyshannon Basketball Club for the new basketballs. Thank you to the teachers for facilitating the league and refereeing during their lunch breaks. No rest for the wicked!
Partnerships:
We look forward to Nuria from Ballyshannon Basketball Club joining us after Hallowe'en for some expert coaching in that area.
All of senior pupils were invited to take part in Cross Country training as we prepared for the Tir Chonaill AC southern regional event on October 9th. Well done to our u11 and u13 girls and Daniel McNulty who qualified for the county cross country finals in Milford on Wednesday, October 22nd.
