Active Schools' Flag Initiative
Over the past two years St. Mary's N.S has been working tirelessly to improve upon our fitness, well-being and Physical Education teaching and learning. Have a look on this page to see how we have been getting on and you might be able to pick up some helpful tips for yourself along the way!
Meet the Committee
Is Féidir Linn a Bheith ag Damhsa!
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Easter Orienteering
Boys' Soccer
The growth and development of sports in the school took another huge step forward this month with the school entering FAI Schools' Soccer for the first time in our history. The boys from 4th, 5th and 6th class have been training hard in preparation for the league under the guidance of Mr. Hoey and Mr. Davis. Their efforts have been rewarded with an opening day victory against Good Shepherd. We wish the team the best for the rest of the competition.
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De La Salle Palmerston Tag Rugby Blitz
Physical Education with 6th Class!
6th class have been lucky to have a rugby coach for the past few weeks. Jonathan Sharkey from Leinster Rugby has been teaching us the skills of Tag Rugby. It is a simple, non-contact version of the game and the idea is that players have to dodge and avoid players from the other team while attempting to get a score or a try. We have been enjoying learning how to work as part of a team while having fun and learning new skills!
In addition to this, the class have been getting to grips with gymnastics. Having looked into a few of the different parts of gym work, we created our own demonstrations...we hope you enjoy watching them!! |
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6th Class on the move!
As part of our drive towards achieving our active flag in the school, the children of 6th class have been busy getting active. Each week, we try a number of different games to get up and get active during the school day. One of the games we really love to play is called "Pattern Ball". This throwing and catching game is seriously fun (and competitive) and involves lots of talking, listening and working as a team under pressure!
As well as this, we have been having great fun with some of the ideas that the Active Flag Committee gave us as movement breaks, including scissor jumps, star jumps and jogging on the spot for different lengths of time. We have set up our own "Go-noodle" account and Mr. Davis gives us the chance to dance along to songs between lessons. It's great fun but concentration is needed!
As well as this, we have been having great fun with some of the ideas that the Active Flag Committee gave us as movement breaks, including scissor jumps, star jumps and jogging on the spot for different lengths of time. We have set up our own "Go-noodle" account and Mr. Davis gives us the chance to dance along to songs between lessons. It's great fun but concentration is needed!
Gymnastics Geniuses!
We love using our bodies to move in a variety of different ways. We especially love taking a trip to the jungle and doing bear walks, bunny hops, frog jumps and donkey kicks. Have a look at some of the amazing shapes we can create with our bodies and the different ways we can move. Prepare to be amazed!
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Lunchtime Yard Sectioning
In order to maximise our enjoyment of physical activity our yard is now sectioned to provide us with an abundance of activities daily. The junior yard love the help and support from our Yard leaders who help us to enjoy playground games together. Have a look at our yard plans to really understand how it works!
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Christmas Cardio
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We love to sing and dance in our classroom. This year in our pursuit to attain the Active School Flag we love to learn a dance or two every month. It is really enjoyable and also keeps us healthy. We tried singing along with our dancing this Christmas! It was much more difficult!
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Movement Breaks!!!
Throughout the day the children are given the opportunity to get up and move around. This gets their blood pumping, energy flowing and concentration improving. This week we were learning the following songs/dances: |
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Santa Dash 2017
The entire school decked out in their Christmas attire in order to complete a Santa Dash this year. Classes from Junior Infants right up to Sixth Class were timetabled on the yard to complete 5 minutes of jogging and a minute playgroup game. What fun we had!
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Halford's Bike Workshop
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We really enjoyed the 'Bike Workshop'! We learned how to select the right height bike for us, how to take off the tyre, how to fix a punctured tyre, how to check our brakes and all about safety when cycling. If you need any tips, we're your experts!! Now its time for us to start cycling again! |
Active Maths
Third class decided to take an active maths class and had a Maths Trail to investigate 3D objects in their local area!
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Hallowe'en Hopping
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Yoga
We love getting up and being active throughout the day in school. Junior Infants enjoy a spot of yoga regularly. Have a look at some of their movements and stretches. CLICK HERE TO EXPLORE SOME MORE FUN YOGA EXPERIENCES! |
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A Visit from a True Sporting Role Model

Rachel Ruddy came and spoke with the children about her lifetime achievements and engagement with ladies sport. She was a true inspiration for all the children and we loved the trophies she brought in! She won a GAA All Star award this year and was also on the Dublin Ladies Football Team who won the All Ireland this year.
Active Week 2016 Report
St. Mary’s NS launched their Active Flag campaign with an Active Week that coincided with European Week of Sport. St Mary’s registered their event with the National Sports Council of Ireland who kindly sponsored prizes to be distributed throughout the week. The week kicked off with a “Move it on Monday” activity, followed by Teamwork Tuesday, Take it on Thursday and eventually a “Fastest and Fittest Challenge” on Friday. Tuesday’s activities saw the children of St. Mary’s running laps of 80 metres around the schools yard. Altogether the children ran a total distance of 426.5 kilometres which correlates to roughly 10 marathons, or the distance between Dublin and Cardiff! Thursday’s challenge saw the children jumping or skipping rather to victory. Accumulatively the children of St Mary’s N.S. managed to climb a height of 64,931 metres. The school managed to climb many of the highest peaks in Europe, even managing to conquer Everest!
The Active Flag launch has truly been a tremendous success and is a positive sign of things to come! #BeActive School’s Campaign.
The Active Flag launch has truly been a tremendous success and is a positive sign of things to come! #BeActive School’s Campaign.
Cumann na mBunscoil Finals, Croke Park - 26th October 2016
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Daily Mile Challenge 2016-2017
St. Mary’s N.S have committed to adopting “The Daily Mile” Initiative in the school. We are one of 23 primary schools engaging with this initiative in the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown area. The Daily Mile initiative has proven to improve, physical, social, emotional and mental health and well being. It reduces anxiety and stress, helps to build relationships and enables encourages children to become healthier and proud of their fitness.
This initiative encourages an additional 15mins exercise throughout the school day and St Mary’s NS are committed to this. Each class in the school has been allocated a time to complete the challenge with the aim of children running or building their fitness up to run a mile a day. Children will run, jog or walk for 15minutes a day. The Daily Mile is differentiated by the children’s level of ability and children are encouraged to run at their own fitness level and enjoyment. ![]()
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