Monthly Archives: May 2017

Assembly 29th May 2017

This month’s Assembly was particularly special as we had a lot to celebrate!  Firstly, we were very privileged to present our Active School Flag which we were recently recognised for!  Our Active School’s Committee talked about what was involved in the process and all classes were commended on their hard work.  A great team effort, well done everybody!  In conjunction with the Active School Flag, our Health Promotion Committee were also presented with certificate’s for their commitment and involvement all year!  This is a two year process so next year we will be hoping to be awarded the Health Promotion Flag!  First Class showed their Golden Boot Award to the school which they received for their active involvement in our Running Challenge!  We entered the Discovery Primary Science Awards also this year and were pleased to present our Award at assembly!  We had three World Champions Dancers this year who were recognised for their talent and achievements!  A very busy Assembly this May! 

May Procession 2017

Our annual May Procession took place on Friday 19th.  The sun shone down on us as we sang hymns to Our Lady and recited the Rosary.  The Confirmation Class lead the procession with the statue of Our Lady and flowers from our May Altar.  Well done all! 

Our Active School Running Initiative Winners May 2017

Congratulations to Ms. O’Connor’s First Class on winning our Golden Boot Award this year!  The Golden Boot Award is given to the class who runs the farthest in the year.  This year we set ourselves a challenge of running from Kerry to Dublin!  352km!  All classes took part in the initiative and did incredibly well!  Our Active Schools Committee were in charge of keeping track of the progress.  Some classes managed to run even farther than Dublin and we were well impressed but Ms. O’Connor’s class ran to the top of the country with a whopping 603km and a half!  What an achievement!  Well done to all who took part.  Next year will be tough to beat!

Playground Leaders May 2017

Our 6th Class teamed up with Junior Infants as part of our Active Schools Initiative to teach them traditional playground games.  The aim of Playground Leaders is to develop leadership skills and organisational skills in older children as well as increasing physical activity and positive social interaction for both older and younger children.  The children were taught ‘Stuck in the Mud’, ‘Duck, duck, goose’, ‘What time is it Mr. Wolf?’, ‘Penalties’ and ‘Tag’.  The Infants loved the games as well as the one to one interaction with the older children!  Well done 6th class!

Food Dudes May 2017

This year, we are taking part in the Food Dudes Programme as part of our Health Promotion School Initiative.  Food Dudes is a programme developed by the University of Wales, Bangor, to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables both in school and at home. It is based on positive role models (the Food Dudes characters), repeated tasting and rewards.

In large-scale studies in schools in England and Wales and pilot studies in schools in Ireland, the Programme has been shown to be effective and results long lasting across the primary age range, regardless of gender, school size, geographic and socio-economic factors. It is ultimately designed to enable children to enjoy eating healthy diets, and to create a healthy eating culture within schools.

The programme in Ireland received a “counteracting obesity” award from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2006.

The programme is managed by Bord Bia and to date over 3,100 primary schools have participated in the National Roll Out which will be completed in 2014. Funding has been made available by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the EU School Fruit Scheme for schools that previously ran Food Dudes to implement it for current students at junior level including specified tasting days for senior classes.

Basketball Skills May 2017

Basketball is ongoing in St. Johns at the moment with Coach Caroline Taylor.  Playing basketball helps children learn basic coordination and team-building skills.  It helps encourage exercise as well as serving as a foundation for staying active later in life.  Children aged 6 to 17 require at least one hour of moderate-intensity physical activity every day.  Learning basketball allows children to incorporate frequent physical activity into their daily routines and contributes to overall physical well-being and fitness.  A big thanks to Caroline for all her hard work! 

Junior Infants School Tour To Kennedy’s Pet Farm May 2017

Junior Infants had a real treat today when they went on their School Tour to Kennedy’s Pet Farm in Killarney!  We saw a range of pets from kittens and puppies to donkeys and pigs.  Our Tour Guide taught us a lot about the animals and we even got to pet them.  A very friendly bunch!  The playgrounds were also a lot of fun!  A great day was had by all! 

Sports Day May 2017

As part of Active Schools Week which ran from May 8th to 12th, we did our best to be as active as possible for the week and held a Sports Day on Wednesday May 10th.  We were very lucky to have such good weather for the day and it was a great success!  The highlights of the day were the four fabulous bouncing castles which went down a real treat.  Other activities included egg and spoon races, sack races, a water station, hurdles, 3-legged race, obstacle course, parachute and penalties.  The teacher’s egg and spoon race as well as the backwards race was a lot of fun and there was even a 5-a-side soccer match – students against teachers!  To top the day off, Supervalu sponsored drinks and crisps for the whole school!  A lovely gesture!  A big thanks to the Transition Year Students from Pobalscoil as well as their teacher Máiréad Clifford for helping out for the day.  Also thanks to Gavin Crowley for taking the time out to take part, John O’Connor for the bouncing castles and to Supervalu for sponsoring the treats!  A great day was had by all! 

Celebrations!

Soccer team winners celebrating with fish and chips!