Active School Flag (ASF)

Welcome to the Active School Flag section of our website. Our school proudly holds the ASF in recognition of our commitment to promoting physical activity and wellbeing for all pupils. The ASF is a Department of Education initiative that encourages schools to make physical activity a valued part of every day.

How We Stay Active

In our school, we:

• Provide daily opportunities for movement and activity.

• Take part in initiatives such as Active Breaks, Run Around Europe, and Active Homework.

• Organise events including Sports Days, Active School Week, and whole-school challenges.

• Involve pupils, staff, and parents in keeping our school active and healthy.

We are proud to promote fun, inclusive activities so everyone can enjoy the benefits of being active every day. A big thank you to our Active School Committee, teachers, and pupils who make this possible!

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Active School Motto:
“Keep Active, Keep Cool, Even in St Columba’s School”

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Physical Education (PE)

We aim to create a physically educated and active school community. Each class engages with five different PE strands each year, including Athletics, Aquatics, Dance, Gymnastics, Games, and Outdoor & Adventure activities.

• Teachers use PSSI lesson plans to guide PE lessons.

• Specialist coaching in Dance, Gymnastics and Swimming is provided from 3rd–6th classes.

• Pupils’ progress is discussed at parent-teacher meetings and included in annual school reports.

• An annual Sports Day and activity-based school tours promote physical engagement.

• PE equipment is well-organised, accessible, and regularly updated with support from the Active School Committee.

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Physical Activity & Leadership

Our Active School Committee includes pupils from Junior Infants to 6th class, teachers, and staff. Committee members take on leadership roles, such as:

• Playground leaders

• Helping organise events like Sports Day and 10@10

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Annual Events & Challenges

We incorporate physical activity into school events, including:

• Autumn Trails, Class Disco, Easter Egg Hunt, Spring Trails

• National Spring Clean, Maths Week, Active School Week, 10@10, Daily Mile

We also ran a Running Challenge for 4 weeks, exploring Ireland’s famous landmarks while focusing on Athletics skills.

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Partnerships

We work closely with pupils, teachers, parents, and local organisations:

• Regular coaching from Na Fianna GAA in football & hurling/camogie

• Fun Fitness workshops covering activities like Boxercise and Gymnastics

• Our pupils compete in athletics and team sports, achieving successes in events like Santry Athletics Competitions.

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Active School Week Highlights

• Wake Up! Shake Up! started the week with the whole school exercising together

• Classes participated in skill stations, obstacle courses, and cross-curricular activities

• Daily initiatives encouraged movement at home, e.g., short circuits during TV breaks

• Sports Day ended the week with basketball, soccer, volleyball, parachute games, and more