Our Active School Journey – Ms. Kennedy
At St Bernadette’s JNS, Quarryvale, we are proud to be an active and health-focused school. We believe that keeping active is an important part of children’s physical, social and emotional wellbeing. We want every child in our school to have opportunities to move, play, participate, develop new skills and, most importantly, have fun!
We are currently working towards achieving our Active School Flag and are delighted to share some of the activities and initiatives that are helping us along the way.
Building Partnerships
We are delighted to work with organisations and coaches who help us provide our pupils with exciting opportunities to develop their physical activity skills.
We have established links with Athletics Ireland, and last year an Athletics Ireland coach visited our school to work with our First and Second Class pupils. The children had the opportunity to develop their athletics skills in a fun, active and engaging environment.
We also worked with Coerver Coaching Leinster, who provided football coaching for our First and Second Class pupils. These sessions helped children develop their football skills while also encouraging teamwork, cooperation, confidence and enjoyment of sport.
Active Throughout the School Day
Being an active school isn’t just about PE lessons. We are working to make physical activity a regular part of our school day.
Our pupils take part in Active Breaks, giving them opportunities to get up, move around and enjoy short bursts of activity throughout the school day.
We also like to combine activity with fun and social events. Our Valentine’s Disco gave pupils the chance to dance, move and have fun with their friends while keeping active!
Swimming
In February, our Second Class pupils took part in swimming lessons. Swimming provides children with valuable skills, builds confidence in the water and promotes an activity that they can enjoy throughout their lives.
We are delighted to give our pupils opportunities to develop their swimming and water-safety skills as part of their school experience.
Active School Week 2026
Active School Week in June 2026 was a fantastic opportunity for our whole school community to celebrate being active.
Throughout the week, pupils had additional opportunities to get moving, participate in activities and experience the enjoyment that comes from being active together.
Active School Week helped reinforce our message that activity is for everyone and that there are lots of different ways to be active, whether through sport, games, dancing, walking or simply getting up and moving!
Our Active School Committee
Our Active School Committee is an important part of our Active School journey.
We want our pupils to have a voice in how we promote physical activity in our school. Our committee helps to share ideas, encourage participation and promote an active and healthy school environment.
Some of our Second Class committee members have now moved on to the senior school, so we are currently in the process of recruiting new members to join our team.
We are very excited to welcome our new Active School Committee members and give pupils from across our school the opportunity to become active leaders, role models and ambassadors. Keep an eye out for our upcoming “Meet the Team feature, where we will introduce our new Active School Committee!
What’s Next?
Our Active School journey is only beginning!
We are committed to continuing to provide opportunities for every child to participate in physical activity, develop new skills and enjoy being active.
Through our partnerships, Active Breaks, swimming, football, athletics, school events, Active School Week and our Active School Committee, we are working together to create a school community where being active is part of everyday life.
We are proud of what we have achieved so far and look forward to continuing our journey towards achieving our Active School Flag.
Watch this space – there’s lots more to come!