Caim NS is striving towards achieving our Amber Flag this upcoming year. The Amber flag aims to promote mental health awareness throughout schools and here at Caim NS we have been working hard to get involved.
Last Year in 2018 A Wellness Way wall was created. It consisted of 3 areas, 1. Move, 2. Mood, 3. Recharge. All teachers used this board regularly just to give their classes time out.
Each year Caim NS participates in many activities for Friendship week and the importance of friendship is highlighted. Children are encouraged to be kind to each other and to always include everyone in games and activities. We also have buddy benches around our school which we encourage children to use if they want to chat to someone about anything they may be upset or worried about or if they just want someone to come ask them to play with them. Our buddy benches were all re labelled this year.
We began our activities towards our Amber Flag initiative this year and each month we focused on different activities. These are just some of the activities done so far with the highlight of our year so far our fundraiser towards Pieta House where each child wore odd shoes to show we are all different and unique. An amazing E520 was raised and donated to Pieta house as our chosen charity.
September Activities
- Mental Health Display Board created with a positive thought every week
- Committee formed for the year 2019/2020
- Stay Safe Program started in all classes
- Each class teacher given a poster for class display and also placed into office and staff room.
- Roald Dahl Day- celebrated 13th September this year with mindfulness drawing
- National Fitness Day 26th September- Timetable of activities planned and carried out with all classes.
At Caim NS we as a staff ensure that we look after own wellbeing also. Each classroom door, staffroom and office has one of these posters hung up nice and high.
October Activities
- Wellness Wall updated for Mental Health Awareness week
- Mental Health Awareness Day – 10th October 2019 celebrated in Caim NS
- Posters are created and displayed around the school for our ‘Odd Shoe Day’ fundraiser which we celebrated on 10th October.
- Children all wore different shoes to show our uniqueness on 10th October
- Stay Safe program continued in all classes
- Gratitude Wednesday began in classes. Each age group was differentiated with worksheets created by our committee
Fourth, Junior and Senior Infants with their odd shoes.
Mindful November 2019
This month we are focusing on looking after our mental health, positivity and becoming more mindful.
Every Monday in November we will have ‘Mindful Monday’ where the children will have NO WRITTEN homework. Teachers are asked to swap the writing homework for a mindful activity.
Also, each class is asked do something mindful every day or as often as possible throughout the month. It only takes a few minutes.
List of activities suggested by The Healthy Living Committee:
In school:
- Go Noodle: Flow, Maximo, Empower Tools, Think About It.
- Mindfulness with music: Youtube Mindfulness music for kids
- 5 minutes quiet time/time for relaxation
- Reading at the end of the day (some classes have cushions/use mats in hall)
- Nature Walk with our sense, what can you see/hear/smell, feel, close your eyes etc!
- PE: Yoga (Youtube ‘Cosmic Kids Yoga’), Pilates, stretches, balancing, team building activities
- Mandela/mindfulness colouring. Free templates online.
- Mindful Breathing (Youtube Mindful breathing for kids)
Homework Activities:
- Rainbow Walk around the garden/house: find something red, yellow, blue etc.
- Go to bed earlier
- Read at bedtime
- Do a family activity,: eat dinner together, play a board game
- Mindful colouring sheet
- Do 1 good deed
- Active homework/Active Alphabet
December Activities:
- Continuing Gratitude Wednesday
- Mindfulness guided videos
- Mindfulness coloring- Christmas themed
- Christmas Mindfulness- Focusing on Advent and using our advent calendar for our theme each day.
January
- Wellbeing Action Calendar for each classroom for the month of January
- New Year’s Resolution Goals worksheet
- Random Acts of Kindness New Year Promises 2020 worksheet
- Mindfulness colouring 2020 banner (mindfulness homework)
- Wellbeing videos continued
- Mindfulness weekly homework
February Activities
Design a poster competition promoting mental health
See winning posters below
March
Earlier this year Caim NS applied to Fyffes Fit Squad to have a personal trainer come to the school. Luckily we got a call and were chosen as a school. This consisted of 3 elements;
- A personal trainer coming to our school and putting us through our paces using bodyweight movements
- A talk on nutrition and wellbeing
- Children were given bananas and a water-bottle each.
Please see below links for this initiative