Double celebration for St Fursey’s NS as green flags are proudly raised
SAINT Fursey’s School earned a notable double award by securing an Amber flag and Digital Schools of Distinction Flag. The amber flag is recognition of the school’s initiatives to look after and nurture the mental health and well-being of all pupils
This provided an occasion of celebration with the raising of both flags at the school recently which was the culmination of work and effort extending over a year and a half.
Two individuals who played a valuable support role in the school achieving the double award were Sharon Fennelly, a Life Coach and KJ Hamill, Google Ireland, Ltd. And they were invited along to perform the flag raising ceremony.
Sharon over the course of the school’s endeavours conducted a Kindness Workshop with the Children and KJ arranged for two of the teaching staff to attend a Google Suite workshop in Google.
Other guests who were present included the Chairperson of the Board of Management, Rev. Dermot Clarke, School Chaplin Father Aidan McCann and two representatives of the Parents’ Association, Susan Murphy and Mandy Dowdall.
There was a great atmosphere in the school for the celebration day.
The school has taken numerous measures to look after and nurture the mental health and wellbeing of all pupils in its care.
Some of the activities that lead to achieving the Amber Flag Award:
Growth Mindset Lessons - All the children in the school took part in a Growth Mindset lesson which was taught and presented by Sharon Fennelly.
Yoga - After School Yoga sessions were available for all children to participate in.
Mindfulness Meditation - twice weekly all classes take part in meditation for up to ten minutes which gives the children time to sit in silence and relax.
Family Friendly Wednesday - Homework on Wednesdays is to engage in a simple family activity at home in order to promote healthy and happy families.
Golden Silence - The Student Council, led by Ms. Lorraine Higgins, fundraised by involving the whole school in a sponsored Golden Silence and all money collected was donated to Pieta House.
St. Fursey’s N.S also acknowledges that they are educating ‘digikids’ that are growing up in a digital world. The team of teachers in the school is committed to ensuring that children learn the necessary skills to grow and develop in this world. There is a hard-working and conscientious Digital Learning Framework team, co-ordinated by Ms. Eimear Mc Guinness within the school.
The school has access to a range of digital technologies such as Interactive Whiteboards in each classroom, Digital Video Recorders, ipads etc. Investments are continuously being made in this area. Thanks to the school’s supportive hard-working Parents Association, each classroom now has access to 32 Chromebooks.
In June, the school was inspected to ensure that all digital resources were being used to benefit the educational needs of all pupils. The school received a glowing report which is available on their school website www.stfurseys.com. As a result, St. Fursey’s N.S. is now a Digital School of Distinction.