We at Golden National School are endeavoring to achieve our first Active Schools Flag this school year.

The Active School initiative aims to get children 'more active, more often'. To do this, we formed a committee, comprising of two teachers and 17 children, who meet regularly to discuss ways of promoting a healthy and active lifestyle in school and at home.

While many children in our school have a strong interest in GAA, it is important to acknowledge that not all children are interested in team sports and it is important to introduce other means and ways of staying active.

Some 'Active Schools' initiatives in place in our school are: active playground lines and playground leaders, where older children help set up games and equipment for the children in our school to play at break-times.

The committee also organised 'Spooky Sports Day' at Hallowe'en and 'Fun Filled Festivities' at Christmas time. We hope to make these annual fixtures on our school calendar, in additional to our 'Summer Sports Day'.

Before the Easter holidays, the committee will be organising an 'Active Schools Week', which aims to get each child active in a variety of ways for at least one hour each day. 

In partnership with parents, we hope that children will become more active through 'active homework' throughout the school year, so that the theme of 'more active, more often' is carried from school to home.