Some of our Mental Health Initiatives
Buddy Seat
The Buddy Seat was launched during Health and Wellbeing Week 2016. Teachers and staff were trained in using the Buddy Seat to best effect. Children have a strategy to use if they feel they are being left out by others at yard time, it ensures that every child has a happy playtime.
Friendship Stop
Our Friendship Stop is located in the Junior Infant Yard and ensures that even our youngest children have a strategy to use when they find themselves alone at yard time. They wait at the stop and if any boy or girl sees them there, they ask them to play and include them in their games.
Restorative Practice
All staff have been trained in Restorative Practice. At its most basic, restorative practices improve the quality of the relationships we have.
Keep Well with Kilian’s Kingswood
Keep Well with Kilian’s Kingswood focuses on fun physical activities with an emphasis on enjoyment. We frequently engage visiting coaches to teach GAA, cricket, soccer skills, tag rugby, yoga, mindfulness and drama workshops. Our hope is that the children’s love of fun physical activities will stay with them as they mature into teenagers and adults.
Operation Transformation’s 10@10
We take part in Operation Transformation’s 10@10 during the months of January/February when the cold weather makes it difficult to engage in outdoor sports.
Super Troopers
In 2018 we signed up for Super Troopers with all children receiving their activity diaries and calendars. This programme was created along with teachers and a team of experts in the areas of psychology, nutrition, wellbeing and physical activity to encourage all our students to get more active!
Mindfulness
Both children and staff engage in Mindfulness sessions on a regular basis. Mindfulness gives us all a strategy to be calm within ourselves even when the world around us is chaotic.
Tree of Thankfulness
Our Tree of Thankfulness was launched during Health and Wellbeing Week 2017. Children regularly hang their pictures of what they are grateful for on the tree. It reminds us of all the things we are grateful for.
Visual Panel
We introduced our Visual Panel during health and wellbeing Week 2018 to support wellbeing in our pupils. All children were photographed beside the panel and given the photo to bring home. Its message is positive and uplifting. We talk about its message frequently.
“In a world where you can be anything, be happy”
During Health and Wellbeing Week 2019, we launched our art competition. Children were invited to design a poster with the caption “In a world where you can be anything, be happy” Their posters were beautiful.
Photo Gallery
