St Mary's Convent Primary School

St Mary’s Primary School recognises the positive impact physical activity, exercise and sport can have on pupils in primary school. Our Physical Education Plan details our objectives with regard to the five strands as set out by the Department of Education – Athletics, Gymnastics, Outdoor and Adventure Activities, Games and Aquatics.

To encourage and develop a culture of fitness and physical activity among our students, a variety of extra-curricular indoor and outdoor sports are offered by staff and local organisations throughout the academic year. We try to expose our pupils to as many types of physical activities as possible in the hope that pupils will be able to find an activity that is right for them.

Our school community was thrilled to be awarded with our first Active School Flag in May 2016 and our ongoing participation in the Active School Initiative is sure to bring plenty more rewards along the way. Central to Active School programme is our exciting Be Active Week. Our annual Sports Day is held during Be Active Week. It offers pupils of all abilities and talents to have active fun while working collaboratively in a safe and inclusive environment.

Mini-Rounders is available at St Mary’s as an extracurricular activity and is  open to all pupils in 3^rd and 4^th Classes. It is a seasonal activity and training takes place on Mondays from 3-4pm during the autumn, spring and summer terms. The Meath Mini-Rounders Blitz takes in the summer term at Trim GAA grounds and St Mary’s is always represented at the blitz.

Rounders is open to all pupils in 5^th and 6^th Classes. Training takes place every Monday from 3-4pm in the autumn, spring and summer terms. A senior team represents the school in the annual Meath Schools’ Rounders Championship. An internal senior Rounders League also takes place at St Mary’s between all the 5^th and 6^th classes. It has proven to be a very popular initiative.

 

Camogie is a very popular sport at St Mary’s and is open to pupils from 4th to 6^th Classes. Training is seasonal and usually takes place every Wednesday from 3-4pm. Lunch-time training may also be required. A team is chosen to represent St Mary’s in the annual Meath Schools’ Championship.

Gaelic Football training is seasonal and takes place on Wednesdays from 3-4pm. It is open to all pupils in 5^th and 6^th Classes. The school always enters a team in the Meath Schools’ Championship.

Athletics is a well-established discipline at St Mary’s. It is a seasonal activity and trials are held every year to choose pupils in the different age categories to represent St Mary’s at a number of competitions during the year. As part of our Be Active initiative, running takes place around our Slí na Sláinte (track) for about 15 minutes before school in the mornings and all pupils are welcome to join in. Pupils are also encouraged to use the walking track during break-times.

COW (Cycle on Wednesday) and WOW (Walk on Wednesday) has been in operation at St Mary’s for many years. While WOW takes place weekly between September and June (with a few exceptions), COW is more weather dependent and is likely to be curtailed or cancelled during inclement weather and over the winter months. The school’s weekly Imlitir (News Bulletin) provides up-to-date information for parents and guardians regarding the operation of COW and WOW.     

Swimming and Life Saving Classes take place at Aura Swimming Centre in Trim every academic year and all pupils from 1^st to 6^th Classes at St Mary’s participate in these aquatics activities. The activities occur once a week over a six week period, either in the autumn term or in the summer term. While swimming lessons and water games are central to the activities of pupils from 1^st to 4^th Classes, the emphasis for senior pupils is on water safety, aerobics, water polo and structured water games.