Amber Flag
Think Good Feel Good
What is the Amber Flag?
In order to promote positive mental health and wellbeing at Greaghrahan N.S, we have decided to take part in the Amber Flag initiative. Successful completion of the Amber Flag initiative involves the whole school community coming together in order to create a safe, positive and healthy attitude towards our general physical and mental health and well-being.
We wish to rally the wider school community to endorse positive mental health and wellbeing. If any parents are willing to share their skills and talents with us in terms of music, meditation, mindfulness, fitness, healthy eating, art, etc. please get in touch. We acknowledge and appreciate the knowledge and skills you all have which may help us create a positive mental health and wellbeing environment.
We will be documenting all of our hard work on this page, where you will see all of the wonderful wellbeing work that is being completed in our school.
We wish to rally the wider school community to endorse positive mental health and wellbeing. If any parents are willing to share their skills and talents with us in terms of music, meditation, mindfulness, fitness, healthy eating, art, etc. please get in touch. We acknowledge and appreciate the knowledge and skills you all have which may help us create a positive mental health and wellbeing environment.
We will be documenting all of our hard work on this page, where you will see all of the wonderful wellbeing work that is being completed in our school.
Pieta House
Pieta House is an organisation that works to promote hope among those suffering with their mental health in Ireland. The Amber Flag is an initiative run by Pieta House which recognises the individual efforts of primary and secondary schools, youth reach, third level institutions, community groups, clubs and companies to create healthy, inclusive environments that support mental wellbeing.
The Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice was published by the government in 2018. The promotion of wellbeing enables children and young people to achieve their full potential and be resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of their lives, to take care of their physical wellbeing and to have a sense of purpose, connection and belonging to their wider community.
It is recognised that positive mental health and well-being enables young people to lead fulfilling lives. Home and family are recognised as the primary source of nurturing and support for children. However, mental health and well-being are recognised as everyone’s concern and involves the whole school community, parents/guardians and others involved in day to day school life. Positive mental health for children is part of their overall health and is inextricably linked with wellbeing.
The Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice was published by the government in 2018. The promotion of wellbeing enables children and young people to achieve their full potential and be resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of their lives, to take care of their physical wellbeing and to have a sense of purpose, connection and belonging to their wider community.
It is recognised that positive mental health and well-being enables young people to lead fulfilling lives. Home and family are recognised as the primary source of nurturing and support for children. However, mental health and well-being are recognised as everyone’s concern and involves the whole school community, parents/guardians and others involved in day to day school life. Positive mental health for children is part of their overall health and is inextricably linked with wellbeing.
Our aims and objectives are:
- To create Amber Flag notice boards in the school, promoting positive mental health strategies.
- To hold a fundraising event for Pieta House and a Wellbeing Week to promote positive mental health in our school
- To hold a ‘Design a Poster’ competition within the school to raise awareness of positive mental health strategies.
Our Amber Flag committee work together to help promote positive wellbeing in our school. The committee have been working very hard to outline lots of innovative ways to promote positive mental health and wellbeing amongst our students.
Wellbeing Display
Goal 1: To create Amber Flag notice boards in the school, promoting positive mental health strategies.
Amber Flag Notice Board
Goal 2: To hold a fundraising event for Pieta House and a Wellbeing Week to promote positive mental health in our school.
Wellbeing Week 14th - 18th February 2022
Mindful Monday
Valentines Day
Our Wellbeing Week kicked off with Mindful Monday which fell on Valentine’s Day. Every pupil designed a Valentine card for someone in their class and in return received a card with compliments from their classmates. It made us feel really good when we read the positive things others said about us.
Our Wellbeing Week kicked off with Mindful Monday which fell on Valentine’s Day. Every pupil designed a Valentine card for someone in their class and in return received a card with compliments from their classmates. It made us feel really good when we read the positive things others said about us.
Morning Meditation
We practised meditation throughout the week. Meditation helps to improve our concentration, and to manage our emotions. It helps us to be more creative and to feel less stressed during the day and helps us sleep better at night. We really enjoyed taking time out from our work to be still and relax.
We practised meditation throughout the week. Meditation helps to improve our concentration, and to manage our emotions. It helps us to be more creative and to feel less stressed during the day and helps us sleep better at night. We really enjoyed taking time out from our work to be still and relax.
Thankful Tuesday
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Gratitude
On Thankful Tuesday we learned about gratitude. It has been discovered that if we learn to be grateful for what we have, we will grow up to be happier people. We have so much to be grateful for- the air we breathe, our families and friends, warm, cosy homes, a sunny day, the list is endless. When we show appreciation, it helps us feel more connected to others and we experience more positive feelings. We decorated Gratitude Jars and filled them with all the things we are grateful for in our lives. |
Wellbeing Wednesday
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Yoga
Yoga and mindfulness have been shown to improve our focus and performance and reduce stress and anxiety. On Wellbeing Wednesday yoga teacher Sharon took each class for a yoga session. We enjoyed learning some new poses and taking time for ourselves during the busy school day. Thank you Sharon for doing the yoga workshop with us. |
Goal 3: To hold a ‘Design a Poster’ competition within the school to raise awareness of positive mental health strategies.
Terrific Thursday
Poster Competition
On Terrific Thursday, we all designed a poster of “What Makes Me Happy” or “My Happiest Moment,” It is good for our mental health to remember and share happy events with our friends. It certainly put a smile on all our faces. Check out our posters below.
Congratulations to our winners of the Design a Poster Competition.
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Junior Room
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Middle Room
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Senior Room
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Feel Good Friday - Inside Out Day - Fundraiser for Pieta House
On Feel Good Friday, the Amber Flag committee organised an “Inside Out Day” to show that sometimes how someone looks on the outside does not reflect how they feel on the inside so we should always be kind to others. The students got to wear their own colourful clothes to school inside out to promote how important it is to not keep your feelings inside and to share these with someone you trust . Our goal for the Amber Flag was to hold a fundraiser event for Pieta House and we are delighted to have raised €320. Well done to all our pupils for taking part and thanks to everyone for your generous donations. We relaxed in the afternoon with a movie where we watched the popular “Inside Out” based on Wellbeing. Hot chocolate and cookies were enjoyed by all the pupils. Storm Eunice abated in time for the pupils to enjoy a fun Dance Party on the yard to finish off a fabulous week.
Pieta House Fundraiser 2022 - Inside Out Day
The Amber Flag Committee would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to everybody for their amazing generosity in helping us raise €320.00 for Pieta House. We are so thankful for each and every contribution made.
Safer Internet Day 8th February 2022
Safer Internet Day is an EU-wide initiative to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people. All classes participated in lessons on Internet Safety. In celebration of Safer Internet Day, all the students have been taking part in lots of fun activities to raise their awareness about being safe when online. Always be SMART while online and remember to STOP, THINK and TELL. We took part in a Safer Internet Poster Competition and created posters to promote why it is important to stay safe online.
Congratulations to our Safer Internet Day Poster Competition winners from the Middle and Senior room.
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Musical Yard
Parents Workshop
In order to supplement the work being done in school on wellbeing, we are encouraging parents to participate in a free 45 minute webinar for parents being offered by Barnardos. Please see the attached flyer for information.
There are three different dates to choose from.
Please click on the link below to register for your chosen date:
Tuesday, 4th April 7.00 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gTj5lO7nTbmsPJFMo5tJ8g
Thursday, 17th February 8 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kLOZYIS5QoOQ9SJfbxpwhA
Wednesday, 16th March 7 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L2jaVMxgRSmJJybz3d-rk
Wednesday, 6th April 7p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gECnyOHpTXGJdD59Q5uGFw
Wednesday 27th April 7.p.m
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z7eJebabTY6xiRwuS_rOCA
Tuesday 10th May, 7.pm.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UkOcshQsRZ2AqCOUUAWlrw
After completing the webinar on online safety, parents will be able to:
- outline the key risks for children being online
- implement practical solutions and tips to help their child stay safe online
- reflect on how they might help their children if they were cyberbullied or cyberbullying
- identify helpful websites and signpost them to others.
I hope you will find the webinar informative and that it will offer practical tips to help you keep your family safe while using the internet. Thank you for your cooperation.
Advent Random Acts of Kindness
As part of our Amber Flag application, all students in Greaghrahan National School are completing Advent Random Acts of Kindness. They are busy completing random acts of kindness each day. Then, they are drawing or writing about these acts of kindness into a blank calendar of their own. The calendar pictured below is a list of suggested acts of kindness that the pupils are adopting. Well done everyone!
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World Kindness Day - Saturday 13th November 2021
World Kindness Day is a holiday that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. The purpose of this day is to help everyone understand that kindness is what binds us all together. As part of our Amber Flag the students in Greaghrahan National School celebrated this day by taking part in a range of activities that promote kindness.
Junior Room
The Junior Room listened to the story How Full is Your Bucket? The book teaches children about kindness and is based on the premise that everyone has an invisible bucket. When our bucket is full, we feel happy and proud of ourselves but when our bucket is empty, we feel lonely and sad. In the story, we followed a boy called Felix as he went about his day and we watched his bucket emptying and filling depending on how he was treated by others. We used some of the ideas in the story to complete our Kindness Flowers. We are going to become bucket fillers in our class.
Middle Room
The Middle Room created Friendship Recipes describing all the qualities of a good friend. They discussed why they are a good friend and how they show these qualities every day in school towards their friends.
Senior Room
The pupils in the Senior Room took part in a mystery 'Give a compliment challenge.' The aim of the challenge was to pick the name of a student out of a hat and give a compliment or two to their nominated person throughout the day. The children had great fun trying to guess who had picked them and it was lovely to hear all the wonderful compliments the children had been giving each other.The students complemented their Art work with the motto 'Be the I in KIND'
Wellbeing Journals
The students from 1st to 6th class have been completing a daily Wellbeing Journal. The students have a positive affirmation for the day such as 'Reach for the stars' and write down some of the things that they are grateful for each day. This is a great way to show gratitude for what we have in our lives.
Friendship Week - 4th - 8th April 2022
The aim of the week is to encourage students to be more conscious of the importance of ‘friendship’, and to promote activities and events that foster the development of positive friendships.
Antibullying Week - 25th - 29th April 2022
Anti-Bullying Week is aimed at sending a clear and positive message that bullying is neither acceptable nor inevitable in our schools and communities. The Anti-Bullying Alliance explains that:“It’s an annual event, which aims to raise awareness of bullying of children and young people, in schools and elsewhere, and to highlight ways of preventing and responding to it. It started in 2002 and has since grown to become a significant event in the calendars of children, families and schools.”
Previous themes for Anti-Bullying Week have included:
Previous themes for Anti-Bullying Week have included:
- 2021 - One Kind Word
- 2020 - United Against Bullying
- 2019 - Change Starts With Us
- 2018 - Choose Respect
- 2017 - All Different, All Equal
- 2016 - Power For Good
- 2015 - Make a Noise About Bullying
- Whole School Assembly
- Garda Visit 18th May 2022
- Anti Bullying Week Activities.
- Stay Safe Programme
Garda Padraic visits the Senior Room
Garda Padraic came to visit the 4th, 5th and 6th Class students on Wednesday to discuss online and Internet safety. He spoke about keeping themselves safe in the water, on the road and when working on the farm. Thank you Padraic the children really enjoyed the talk.
Upcoming Events
Active Schools Week/ Peace IV Active week - 7th - 10th June 2022
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- Fun Physical Wellbeing Day. Activities with Newtowngore National School.
- Shared Walk with Newtowngore National School in Drumreilly Woods.
- Nutrition Talk
School Trip
- School Trip to Killinkere Pet Farm (Junior Infants to 3rd) Wednesday 22nd June 2022
- School Trip to Tannagh Outdoor Adventure Centre (4th, 5th and 6th) Monday 20th June 2022
We achieved the Amber Flag!
Everyone in the school community was thrilled when we heard that we had achieved the Amber Flag in recognition of our efforts to raise awareness of mental health issues and to improve the Wellbeing of everyone. Massive thanks to Ms. Sharon Fitzpatrick for all the effort she put into coordinating the programme in the school and well done to the committee and all the boys and girls for their hard work. The Amber team were very impressed with the school’s application, stating that the work put into well-being in the school was evident and that the we had certainly achieved more than enough to meet all the requirements for the Amber Flag! A flag raising ceremony was held with presentations from the Amber Flag committee. Afterwards the ice-cream van provided a treat for the children to enjoy to reward them for their hard work.
