MU Barnhalls head of Youth Coaching Rob Mullen spent the day in Scoil Na Mainistreach introducing the pupils of 2nd, 3rd and 4th classes to the skills of rugby in a fun way. The lessons were complimented with games of Tag Rugby which for many boys was their first time playing the game and proved to be hugely enjoyable. A number of boys expressed interest in playing more rugby. Barnhall has a thriving Mini Rugby section and anyone looking for more information can check out their website http://www.nuimbarnhall.com/
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The above quote is from one 6th class pupil to another describing the previous hour spent on the Grand Canal Canoeing with the coaches from the Celbridge Paddlers Canoe Club this morning. One of the aims of Active Schools Week in Scoil Na Mainistreach is to introduce pupils to sporting activities that take place in the area. Our hope is that pupils might find an activity that they would like to take part in throughout their youth and further into adulthood.
One of the most successful sports in recent years in meeting these aims has been Canoeing. Canoeing has been on the Active Schools Week programme in Scoil Na Mainistreach for 9 years now and each year has seen boys and their extended families join and become valued members of our local Celbridge Paddlers Canoe club . Each year the Celbridge Paddlers have been most helpful in providing an introduction to canoeing and this year was no different. Helped by the glorious sunshine which greeted the boys on the canal, club coaches provided instruction alongside the boys in canoes. After a few wobbly starts boys soon got to grips with the paddles and made their way up and down the canal to great cheers of excitement. On return they were treated to some fun games which for many ended up getting properly soaked in the canal. All in all a most memorable morning for all boys. Judging by the comments coming home on the bus the Paddlers can expect to see a few new faces on the banks of the Grand Canal in the coming weeks. Huge thanks as always to Mrs Fleming for making this work today as she has done for the last 9 years. Without her enthusiasm days like this would not be possible. Also to the coaches for giving their time, taking days off work to make this possible we are very grateful and look forward to continuing the experience for another group next year. The normally quiet surrounds of our school library were very much disturbed on Wednesday morning as Ed Downey from Celbridge Kenpo Karate kicked off proceedings on Day 3 of Active Schools Week with an introduction to Kenpo Karate. Celbridge has one of the most succesful Kenpo Karate Clubs in the world and Eds visit proved very popular with pupils in First Class and Second Class. Ed was ably assisted by a number of our older pupils who are members of Celbridge Kenpo Karate. Details of the Celbridge Kenpo Karate club can be found here. We look forward to seeing more Scoil Na Mainistreach pupils joining the club and who knows performing on the world stage in the near future.
Junior Infants certainly proved they Like To Move It yesterday with Adele and Emma the Dance LA teachers who brought so much movement and enjoyment to the boys yesterday. Dance LA, like many of the activities and groups that we highlight during Active Week are local and we encourage boys who enjoyed the Dance LA experience to consider pursuing up Dance as an activity outside of school hours.
'Dance LA specialises in hip hop, jazz, modern, contemporary dance, musical theatre, singing, drama, audition technique and stage presence.. We believe it is most important to teach and encourage in a fun filled atmosphere and to enhance social skills and self Confidence.. Dance LA classes run in Scoil Na Mainistreach on Saturday mornings starting from 11am and cater for ages 3-12 years old throughout the day. Our summer camp will be held on July 23rd-27th, and at the moment have an early bird offer of €70. Contact [email protected] for more information.' One of the busiest Active Schools Days on record coming up with something for everyone at some stage. The ever popular Canoeing event with our friends from Celbridge Paddlers Canoe Club will keep 6th Class boys occupied from 10 until 1. Badminton and Gymnastics will take place simultaneously in the hall with Kenpo Karate happening in the Library. Mr Mulreid will take Infant classes for a special soccer skills session on the yard while Barnhall coach Rob will engage the 2nd, 3rd and 4th class boys in a Tag Rugby blitz on the field. The full timetable of tomorrows events can be found by clicking below.
Gaelic Games dominated activities on Day 2 of Active Week, Games Promotion Officer from Celbridge GAA Jonathan Daniels took the boys from Infants to First Class for Hurling Skills and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all pupils. Jonathan is proving a big hit with the pupils of Scoil Na Mainistreach and proving what a wonderful decision Celbridge GAA along with Kildare and Leinster GAA have made by investing resources in the youth of the clubs. Check out the pictures below of the many happy faces with a few more pics to follow. The U13 Footballers were also in action today. Backed up by a very vocal home support they put up a great battle against a very strong Clane side. They held the lead for long periods of the first half but gradually Clane showed why they are favourites to win the Division 1 title to win the game playing some exceptional football. Our boys can hold their heads up high for how they battled all the way to the end and themselves playing some nice football. Gaelic Games will dominate Tuesdays activities with Jonathan Daniels the Games Promotion Officer from Celbridge GAA club coaching younger pupils in Gaelic Games.
Tuesday sees the launch of our annual Callaghan Cup Gaelic Football tournament named in honour of our former Vice Principal Pat Callaghan who did so much over the years to promote Gaelic Games in Celbridge. The tournament is played amongst all the 5th Class pupils, with teams managed by 6th Class boys. At 1pm the School Under 13 team will play Clane Boys School on the school field. Boys from all classes will have an opportunity to watch Gaelic Football being played and cheer on their school team. Great start to Active Week 2018 today with Athletics, Dance and Gymnastics the order of the day. 4th, 5th and 6th class boys made their way up to the wonderful grounds of Celbridge Athletic Club. Tracy Minnock from Celbridge AC had organised a team of coaches from the club to coach the boys in a number of Athletic events. Many boys experienced Javelin and Shot Put throwing along with Long Jumping for the first time with a number of boys excelling in different disciplines. A most enjoyable morning was had by all and we are very grateful to all the coaches for giving up their time and expertise to coach the boys. Coaching takes place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.30 - 7.30 pm. Celbridge AC have kindly offered 2 Weeks of coaching free to Scoil Na Mainistreach boys who would like to try it out on those nights. It would be fantastic to see some boys take up Athletics following the wonderful experience today. Back at base Adele and Emma from Dance LA put the Junior, Senior, First and Droichead classes through their paces with some interesting dance routines. Always a huge favourite during Active Schools Week there were many smiles on a lot of happy faces throughout. We are grateful to Adele and Emma for their continued support of Active Week in Scoil Na Mainistreach. 4th classes along with Ms McHughs 3rd Class had Gymnastics lessons in Excel Gymnastics this morning. More gymnastics lessons will follow on Wednesday for more classes and will be timetabled accordingly. Active Week Fittest Family has been launched. This week we are encouraging families to get in on the act and get Active along with the boys.
Taking part is very simple. All you have to do is email a picture and a short description of your family engaging in an active activity to [email protected]. Each time you take part in an activity and email a picture your son's name will be entered into a raffle to win one of 25 super Active Schools Week prizes. The more times you enter with a different activity, the more times your son's name will go into the raffle! The photos we receive will be displayed in the school and on the school website. By entering and sending in a picture of you and your family you are agreeing to Scoil na Mainistreach displaying these photos around the school and online to celebrate Active Schools Week. The competition will run for the next 3 weeks from Monday 14th May - Friday 1st June. Below you will find a list of suggested activities that you and your family could participate in over the next three weeks. We are really looking forward to seeing some great pictures and to giving away our cool prizes! Active Schools Week Team A very Active Day 1 of Active Week planned with Gymnastics, Dance and Athletics all lined up. Timetable attached. Watch this space for Active Homework as part of our Fittest Family event running all week.
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