Cloonakilla NS recently celebrated a wonderful Active Schools and Wellbeing Week, with a wide range of activities focused on physical activity, mindfulness, kindness and positive wellbeing throughout the school.
Each morning began with a “Shake Up to Wake Up” session where classes took part in fun activities to energise and prepare for the day ahead. Pupils also enjoyed mindfulness colouring, guided meditation, daily affirmations and “Rainbow Moments” where they reflected on small moments of joy and positivity each day.
A whole-school Gratitude Tree was created, allowing children to share what they are thankful for, while senior and junior classes teamed up for fun wellbeing activities including art, games and physical activities. The week ended with a lovely “Fill Your Cup” activity where pupils shared kind and positive messages with one another.
There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the week and it was wonderful to see such enthusiasm, kindness and teamwork across all classes. A special thank you to our Active Schools and Wellbeing Committees for organising such an enjoyable and meaningful week for everyone.
Our school reinforces the message that children require 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. During Active Schools and Wellbeing Week, there were many activities scheduled for every class each day. A skipathon and basketball and penalty shootouts were in this year’s line-up. All children participated in finals for various events.
A special word of thanks to Martin Ward (Na Fianna Martial Arts School), Trisha Mc Dermott (dance teacher), Bonnie (Pilates- Roscommon Sports Partnership) Megan (RINKA), Sandra Griffin (King Fitness) and parents (Andy Keenan, David Keenan, Thomas Mitchell and Luke Geever (SJFC)) who gave up their time to share their expertise with both the students and staff of Cloonakilla.
Sports Updates:
Gaelic Football
5th / 6th class boys and girls will represent Cloonakilla NS in their Cumann na mBunscol Gaelic football blitz in the coming weeks. Both teams will play against Creagh, Abbey Boyle, St Paul’s Castlerea & Ballybay NS.
Paul Mc Manus from Clann na nGael continues Gaelic training every Wednesday. This term he will have sessions with 4th and 5th classes and is focussing on fundamental movement skills.
Cycle Safely
6th class pupils are engaging in a very worthwhile 4 week programme organised by Roscommon Sports Partnership. Under the guidance of the coaches, they are learning lots of new skills regarding cycling and bicycle care. They have an opportunity to practise their new skills on the school grounds. They will also have an opportunity to use those skills in a real life situation, as they will navigate through some of our local housing estates under the supervision of the coaches.
Please remind them to wear their helmets at all times as their safety is our primary concern.
Soccer
5th and 6th class boys and girls travelled to Gurteen, Co. Sligo to compete in the FAI Primary School 5’s competition. All teams played well on the day and our girls’ team were eventual winners of the County Final.
The girls’ school soccer team proudly represented Roscommon in the Connacht finals in Umbro Park in Castlebar on Wednesday 7th May.
They played some great games which were very tight. A great win against the Sligo representatives unfortunately was not enough to progress to the next round but it has been a hugely successful year and it was great to win the Roscommon final.
The boys’ teams played brilliant football during their competition. They were drawn in very competitive groups and both teams were unlucky not to advance to the county final stage. They both finished second and had a very enjoyable day out.
I would like to commend the players on their excellent work ethic and encouragement of each other throughout the season. They are a credit to the school. Well done girls!
Basketball
5th and 6th Basketball
Our school basketball teams recently attended the Roscommon Primary Basketball Blitz which was held in The Hub, Castlerea. Both teams showcased great teamwork and determination throughout their games and the boys managed to secure a place in the semi-finals after winning 4 out of their 4 games! The team were very unlucky in the semi final and narrowly missed out on progressing to the final. The school are very proud of how well the team performed!
3rd and 4th Class Basketball
There is an upcoming blitz for our younger basketball teams on Wednesday June 3rd. Cloonakilla will be sending both a boys and girls team to represent the school. Both teams show great potential and we wish them the very best of luck at their debut blitz.
Have a look at what we got up to for ASF Week which was combined with Wellness Week this year.
Sporting Updates
Basketball – The Hub Castlerea
Our girls played brilliantly and just missed out on progressing to the next round by a mere point.
Boys’ team were undefeated and are now through to the A semi final after Easter.
Girls FAI 5 a side soccer:
Cloonakilla Yellow played brilliantly and won 3/3 on the day and beat Abbey Boyle 1, Abbey Boyle 2 and Cloonakilla Blue. They now advance to the Connacht final in Castlebar after Easter.
Cloonakilla Blue played very well and beat Abbey Boyle 2 and lost narrowly to Abbey Boyle 1 and Cloonakilla Yellow.
Soccer:
Our school has registered for the Spar FAI Primary School 5’s Programme. We will enter one boys ‘and one girls’ team and will choose a panel from 5th – 6th classes in the coming weeks.
Gaelic:
GAA coaching continues each Wednesday with Paul Mc Manus from Clann na nGael. Paul is currently coaching both 2nd classes. The junior classes will receive coaching in the coming weeks.
Tag Rugby:
Charlie Cooper (Buccaneers Rugby Club) has just finished coaching tag rugby with both 3rd classes. The children thoroughly enjoyed learning the skills and rules of the sport!
Active Schools:
The children of Cloonakilla NS recently completed the “Croke Park Movement Break” challenge. This challenge ran for 4 weeks and the children learned some interesting facts about Croke Park whilst moving their bodies!
Cycle Right Programme;
6th class pupils will participate in a cycling safety programme in the coming weeks. This programme is organised by Roscommon Sports Partnership. The children will learn essential safety and competency skills such as bike handling, correct use of helmets, bike safety checks and how to navigate in various road environments. They will get the opportunity to practise their new skills in the school environment.
Funky Fridays
Funky Fridays continue to be a huge hit in Cloonakilla NS. Every Friday music is played during lunch time to promote dancing, fun and most importantly movement! Everyone gets very excited to show off their dance moves!
Camogie:
Tom Killion has been busy teaching our 4th and 5th class students camogie/hurling skills each Wednesday. It is great to see them making progress weekly and the students look forward to his fun activities.
Swimming:
Swimming lessons continue for 3rd & 4th class pupils. We were delighted with the large numbers of students who have opted for the lessons.
Basketball:
The children of Cloonakilla will attend an upcoming basketball blitz in The Hub, Castlerea on March 19th. The school will be represented by both a boys’ and girls’ team. The children have been training during their lunch times and will do the school proud.
Senior boys enjoying a recent Funky Friday!
Sporting Successes Within Our School
Table Tennis Thursday
Connaught Cross Country Championships
Best wishes to all of our athletes who will be taking part in the Connaught Cross Country Championships in Loughrea on Saturday 18th October. They will no doubt be wonderful representatives for our school. Good luck to Jack, Aaron, Emma, Christopher, Kayden, Szilvester, Zach, Kai & Shane.
Reeling in the Years-Cross Country Memories
Cross Country News
On Wednesday October 1st, 24 pupils competed in the County Roscommon Primary Schools Cross Country Championships. Almost 1000 pupils particpated in the event from over 50 schools from right across the county. Cloonakilla pupils were brilliant and displayed great resilience and stamina.So much so that 9 pupils won medals and go on to compete in this year’s Connaught Cross Country Championships in Loughrea on Saturday 18th October. Congratulations to our individual winners!
Jack O’Neill -4th place (3rd & 4th Class Boys)
Aaron Kelly- 6th place (3rd & 4th Class Boys)
Emma Kelly-8th place (5th & 6th Class Girls)
Christopher Kelleghan -5th place (5th & 6th Class Boys)
Kayden Costello-7th place (5th & 6th Class Boys)
Our Boys’ Team also came in 3rd place and qualify for the Connaught Final.
Well done Christopher Kelleghan, Kayden Costello, Shane Grogan, Kai Costello, Zach Lennon & Szilvester Krisztin.
All of our teams did fantastic!
3rd & 4th Girls came 8th out of 37 teams.
3rd & 4th Boys came 6th out of 34 teams.
5th & 6th Class Girls came 11th out of 38 teams.
They are super results and we are so proud of all of their efforts to show up and do their very best for their school and schoolmates!
Summerhill NS held their annual cross country competition on Wednesday 24th September. Five local schools were involved : Summerhill NS, Cornafulla NS, Ardkeenan NS, Clonown NS & Cloonakilla NS.There were 150 pupils involved.
31 pupils from our school attended and were not only great athletes but behaved excellently at the event. We are very proud of all who participated and we had some winners too.
3rd Class Girls
1st Hannah Lennon
2nd Polly Dignan
3rd Peaches Shine
4th Class Boys
1st Jack O’Neill
2nd Aaron Kelly
3rd Charlie Lyons
5th Class Girls
3rd Saoirse Rushe
6th Class Girls
1st Emma Kelly (tie)
6th Class Boys
2nd Christopher Keleghan
3rd Kayden Costello
🏃♂️ Active Schools Update
🌟 Active Schools Week (May 6–9)
Our Active Schools Committee worked hard to make Active Schools Week a fun and exciting time for everyone! From May 6 to 9, each class participated in various activities organized with the help of external coaches. We had sessions in Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Gaelic Football, Soccer, Tag Rugby, and Cycling. Additionally, students enjoyed penalty shootouts, a skipathon, and a basketball shootout against the teachers. The students emerged victorious in the basketball challenge, earning the entire school a homework pass! The week was a great success, and we were fortunate to have beautiful weather throughout.
🏅 Junior and Senior Sports Day
In May, we also hosted our Junior and Senior Sports Day. All teachers and students participated in various races, station activities, and a Tug of War/Penalty shootout in the afternoon. It was a day filled with excitement and friendly competition.
🏁 Active Flag Accreditation
We have completed our application for our second Active Flag and are awaiting an accreditation visit from David Costello. He will review all the efforts our school has put into the Active Flag over the past two years and will have discussions with our committee members, playground leaders, and coordinator Ms. Fallon. We will keep you updated on how the visit goes. Wish us luck!
Take a look at our Powerpoints to see all the ways we have worked to try to achieve our second Active School Flag at Cloonakilla under the guidance of Ms.Fallon, Ms.Kiely & their hardworking ASF committee members!
Cloonakilla NS made history this week by winning the Cumann na mBunscol B Shield Final in Ballyleague, Co.Roscommon !
The girls all played excellently and beat off stiff competition, St.Coman’s Wood, Roscommon. We couldn’t be any prouder of our girls! We congratulate their coaches Ms.Connaughton & Ms.Fallon. The girls were presented with their medals in front of 5th & 6th classes the following school day .
Active Breaks Challenge:
Active children learn better. Our school reinforces the message that children require 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. We as a school are committing to an active break every day from November 18th for four consecutive weeks. Five minutes of movement between lessons can have a hugely positive impact on the teaching and learning in the lesson that follows. It helps children to adjust energy levels, restore concentration and self- regulate emotions.
Active Schools Committee:
We have some new members in our Active Schools Committee from 1st and 2nd classes. A big welcome to Ellie Behan, Kate McVeigh, Áine Kidney and Cillian Keegan who have been busy working behind the scenes to ensure Cloonakilla can attain their second Active Flag by June 2025.
European Sports Day
European Sports Day was held on Friday, October 4th. Hourly challenges were set throughout the day over the intercom. Each class also participated in the ‘Relay Takeover’ races against their own classmates and other year groups. It was a huge success with all classes competing outside to see who would be the winning team for each class grouping.
Gaelic
Gaelic coaching with Clann na nGael has commenced on Wednesdays for the senior and middle classes. 5th and 6th classes enjoyed perfecting their football skills before mid term and now 3rd and 4th classes will train until Christmas.
Rugby
Rugby training is also up and running with Dermot from Buccaneers RFC. 3rd and 4th class had great fun playing tag rugby up until Mid-Term and Ms Finnegan’s class participated in a rugby blitz in Buccanners RFC on the last day of term. 5th and 6th classes are now working with Dermot each Thursday.
Soccer
A past pupil, Sophie Byrne, coached soccer in our school for 5 weeks as part of her transition year work experience. Sophie proved to be an excellent coach. She has recently been selected for the U-16 Ireland Soccer Team. We were delighted to have her showing off her talent and coaching the next generation in Cloonakilla.
A huge thank you to all our coaches who give up their time to pass on their skills and knowledge to our students.
Cross-Country
Students from 3rd – 6th Class have been very busy training for cross-country competitions over the past few weeks. Our school competed in two separate competitions – a local derby hosted by Summerhill NS and the Roscommon Primary Schools Cross Country competition held in St Brigid’s GAA grounds. Cloonakilla NS was very successful in both competitions and all competitors should be very proud of themselves. A special congratulations to Emma Kelly 5th Class, Kayden McCormack Costello 5th Class and our Senior Girls Team (Emma Kelly, Kiersten Keegan, Emily Dolan, Aoibhinn McGowan, Sarah Noone and Chloe Meares) who qualified for the Connacht Cross Country Final in Mohill, Co Leitrim. It was a very difficult course but they all performed very well and did their school proud. We have wonderful athletes in our school and we encourage all pupils to be active and to move as much as possible.
Parent Collaboration
There will be a questionnaire left outside classrooms during Parent/Teacher meetings this month. Please take a few minutes to fill it in to inform our ASF committee of your thoughts and ideas on achieving this very worthwhile flag.
Our school will need to purchase a new set of jerseys for our senior football team this year. If anyone is interested in sponsoring these, please contact the school. Your support would be greatly appreciated.