Amber Flag: Promoting Positive Mental Health
We are very excited to announce that we are embarking on a new adventure. Following on from the success of the Green Flag and Active Schools Flag Initiatives we are now taking on the challenge of obtaining our first Amber Flag.
Ministers Jan O’Sullivan and Kathleen Lynch jointly launched Well-Being in Primary Schools Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion. This is the result of a joint collaboration between the Department of Education and Skills and the Health Service Executive with the aim of promoting mental health and well-being in primary schools.
It is recognised in these guidelines 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 well-being.
In order to promote positive mental health and well-being we have decide to take part in the Amber Flag Initiative. This involves setting up a committee and also 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 are very excited to announce that we are embarking on a new adventure. Following on from the success of the Green Flag and Active Schools Flag Initiatives we are now taking on the challenge of obtaining our first Amber Flag.
Ministers Jan O’Sullivan and Kathleen Lynch jointly launched Well-Being in Primary Schools Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion. This is the result of a joint collaboration between the Department of Education and Skills and the Health Service Executive with the aim of promoting mental health and well-being in primary schools.
It is recognised in these guidelines 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 well-being.
In order to promote positive mental health and well-being we have decide to take part in the Amber Flag Initiative. This involves setting up a committee and also 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.
Fundraising
On Tuesday 16th January, The Amber Flag Committee organized a fundraising event for 4 Irish rowers who were attempting a trans-Atlantic crossing- Relentless.ie - in order to raise funds for paediatric equipment for the CUH in Cork. We are proudly connected to this charitable effort through our past pupil Seán Underwood, now a doctor in the Mercy hospital in Cork.
These doctors have shown tremendous mental fitness and resilience to reach their goal of crossing the Atlantic in 32 days 22 hours & 4 minutes! Two days, two days faster than any previous Irish rowing team. They left La Gomera, a Canary Island –the same island that Christopher Columbus set sail in search of the “New World” some 500 years ago and from there they raced across 5000km of Open Ocean towards the Caribbean island of Antigua. These qualities of being physically active, goal-setting and perseverance are promoted by our school and particularly by the Amber flag committee.
The children sold sausage rolls at lunchtime to approximately 120 children in 5th and 6th classes. These were particularly welcome on a cold, wintry day!
These doctors have shown tremendous mental fitness and resilience to reach their goal of crossing the Atlantic in 32 days 22 hours & 4 minutes! Two days, two days faster than any previous Irish rowing team. They left La Gomera, a Canary Island –the same island that Christopher Columbus set sail in search of the “New World” some 500 years ago and from there they raced across 5000km of Open Ocean towards the Caribbean island of Antigua. These qualities of being physically active, goal-setting and perseverance are promoted by our school and particularly by the Amber flag committee.
The children sold sausage rolls at lunchtime to approximately 120 children in 5th and 6th classes. These were particularly welcome on a cold, wintry day!