Well-being in St. Peter's NS

Well-being Week and the Amber Flag '22/23

This year well-being week was from the 7th – 13th February. We focused on mindfulness for the week and just learning to take some time out for ourselves. We learned that it is so important to have balance in our lives between work and fun. Here is a recount from one of our 5th class students about the week.

“Your well-being is something very important in your life. You need a balance between your education, social life and health. So, our school, St Peter’s decided to have a week just for mindfulness, journaling and fresh air.

Every morning we would come in, sit back and do a meditation. We did this to start the day relaxed and focused. The other thing we would do was write in our feelings journal. In our journals we would draw the things that make us happy. We would also do a check in, about how we were feeling. At the end of the week we went to the playground in Grangegorman. When we arrived we could feel the breeze on our faces and getting our hair out of the way! We were elated to be there and we went for a run around the playground.

Well- being week was a blast. We did mindfulness for our concentration, journaling to check in with ourselves and our feelings and a trip to Grangegorman for a run around. The week taught us how to love ourselves just how we are and to be more concerned about our health and to keep everything in balance.”

Miriam, Ms. Hughes’ 5th Class

Congratulations to our Amber Flag Committee on achieving the Amber Flag for St Peter’s NS.

Our Amber Flag committee members are Steve Saju, Francis Coreya, Lily Yang, Jenny Sulaj, Alberto Plesca, Grace Campbell and Shem Barnie

The Amber Flag objectives involve

Promoting positive mental health
Enhancing inclusivity through teamwork and social support

Reducing risk factors through increased awareness and education
Improving quality of life for those with mental health challenges

Our impressive Amber Flag committee worked tirelessly all year to fulfill all the objectives of the Amber Flag initiative. From working behind the scenes during Wellbeing Week to organising our successful fundraiser for Pieta House. They would also like to than all who gave so generously for our fundraiser!

What I learned from taking part in the Amber Flag. by Jenny Sulaj 5th Class

When we celebrated Odd Socks Day I learned that everybody is different. Even if people’s differences are subtle, everyone is unique and special and nobody should be judged by their appearance.

From building our friendship wall with Sally I learned that we should always be friendly and kind and everyone deserves to have a friend and someone to talk to.

My yoga classes helped me relax, to feel better on a bad day and how not to feel overwhelmed.

Well- being tips and programmes/initiatives in St. Peter's NS

Wellness activities

Well being activities- full text

Well-being/Calm Corner activities

Activity 11

Rainbow Moments

Rainbow moments are all the little things that go well for us throughout the day. This activity can be done at the start of the day or the end of the day. Think of 3 good things that happened that day or the day before – it could be that you got to go for a nice walk, or you visited family, or you had your favourite dinner, or you watched your favourite movie, or you felt proud of yourself for completing something difficult. You can draw a big rainbow on a page and write each good thing along each arc of the rainbow or around the outside of the rainbow.

Activity 10

Flower name art

Pick some flowers from the garden or while on a walk. These could be as simple as some daisies or buttercups from the grass or fallen petals – you’ll need a few so don’t leave the flowerpots empty. Use a pencil to draw your name across the page or just an initial like I have done in the picture below. Then stick down some double-sided sticky tape or use glue. Using your petals, you’re going to stick them down onto paper to decorate the letters. When you complete the activity, stand back and admire how beautiful your name is – just like you!

Activity 9

Affirmations

https://www.twinkl.ie/resource/t-n-710-net-of-a-cube

Print off a net of a cube – you can find one on Twinkl if you follow the link above and print off the first page of the download. On each face of the cube I want you to write affirmations about yourself. These are good things about you as a person, for example: I am kind; I don’t give up; I can do anything; I am loved; I am courageous. Once you have filled the cube, go ahead and colour it, cut it out and stick it together following the steps on the page. Anytime you are feeling down or unhappy, roll it like a dice and say the affirmation out loud to cheer yourself up and remind yourself just how wonderful you are!

Activity 8

Reach Your Goals

Think of something you have not learned to do YET. What is it? Remember that just because you are not able to do something now it does not mean you cannot learn how to do it. Sometimes you just need to focus your mind on something you want to learn or a task you want to complete and think about how you can get from here to your goal. Draw a ladder like shown below – I want you to write your goal at the top and then write down the steps you will take from the bottom to accomplish your goal! Your goal could be something like cleaning your room or picking up a new instrument, or it could be something much bigger that might take you longer but you’ll be happy you put your mind to it. This can be done in your mind for any daily task that frustrates you or seems impossible to do and breaking it down into steps helps you focus and achieve smaller steps to accomplish something bigger.

Activity 7

Reflection

Sitting somewhere quiet, think of what you did today or yesterday. I want you to think of things you did that were mindful and things that were unmindful. Something mindful might be keeping your voice down while somebody near you is reading or helping somebody with a task. Something unmindful might be not sharing something with somebody or hurting their feelings. Praise yourself for all the mindful things you did. If you did things that were unmindful, don’t worry, think of how you could have reacted differently and how you might be mindful next time.

Activity 6

Body Scan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A0S54yAgEg

Children can listen along to the video as they complete the activity.

Sitting straight in a chair and bring attention to your body. Close your eyes.

Feel the weight of your body on the chair, and take in a few deep breaths. Breathing in counting 1-2-3-4-5, breathing out counting 3-2-1.

Notice your feet on the floor. Are they heavy or light on the floor? Can you feel your legs against the chair? Notice your back against the chair, do you feel any sensations? Notice your stomach, if your stomach is tense or tight try to soften it. Breathe in 1-2-3, breathe out 3-2-1. Are your hands tense or tight? Soften your hands and spread out your fingers. Relax your shoulders. Soften your face and relax your jaw. Tighten the muscles in your face and then relax them. Notice how your whole body now feels. Take a deep breath. When you are ready, open your eyes and check in with your body – ask yourself how do you feel now?

Activity 5

Breathing meditation

Video that guides children through a breathing meditation. Paying attention to your breathing can make you more aware of your own body and thoughts and provide some calmness when you are feeling unsettled.

Activity 4

Colouring

Grab a sheet of paper and pencil. Using your pencil draw lines criss-crossing around the page until you are left with something like the picture below. Now using your colours, colour in each little section or decorate each section so they all look different. You can spend a long time drawing little details and notice how relaxing it is.

Activity 3

What sounds to you hear?

Go outside into the garden/open space. Sit in a spot where you are comfortable. Close your eyes and listen
around you. Start off with what you hear?. Then what do you hear on the nearby
streets? What can you hear further in the village? Listen to the birds, the leaves on trees, the cars
driving by, people playing. What sounds made you happy? What sounds mad you sad?

Activity 2

My Best Qualities

On a sheet of paper draw yourself standing at the bottom of the page with a big bunch of big balloons in your hand. On each balloon I want you to write one of your best qualities –what are you good at? What talents do you have? Are you a good friend who helps others? Fill each balloon with those words or pictures until every balloon is filled in. When you are finished stand back and look at how many wonderful qualities you have! Remind yourself everyday how amazing and unique you are!

Example:

Activity 1

Still Quiet Place

Draw a picture of a peaceful place you would like to visit. Children may want to watch the video first and then draw their own picture. They then imagine themselves in their peaceful place, looking around them and becoming aware of how they feel in their peaceful place. Practise steady breathing while they relax in their peaceful place. Anytime you feel worried or need a break, you look at your picture and remind yourself of your peaceful place.