A priority focus in our school is to develop our pupils' wellbeing. This is achieved by creating a positive culture and environment which helps to foster our pupils' wellbeing, allowing children to access curricular activities which promote their physical, social and emotional competencies, incorporating wellbeing promotion into our whole school policies and practices, and by ensuring that our pupils, their parents and our whole school community work in partnership to actively contribute to wellbeing promotion.
Across all class levels the SPHE curriculum is prioritised and the Walk Tall, Relationships and Sexuality Education and Stay Safe programmes are taught comprehensively. We also teach the Weaving Wellbeing Programme. This is a positive mental health programme designed to enhance children’s wellbeing.
Children are encouraged to pursue and develop their own unique skillset and talents in our school through the many and varied curricular and extra-curricular activities we provide. These activities include our Christmas plays, the choir, the annual 6th class musical, Seachtain na Gaeilge activities, our various after-school clubs, to name but a few! Our pupils are also encouraged to stay active in PE, during our Active School initiatives and through involvement in our various sports teams.
Student voice is valued in our school and listening to our students’ voice is facilitated within the Student Council, Active Committee, Wellbeing Committee and Green Schools Committee, where the pupils’ views and opinions help to inform in-school decisions and practices. There is a strong focus on community in Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire and our pupils are encouraged to become active members in their community and they learn to understand how they can make a difference in the world.
Our school community works together to make a difference for local and international charities annually. Recent charity work has supported the "Our Shoes" charity where we sent hundreds of pairs of sports shoes to Africa and we also filled hundreds of Christmas Shoeboxes for Conor Hughes' Crosscause charity.
Wellbeing Committee
Our Wellbeing Committee for 2024/2025 is pictured above. They led us on a journey to our latest Amber Flag Award. This award recognises our promotion of positive mental health in our school. The Pieta Amber Flag Initiative recognises the efforts of a school to create healthy, inclusive environments that support mental well-being.
We're looking forward to raising our latest Amber Flag on 12th June 2025 when we will have a whole school celebration (and some ice-cream!).
Wellbeing Week
“Wellbeing Week” is held every year in Scoil Mhuire na Trócaire and it has become a highlight in our school calendar. This is a mindful week which puts a special emphasis on developing pupils’ social and emotional skillset.
During Wellbeing Week we have a specific daily theme, for example on “Mindful Monday” we focus on mindfulness, on “Thankful Tuesday” we work on having an attitude of gratitude, on “Wellness Wednesday” we shine a light on emotions and so on.
Every class completes activities to compliment the daily theme and the Wellbeing Committee lead us in a daily mindful announcement on the intercom. On playgrounds we get our groove on and dance to some uplifting music every morning! We organise a poster competition and whole school displays with wellbeing messages. To top off our Wellbeing Week we all put on our smiley faces and go on our "Wellbeing Walk" through Ardee! We bring smiles to the faces of all we met enroute.