Wellbeing
The health and wellbeing of everyone in Sligo Grammar School has become central to school life. The Department of Education and Science acknowledges the importance of wellbeing in our lives and has introduced Wellbeing as a core part of the curriculum. In Sligo Grammar School we endeavour to focus on good physical and mental health throughout the school year. As part of this we celebrate the diversity, talents and abilities of our students by holding special events such as “Diversity Week”, Seachtain na Gaeilge, talent shows and concerts. We also highlight health and wellbeing issues through our dedicated focus weeks such as Mental Health week and whole-school activities such as the annual whole-school walk to Doorley park. Our students are also very involved in promoting a healthy lifestyle and good mental health. Fund-raisers and Awareness Activities are part and parcel of their education, often through subjects such as SPHE and LCVP.
2021 2022
Wellbeing is a relatively new subject at Junior level and for the past number of years, Sligo Grammar School has been very active in promoting Wellbeing and good mental health. Dedicated “feel-good” weeks have been a regular part of the school year. These have included week-long celebrations of Creativity, Culture, Diversity and Positive Mental Health. Fancy Dress days , whole-school walks and fundraisers have also featured in recent years.
1st YEAR WELLBEING RIVERSIDE WALKS
As part of their Wellbeing class, first year students have been appreciating the beauty of our wonderful location on the banks of the Garavogue by taking a Wellbeing Walk along Riverside to Doorley Park. The walks were a great way for first years to be active and socialise with one another outside of the classroom, made all the better by having a chat over a tasty hot chocolate at Ripples Café. Thanks to their teachers for organising the time-out!
At the end of the year different class groups were taken on a day trip to mark the end of Covid restrictions and a chance at last to just enjoy one another’s company.
TAYTO PARK!
On Thursday 19th May the 5th year and TY students went on a school trip to Tayto Park. The trip was organised to acknowledge the difficulties of the last two years and to in some way make up for the lack of social interaction that Covid-19 imposed on the students. This Wellbeing trip was much appreciated by the students and it gave them a great opportunity to just enjoy one another’s company. An early start from Sligo meant that the students could spend a good many hours in Tayto Park. The weather played along and the sun shone all day. Despite the long queues for the rides, the students enjoyed the day, and many thanks go to the teachers who took the time to accompany them.
Ist YEAR DAY OUT
On Wednesday 11th May the first years were treated to a day out in Co Fermanagh. They first visited the Marble Arch Caves and then took a boat trip on Lough Erne to Devenish Island. The trip was an opportunity for the students to take a bit of time to get to know one another and have a bit of fun. It also touched on topics they study in Junior Cycle Geography and History as well as complimenting their Wellbeing class. The weather was bright and sunny, which, of course, made the day even better! They were accompanied by Ms McGuinness, Mr Regan, Ms Hall and Mr Tiearney, and thanks to all these teachers for taking the time to make the day possible.
Diversity Day is a great favourite and 2021 saw a great Diversity Day for all
DIVERSITY DAY 2022
On April 1st Sligo Grammar School held a special day-long event to celebrate the wonderful diversity within our school. The day saw activities and events designed to highlight and enjoy the diverse cultures within SGS. There were special “international” table quizzes held for the First and Second year students, organised and overseen by Mr Tiearney, ably helped by the TY students. The day was nominated a non-uniform day with whole school encouraged to dress in blue and yellow in support of the people of Ukraine. Every member of the school community contributed €2 to the Red Cross to help in its work in Ukraine. The main event was an International Cultural Exposition in the school gym. Stalls were set up by the different cultural groups within the school, highlighting the food, music, dance, costume, language and culture of their nations. We had 42 countries represented from all continents. Every class had a time slot to visit the exhibition and sample the food on offer. Mr O’Donnell and the Music Dept made sure that there was musical entertainment to accompany the festivities. The day was a great success, not least because it brought with it a sense of getting back to normal after two years of restrictions. Thanks to Ms McGuinness, Mia Sawai Brandon and Anushka Pathak for organising the day and thanks also to all the many helpers they had on the day itself.
Dressing up is always fun and SGS has many different dress-up days during the year.
On Friday 10th December Sligo Grammar School held its annual Christmas Jumper Day. As ever the day was used as a fundraising opportunity, as well as a chance to kick of the festive season with a bit of cheer and good will! This year the chosen charity was Self Help Africa and the money raised is to go towards reforestation projects throughout Africa. The TY Green Schools Committee organised the day as part of their ongoing drive towards promoting a sustainable future for everyone. The day was a great success with students and teachers donning their ugliest Christmas jumpers for the cause. The students contributed €2 each for the charity – and for the chance to wear something other than school uniform! €545 was raised by the school and the students tell us that this will buy over 3,000 trees for planting in Africa. Well done everyone!
FANCY DRESS FUNDRAISER:
On Friday 22nd October, just as the school broke up for the mid-term break, virtually the whole school population got dressed up for Hallowe’en. The annual Fancy Dress for charity was a fun-filled way to wind up the half-term. Students and staff alike got involved, coming to school in a vast array of fancy dress. We had Jedi knights, punks, Mario Bros, Grim Reapers, witches and wizards galore as well as dinosaurs, gypsies and pirates. Prizes were awarded to the best fancy dress in each class as well as to the best-dressed teachers, Ms Hynes, Mr Staunton, Mr Lynch, Miss Hall and Mr Geraghty. The group raised almost €800 for UNICEF Afghanistan Children’s Appeal.
JERSEY DAY
Transition Year students ran their first fundraising drive of the year in October when they organised the annual Jersey Day for the charity Goal. Students from all years donated €2 for the pleasure of wearing a team jersey for the day. Teachers also got involved and there were a lot of Mayo jerseys on show this year! The school collected over €800 for the charity and everyone enjoyed a day out of uniform!
2020 – 2021
FEEL-GOOD FANCY DRESS FOR HALLOWE’EN!
Our TY students are holding a Fancy-Dress for Hallowe’en to boost our spirits and raise funds for Pieta House. the day is Thursday 22nd October and all students are asked to contribute €3 each for this fantastic charity dedicated to helping people overcome depression and other mental health issues.
Jack Donaghy is a third year student and he has been researching a CSPE project on drugs and drug awareness.
Hi my name Jack and I am from 3C. My class and I have decided to do our CSPE project on “Drugs and Drug Awareness” knowing, as we do, how drugs affect individuals and families. We also acknowledge the safety the Gardaì try to bring to Ireland in the fight against drugs and the work they do in educating us about the dangers of drugs. Read my report HERE
MANAGING COVID 19 IN SGS
Summer 2020 was a busy time in SGS as our caretakers pulled out all the stops to get the school ready for the return to classes. Both the boarding and day schools have had to be re-organised, with a lot of changes made in order to adhere to Public Health Covid 19 guidelines. A huge thank you goes to the caretakers, management and office staff for the work they did right throughout the summer while students and teaching staff were on their school holidays. As well as lots of new hand sanitisers situated all round the school, there are temperature gauges at the main entrances, two isolation rooms, and a new matron’s surgery in the school block. A one-way system has been laid out around the school and the classrooms have been cleared of all extra furniture with single desks replacing the double desks so that a one-metre distance can be maintained between students. Years 1 to 4 are now in base classrooms in order to restrict movement and maintain as much social distancing as feasibly possible. In order to enable this the Library and Khansama have been converted into classrooms for the year. Some photos of the school can be seen HERE.
View our Covid19 policies HERE
