Renewing our Amber Flag

We are very excited here at Scoil Mhuire Fatima to be taking on the challenge of renewing our Amber Flag.  We earned our first Amber Flag in June 2022 and are excited to engage in the process again.

The Amber Flag initiative is an initiative run by Pieta House which recognises the individual efforts of primary and secondary schools, youth reach, third level institutions, community groups, clubs and companies to create healthy, inclusive environments that support mental wellbeing.

In 2019, the Department of Education and Skills and the Health Service Executive jointly launched Well-Being in Primary Schools- Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion. These guidelines aim to promote 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 at Scoil Mhuire Fatima, we have decided to take part in the Amber Flag Initiative. Successful completion of the Amber Flag initiative 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 have some great ideas on how to do this!

Firstly, we have formed an Amber Flag Committee made up of students from each class.

Our aims and objectives are…

1. To have designated ‘Student Shout Out’ slot each week

This is to recognise and acknowledge positive attitudes, interactions and behaviour displayed by students in the classroom and on the yard. There is a "Student Shout-Out" poster on the outside of each classroom door.
The idea is that the class teacher and the students themselves recognise positive interactions that occur throughout the week and these are recorded on this "Shout Out" poster for all who pass to see. On Fridays, representatives from the Amber Flag Committee record the names of the children on the doors and read these names out over the school intercom.

1. We will hold a Wellness Week in our school, which will include lots of activities to promote positive mental health and to encourage mindfulness, gratitude and wellness!
2. We will engage in a 6 week training plan for a couch to 1km/2km run and complete the event together at the end. This will be so beneficial to our physical health and we hope that everyone will have a huge sense of pride and achievement at the end when our hard work pays off!
3. We will create and update a Wellness Noticeboard in our school

Watch this space for more Amber Flag News!