Gala News

Find out what has been happening in the Gala area, get the round up of all the Gala Active Schools news....

Burgh are Sportshall Champions

The Queens Leisure Centre was the venue for the annual  Galashiels Sportshall Athletics competition. Teams from Burgh, Balmoral, Langlee, St Peters, Tweedbank, Glendinning, and 2 Valley teams (comprising pupils from Stow/Heriot/Caddonfoot/Fountainhall) contested the finals which saw pupils competing in a range of exciting running, jumping and throwing events.

The competition was hotly contested and the noise levels off the scale as schools cheered on their team mates over the course of the morning. With only 4 points between the top two teams, the final 2 relays became even more important and after the points had been totalled, it was Burgh Primary School who emerged victorious, closely followed by Tweedbank (2nd) and Balmoral (3rd) Primary Schools.

Active Schools would like to thank all members of staff who came with teams and Borders College students for all their assistance on the day.

Start the New Year as a Jogging Leader

Do you want to help children to get active in a safe yet fun environment? Would you like to get active at the same time as children?

If the answer is yes, why not think about becoming a jogging leader.

On Thursday 14^th January 2010, Active Schools will be running a 2 hour Junior Jogger Course at Balmoral Primary School from 4-6pm.

Participants attending will be allocated a colourful, easy to use resource pack, designed to help organise fun 30 minute jogging sessions including:

• Warm Up’s

• Games

• Cool Down and Stretching

• Dealing with children in groups, safety, noise, and of course, how to make it fun

This course is the perfect way to start the New Year with the opportunity to provide quick and really easy ideas for lunchtimes or after school.

For further details or to book a place on the course, contact Graeme Murdoch or Linda Rome.

New Training Programme Launched

The Active Schools Team have been working hard over the last few months to produce a comprehensive programme of training opportunities for volunteers. Parents, Senior Pupils, Teachers are all being invited to look at the new training programme which will hopefully have something for everybody.

The first couple of courses have already been held with much success and as a result, more activity opportunities are being set up in schools.

To view the training programme, click here.

Hockey Festival 2009 Biggest and Best Ever

With all 11 cluster primary schools attending for the first time ever, there was an excellent standard of hockey on display in the annual festival at Netherdale. The sun was shining and the pitches were in fantastic condition as over 200 P6/7 boys and girls enjoyed a morning of small sided hockey matches.

In this festival format, no scores from matches are kept, with the emphasis on fun and skill development. The pitches were set up with 2 goals at each end to allow plenty of opportunities to score goals.

All schools had been well prepared for the festival with 6 weeks input from PE Specialists and in some instances, additional input from parents at after school sessions. The hard work from all involved was very evident on the pitches with more than one spectator commenting on the high standard.

Umpiring the matches were 6 senior pupils from Galashiels Academy who should be applauded for their enthusiasm in not only umpiring, but encouraging all of the players during games.

Rounding off the festival, a representative from the local Borders Fijordhus Hockey Club was on hand to distribute information on the local participation center for hockey. This centre runs from 4-5pm on Thursdays at the Queens Centre from October to April and at Galashiels Multicourts from Easter to October.

Summer Sports Programme

The summer holidays are in full swing and there have been more opportunities than ever before for children and young people to take part in sport and physical activity. The first three weeks of the holidays have flown past and Active Schools have been busy running Kidz Club for 5-7 years, Activity Club for 8-12 years and Hip Hop Dance for all ages.

23 children booked onto Kidz Club which offered a wide range of general activities and games designed to improve childrens basic movement and coordination skills in a fun environment. In the older Activity Club, youngsters had the opportunity to try athletics, basketball, cricket, tennis, badminton, and lacrosse, with basketball and tennis proving very popular. Hip Hop Dance was also very popular, with equal numbers of boys and girls coming along to learn a variety of funky dances with dance tutor Claire.

Active schools are not the only team offering activities this summer. The Sports Development Unit are also offering more sport specific courses in Cycling, Athletics, Cricket, Football, and Hockey. In addition to this, the Borders Sport and Leisure Trust are also running activity camps and fun sessions at Galashiels Swimming Pool and Tweedbank Outdoor Sports Complex.

It's never too late to book on to upcoming courses so have a look at the brochure that your child received just prior to the holidays.

Netball Finals 2009

10 teams battled it out at the Queens Leisure Centre recently, at the Girls Area Netball Competition. Teams from Selkirk and Galashiels had been practising for the 6 weeks prior to the competition thanks to class teachers, parents, PE teachers, and other helpers.

The standard of netball across the teams was good, and after the group stages, it was between Burgh, Glendinning, St Peters, and Knowepark. The Crossover ties saw Glendinning and St Peters emerge victorious and they will now represent the Galashiels/Selkirk area at the Regional final.

Active Schools would like to thank everybody involved for making the evening a success and wish Glendinning and St Peters all the best for the regional finals.

Active Schools Programmes Thriving due to Volunteers

Active Schools in Galashiels has been working hard to boost the numbers of volunteers running after school clubs in the local primary schools. Both Active Schools Co-ordinators at Galashiels Academy (Linda Rome) and the Primary Schools (Graeme Murdoch) have been working with the senior pupils at Galashiels Academy to develop a volunteer programme that sees them running after school clubs for P4/5 pupils.