Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Hallowe'en Capers Day

  Tue 27 Oct 2026

  Watch Out… Lots of Spooky Things Going On at St Joseph’s Today!

  🎃

  Our witch this year was none other than Wendy and she certainly brought the Hallowe’en magic to St Joseph’s! 

   

  WISHING YOU ALL A VERY SAFE AND RESTFUL HALLOWE’EN BREAK!

  

• Drop Inn Shoebox Appeal

  Tue 27 Oct 2026

  We are incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed a shoebox to our recent appeal in support of the Drop Inn charity.

   

  When representatives from the charity visited today to collect the donations, they were overwhelmed by your generosity.

   

  Thanks to your kindness, many children will receive thoughtful gifts just in time for Christmas.

   

  Your support truly makes a difference.

  Thank you!

   

  "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." Saint Teresa of Calcutta

   

  

• October Highlights in the Nursery Unit

  Mon 26 Oct 2026

  October has been a busy and exciting month in nursery as the children explored a range of Autumn and Halloween-themed activities.

   

  They enjoyed outdoor learning in all weathers, splashing in puddles in their wellies and puddlesuits, and were delighted to meet Stella the Star, sharing ideas about how they each shine in their own special way. The children also developed their fundamental movement skills through fun games and activities with Coach Ciaran from Sonal Sportz.

   

  A highlight of the month was our Happy Healthy Kids Stay and Play session, where parents and carers joined the children in dancing, jumping, playdough activities, construction play, pumpkin peg challenges and magical water play - what a fun-filled month it has been!

  

• Nursery Stay & Play with Coach Ronan

  Mon 26 Oct 2026

  Our Nursery children were delighted to welcome Ronan from FitMinds and his assistant James for our Happy Healthy Kids Stay and Play session.

   

  Together with their parents and carers, they took part in a variety of fun games to promote human connection and develop gross motor skills, including moving like animals, throwing and catching scarves, playing Catch the Tail, dancing and moving the stretchy band.  Back in nursery, families enjoyed a range of fine motor activities such as hammering nails into pumpkins, creating Halloween masterpieces with playdough and art materials, building with Duplo and blocks, and making magical spells, potions and healthy fruit skewers. Parents, carers and children had a fantastic time learning, playing and having fun together.

   

  Thanks to our Nursery staff for organising the event, to parents and guardians for attending, and to Ronan and James from FitMinds for facilitating such an enjoyable experience

   

   

  

• A Fang-tastic Hallowe’en Lunch!

  Mon 26 Oct 2026

  A spooktacular thank you to our wonderful canteen staff for providing the children with such a delicious Hallowe’en dinner today.  There were lots of happy boys and girls and plenty of spooky smiles around the dinner tables!

  

• Weekly Year 1 & 2 Principal Awards - 23.10.26

  Fri 23 Oct 2026

  Congratulations to our children in Primary 1 and Primary 2 who received this weeks Headteacher Award for a variety of wonderful traits. 

  We are very proud of them all!

  

• October Golden Assemblies

  Thu 22 Oct 2026

  We celebrated our October Golden Assemblies with joy and pride! Pupils from Years 1–3 and Years 4–7 gathered for two assemblies, both beautifully led by our Year 4 children. A special highlight was the Prayer Service, performed by Year 4 to mark the Feast Days of All Saints and All Souls. Their thoughtful reflections, prayers and singing made for a very meaningful celebration.

   

  During the assemblies, pupils were recognised for their achievements with Year 1 & 2 Headteacher Awards, Pupil of the Month and Accelerated Reading certificates. We also celebrated success beyond the classroom, delivered some important messages and reminders and wished all our October birthday girls and boys a very happy birthday! 

   

  #GoldenAssembly #CelebratingSuccess #ProudOfOurPupils

  

• Pumpkins, Stories & Spooky Fun in Year 3!

  Wed 21 Oct 2026

  Year 3 have been busy getting creative for Hallowe’en! Each pupil decorated their own pumpkin before bringing them together to create a fantastic Pumpkin Patch outside their classrooms.

   

  And what better way to get into the Hallowe’en spirit than to get cosy under the blankets and enjoy some spooky storytelling together! 👻

   

  We love all the colourful and unique designs. Well done, Year 3! 🎃🍂

  

• Dream Space Ambassadors Programme

  Tue 20 Oct 2026

  Our Digital Leaders are off on another exciting digital adventure!

   

  This week, they took part in their first training session of the Dream Space Ambassador Programme for 2026/27, marking the third year that pupils from St Joseph’s have participated in this fantastic programme.

   

  Supported by the Dream Space Team in Belfast, the programme gives our Digital Leaders opportunities to develop their skills in STEM while also learning how to support, train and mentor others. As their confidence and expertise grow, our Dream Space Ambassadors will be able to share their learning with both pupils and staff through demonstrations, small-group activities and one-to-one support.

   

  During today’s interactive session, the children explored ‘Thinking Like a Coder’ and put their problem-solving skills to the test with an unplugged Bebras-style computational thinking challenge.

   

  A brilliant start to another year of learning, leading and sharing. We can’t wait to see our Digital Leaders put their new skills into action across the school! 🌟

   

  #MSDreamSpace #DreamSpace #STEM #Microbits #CodingForKids #LearningIsFun #FutureCreators

  

• Year 7 Celebrate Samhain at CIC

  Tue 20 Oct 2026

  Our Year 7 pupils had a wonderful time visiting Crumlin Integrated College for a special cultural celebration themed around Samhain—the final harvest and the beginning of winter, traditionally considered the Celtic New Year. The event was part of the college’s new initiative to celebrate culture and promote the Irish language in a warm and inclusive setting.

   

   Pupils took part in a range of hands-on activities including Irish singing (Amhráin Gaeilge), storytelling and folklore, traditional cooking, and dancing. The sessions were lively, educational, and full of fun, helping pupils connect with Irish heritage in meaningful ways.

   

   A huge thank you to Miss O’Kane, Mr Conlon, and the team at Crumlin Integrated College for their warm welcome and for creating such a memorable experience for our pupils.

   

   #SamhainCelebration #IrishCulture #ThankYouCrumlinIntegrated