Latest News

Defibrillator Training – Prepared to Protect

Wed 10 Dec 2025

We were delighted to welcome Mr Damien Barkley from Essential Life Support Training to St Joseph’s recently to deliver training for a group of our staff on how to use a defibrillator. A defibrillator is a simple, life-saving device designed to help restore a normal heartbeat in an emergency. While we hope it’s never needed, having trained staff and the right equipment gives us peace of mind that we can respond quickly and confidently if the situation ever arises.

Thanks to a very generous donation, we are now fortunate to have a second defibrillator in our school – an incredible resource that enhances safety for everyone in our community. Congratulations to all staff who successfully completed the training and received their certificates, and sincere thanks to Damien for sharing his expertise.

A Feast of Festive Joy!

Tue 09 Dec 2025

Today, pupils and staff enjoyed their Christmas dinner together in the school canteen. It was a lovely opportunity to share a festive meal with classmates, colleagues, and friends.

A big thank you to Rick and the canteen team for preparing and serving such a delicious meal for everyone. It was certainly appreciated and enjoyed by all.

The perfect recipe for festive joy: good food, great friends, and lots of laughter!

Tots and Tea – Festive Finale!

Mon 08 Dec 2025

Join us for our final Tots and Tea session before Christmas on Friday 12th December, from 10:30–11:30am in the Minor Hall at St Joseph’s.

All parents and carers are welcome with children aged 0–3 years.

We’ll have festive fun, warm company, and a very special visitor… Santa Claus!

We can’t wait to see you there. Ho Ho Ho!

Celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Mon 08 Dec 2025

We were delighted to welcome Canon Colm to our school today as he celebrated Mass with our Year 5-7 pupils and staff in the school hall. This special occasion marked the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, an important date in the Church calendar, observed each year on 8th December. Thank you to Canon Colm for joining us and helping our school community come together in prayer and reflection.

Nursery Shared Education Programme - Our First Adventure!

Fri 05 Dec 2025

Our nursery pupils were delighted to meet the children from Crumlin Integrated Pre-School for the very first visit as part of our new Nursery Shared Education Programme. The meeting took place at Crumlin Library, where everyone enjoyed a magical, interactive Christmas storytelling session led by Claire, the librarian.

The children also had the chance to introduce themselves and chat about what they’ve put on their Santa lists this year!

We’re looking forward to lots more meetings and adventures together, with the next get-together planned for the New Year.

Daily Mile Santa Run

Fri 05 Dec 2025

Today, Friday 5th December, St Joseph's joined hundreds of schools from across Northern Ireland to take part in the Daily Mile Santa Run. The Daily Mile currently has over 3 million children running a Daily Mile across 13,500 schools.

The children had a great time and puts lots of energy into ensuring they had a good workout.

#healthybody #healthymind

St. Joseph's Open Evening

Fri 05 Dec 2025

Many thanks to all those who came along to our recent Open Evening. All those in attendance were taken on a guided tour of our school and its facilities by our excellent Year 7 tour guides. Staff were on hand to answer any questions as our visitors moved throughout the school. Many thanks also to our Digital Leaders who showcased a wide range of mathematical and ICT topics and skills and to our wonderful choir who sang so beautifully in the main school hall. We look forward to our prospective new pupils joining our school and nursery unit in September 2026.

If your child is starting pre-school or primary school in September 2026, you can apply online from midday Wednesday 7th January 2026 to midday on Wednesday 21st January 2026.

Further information is available on the EA website under the Admissions section at:

https://www.eani.org.uk/parents/admissions

Year 5 Explore Ancient Egypt with Professor Murphy

Thu 04 Dec 2025

Year 5 had an amazing opportunity to step back in time and discover the wonders of Ancient Egypt! Professor Eileen Murphy, a renowned specialist in Egyptology and former parent visited our school to deliver an engaging and educational workshop.

The children were captivated by her fascinating insights and interactive activities, and they left with a much deeper understanding of life in Ancient Egyptian times.

War Memorial Museum Visit Year 4

Thu 04 Dec 2025

Today, Primary 4 enjoyed a fascinating visit from a representative of The War Memorial Museum in Belfast as part of their topic on World War II. The session was packed with interesting facts about WWII and the Belfast Blitz. The children saw photographs of the Home Guard, evacuees, and even an aerial view of the Belfast shipyard where ships and bombs used in the war were built.

There were lots of amazing artefacts to explore, including gas masks and helmets. At the end, everyone had the chance to try on the helmets, hold the gas masks, and even clang the gas rattle!

It was an incredible experience – thank you to the museum for bringing history to life for us!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Tue 02 Dec 2025

It looks very like the Christmas Season is in full swing here in school. With the foyer decorated and rehearsals in full flow for our Christmas Shows and Carol Service it is indeed the season to be jolly!

Here are some dates for December:

Tuesday 2nd December: Year 6 & 7 — ‘Matilda’ @ Crumlin Integrated College

Thursday 4th December: Open Evening (6.00-7.30pm) - All choir members to attend from 6.00pm-7.00pm

Thursday 4th December: Year 4 World War 11 Outreach Museum Visit

Friday 5th December: Santa Daily Mile

Tuesday 9th December Christmas Dinner (1.45pm finish for Years 1-3 and 2.00pm finish for Years 4-7 on Tuesday 9th December)

Thursday 11th December: Nursery Trail (Staggered start from 4.30pm)

Thursday 11th December: Year 6 Twinning Programme ‘Sport Changes Lives’ @ CIPS

Friday 12th December: Dairy Council Visit Year 5 @ 9.30am & Year 6 @ 11.15am

Monday 15th December: Year 7 Carol Service (1.30pm - Years 5 & 6 to attend)

Tuesday 16th December: Year 5 Choir - The Whins from 1.30pm — 2.30pm

Tuesday 16th December: Friends Years 1 — 2 Christmas Movie Evening (5.00pm-6.30pm)

Wednesday 17th December: Year 1 Show (9.30am) & Year 5 Show (11.00am)

Thursday 18^th December: Christmas Assemblies; Years 3 - 7 Disco from 9.30am – 12.00 noon – Main Hall; Year 6 Choir — Tesco @ 1.45pm; Year 7 Choir — Lakeview @ 1.45pm

Friday 19th December: Non-Uniform Christmas Jumper Day & Friends Christmas Draw

Monday 22nd December: School closes for Christmas Holidays (Non-Uniform Day)