Please find below a link to our Summer 2025 SWAY News @ St Joseph's

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/BP9xUxz5BpRzEHCp?ref=Link

We would like to wish our school community a very safe, happy and  hopefully sunny Summer Break. 

School will re-open for pupils in Years 2—7 for an Induction Day on Thursday 28th August and will close at 12.00 noon. There will be no school dinners on this day. There will be no school buses at 12.00 noon. Nursery and Year 1 pupils have been forwarded individual starting dates for the new school year.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back after the Summer Holidays refreshed and energised for the school year ahead.

Best wishes from,

All at St Joseph's Primary and Nursery School!

This summer, we extend our sincere thanks and best wishes to two longstanding members of the St. Joseph’s staff — Ms. Cathy O'Brien and Mrs. Veronica McCullagh — who are retiring after a combined 53 years of dedicated service.

Ms. O'Brien has contributed 25 years to the school as a committed teacher.  Mrs. McCullagh has served as a classroom assistant for 28 years, providing consistent support to both pupils and staff.  We wish them both every happiness, good health, and joy as they begin this exciting new chapter. May retirement bring them the rest, adventure, and fulfilment they so richly deserve.

Thank you, Cathy and Veronica, for your many contributions to St. Joseph’s.

We were delighted to receive the news that we had been shortlisted as a finalist for the prestigious ICT Excellence Awards 2024–25, a highly celebrated recognition of outstanding practices in the use of ICT in schools across Northern Ireland.

Earlier this term, we had the pleasure of welcoming the judging panel to our school. They were impressed by the wide range of ICT Digital Art and Design activities taking place across our classrooms and by how confidently and articulately our pupils spoke about their work. The passion and vision shared by our staff, pupils, and community members left a lasting impression, and their feedback has been featured in the ICT Excellence Awards Summary Report 2025.

Being selected as a finalist from among hundreds of schools is a tremendous honour. The awards ceremony, held at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast on Wednesday 25th June, was a wonderful celebration of the dedication and innovation shown by our entire school community.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement and extend our thanks to Miss Walsh, our ICT Co-ordinator, and all our staff for their inspiring leadership and commitment to enhancing teaching and learning through ICT.

A copy of the ICT Excellence Awards Summary Report 2025 can be accessed by clicking on the link below:

https://content.capita.com/l/824863/2025-06-26/3r6xq3/824863/1750929287zWaoh28M/C2K_ENni_Excellence_Award_Report_24_25.pdf

Today we received our official accreditation for the Being Well Doing Well Project in St. Dominic's GS Belfast where our whole school approach to emotional health and wellbeing was recognised and celebrated.  

This initiative focuses on maximising learning by promoting mental health and well being for both staff and pupils across the school.  

Huge thank you to our DWDW coordinator Mrs. Matthews and out Link Officer Stuart Kennedy for his help and support on our journey as a Cohort 1 Being Well Doing Well school.

Together we are building a healthier, happier learning environment for everyone.

Today we celebrated with all those boys and girls who have become Accelerated Reading Word Millionaires - some double and indeed triple Word Millionaires - throughout the school year.  

Well done to these girls and boys on a fabulous achievement  and to all those in Primary 5-7 who have made such an amazing effort engaging with the programme this year.  Also thank you to Mrs. Matthews (Literacy Co-ordinator) and Mrs. Kinnaird for all their work in managing this very successful programme in our school.

Remember to keep reading and keep smiling!

A huge congratulations to all our incredible Summer Award Winners from Years 1 to 6!

Your hard work, kindness, creativity, and determination have truly shone this term. Whether you’ve been a brilliant buddy, a maths master, a reading superstar, or a resilient role model — we are so proud of each and every one of you.

A huge congratulations to Sadie in Primary 3, who has been awarded a Certificate of Commendation in the prestigious Texaco Children’s Art Competition! Selected from among thousands of entries nationwide, Sadie’s creativity and talent truly stood out. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishment and delighted to see her artistic flair being recognised on such a grand stage. Well done Sadie!

We were delighted to be one of 40 schools chosen to participate in the Creative Connections Programme, an exciting cross-border initiative linking schools from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland through the power of creativity.   

This term Mr. McKenna’s Primary 5 class proudly took part in the pilot for this project.  Working in a cluster of four schools, our pupils collaborated on a bespoke creative learning project titled “Waves of Wonder.” Each school was paired with a professional creative practitioner, and we were thrilled to work with Mags, a talented dance artist from DU Dance NI. Over three days, Mags and the class explored the wonders and challenges of the ocean through dance.

From bioluminescence and shipping forecasts to pollution, overfishing, and marine life, the children brought these themes to life using a rich blend of skills, all woven together with expressive movement and dance.

The project culminated in a vibrant performance for the other Year 5 classes, showcasing not only their creativity but also their growth in self-confidence, teamwork, and listening skills.

It was a truly inspiring experience that left a lasting impression on everyone involved.  Well done to all our young performers — your 'Waves of Wonder' made quite a splash!

Please find below the link to the video of the final performance:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KgalFIv9Q6YkpZIoo9VYxuHsAlGvnq8c/view?usp=sharing

As we approach the end of another school year, our talented Year 3 pupils from Ms. Blease/Miss Barry's class took centre stage to lead our final assembly, delivering a powerful message about uniqueness, individuality, and the many wonderful skills and talents we each bring to our school community.  Their thoughtful reflections and confident presentations, art work, drama and songs reminded us all of the importance of celebrating what makes us special and supporting one another to shine in our own ways.

During the assembly, we were also proud to present the Pupil of the Month Certificates for June to our Year 3 learners, recognising their hard work, kindness, and positive attitude. In addition, the Principal’s Endeavour Awards for Term 3 were awarded to our Year 3 pupils who have shown exceptional perseverance, growth, and commitment throughout the term.

A huge well done to all of our Year 3 pupils and staff — you’ve ended the year on a high note and made us all incredibly proud!

 Celebrating 25 Wonderful Years at St. Joseph’s Nursery! 

We marked a truly unforgettable milestone with a joyful Fun Day to celebrate 25 amazing years of St. Joseph’s Nursery. The atmosphere was filled with laughter, excitement, and lovely memories.

The children were absolutely delighted by the enchanting performance of Fizz Wizz Pop, whose magical talents brought smiles and wonder to everyone present. A special moment was the visit from Megan, one of our very first pupils from 25 years ago, who returned to join in the celebrations.

Everyone came together to sing a big, cheerful “Happy Birthday” to our beloved nursery, followed by slices of delicious cake to mark the occasion. The celebrations continued outdoors, where the children enjoyed playing in the beautiful sunshine, making the most of the lovely weather and the festive spirit.

A heartfelt thank you to all the staff, children, and families who helped make this day so special. Here's to many more years of learning, laughter, and love at St. Joseph’s Nursery