This week marked a special moment as the children in Mrs. Wray's Year 6 class welcomed Baby Freya, our little learner, for her very first visit as part of the Roots of Empathy programme. Accompanied by her mum, Geraldine, Baby Freya was met with wide eyes, warm smiles, and curious minds.

Led by Mrs. McDonnell, this internationally recognised programme helps children develop emotional literacy and deepen their understanding of empathy by observing and interacting with a baby over time. Through these visits, pupils learn to identify and reflect on feelings—both their own and those of others—building the foundations for respectful relationships and emotional wellbeing.

As Baby Freya grows and changes, so too will the children’s ability to recognise emotions, nurture compassion, and understand the importance of caring for others. Her presence in the classroom is more than adorable—it’s transformational.

We’re excited for the journey ahead and the many lessons Baby Freya will help us learn.

This week, our school canteen is buzzing with excitement as we take part in “Eat Smart Week” in partnership with The Lunch Bunch and the Education Authority NI. Pupils are enjoying delicious, healthy meals and learning all about making smart food choices through fun activities and themed menus. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate nutritious eating, try new foods, and build healthy habits together!

Bonjour, dia dhuit, guten tag, hola!

Today, our school came alive with the sights and sounds of Europe as we celebrated European Day of Languages. Pupils took part in a vibrant array of activities, including art, singing, dancing, dressing up, and visits to our local Shared Education partner schools. Throughout the day, children enthusiastically learned and spoke a variety of European languages, embracing the diversity and richness of our continent.

It was a fantastic day of fun, friendship, and learning for everyone involved!

Many, many thanks to all who organised and supported our Coffee Morning for Macmillian Cancer Care. There were so many beautiful cakes, tray bakes and buns on display.

There was a great atmosphere in the hall with so many staff (past and present), volunteers from 'The Friends of St Joseph's', grandparents, parents, past pupils and friends from the local community who popped in to show their support.  

We finished off the day with a bun sale in school with lots of treats being enjoyed by the boys and girls.

Draw Winners were:

Helen Doran

Geraldine McMullan

Danny Trowlen

Christine Robb

Marie Thompson

Keva Lawlor

Barbara Gourley

Brenda Bailie

Mark Docherty

We will announce the final total raised next week.  Again many thanks to all - what a team effort and what a great morning!   

#greatteameffort  #welldoneandthanks

We were delighted to be selected by Gaelfast as one of the pilot schools to trial 'Gaelic Time'; an exciting new range of online lessons and interactive games designed to enhance fundamental movement skills for children in Primary 1–3.

Today, members of the Gaelfast team visited our school to showcase these innovative resources with our Year 2 pupils, engaging them in fun, movement-based activities. Following this, staff from Years 1–3 took part in a professional development session to learn how best to integrate the resources into their teaching.

As part of the pilot, we also received 50 mini hurls, which we’re looking forward to using in the coming weeks. Gaelfast coaches will return in eight weeks to track progress, gather feedback, and provide further support.

We’re proud to be part of this forward-thinking initiative and excited to see the impact it will have on our pupils’ physical development and confidence.

To mark ECO-Week, a number of our classes joined thousands of others across Ireland in a series of free, online sustainability sessions designed for young people.  Organised around the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), these interactive talks helped our pupils explore key topics such as climate change, biodiversity, and the vital connection between nature and wellbeing.  This was a fantastic opportunity to connect classroom learning with global issues — and to inspire the next generation of eco-leaders!

We’re proud to be part of this growing movement and look forward to continuing our sustainability journey.

A huge well done to Mrs Campbell’s Year 5 girls and boys who led our Year 4-7  September Golden Assembly with such confidence, creativity, and care. Their theme, “We Belong,” reminded us all of the special part each of us plays in the St. Joseph’s school community. Through thoughtful readings, a slideshow, prayer, drama, and joyful song, they showed how lucky we are to belong to a school filled with opportunity, kindness, and people who truly care about one another. It was a beautiful celebration of unity, inclusion, and the strength we find in belonging.

Afterwards pupils were presented with certificates for September Pupil of the Month and Accelerated Reading and the newly elected Pupil Council were presented with their badges.  We also had some pupils who brought in items from home to celebrate achievement outside of school.  

Well done to all our boys and girls - a great start to the school year. 

We are very proud of you all!

Today we celebrated our Year 1-3 September Golden Assembly with our Year 1 pupils joining us for assembly for the first time - they were amazing!

Mr. McGrattan's Year 2 class led our Year 1-3 Assembly on the theme of  'New Beginnings'.  The children focused on many of the new things which come our way as we embark on a new school year and how we should embrace all of these and enjoy these new experiences.  The boys and girls in Year 2 spoke so confidently and their singing was just wonderful.  A lovely assembly indeed to mark the end of our first month back to school.

Pupils were presented with certificates, birthday badges and we also had a number of children who brought in medals, certificates and trophies from home to celebrate achievement outside of school.  

Well done to all our boys and girls - a great start to the school year.  We are very proud of you all!

Congratulations to the girls and boys who have been elected on to the Pupil Council for 2025/26.  During the course of this year they will:

• Survey and carry forward ideas from their peers in class to the pupil council and wider school community;
• Promote and raise awareness and understanding of the importance of ‘Fairtrade’, Road Safety and Awareness Days, for example, Autism NI, Anti-Bullying Week etc;
• Recognise and promote resources and activities which explore children’s health and wellbeing;
• Working towards achieving Level 2 in the Take 5 Steps to Wellbeing by promoting the themes of Give, Be Active, Connect, Keep Learning and Take Notice;
• Recognise and promote the universality of children’s rights within our school and the wider community by exploring and engaging in activities and learning linked to our Rights Respecting Schools Campaign.

Under the guidance of Mrs. Wray we look forward to seeing how the children's ideas develop and grow throughout the school year!

We were delighted to welcome the Breslin Cup champions from St James GAC Aldergrove to our school for a special assembly. Our pupils had the fantastic opportunity to congratulate the team, take part in a question-and-answer session, and capture the moment with photographs.

The visit was truly inspiring, as the players shared their experiences and encouraged our children to keep working hard at their sport. Their powerful message: with dedication and teamwork, everyone can achieve great success.

We were especially proud to see many past pupils of St. Joseph’s among the champions—wonderful role models for our current pupils!

Congratulations from all at St. Joseph’s!