April was a busy and exciting month in Nursery as children explored mini‑beasts and fairytales, enjoying stories like The Very Hungry Caterpillar while developing counting skills and learning about healthy foods.

Shared Education with Crumlin Integrated included Forest School fun and drumming with James from Fun with Drums.

The children also practised the Take Five steps through connecting, learning and staying active.

Our Happy Healthy Kids session with Ronan from FitMinds supported fine and gross motor skills through energetic play.

What a fun‑filled month!

Congratulations to our Year 7 pupils who celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation in Mater Dei Church on Tuesday 28th April.

We pray that the Holy Spirit will bless and guide them today and in the days and weeks ahead, as they continue on their educational and spiritual journey.

Many thanks to Bishop Alan McGuckian and Canon Colm for a beautiful ceremony; to the Year 7 team for ensuring the children were so well prepared; to the boys and girls in the Year 6 choir for their wonderful singing; to Mrs McDonnell and Mrs Matthews for the lovely music; and to school staff for the preparation and the enjoyable celebration afterwards in the hall.

Well done everyone!

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created,
and you will renew the face of the earth.

Our school orchestra has been working extremely hard under the guidance of Mrs. McDonnell and Mrs. Lawlor, and we are delighted to invite family and friends to their annual Orchestra Recital.

The recital will take place in school on

Thursday 18th June at 1.30pm.

All are very welcome to attend

As part of our Nursery Healthy Kids Stay and Play, parents and guardians joined their children for a fun and active session led by Coach Ronan from FitMinds.

Children took part in catching and scooping games, fine motor activities such as pegging, and movement games that encouraged listening and following instructions. Parents and carers enjoyed valuable time in the classroom, playing and learning alongside their child. The session concluded with songs, dancing and the story Fitzy the Active Bear, celebrating nature and friendship.

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

Today was the second of our Year 4 Come Dine With Me days.  Many thanks to all the family members who joined our boys and girls in Mrs. Fenton's Year 4 class for a beautiful meal in the canteen.

As always Rick and his staff had prepared a beautiful feast for everyone to celebrate and eat together before we celebrate the Sacrament of First Communion together on Saturday 16th May in Mater Dei Church.

Mrs. Wray’s P6 class had a visit from our Tiny Teacher Freya today. This week we focused on the theme of Safety.  We discussed how babies are vulnerable and require constant supervision.  We learnt that new milestones, such as crawling, rolling and walking, bring new risks. The key learning from this visit is that our P6 pupils are beginning to develop an awareness of responsibility for safety, both for others and themselves.

St. Joseph's enjoyed a very successful Take 5 Wellbeing Event, filled with positivity, engagement and fun across the school. As part of our continued commitment to pupil wellbeing and our journey towards Take 5 Level 2 Accreditation, pupils took part in a wide range of enjoyable activities designed to support positive mental health.

Staff and children explored the five key Take 5 actions — Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give — through carefully planned, hands‑on activities that encouraged movement, reflection, creativity and teamwork.

All pupils received a certificate to recognise their participation and to celebrate the importance of looking after their wellbeing. It was a lovely event  for everyone and a wonderful reminder of the value we place on wellbeing as part of daily school life.

The new Northern Ireland wide Resource “Let’s Explore Behaviour” has been launched at the Northern Area Stronger Together event.

Please click on link below to access the Parent Guide:

https://cypsp.hscni.net/download/443/lets-explore-behaviour/47769/naog-lets-explore-behaviour.pdf

Congratulations to this group of girls who represented St. Joseph's at the SW Antrim 7-a-side Football Blitz. 

The girls played their hearts out getting to the semi-final of the football shield.  Great team work, determination and skill on display today.  Well done girls!

Our Nursery children were excited to welcome their friends from Crumlin Integrated Preschool and enjoyed a fun day together.

Activities included a picnic, Forest School exploration and outdoor play in the nursery playground, with Cherry Blossom potions, ballroom dancing, sand, water and construction play.  We were delighted to welcome James from Fun with Drums, who entertained the children with a lively music and rhythm session.

It was a lovely day in the sunshine, enjoyed by all!