We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Pat from NI Water for kindly delivering a free water butt to our school today. This generous donation will be placed in our science courtyard and used to collect rainwater, helping us conserve water resources and reduce our environmental impact.

This initiative reflects our continued commitment to eco-friendly practices and sustainability. The water butt will support outdoor learning and science activities, while also encouraging pupils to think about how small changes can make a big difference to our planet.

Thank you, NI Water, for supporting our school’s green journey!

A special welcome to all of our girls and boys who have joined us this year in Primary 1. 

Mrs. McDonnell and Mrs. McCallum's Primary 1 classes have been touring our school to help familiarise themselves with our school surroundings.  Both classes popped in to say hello to Mr. Traynor in his office and he was delighted to welcome them all.  Such wonderful smiles on their faces and lots of stories to be told.  Both classes were presented with a Headteacher Award Certificate for making such a great start to their Primary 1 school year. 

We hope that they have many happy years and create many special memories as they journey throughout our school.

With Mater Dei Church currently closed for renovation, staff and pupils in Years 5 -7 came together in the school assembly hall to celebrate the beginning of the new school year with a beautiful Mass. The uplifting atmosphere was made all the more special by the wonderful reading and singing from our pupils, whose contributions truly enhanced the celebration.

We are deeply grateful to Canon Colm for leading us in prayer and reflection, and for helping us mark this important moment with such warmth and spiritual guidance.

We are delighted to have been selected to take part in the For Art’s Sake project — a vibrant, community-funded initiative designed to bring high-quality arts education into the classroom. The programme offers pupils hands-on experiences across four exciting art forms: clay, drawing & painting, drama, and digital art. Each art form is delivered through a series of six engaging two-hour lessons, supported by a dedicated teacher training session to help staff embed the learning across the school.

This week, Mrs. Campbell’s P5 class kicked off the first block with a clay workshop led by visiting artist Andrea. The children explored Ancient Egyptian art, learning how to sculpt an Egyptian pot and a scarab beetle. The session was a huge hit — pupils were fully immersed in the creative process and loved working with clay for the first time.

A big well done to P5 for your enthusiasm and focus! We’re already looking forward to welcoming Andrea back next Tuesday for the next clay session.

Stay tuned as we continue our artistic journey through the remaining art forms — each one designed to inspire creativity, build skills, and enrich our curriculum

We were delighted to welcome Canon Colm to school today as he visited  to bless our pupils, their schoolbags, and our classrooms. This thoughtful gesture marked the beginning of our new school year in a truly meaningful way.  His blessing reminded us of the importance of kindness, learning, and looking after one another as we begin another exciting chapter together.

Thank you Canon Colm for your continued support.

We were delighted to begin the new school year by coming together for our first assemblies in the school hall. It was a special occasion where we had the opportunity to listen, reflect, sing, and pray as a school community. The sense of togetherness was felt by all.

As part of our Personal Development and Mutual Understanding (PDMU) programme, we used our assemblies as an opportunity to introduce our character trait focus for September and October: Respect. This important value will be explored and celebrated throughout September and October, helping our children to grow in kindness, understanding, and consideration for others.

To encourage and recognise respectful behaviour, Pebble Points will be awarded within each class as part of our whole-school reward system. We look forward to seeing our pupils demonstrate respect in their words and actions, both in school and beyond.

We are excited for the year ahead and all the opportunities it will bring. Together, we will make this a year full of learning, growth, and joyful moments.

We are pleased to announce that our school has successfully achieved a Certificate of Achievement for participating in the Grow Your Own Potatoes initiative!

Led by our enthusiastic Year 5 Eco-Council members, pupils cared for, nurtured, and harvested their very own potatoes. Through this hands-on experience, they learned about where food comes from, the importance of sustainable growing, and the joy of gardening.

A huge well done to everyone involved – your hard work has truly paid off!

It was wonderful to see all of the children back in school again for a new school year.  Everyone looked so well in their school uniforms and were so well prepared for the year ahead.  There were lots of smiles and friendship rekindled.  A special welcome to all our Nursery and Primary 1 pupils and those who join year groups from new schools.  

We wish all our pupils, staff and parents every blessing, good health and happiness for the year ahead!

A Prayer for our New School Year

Heavenly Father,

We thank you for the opportunity

To begin this new school year.

We ask that you bless our families,

the staff and children

So that we can work together

To make our school a great place.

We pray that You will guide us in all ways

So that we will seek Your will

in everything that we do.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord.

Amen

As we begin another exciting academic year at St. Joseph’s, we extend a warm welcome back to our entire school community—pupils, parents, and staff. We are delighted to return with renewed energy and a shared commitment to excellence in education and wellbeing.

In preparation for the year ahead, our dedicated staff have taken part in a rich programme of professional development training including:

• Safeguarding and Child Protection Training
• ‘Being Well, Doing Well’ Cohort 2 Training with Stuart Kennedy (EA Pupil Emotional Health and Wellbeing)
• Beginning of Year Prayer Service
• Mathematics and Numeracy Workshop on developing the teaching of mathematical word problems with Robert Thompson (EA)
• SEND Update – Graduated Response
• Take 5 Wellbeing Session with Lindsey Shaw (Northern Trust)
• Language and Literacy Writing Workshop
• School Development Overview
•  

These training opportunities have equipped our staff with valuable insights and strategies to further enhance teaching and learning, support pupil wellbeing, and uphold the highest standards of care and safeguarding.

We look forward to using this professional development to continue raising standards across the school and providing our children with the best possible opportunities to thrive. Here's to another successful and inspiring year at St. Joseph’s!