Congratulations to our Year 7 pupils who celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation in Mater Dei Church on Thursday 6th March. 

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 the Year 7 team for ensuring the children were so well prepared for today, to the boys and girls in the Year 5 and 6 choir for the beautiful singing, to Mrs. McDonnell and Mrs. Lawlor for the wonderful music and to Canon Colm for delivering the service. 

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

As part of Engineering Week Year 6AW travelled to Lely Farm in Lisburn to visit a milk production farm to learn about modern agricultural practices and the latest engineering technology in the dairy industry.

During the visit, pupils got an up-close look at how the farm utilises advanced engineering solutions to enhance milk production efficiency, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.

The children finished off their visit with a delicious ice-cream treat; courtesy of Lely Farm and the cows of course!

Thank you for a very enjoyable and informative visit!

Today was Ash Wednesday.  It signals the beginning of Lent.  In order to mark this special season Canon Colm held a Prayer Service in the school hall for pupils in Year Groups 4 - 7.  Pupils had an opportunity to reflect on how best they were going to prepare for Lent and Canon Colm then distributed ashes to the pupils and staff.  We welcome this period of Lent to help us best prepare for the season of Easter.

Last week we hosting Healthy Eating Week in school.  This provided us with a focused opportunity to explore the benefits of healthy eating with all classes across the school.

Indeed all schools are encouraged to promote a consistent message about healthy eating, as per the Education Authority's Food in Schools Policy. This means food and drink provided and consumed within the education setting should be nutritious and of good quality. School meals are a great choice, however if parents decide to provide a packed lunch, or morning break or snack, the following guidance may be useful for healthy eating tips and ideas:

https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/de/Healthy%20Breaks%20for%20Schools%20A5%20Leaflet%20ENGLISH.pdf

Public Health Dietitians N.Ireland - YouTube Channel: Tips & Tricks to Healthy Eating

Have a look at our whole school Healthy Eating display - We hope we've 'cooked up' and reinforced some very important messages!

Congratulations and well done to our girls and boys who qualified to represent St. Joseph's at the SW Antrim Cuman na mBunscol Cross Country event held at St. Benedict's College, Randalstown. This event is now to be included as part of the annual programme of activities.  Everyone ran superbly with many of the children setting PBs for the 1.2km challenging course!  

Today we were delighted to receive our GYOP (Grow Your Own Potatoes) pack.

Grow Your Own Potatoes is a valuable educational tool that supports key curriculum objectives.  Through hands-on learning, GYOP helps pupils understand essential topics such as healthy eating, sustainability, science, and the environment. Whether it's exploring plant life cycles, developing practical skills in the garden, or encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, GYOP provides an engaging way to bring the curriculum to life, reinforcing learning outcomes while inspiring curiosity and a deeper connection to the natural world.

We look forward to the learning opportunities which this project will provide and to seeing our potatoes develop and grow.  We may even dish up a tasty treat at the end of the growing season! 

Many thanks to Mark from Trócaire for visiting school today and joining us for our February Golden Assemblies.  Mark delivered a presentation to our Year 1-3 and Year4-7 pupils which focused on:

• A general overview of Trócaire’s work;
• An introduction to this year’s Lenten theme (water: too much & too little);
• An introduction to the children/family featured in this year’s Lent campaign;  
• The impact of Trócaire’s work and how pupils’ support is making a real difference; 
• How students can get involved in the campaign.

Our February assemblies also provided us with an opportunity to sing Happy Birthday to all of our February girls and boys; present our February Pupil of the Month Awards and Accelerated Reading Certificates; celebrate success outside of school; award pebbles points for our February character trait of honesty and deliver some important messages. 

Well done everyone - it's nearly March!

Congratulations to the boys and girls in Year 7 who celebrated their Service of Light on Tuesday evening.  It was a beautiful service which added so meaningfully to the final preparations for the Sacrament of Confirmation which will be celebrated on Thursday 6th March in Mater Dei Church.

'Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.'

There was great excitement today when the fire service came to visit the nursery children.  They had  a great time learning all about the work of a fire fighter, trying on some of the equipment, using the hose, seeing inside the fire engine and hearing the siren sound.  Many thanks for coming along today - the children had a great experience!

Congratulations to the four representatives from St. Joseph's PS who displayed lots of skill on the field at the Cumann na mBunscol half time game during the Antrim v Waterford Hurling League match in Corrigan Park, Belfast on Sunday afternoon.  They were a credit to their school, families and clubs.  Thank you to Antrim GAA and Antrim Cumann na mBunscol for giving the children the opportunity. Well done girls and boys!