Many thanks to Mr. Mark Mead from the EA REACH service who facilitated staff development training today.  The training focused on:

• REACH, the strength-based approach, Emotional Health & Wellbeing framework;
• The connection between emotional health and wellbeing and school achievement;
• REACH methodologies and approaches: WHO 5, emotional regulation tools and Mindfulness.

All involved found the training most beneficial and we thank Mark for the very kind donation of resources which we will make really good use of in our classrooms, for the benefit of all the children.

Congratulations to a wonderful group of girls who represented our school by participating in the South West Antrim Cumann na mBunscol Indoor Camogie tournament. Excellent skill, team work and behaviour on display today.  Well done girls - we are very proud of you all!

Today we travelled to St. Mary's University College Belfast to receive our Spirit of Catholic Education Award with Distinction from the Catholic Schools Support Service for the second time.  Mr. Traynor and Mrs. Loughran were accompanied by Anthony and Jessica, two representatives form the school's Faith Group.  After the ceremony Canon Colm visited our school to congratulate everyone on receiving such a special award.

In St. Joseph's we are very aware that promoting the values of environmental responsibility and the message of Laudato Sí is such an integral component of life in school.  Daily we strive to ‘live out’ the values of Catholic education and remain committed to promoting Pope Francis’ Beatitude ‘Blessed are those who protect and care for our common home’. This special award was indeed a fitting acknowledgement and proud day for our school community, especially during Catholic Schools’ Week where we are called to celebrate the theme of ‘Communities of Service’.

Mr. McCarthy’s Year 7 class attended the Transport and Logistics Industry Masterclass in Mossley Mill Newtownabbey. Pupils spent a fun packed day learning about the Transport and Logistics Industry, a vital industry in the local area and Northern Ireland. During the day pupils met a variety of people from the industry, learnt about career paths and took part in interactive workshops, for example:

· A driving simulator

· International journey planning

Throughout the day the pupils developed an understanding of the variety of careers and different routes to employment in the industry and had the opportunity to quiz experts from the industry. 

A very enjoyable day was had by all.  Thanks to Antrim and Newtownabbey Council for the invite - and for the treats during the day as well!

Catholic Schools Week runs from Sunday 21st January  until Saturday 27th January.  The purpose of the week is to promote the contribution that Catholic schools make to our society. 

The theme for Catholic Schools Week 2024 is: ‘Catholic Schools: Communities of Service’.  Today our pupils gathered together in assembly to celebrate Catholic Schools Week and reflect on the theme of our school exemplifying communities of service: Service in Our Community of Friends; Service in Our School Community; Service in Our Family Community; Service in Our Local Community; and, Service in Our Faith Community

Our Year 1-3 assembly was led by Mr. McGrattan's Year 2 class and our Year 4-7 assembly was led by Mrs. Lawlor's Year 6 class. 

At both assemblies the children delivered a lovely message which focused on how we can use the gifts of love and respect within our family, friends, school and parish communities to enable everyone to appreciate the many gifts and talents we enjoy.  We were reminded that when we all achieve as individuals, we grow stronger collectively, therefore making the communities we serve more vibrant and ultimately more enjoyable places to work, learn and play. 

Well done to all the boys and girls.

#catholicschoolsweek #communitiesofservice

Today some of our Year 7 pupils went over to Crumlin Integrated College for a special Spanish lesson. Mr. Tracy taught us our colours in Spanish and the names of pets. We learnt how to say my favourite animal is…………

We also had an opportunity to play some fun games with our friends from Crumlin Integrated PS, Crumlin Integrated College and Gaelscoil Ghleann Darach.

We are really looking forward to meeting up again in a few weeks for our Community Litter Pick!

The Forgiveness Education Project is an exciting programme for schools which has been running for over two decades in Northern Ireland.  This term our Year 7 pupils from Miss Agnew's room will be working on the programme.  We then hope to deliver this programme across all classes in our school.

To date Year 7EA have been learning what forgiveness is and what it is not through stories and practical activities. They have discussed the positive impacts of forgiveness and how we should treat other people, even those who are not in need of our forgiveness. They are currently working on our ‘How Forgiving Makes Us Feel Boxes' and look forward to completing the remainder of the programme during Term 2.

Our Primary 7 pupils have commenced their training on the Heartstart Programme under the guidance of Mr. McCarthy.  The Heartstart UK Schools Programme is an initiative coordinated by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to teach members of the public what to do in a life-threatening emergency. It focuses on emergency life support (ELS) skills that can help to keep someone alive until professional help arrives.

The Heartstart UK Schools Programme delivers ELS training for pupils so they learn when and how to act in a life-threatening emergency. The programme allows maximum time for practice and hands-on learning using resuscitation training mannequins.

Pupils learn to:

• demonstrate safe approach and assessment
• make a 999/112 call
• open an airway
• check for breathing
• demonstrate the recovery position
• perform rescue breathing
• check for signs of circulation
• perform one-rescuer, adult, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• demonstrate the management of choking for adults, infants and children
• know how to manage someone with a suspected heart attack
• know how to deal with serious bleeding.

The programme is delivered in a series of sessions tailored to reflect the recommended age at which children can learn specific ELS skills.  Year 7 look forward to successfully completing the programme.

We were delighted to receive a copy of 'Perfect Pets' from afterschoolsclub.net which contained a number of illustrations from some of our Year 4 pupils in the final published work. 

Children from across the UK were invited to let their imaginations run wild and draw their own 'perfect pet'.  Mrs. Loughran’s Year 4 class decided to enter the competition.  Amelia, Ava, Caitlin, Clodagh, Isla and Nora were over the moon to find out that their entries were going to be included in the published book. The book showcases a selection of the artwork received alongside fun, fact-filled information pages about some of the world's amazing animals and their weird and wild behaviour. Everyone who entered received a certificate and stickers and the school now has a copy of the book to be placed in our school library.

Well done to all for having your artwork featured in the final edition.  How amazing is that!

There have been lots of amazing individual and class achievements with our Accelerated Reading Programme during Term 1.  The word count continues to rise along with the number of Word Millionaires. 

Today it was the turn of Mrs. Lawlor's Year 6 class to celebrate as deserving class winners from Term1.  There were rewarded with a Pizza Party for their efforts. 

Keep up the excellent reading ...... who will be our class winners in Term 2?

#watchthisspace #lovetoread