Many thanks to Julie from BEAM Creative Network and Antrim and Newtownabbey PCSP for delivering 2 very interactive Internet Safety Workshops to our Primary 6 pupils today.

Antrim and Newtownabbey have wriiten to our school to thank us for our contribution to the Peace IV Programme.  The letter thanked our school for the time and commitment we have invested in our local community and how this work during our Summer Scheme 2023 has contributed towards building a legacy of peace and reconcilliation within the Borough. 

Many thanks to the Borough for the resource allocation to facilitate the delivery of this project,  Miss Agnew our Shared Education Co-ordinator for her work in developing and promoting community links and to all the boys and girls who took part in this project.

This Sunday 3rd December marks the First Sunday of Advent.  Today Friday 1st December, Canon Colm called to school to bless our Advent Wreath.  During our Prayer Service we had a number of special readings from Miss Agnew, Mr McCarthy and members of the Year 7 Faith Group.  To conclude the service our Year 7 pupils sang a beautiful rendition of Silent Night.  

After the Service the Advent Wreath was moved to the foyer of our school.  Here the Year 7 Faith Group met to discuss the proper upkeep of our wreath and to share responsibilities for delivering our whole school Advent messages to each class during the month of December. 

After the Blessing of the Wreath, Mr Traynor and Mrs Loughran also presented Canon Colm with two Christmas Hampers donated by the school staff to be used as prizes for the Parish Christmas Bazaar this Sunday 3rd December.

This week we celebrated the beginning of Advent at our November Golden Assemblies.  Our Year 1 pupils lead our Year 1-3 Assembly with a beautiful selection of Christmas songs from their upcoming nativity 'Simply Nativity'.  They certainly put us all in the Christmas mood.  Mrs Haughian's Year 4 class led our Year 4-7 Assembly on the theme of Advent which focused us all on how we can use this time in the build up to Christmas to prepare for the special day.  It reminded us of the importance of love, joy, hope and peace during this festive season. 

In addition to this some important messages were delivered and there was lots to celebrate with the presentation of our monthly awards, some fabulous achievements in our Accelerated Reading Programme and lots of the children shared with us success they had achieved outside of school.  We certainly have a lot of very talented boys and girls.  A massive well done to everyone involved!

Congratulations to The Girls' Football Team who won 3 out of their 5 matches in the recent SW Antrim Primary Schools Indoor Football Tournament reaching the quarter finals.  Great skill, team work and determination was on display today and the girls did an exceptional job representing their school today.  We are very proud of them!

The decorations are up and Christmas rehearsals are in full swing .... it is indeed beginning to look, feel and sound a lot like Christmas at St Joseph's!

The Faith Group have been working hard with Mrs Loughran deciding on a suitable area in school for the development of our sacred space.  The group have chosen their area and have discussed their plans as to how it should look and what they would like to have included in it.  Today they met with Mr Traynor to share their plans and ideas for the development of this area which they hope to have completed by the end of this term.  

Miss Agnew's Year 7 class had a fabulous morning in CIPS, joined with GGD for our first Shared Education meet up this year!

The children were entertained by Tura Aratura who was full of energy and fun while sharing his historical knowledge of Irish and African traditions through song, dance and stories.

We extend a massive thank you to Crumlin Residents Collective for their donation of tasty treats for our breaktime.

Today, the school orchestra members attended the Ulster Orchestra Concert in the waterfront Hall, Belfast. It was a fabulous morning of musical entertainment and as usual the children represented the school so well.  They were treated to a range of beautiful pieces including James Bond, Harry Potter and Mission Impossible. Thank you to the Ulster Orchestra for giving us such a memorable day out!