As part of our ongoing drive to raise attainment in literacy, we are committed to building a culture of reading for pleasure among our pupils. Recently, thanks to an opportunity provided by the Scottish Book Trust, our pupils from St Joseph’s and Portpatrick enjoyed an inspiring morning at Stranraer Academy with celebrated children’s author Martin Stewart. Stewart is well known for his debut novel Riverkeep and, more recently, his children’s
Today we held our first Netball After-School Club at St Joseph’s RC Primary with coach Donna Westbrook – and what a brilliant start it was! The session focused on some core netball skills: We then put these skills into practice in a friendly game of netball, letting the children experience real match play. A fantastic 13 pupils from P4–P7 turned up today – we only need one more to make
Today was a huge day at St Joseph’s RC Primary! We welcomed our friends from Portpatrick Primary for a full day of wider achievement activities – learning, creating and playing together across P1–3, P4–5 and P6–7 groups. 🎨 Creative STEM Fun with Miss LisiOne group got stuck into autumn- and Hallowe’en-themed arts, crafts and STEM challenges. Pupils designed and built for LEGO mini-figures – zip lines, rafts, bridges and even
Today, our Primary 1 to 4 pupils enjoyed a lively and inspiring hour with Gillian and John from Lighthouse Musicians. We started by dancing like animals to music, letting our bodies move freely and creatively. Then, the children confidently identified different musical symbols, deepening their understanding of how music is written. Next, we listened quietly to notice the sounds around us that we often miss, encouraging mindfulness and focus. Finally,
Last week our Pupil Council met for their first Term 1 meeting of the year. This year’s council members are Myra, Ross, Robin, Ebony, Aria-Lydia, Lucas, Rebecca and Jensen, with Ava W as our Rights Respecting Schools Co-ordinator. The meeting focused on two main areas: 📋 Pupil Consultation FeedbackOver the last few weeks our council gathered views from every class on what’s going well in school and any ideas for
Today our P5–P7 pupils welcomed two special visitors to school – Abraham and Najmeh – who are originally from Iran and now live and work in Berlin, Germany. They kindly came to share their experiences of growing up in Iran and living in Germany. Before the visit, our children prepared thoughtful questions about culture, daily life and diversity. Abraham and Najmeh answered brilliantly and helped our pupils understand more about
Yesterday’s assembly was a brilliant mix of STEM and Rights Respecting Schools! First up, two of our amazing STEM Leaders Ava G and Nanci-Rose presented their plans for Maths Week, starting on 22nd September. They confidently shared their ideas with the whole school – well done to both speakers! 👏 The girls have organised outdoor maths activities for everyone to enjoy, including making a rain gauge and a wind sock.
On Friday 12th September, our new cohort of Digital Leaders from across the West Rhins Partnership gathered at St. Joseph’s, Portpatrick for their first training day of the year. After a quick hello to all the boys and girls at Portpatrick, Ms. Whorlow warmly welcomed the group and thanked Josh and Arran for hosting our meeting at their school. The excitement and enthusiasm of our new team of Digital Leaders
Whilst P3-6 were on a Stranraer Academy visit, our P7, P1 and P2 pupils came together for a fantastic Reading Buddies session. This gave everyone the chance to share books, build confidence and practise important reading strategies. We explored predicting what might happen next, asking good questions, making connections, and summarising stories. Some groups even tried synthesising ideas to create new understandings. P7 pupils also took on the role of
Today, Primary 7 students at St. Joseph’s had a fantastic opportunity to participate in a British Sign Language (BSL) workshop led by our wonderful partners from SCILT, Karen Faulds and David. The session kicked off with an introduction to finger spelling, where students began by learning the vowels before moving on to consonants. This hands-on approach helped our learners get comfortable with the foundations of BSL and appreciate the beauty
