Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

Our first ‘universal’ Family Learning workshop of the year, for parents and carers of our new Primary 1 pupils, took place on Tuesday 8th September. The workshop focused on Primary 1 literacy, particularly Cathedral’s approach to teaching phonics.

Mrs Duffy opened the workshop by talking about Cathedral Primary’s holistic approach to literacy:

• a rigorous synthetic phonics programme to give children the tools they need to read and write
• the use of decodable reading books during phonics lessons to give children instant success and build their confidence
• exposure to non-decodable reading books to develop vocabulary and comprehension
• access to ‘real’ books through regular visits to the school library
• daily opportunities for the children to apply their phonics and reading in meaningful ways across the curriculum

The remainder of the workshop was led by Mrs Tominey who gave a presentation on ‘Read Write Inc. Phonics’, followed by a live phonics lesson with a group of Primary 2 pupils. The children were absolute superstars and parents and carers were amazed to think that’s what their own child will be able to do in just a year’s time.

Our August – December Parental Engagement & Family Learning leaflet can be accessed via the link below:

Final August to December Family Learning 2026

Our first Cathedral Pupil Parliament theme of the session is Our Learning & Teaching, with a specific focus on pupils co-designing and refreshing learning spaces with their teachers. At their Class Council meetings on Monday 31st August, pupils across the school were asked ‘What changes or improvements would you like to make to your learning street?’.

House Captains met on Wednesday 3rd September to discuss the results and update our Action Board which helps Cathedral continually drive forward change and improvement for all of our learners. Our Cabinet Secretaries for Learning will carry out an inspection of learning streets with Mrs Mellon and Mrs Duffy next week to agree on how Cathedral learners’ suggestions will be actioned.

You can find out more about Cathedral Pupil Parliament by clicking on the link below:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/nl/olga/smart-school-council/

This week at Cathedral Nursery, we have been exploring the natural world through flowers, vegetables and the changing weather. We spent time observing the beautiful flowers in our nursery garden and engaged in thoughtful discussions about the different parts of a flower, including the stem, leaves and petals. We then used the colourful playdough we had created to make our own flowers, sharing what we already know about the world around us and developing our understanding through hands-on experiences.

Our learning continued as we explored and learned about growing vegetables, including identifying some unusual and unfamiliar varieties. The children enjoyed sharing their thoughts, experiences and preferences as we talked about different foods and explored the variety of tastes and textures they offer. These experiences encouraged the children to develop their vocabulary, communicate their ideas and show curiosity about the natural world.

Some of our young learners have also been taking time to observe the weather from our nursery window. They have begun to notice and describe changes in the weather and are starting to make links between these changes and the different seasons. Through these conversations, the children are developing their understanding of the world and becoming increasingly confident in expressing their observations.

Using fine black markers, we have been exploring self-portraits. The children carefully observed themselves in the mirror, paying close attention to their facial features and using what they noticed to create their own drawings. Alongside this, we have been talking about feelings and emotions, encouraging the children to think about how they are feeling and how they can express their emotions through art and creativity.

It has been a lovely week at Cathedral Nursery, filled with opportunities to explore, create, observe and discover. The children have been building on their existing skills while developing new knowledge, confidence and understanding through a wide range of meaningful experiences.

As part of their current topic, our talented Primary 2 pupils thoroughly enjoyed bringing their ideas to life in Cathedral’s Playzone on Friday, 4 September. Following thoughtful planning and careful designing, painting and construction, the children proudly presented their imaginative creations to Mrs Duffy.

We may well have some architects and designers of the future in our midst!

Good attendance makes a HUGE difference to your child’s progress and attainment. Every school day really does count!

We are now into the fourth week of the school year and Cathedral’s overall pupil attendance is currently:

94.2% 

This is 1 % lower than this time last year, so it is vital this percentage is raised as a matter of urgency.

Many thanks to all parents and carers for your support in helping us maintain high pupil attendance across Cathedral school community. A helpful leaflet about attendance percentages can be accessed via the link below:

Attendance table

Our Primary 7 pupils have been enjoying special reading sessions with their Primary 1 buddies in our school library. By sharing stories, asking questions and encouraging participation, they are helping our youngest learners develop essential early reading skills and a love of books.

These sessions are also helping Primary 1 and Primary 7 pupils build warm, positive relationships. We are incredibly proud of our Primary 7 pupils, who continue to be excellent role models for the youngest members of our school community.

Our August – December Family Learning programme has now been finalised. The first ‘universal’ parent workshop, for Primary 1 parents and carers, will focus on phonics and literacy. This takes place on Tuesday 8th September. This is only a few weeks away, so please make a careful note of the date in your diary.

Alongside the usual coffee mornings and learning showcases, there will be workshops for all P3–P7 parents and carers, including a short presentation on mathematics. Individual class visits will also provide opportunities to support Cathedral learners in developing problem-solving skills and a lifelong love of mathematics.

Primary 2 parents and carers will have the opportunity to join their child at Motherwell library for a reading workshop and a scavenger hunt on Tuesday 15th  September.

There will be a number of targeted Family Learning workshops, by invitation only, delivered by our ‘A Team’. The first of these is for English as additional language parents/carers takes place on Tuesday 15th September.

Please click on the link below to access our August – December Parental Engagement & Family Learning leaflet:

Click to access Final-August-to-December-Family-Learning-2026.pdf

While many of us were relaxing this weekend, one talented Primary 5 pupil was busy writing, illustrating and publishing her very own book!

Cathedral teachers were so impressed that she has been invited to make a special guest appearance and share her story with another class on the same Learning Street – Winners Wynd. What an achievement!

At Cathedral Primary, our pupils never stop learning. We are fortunate to have a well-resourced library filled with carefully differentiated, book-banded texts. Every class enjoys timetabled visits throughout the week, helping all our young learners develop a lifelong love of reading.

Written, designed and created entirely by a pupil—proof that our library inspires not only enthusiastic readers, but budding authors too!

September’s wellbeing indicator is SAFE. Please use the prompts below to talk to your child about this indicator. This will help them complete their wellbeing wheel in school.

Nursery and Primary 1

• I feel safe in my classroom.
• I feel safe in school. 
• I feel safe when I’m not in school. 
• I can name the emergency services. 
• I know what to do when I need help. 
• I know how to help others. 
• I have people who help me when I am sick, in danger or need to learn. 
• I can work safely when using different equipment. 
• I know that medicines can be harmful. 
• I know how to cross the road safely. 

Primary 2 – 4

• I feel safe in my classroom and in school.
• I feel safe when I’m not in school.
• I know how to contact the main emergency services.
• I have people who help me when I am sick, in danger or need to learn.
• I can handle equipment safely.
• I know how to safely store different types of food.
• I know that medication can be used to help with illness but can be harmful too.
• I know how to cross the road safely.

Primary 5 – 7

• I feel safe in my classroom and in school.
• I can perform basic First Aid procedures.
• I know how to contact the emergency services and give full details of the incident and location.
• I know about the risks associated with the use of substances, alcohol and cigarettes.
• I know that taking risks can affect my life in different ways.
• I have someone that I can talk to if I am worried about my safety.
• I am learning about respect for my body and know what behaviour is right and wrong.
• I can handle food and kitchen equipment safely and hygienically.

Pupils, parents, staff and parishioners celebrated the start of the term with a Mass in school on Friday 28th August.  Primary 6 pupils had responsibility for the readings, prayers of the faithful and offertory and our choir led the hymns beautifully. Our new Pupil Chaplains from the IGNITE team also assisted with the celebration, including greeting people at the door. Our Primary 6 also enrolled for the Pope Francis Award.

Save the date: our Primary 1 Welcome Mass, which ALL Cathedral families and parishioners are most welcome to attend, will be celebrated in the Cathedral church on Thursday 17th September at 10.00am. We very much look forward to formally welcoming Primary 1 pupils and their families to the Cathedral family. Pupil Chaplains will be commissioned during the welcome mass and Cathedral teachers will renew their commitment to their vocation as Catholic educators in the presence of the school and parish community.