Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

This week has been full of rich opportunities for our young learners to connect, create and explore.

We’ve been focusing on building positive relationships and supporting the children as they learn to listen to one another. Through group discussions and shared activities, we explored how our emotions can change and talked about how we feel in different situations. This helped us deepen our understanding of empathy and discover new ways to express ourselves.

One of the most popular areas this week was the playdough table. The children looked closely at recipes and ingredients, then experimented with exciting additions such as lemon zest, porridge oats, and dried pasta. They carried these skills into our baking area, where we investigated where lemons and limes come from before deciding to make our very own lemon cake. Tasting their creations was a highlight, and the children loved sharing their thoughts on the different flavours.

To support early literacy, we went on a rhyming-word hunt. Using flashcards as visual prompts helped the children understand what makes a word rhyme. Before long, they were challenging each other to think of new rhyming pairs, turning it into a fun and lively game.

Following the publication of Cathedral’s highly positive inspection report, Mr Young has been asked by North Lanarkshire Council to undertake a secondment from 1st April 2026 until June 2027, supporting wider work across the local authority in learning and teaching, inclusive practice and leadership. During this time, Mrs Duffy will serve as full-time Acting Head Teacher.

A letter from Mr James McParland, Chief Officer (South), can be accessed via the link below:

Changes at Cathedral Primary School

Mr Young was delighted to find all six Primary 6 and 7 classes gathered in Ambition Avenue on Tuesday 24th March. Under the musical direction of Mrs Shevlin, the children were busy rehearsing songs for this year’s school show, Oliver.

Mr Young enjoyed an energetic and enthusiastic performance of ‘Food, Glorious Food,’ which showcased the pupils’ hard work and excitement for the upcoming production. The show will take to the stage on Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th June.

Here at Cathedral, we take great pride in ensuring every learner receives their full entitlement to a Broad General Education.

On Monday 23rd March, Mr Young visited Winners Wynd and found these Primary 5 learners immersed in Textile Technology. As part of their Scottish Wars of Independence topic, they had designed their own tartan and were carefully transferring their patterns onto fabric.

There’s plenty of excitement still to come as they prepare to pleat and sew their very own kilts in the weeks ahead!

After last week’s disappointment of cancelling our forest visit due to high winds, the beautiful sunshine on Thursday 19th March more than made up for it.

Our young learners took part in a whittling activity, developing a new skill and adding another string to their bow. They listened carefully and followed all safety instructions, both when using the tools and while toasting marshmallows over the fire.

During our session, we discovered an injured red-tailed bumblebee. The children showed wonderful care and patience, spending time trying to help it. After offering some sugary water, our tiny visitor began to drink and soon showed signs of recovery. It was a lovely opportunity to demonstrate empathy and learn how we can support our forest friends.

The ever-popular rope activities continued, with climbing skills and confidence improving week by week. Our young learners are also becoming increasingly responsible, embracing the challenges and opportunities that the forest environment provides.

The young learners of Cathedral, Firpark and Clydeview once again joined forces on Friday 20th March to support a local Motherwell foodbank. Guided by Miss Cawley, pupils helped organise and collect the many generous donations contributed across the three schools. Andrew Ewart from the Maranatha Foodbank expressed his gratitude and was, once again, amazed by the kindness shown by Cathedral, Firpark and Clydeview families. Thank you to everyone who donated so thoughtfully.

For Cathedral’s Muslim families, Ramadan, the holy month of prayer and fasting, is now over and today, 20th March, loved ones come together to celebrate Eid ul-Fitr. From everyone here at Cathedral, may this Eid be filled with peace, happiness and many blessings!

These two Primary 3 learners had a fantastic time taking on one of their class’s Explore & Extend challenges on Thursday 19th March. Their task was to design and build a leprechaun trap as part of this week’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations — and they rose to the challenge brilliantly.

Working together, they showed wonderful imagination, problem‑solving skills, and plenty of laughter along the way. Their final design was clever, colourful, and—no matter how cunning a leprechaun might be—almost certainly guaranteed to stop one in its tracks!

Mrs Cassidy led a targeted Health & Wellbeing Family Learning workshop on Wednesday 18th March, bringing together parents and carers for an engaging and informative session.

Attendees were introduced to our ‘Cool Connections’ programme, gaining a clear overview of its aims and impact, while also having the chance to take part in a range of interactive activities.

Our Cathedral learners played a key role in the session, confidently sharing their personal experiences of the programme and explaining how the weekly sessions have supported the development of their social and emotional wellbeing.