This week in Cathedral nursery, our young learners have been diving into the wonderful world of pumpkins! We discovered where pumpkins come from and enjoyed getting hands-on with the inside — scooping, feeling, and talking about the different textures and smells. There were plenty of giggles (and a few enthusiastic “ewwws!”) as we explored together.
The children have also been busy creating beautiful black-and-white self-portraits. Using mirrors, they looked carefully at their reflections and shared their thoughts and feelings. We talked about how our emotions can change in different situations and reminded ourselves that all feelings are okay — whether we’re happy, sad, excited, or even a little grumpy.
Throughout the week, we’ve continued to celebrate our nursery values, with a special focus on Love and Friendship. It has been heartwarming to see these values shining through in the children’s play, conversations, and everyday interactions — showing kindness, care, and respect for one another in everything they do.
On Thursday 30th October, Primary 6 learners enjoyed a Halloween themed STEM session. Transforming their classroom into a mini science lab, filled with spooky surprises, learners experimented with materials to create their own glow-in-the-dark slime. What a fantastic way to explore science with a touch of Halloween magic!
There was a nice surprise for Mr Young as he walked through Cathedral’s Play Zone on Wednesday 29th October. This imaginative Primary 1 learner had set up a very professional‑looking health clinic. Armed with a stethoscope, our young medic invited Mr Young to sit down and carried out a full health screening.
There was a SPOOK-tacularly good atmosphere in the hall on Tuesday 28th October for Cathedral’s Halloween discos. Costumes across all stages were absolutely fantastic and the boys and girls had a great time showing off their spooky dance moves!
These two enthusiastic Primary 4 learners generously gave up their lunchtime on Tuesday 28th October to design and create a fantastic ‘Happy Halloween’ banner. Their creativity and teamwork shone through, and the banner was proudly displayed to welcome Cathedral pupils to that evening’s Halloween discos.
As part of Come Clubbing @ Cathedral, our Primary 7 learners recently completed Young Leaders training with our resident Active Schools Co‑ordinator, Fiona Baird. The Young Leader Award is an excellent introduction to leadership, equipping young people aged eleven and over with the knowledge and skills to organise and lead small games and activities that can be used in club sessions.
Cathedral’s Investigation & Innovation Hub family learning sessions continued on Tuesday 28th October. Each session began with a presentation from Mr Young on how activities within the hub fit naturally into Cathedral’s overall Active8 approach. Mr Young went on to explain the importance of Cathedral Primary helping learners develop skills for life and work in the 21st Century, including creativity, collaboration, adaptability and persistence/grit.
As part of the final celebrations marking Cathedral’s 150th anniversary, a very special project is underway — the creation and burial of a time capsule in the cathedral grounds.
This Primary 5 learner was delighted to see his thoughtful idea from back in August come to life on Monday 27th October. A large picture and quotation from Pope Francis has brightened Cathedral’s main stairwell for a number of years. Inspired by this, he suggested to Mr Young that we create a similar display featuring Pope Leo XIV in another stairwell. The new quotation has now been installed and reads: