Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

Primary 1 and Primary 2 were the first Cathedral learners to make the short walk to Motherwell Heritage Centre on Wednesday 5th February for a workshop linked to our 150th anniversary. The parish school has been around for an incredible 150 years and the children had the opportunity to find out what daily life, education, industry and the town of Motherwell was like when our school opened in 1875. The Victorian toys and playground games were particularly popular with our young learners.

Primary 3 – 7 classes will visit the Heritage Centre in the coming weeks.

Cathedral excelled in the North Lanarkshire Active Schools Girls Football Festival at Braidhurst High School on Tuesday 4th February, winning all three of their matches! Results were as follows:

Cathedral vs Newarthill: 4 – 1

Cathedral vs Christ the King: 1 – 0

Cathedral vs Our Lady & St Francis: 5 – 0

Well done, Team OLGA!

As part of our targeted family learning programme, Cathedral learners have the opportunity to attend our Monday homework club and even bring along a parent/carer to join in their learning. The club, which supports learners across the school, provides a warm, quiet space for pupils to complete their homework, have access to any learning resources they need and get expert help from our Attainment Team if they get stuck. Of course, there’s juice and a biscuit to stop any rumbling tummies and a cuppa for the grown-ups!

Many thanks to our amazing Attainment Team for supporting Cathedral pupils’ learning beyond the end of the school day.

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

Our overall pupil attendance dipped to a worrying 92.6% in December. However, as February arrives, we are delighted to say Cathedral’s overall pupil attendance has bounced back to an encouraging:

94.0% 

Although this current rate is in line with Cathedral’s attendance target for this session, our aim is to see our overall pupil attendance sitting above 95% by June 2025. Attendance for the second week of January 2025 was an impressive 96.33%, so this goal is most definitely achievable!

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

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

Primary 1

• I share my ideas during Smart School Council.
• My teacher asks me about my learning. 
• I help the teacher to make decisions about my learning. 
• I often tell the teacher what I think about my work. 
• I can make and keep good friends. 
• I show respect to myself, others and school property. 

Primary 2 – 4

• I share my ideas during Smart School Council.
• My teacher asks me about my learning. 
• I help the teacher to make decisions about my learning. 
• I can contribute to self and peer-assessment with respect. 
• I can make and keep good friends. 
• I show respect to myself, others and property. 
• I can listen to the ideas, thoughts and feelings of others. 

Primary 5 – 7

• I share my ideas during Smart School Council.
• I take on responsibilities in class and beyond, such as buddying.
• I regularly discuss my learning with my teacher. 
• I help the teacher to make decisions about my learning. 
• I can contribute to meaningful self and peer-assessment. 
• I have personal skills that help me to manage my relationships. 
• I show respect for myself, others and property. 

Cathedral school community, alongside families and parishioners, gathered for a special Mass in the school hall on Friday 31st January, the Feast of St John Bosco, to formally mark the opening of the 150th anniversary year of our school and parish.

The Mass, celebrated by Bishop Toal and Fr Lamb, was a joyous occasion filled with music beautifully performed by Cathedral school choir under the direction of Mr. Greechin. A stunning floral display, generously donated by a parent, adorned the altar as a ‘thank you’ from Cathedral pupils to their teachers and helpers.

Provost Kenneth Duffy and Convener of Education, Councillor Michael McBride, attended the Mass and presented commemorative 150th anniversary medals to pupils and staff. The medals, featuring the school badge on one side and an image of Our Lady on the reverse, are a tribute to Cathedral’s rich and proud history. A particularly special moment came when three generations of the McGuire family received their medals: Mary (87), who attended the school in the 1895 building; her son Martin, educated in the 1950s/60s building; and Martin’s daughter, Sophie, a current Primary 7 pupil.

The Mass marked the first of many exciting events planned for Cathedral’s special year. A major highlight of the year will be Mass in the Cathedral on Tuesday 20th May when a Mass setting, composed by Mr Young and dedicated to Cathedral pupils and staff, will be sung during the liturgy. Following the Mass, stones from the 1895 building will be dedicated in their new location within the Cathedral grounds, and an exhibition on the school’s history, curated by Primary 7 pupils, will open in St Bride’s Hall.

The full programme of events for both our 150th Anniversary and the Jubilee Year can be accessed via the link below:

150th Anniversary & Jubilee programme

MNU 0-11a I have experimented with everyday items as units of measure to investigate and compare sizes and amount in my environments, sharing my findings with others.

LIT 0-14a I use signs, books or other texts to find useful information and I use this to plan, make choices or learn new things.

Well-being indicator: NURTURED

Our young learners have been making their own homemade soup using some common vegetables that we find in shops. The children considered and talked about  health and safety, including the importance of good hygiene within the Cathedral Café area. Our learners used a variety of cooking equipment, some for the first time. Many of the children used these independently, demonstrating themselves as successful learners and confident individuals.

The children have shown independence using the Smart Board to access videos to develop their fitness and discover ways they can keep their bodies active. The children have also been very active in our outdoor area, experimenting with everyday items to make obstacle courses and take part in group games. Our young learners are beginning to find ways to describe or show how their bodies feel after exercise.

Learning experiences this week have created opportunities for the children to feel confident to express their thoughts and opinions. They have enjoyed listening to ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and have been developing an understanding of the sequence of the story. Our young learners have used a lightbox and counters to design and create their own versions of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’.

These Cathedral learners made the short journey to Dunelm in Uddingston on Thursday 30th January to select a few finishing touches for the toilets in their learning street. The colours for the toilet walls were chosen by pupils and Chris, our painter, is making great progress freshening up the spaces which, up until now, had been functional but uninspiring. Watch this space for photographs of the great toilet transformations!

As part of their learning on Chinese New Year, these Firpark learners popped over to Cathedral Primary on Wednesday 29th January to scare their Campus Connection friends with their fabulous Chinese dragon! We wish all of our friends in Firpark and Clydeview, along with our Chinese families here in Cathedral, much happiness and prosperity in the year ahead.

恭喜发财 

Gong hei fat choy!