Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

During their recent visit to the Cathedral for confession in preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, the exemplary behaviour and reverence of our Primary 7 pupils did not go unnoticed. Mr Tony Coia of St Mary’s Parish, Lanark, was deeply moved by the children’s prayerful presence and devotion.

As a gesture of kindness and encouragement, Tony generously gifted each Primary 7 pupil a Christmas card on Thursday 28th November, accompanied by a blessed cloth from the pilgrimage site of Medjugorje in Bosnia. The cloth bears the words of Our Lady: “If you knew how much I loved you, you’d cry for joy.”

Cathedral extends heartfelt thanks to Mr Coia for his generosity and for sharing such a meaningful gift with our learners.

The dining hall and gym were alive with festive excitement as families gathered for Cathedral’s Christmas Fayre on Thursday 27 November. Children and adults alike enjoyed a wonderful variety of stalls and activities including handmade crafts, face painting, tombola, Christmas karaoke, and even a bouncy castle.

A special highlight was a visit from the REAL Santa, who made the journey all the way from the North Pole to meet the children and join in the celebrations. Mr Young wasn’t in the least surprised to discover that every single Cathedral learner has made it onto Santa’s ‘nice’ list!

By the time 6 o’clock arrived, the Fayre had raised an incredible £3100 for school funds. A HUGE thank you to our hardworking fundraising committee and all the Cathedral elves who helped make the event such a success.

Our nursery has been buzzing with curiosity and creativity as our young learners explored big questions about the world around them through rich, playful experiences.

We began by learning about the planets and discussing the difference between day and night. Children shared their observations of what happens at different times of the day and reflected on how routines — from morning jobs to lunchtime and home time — help us understand what comes next.

Inspired by environmental print spotted in our local community, the children set up their very own McDonald’s drive‑thru! Thanks to a kind parent donation of real packaging, learners took on different roles, created their own signs, took orders, and used their imaginations to bring the experience to life.

Our nursery rhyme of the week was Incy Wincy Spider. Learners loved reciting the rhyme with actions, spotting rhyming words, and building early phonological awareness. Families are encouraged to join in at home and share your learning on journals.

In our construction area, children compared and built models using connector blocks. They explored size, height, and length, used mathematical language, and experimented with balance and stability — fantastic early numeracy and problem‑solving skills in action.

What a wonderful week of discovery and growing confidence for our nursery learners!

Primary 7b had a great time developing their coding skills on Wednesday 26th November. Using coloured tiles and Marty the robot’s colour sensors, our talented coders confidently programmed his movements. Through teamwork and collaboration, they made Marty walk, dance, and even kick a football!

Perhaps we have a future robotic addition to Cathedral’s football team in the making!

On Wednesday 26th November, a team of Cathedral elves reached out to the local community with invitations to our Christmas Fayre, which takes place on Thursday 27th November. Santa’s little helpers delivered invitations along the length and breadth of Milton Street to residents, many of whom joined us for our 150th Jubilee exhibition back in May.

Miss Young has been a much‑loved member of the Cathedral Primary family since joining us two years ago. Always ready with a smile, a helping hand and a calm, diplomatic word on the football pitch, she has made a huge contribution to the life of our school.

Miss Young has decided to pursue a career in Early Years education and will take up a new post at St Timothy’s Nursery, Coatbridge, on Wednesday 26th November.

Cathedral will miss Miss Young’s warmth, patience and understanding. However, we extend our heartfelt thanks for all she has given during her time with us and wish her every success as she embarks on this exciting new chapter.

Pupils, staff, families, and parishioners came together to celebrate Education Sunday at the Vigil Mass in St Luke’s on Saturday 22nd November and the morning Mass in OLGA Cathedral on Sunday 23rd November. Cathedral pupils led the bidding prayers and offertory, while senior pupils from Our Lady’s High School delivered the readings and the Catholic Education Week address.

Across our schools and parishes, we celebrate and give thanks for the precious gift of Catholic Education which seeks to develop and nurture the whole person, build a community between home, school and parish and continue the Church’s mission of calling young people to discover and enter into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

The four schools which make up Our Lady’s Cluster have put together an electronic newsletter for Catholic Education Week, which can be accessed via the link below.

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/ZZMPJduCPw0uKrJ6?ref=email

This enthusiastic Primary 3 learner proudly shared his persuasive letter to Santa with Mr Young on Friday 21st November. In his letter, he made a heartfelt request for a black and yellow bike this Christmas.

What made his writing especially engaging was the imaginative way he kept Santa entertained, asking thoughtful questions such as “How’s Mrs Claus doing?”, “Is my elf up to mischief?”, and “Is Rudolph ready for his big night?”

He told Santa about the icy weather here in Scotland before adding a special wish that it would snow really heavily this Christmas.

Having written such a fantastic letter, Mr Young is certain Santa will be persuaded to deliver that black and yellow bike!

Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral was filled with family and friends as Primary 7 pupils received the Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday 20th November. Every pupil participated attentively and prayerfully throughout the liturgy, and the beautiful music—led by Mr Greechan and the Cathedral School Choir—enhanced the reverent atmosphere.

Our sincere thanks go to Bishop Toal and Fr Lamb for celebrating the liturgy; to parents and families for accompanying the children on their ongoing faith journey; to Mrs Callaghan, Mrs Shevlin and Mrs Allison for preparing their classes for the sacrament; and to all those—both from the school and the parish—who worked diligently behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly on the night.

We continue to keep all the pupils who received the Sacrament of Confirmation in our prayers.

This week, our young learners have been busily exploring the world around them through play, curiosity and imagination.

In the playroom, the children experimented with everyday objects as non-standard units of measure. Using blocks, wooden spools and colourful counting cubes, they compared the length and size of familiar items, even using their own hands and feet to compare with their friends.

During our local walks and indoor explorations, the children have also been spotting environmental print all around them. They eagerly identified signs, labels, logos and shop names they recognise from daily life. These moments sparked conversations about familiar places we visit, helping the children build on what they already know while encouraging them to think ahead and make choices in their learning.

We have also been tuning into sounds this week, focusing on hearing and identifying the initial sounds in our names. The children listened carefully to the first letter, practised saying the sound it makes, and enjoyed finding other words that begin the same way. We’d love our families to join in at home… keep an ear out for words that start with the same sound as your child’s name and share any discoveries with us!