Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School

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!

Many thanks to the Fundraising Committee for organising and co-ordinating the discos, to the amazing DJ Damian, and to all those teachers who gave of their own time to come along and join in the fun.

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.

A big thank you to our young artists for helping make the two Halloween discos a spook‑tacular success!

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.

Primary 7 took part in a two‑week training programme and were each awarded certificates on successful completion. Already, our new young leaders from P7b are putting their skills into practice by running daily lunchtime clubs for some of our Primary 3 and 4 learners.

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.

Following the presentation, parents and carers worked alongside their child to get a feel for the types of exciting, open-ended projects which take place in the hub.

You can read more about Cathedral’s Investigation & Innovation Hub my clicking on the link below:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/nl/olga/investigation-innovation-hub/

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.

To ensure the capsule truly reflects the life and spirit of our school in 2025, learners were recently consulted through Pupil Parliament on what should be included. From their thoughtful suggestions, the House Captains worked closely with Gillian Brogan from Motherwell Heritage Centre to finalise the items that will be preserved for future generations.

The Pupil Parliament Action Board was updated week beginning Monday 27th October to help drive forward this latest project. Watch this space for details of the official burial ceremony, which promises to be another memorable highlight of Cathedral Primary’s 150th anniversary year.

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:

“Dear young people, aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle for less.”

Pope Leo’s inspiring words will be a daily reminder of faith and ambition for the Cathedral school community, especially our older learners who are located in this part of the building.

On Saturday 25th October, one of our talented Primary 4 learners took part in an Irish dancing competition in Glasgow. She performed brilliantly, securing an overall third place in the prestigious Shamrock Feis.

Her hard work and dedication were rewarded with an impressive trophy and a stunning crystal Celtic cross, which she accepted with great pride.

We are incredibly proud of her achievement and the way she represented Cathedral Primary with such skill and enthusiasm.

On Monday 27th October, one of our Primary 7 learners proudly represented Cathedral Primary at the North Lanarkshire Council Pupil Conference.

This year’s theme focused on the use of mobile phones in schools—an issue that affects learners across the authority. Our Cathedral representative joined pupils from other schools across North Lanarkshire to share ideas, discuss different perspectives, and contribute to shaping a new local authority policy.

It was a fantastic opportunity for delegates to develop confidence, communication and leadership skills while ensuring that the voices of young people are heard in decisions that directly impact their learning. We are very proud of the thoughtful contribution this particular House Captain made on behalf of Cathedral school community.

Mr Young experienced a lovely moment during his walk around the school on Monday 27th October when he came across Primary 1 and 2 pupils learning the songs for this year’s nativity, ‘Angel Express’.

Although October might seem a bit early to begin rehearsals, co-ordinating a performance with an incredible 128 Primary 1 and 2 learners is no small task! From learning the songs and assigning roles to memorising lines and perfecting choreography, the production is always an exciting but ambitious undertaking. Thankfully, the production is in the exceptionally capable and creative hands of Mrs McCoy!

Excitement is already building and we can’t wait to see the magic come to life in the weeks ahead as Primary 1 and 2 prepare for their festive performance.

Cathedral school community gathered together on Friday 24th October to celebrate Mass in honour of St John Paul II, the extraordinary Polish pope whose dynamic leadership, unwavering passion, and courageous spirit guided the Church from 1978 to 2005. During the Mass, Cathedral’s ninety-one Primary 6 learners made a public commitment to channel the same energy, passion, and courage into their journey through the Pope Francis Faith Award, which they have now embarked upon. Each learner received a wristband to proudly wear as a visible sign of their commitment.

Information on the Pope Francis Faith Award can be accessed via the link below:

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/nl/olga/pope-francis-faith-award/