Please read our news about things that have been happening and information.
The School In Reach service will be visiting school on Wednesday 8th October at 2pm for a Parent/Carer workshop on Emotional Regulation. All welcome to attend.
They will also be working with Years 3 - 6 over the next few weeks.
This morning our school came together to celebrate Owain Glyndŵr Day, a special occasion that takes place each year on 16th September. Owain Glyndŵr is remembered as the last native Prince of Wales, who was proclaimed Prince of Wales by his followers in 1400. He is an important figure in Welsh history and continues to be celebrated as a national hero.
Year 6 had a great time visiting Margam Park on Thursday in preparation for their play focusing on the history of the Port Talbot Steel Works. They had a tour and talk with a member of the 'Friends of Margam Park' who told them all about the history of the castle and the Talbot family. They also visited Aberavon beach to see the Steel Works' cranes etc. around the docks. More information on their play to come.
There was a great turn out for the two-day Gaelic Football Summer Camp with Years 4 -6 and Yr 7 past pupils. Everyone enjoyed fun, fitness, and football, learning new skills, being with friends and enjoying the outdoors. A huge thank you to Mr Maddock and his past pupil coaches for giving up their time this week.
We celebrated our 28th Sunflower Day concert on Friday 11th July and this year was a very meaningful celebration as we were thinking especially of Mrs Maureen Houston and Mrs Julie Griffiths, who sadly died this year after working for many years at St Joseph's. They gave so much to our school and are both deeply missed, and it meant a lot to have both of their families with us for Sunflower Day.
It was such a lovely day with excellent support from parents and the community. All the classes sang happy 'sun' and 'flowers' songs and danced and smiled all afternoon, and we raised £1400 for the South West Wales Cancer fund in Singleton Hospital. We even had a guest appearance by 'The Spring,' a band made up of past pupils.
An exciting online adventure all about the world of Marvellous Minibeasts!
For the second year running we have won a Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative award thanks to Mr Maddock's hard work blogging all that we do. Big thanks also to Morgan & Millie who were brilliant on the day, picking up the award. Morgan even ended up sharing his acting skills in a sketch with 'Barti Ddu.'
This year the entry was entitled 'History in the Making', all about the growth of Gaelic Football within our school. Mr Maddock introduced the sport to St Joseph's many years ago and our teams have competed in local, National, British and Irish competitions with one side even leading out an All Ireland side on to Croke Park. The award celebrated how we embrace our roots and make them our belonging - where we are now - and we are very proud.
Mr Maddock works with past pupils and has developed manu into coaches who are now helping younger teams. He is running a two-day Summer Camp for Years 4, 5 & 6 in Coed Gwilym Park, the first two days after we break up.
Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 had a great time at Aberavon Beach on Friday 4th July. They visited the RNLI for a talk and had a picnic and built sandcastles on the sand. Of course, they all had to have an ice lolly to finish off the day.
Thanks to all the staff and past pupil volunteers who made the day possible.
This week, our talented athletes represented our school in the county athletics finals – competing against the very best from Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot. Despite soaring temperatures, our pupils showed outstanding determination, sportsmanship, and resilience, making us all incredibly proud.
A Celebration of Welsh Language, Culture, and Football!
Our Year 3 and 4 Football Teams had a fantastic day at The Clwyd Primary - KS2 Cup event, today.
Our third-time-lucky Sports Day was a great success and the sun even came out for us. Nursery pupils entertained parents with a range of fun activities in the morning, showing off their skills. In the afternoon, Reception to Year 6 classes raced and skipped, with everyone cheering each other on.
A huge thank you to the Friends of St Joseph who worked tirelessly before and on the day. They acquired donations from Tesco Pontardawe, Clydacjch Co-op and the local councillor, Brigitte Rowlands and set up, manned the stalls and cleared everything away.
Also, a big thanks to the staff for organising and doing the events, to the pupils for all taking part in good spirits and to our parents for supporting the event so well.
