New Beginnings

St. Joseph’s Primary School, Bessbrook was filled with festive cheer on Sunday 30th November as we proudly hosted our first ever Friends of St. Joseph’s Christmas Craft Fayre. What an incredible start to what we hope will become a much loved annual tradition! The response from the local and wider community was phenomenal. Both our dinner hall and assembly hall were packed to capacity throughout the day, creating a lively festive atmosphere and showcasing the true spirit of our community. As a first time event, the Fayre exceeded all expectations and was an overwhelming success. Thank You to Our Wonderful Community A huge thank you to everyone who attended and supported our fundraising efforts. Your enthusiasm helps us continue to develop our school, strengthen community connections, and create meaningful opportunities for our pupils. With Special Thanks To… - The Friends of St. Joseph’s Committee Thank you for your months of planning, preparation, and behind the scenes hard work. Your dedication brought this first-time event to life in the most impressive way and extended right through to decorating the halls so beautifully for the Fayre. -Our Wonderful Vendors We are grateful to all the talented creators and local businesses who travelled from near and far to take part. Your stalls were vibrant, creative, and a joy for our visitors to explore. -Our Helpers To the P.7 boys and girls who supported vendors with setting up and packing away—your teamwork and maturity were highly praised by all our vendors. To the P.7 pupils and past pupils who volunteered throughout the day—you made a real difference in helping the event run smoothly. -Staff, Parents & Community Volunteers Thank you to every volunteer who welcomed visitors, supported stalls, organised activities, and helped in countless ways. Your generosity and community spirit were essential to the success of our first Fayre. -Gary & Theresa Hughes A big thank you to our school caretaker Gary and his wife Theresa, who transformed our school foyer with beautiful festive decorations. Your hard work helped set the perfect tone as visitors arrived. -Louise & Niamh McArdle Our thanks also go to our staff members Louise and Niamh McArdle for your stunning balloon displays and charming window paintings. Your creativity brought colour, magic and festive fun to our school. -John, Oisín, Michael & Our Fantastic School Choir Your performances filled the school with music and Christmas spirit all day long. Our choir shone brightly—well done to each of you! A special mention to Niamh Rooney, who returned to join the choir with her African drums. Her wonderful rhythms added something truly special to the day’s entertainment and were enjoyed by all. -Donors of Gifts & Prizes We were overwhelmed by the donations of gifts, vouchers, hampers, selection boxes, and raffle prizes. Thank you to local businesses, parents, and community members for your kindness and support. -Savage & Whitten A special thank you to Savage & Whitten, who generously donated crisps, sweets and drinks for our tuck shop. Your contribution helped keep excitement—and energy—high all day long! -Santa Claus A magical thank you to Santa Claus, who arrived in spectacular style on an ambulance to visit our pupils in St. Joseph’s Primary School and the children across the Bessbrook area. We are so grateful that he took time out of his very busy Christmas schedule to bring joy to our boys and girls. His appearance made the day truly unforgettable! An Amazing Fundraising Achievement Thanks to the incredible generosity and participation of our community, the event raised £4,000. This is an outstanding total for our first ever Christmas Craft Fayre and every penny will go directly towards enriching the experiences and opportunities we provide for our pupils. This first Christmas Craft Fayre has set a wonderful foundation for years to come. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special and successful community event. Check out our website for more photos/videos: https://www.stjosephsbessbrook.com/news/our-first-ever-friends-of-st-josephs-christmas-craft-fayre--a-fantastic-community-success/

The Governors, Principal and staff of St Joseph’s PS regret the death of Tommy McArdle, Clady, father of our esteemed colleague Veronica McKernan. We extend our deepest sympathies to Veronica and the entire family circle. St Joseph, pray for him.

📢 Back by popular demand! After the amazing success of our first Bingo Night, Friends of St. Joseph’s are thrilled to announce our St. Patrick’s Bingo Night on Friday 13th March at 7pm! 🍀 Get into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit and wear a splash of green if you’d like! We can’t wait to see you all there!

Well done to our past pupils Emma and Austin. A fantastic representation of our SPIMS classes.

Well done and good luck Keeley!

*IMPORTANT* THE SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER IS HERE TODAY AND TOMORROW To have your children’s photo taken, you must register them online..... If you do not register, your child will not have their photo taken. 👉 Register at: www.edenmourneshop.com 👉 Use code: JRRRE9J3K4 Registration only takes a minute and must be done each year. Once the photos are ready to view on their website, the photographer will send you a unique access code by text/email. 📱 Tip: Register a mobile number for text updates, as emails may go to your junk folder. Don’t miss the chance– register today!

Some photos of yesteryear courtesy of newry.ln