About St Joes
Special character
St Joseph’s Cathedral School is a Roman Catholic School and its Special Catholic Character is the fundamental purpose of its existence.
This Special Character is expressed in all areas of our school. Each day begins with prayer in all classrooms and classes take turns to lead the school community in “Shared Prayer’ on a regular basis. Each teacher is rostered to lead the Staff in prayer at the beginning of weekly Staff meetings. Class Masses and whole school Masses also occur throughout the year, as do other Liturgical celebrations when appropriate such as our school-wide celebration of the Easter Journey. Religious Education is taught from the National Curriculum and themes from the Learning Strands permeate the classrooms.
Our Special Character is also promoted through our Young Vinnies group which is involved in Social Justice projects.
Our CARE programme assists the children in the practical application of living the values of Jesus as does our very successful House Group system. The Year 6 pupils have the responsibility to “look out” for the children in their House Group and to lead and encourage them in a variety of organized activities.
Once a year the children plan and participate in Mission Day.
It is always a wonderful display of St Joseph’s children helping children in another country.
Not all pupils are Catholic at our school, however, they still participate in all areas of our school life. We have celebrated with some of these children and their families who have chosen to become Catholics.
Learning journey
At St Joes' we aim to provide quality education within a supportive, motivating and creative environment. The teaching staff are dedicated to delivering and achieving the highest professional standards.
The school is currently involved in professional development in the following areas:
- Inquiry learning and thinking skills
- The NZ Numeacy Project
- Information and communication technology (ICT)
- Physical activity/physical education initiative.
Classroom programmes are reflective of this quality professional development.
Citizenship, Achievement, Respect and Effort (CARE)
The St Joes’ curriculum balances academic learning with the physical, social, emotional and spiritual growth of each child. The ‘Cool Cat’ CARE (Citizenship, Achievement, Respect, Effort) programme unique to St Joes’ is one example of a highly successful programme that recognizes this ‘broader learning’.
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