“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”
Aims & Values:
As a Catholic community, St Joseph & St Theresa Catholic Primary School is a place where God and our children are at the heart of all we do, where the Gospel values permeate all aspects of school life:
- Every child in our care will be supported to grow in Faith, to grow in Hope and to grow in Love. Growing in the Love of God, our children will become confident learners who have a desire to realise their aspirations. Our children will develop a passion for learning and its infinite possibilities in a nurturing, safe and loving environment.
- Everyone is a learner. We provide challenging learning opportunities that promote intellectual curiosity, creativity and physical development along with moral and personal skills. By providing a rich, stimulating curriculum we: enable pupils to reach far and beyond their God given potential; we ensure that our pupils are happy, confident and independent learners.
- Everyone promotes self-esteem and self-worth by showing mutual respect for others and developing an understanding of self in an atmosphere of trust. We create self-discipline through an awareness of the consequences of our actions, so as to nurture positive behaviour, secure in the knowledge of forgiveness.
- Every person is a valued member of our wider community who can act independently and make a positive contribution for the good of all; this is supported through the building of a caring partnership between home, school, parish and community.
School Prayer :
Today we are:
Growing in the gifts, that God has given us
On our journey together
Developing as Jesus holds our hand.
Aware that we have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. Amen
Our Shared Values
As a Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, we have embraced the Catholic Schools’ Pupil Profile, which teaches the children a set of eight pairs of virtues to be internalised and cultivated – enabling them to grow in wholeness as fully rounded individuals in the image of God. The pairs of virtues are:
Grateful & generous Attentive & discerning Compassionate & loving Faith-filled & hopeful Eloquent & truthful Learned & wise
Curious & active Intentional & prophetic
At St Joseph & St Theresa’s, we nurture our children to be:
Grateful for their own gifts, for the gift of other people, and for the blessings of each day; and generous with their gifts, now and in the future… by encouraging them to know and be grateful for all their gifts, developing them to the full so that they can be generous in the service of others.
Attentive to their experience and to their vocation; and discerning about the choices they make and the effects of those choices… by promoting the practice of attentive reflection and discerning decision making: in teaching, prayer and retreats; and through the practice and example of school leaders and staff.
Compassionate towards others, near and far, especially the less fortunate; and loving by their just actions and forgiving words… by being compassionate and loving in the way pupils are treated, especially when a pupil is in trouble; and by opening pupils’ eyes to those who suffer poverty, injustice or violence.
Faith-filled in their beliefs and hopeful for the future… by passing on the living and faith-filled tradition of Jesus Christ; by having persevering faith in the pupils, and by encouraging them in turn, to have faith and hope in themselves and others.
Eloquent and truthful in what they say of themselves, the relations between people, and the world… by developing an eloquent language which pupils can use to understand and articulate their emotions, beliefs, and questions, encouraged by the example of their teachers to be truthful in the way they represent themselves and speak about the world.
Learned, finding God in all things; and wise in the ways they use their learning for the common good… by the breadth and depth of the curriculum; by excellence of teaching, and the creation of opportunities to become more learned and wise.
Curious about everything; and active in their engagement with the world, changing what they can for the better… by leading pupils to be curious about the universe and all human activity, and to take increasing responsibility for their own learning, and by providing opportunities for them to be active in the life of the school, the Church, and the wider community.
Intentional in the way they live and use the resources of the earth, guided by conscience; and prophetic in the example they set to others… by being a school community which is intentional in its way of proceeding to build-up quality of life; and which is prophetic in the way it offers an alternative vision of education and the human person rooted in the gospel
- Human Dignity – Everyone is special:
Luc the Deer: We are beautifully made in the image & likeness of God
- Solidarity – showing we care:
Shiristi the Sun Bear: God created us as one global family called to support our brothers and sisters.
- The Common Good – thinking of everyone:
Chikondi the Giraffe: We are called to work for the good of each other and all
- Preferential Option for the Poor – putting people in most need first:
Poppy the Popokotea: The needs of the poor and vulnerable should be put first
- The Dignity of Work and Participation – Taking part:
Patiriki Penguin: We all have the right and duty to participate fully in society.
- Distributive Justice – sharing fairly:
DJ the Dolphin: Everyone should have access to their fair share of resources
- Subsidiarity – everyone should have a say:
Sid the Sheep: We are called to empower communities, to let everyone have a say.
- Stewardship/Creation and Environment – caring for God’s gifts:
Sofia the Sloth: We are guardians of God’s creation, living sustainably and enhancing the wellbeing of the planet
- Peace – being peacemakers
Daisy the Dove: We can be God’s instruments of peace through seeking justice and promoting peace
