Holy Family School finds its justification in the mission of the Church and is:
- An integral part of the Catholic parish community where Gospel values are demonstrated and celebrated;
- A school which leads the children to achieve high levels of Catholic religious literacy and practice;
- A place of harmony, respect and love where each person is treated with justice and dignity, and feels safe and accepted;
- A community that fosters the development of the whole human person: spiritually, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.
Mission Statement
Our Goals as a Catholic Community are to:
Foster an awareness and appreciation of the Church’s Tradition, heritage and current teachings by:
- instilling a strong Catholic ethos in all aspects of school life
- teaching and living out of the Gospel values
- demonstrating the relationship between life and faith
- fostering the desire to know Jesus Christ in Word and Sacrament
- implementing an effective religion teaching and learning programme
- catering for those students who enter the Catholic school later than kindergarten
- involving the students in parish and school liturgies
- fostering a sense of service to others through involvement in outreach programmes in the community
- provide a distinctive Christian environment by
- staff being living witnesses of Christ
- fostering the growth of Christian virtues
- underpinning all policies and practices with the Gospel values
- teaching all key learning areas from a Catholic perspective
- encouraging all school community members as participants in evangelisation
Foster the holistic development and affirmation of each student by:
- developing individual programmes to cater for individual needs to ensure student success
- valuing each student as an individual
- recognising and building on the student’s strengths and gifts
- recognising the innate goodness in each student
- recognising the face of Christ in each student
- affirming each student for who they are and their efforts
Provide opportunities to grow in the love of Christ by:
- daily classroom prayer
- whole school prayer
- staff prayer
- liturgies
- sacramental celebrations
- modelling and witnessing to Christ
- giving the students the opportunity to experience Jesus in the Word
- prayer for community gatherings
- prayer celebrations for special feasts
- celebrating the events of the liturgical year
- providing opportunities for staff to grow in their own faith through participation in faith formation programmes
Encourage school members to be active participants of the parish community by:
- staff participating in special ministries within the parish
- celebrating with the parish community at the weekend liturgies
- staff being involved in sacramental programmes within the parish
- student involvement in occasional weekend liturgies
- celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation with the parish community
Encourage an understanding of people of different faiths and cultures by:
- fostering understanding and acceptance
- promoting understanding of those cultures represented in the community
- encouraging participation of other cultures in school life
- respecting religious freedom
- implementing indigenous education programmes and policies
- implementing the diocesan anti-racism policy
Our Goals as a Catholic Educational Community are to:
- Strive for quality education, in the light of the Gospel values which challenges all students to achieve their full potential by
- ensuring that teaching staff wherever possible are practising and knowledgeable Catholics
- ensuring that staff are committed to the mission of the church
- providing quality instruction from thoroughly prepared educational programmes
- encouraging staff to continue their personal and professional development
- provision of adequate resources
- ensuring a safe and happy working environment
- implementation of appropriate diocesan and Board of Studies guidelines and syllabi
- managing the school in accordance with all the current government legislation
- catering for students who have special needs
Provide a comprehensive outcomes based curriculum that encompasses all the key learning areas, promotes a high standard of education and meets the needs of individual students by:
- providing individual programmes to cater for individual needs
- designing and implementing school based policies, procedures and curriculum documents
- ensuring that forms of assessment, recording and reporting of student progress to their parents are linked to the curriculum while they are comprehensive, accurate and preserving the confidentiality of students
- supporting them academically, emotionally, socially, physically and spiritually.
Develop personal skills to enable students to lead fulfilling lives by:
- providing opportunities for students to create, value, choose, communicate, cooperate, serve, and discover
- implementing programmes that develop persons who are responsible and inner directed and capable of choosing freely and in accordance with their conscience
- providing opportunities for students to be independent learners
- by providing opportunities for students to learn to work cooperatively with others
Engender an atmosphere of pastoral care which embraces teachers, students, clergy, and parents by:
- teaching and reflecting Gospel values
- initiating programs and structures to cater for the pastoral needs of all
- implementing management and discipline policies based on mutual respect and justice.
- harmonious and friendly interpersonal relationships
Our Goals as a Community within the Wider Community are to:
- Model Catholicity as a whole community by
- modeling the Gospel values
- constantly strengthening the religious dimension and Catholic ethos.
- promoting activities of service to the community.
- striving to be inclusive.
- actively practising our faith.
- acknowledging the role of the pastors of the Church and welcoming their involvement in the school
- Celebrate the Church’s liturgical year together with events in the school, local and wider community by
- joint planning and participating in liturgies with the parish
- co-hosting parish liturgies
- participating in Christian community activities e.g. Christmas Carols by Candlelight.
- planning and celebrating special liturgies for Easter, Lent, etc, and inviting the wider community
- Encourage and promote harmonious relationships between Holy Family Parish School community and the wider community by
- effective communication
- reflecting the cultural and economic diversity of the local community.
- encouraging others to participate in the planning, policy development, decision making and evaluation of school outcomes.
- establishing a sense of community between students, parents, staff, pastor and parish.
- participating in community events such as Birth to Kindergarten Project.
Acknowledge the role of the family as an integral part of the school, parish and wider community by:
- regular reporting and information to parents
- issuing invitations to special events.
- inviting parents and others to be part of class activities as helpers or mentors.
- encouraging attendance at parish celebrations
- encouraging parent participation in all aspects of school life e.g. School Committee and P&F.