Catholic Life of the School
Welcome to St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School!
St. Joseph’s is a school of love and hope. We believe that a Catholic education develops the full potential of all young people, leading to their life-long activities being guided by the Spirit and presence of Christ, in the service of God and others.
Our school is dedicated to St. Joseph because he inspires us to be caring, faithful and hardworking, just like he was. We honour him as a role model for our community. Joseph was a carpenter who cared for Mary and Jesus with great love and faith. He trusted God’s plan, even when it was challenging, and is a wonderful example of kindness and hard work. St. Joseph is the patron saint of workers, families, and the Church, making him a special figure in our faith.
The school focuses on the education of the whole child, therefore, our curriculum places Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching at the heart of all learning. As a whole-school community, we are inspired by Pope Francis’ call to be stewards of all God’s creation.
Parents are the first educators of their child in faith and a strong home-school link is fundamental in supporting the school in its mission. Together, we provide support for the faith community, helping to form a Christian conscience.
Mini Vinnies
We are the Mini Vinnies of St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and we are incredibly proud to represent our school in this privileged role. We get to wear our special Mini Vinnie badges which help to distinguish us as having a special role within the school, so people can recognise who we are and what we do.
As ambassadors for our school, we have accompanied prospective parents on tours around our beautiful school and welcome visitors on special occasions.
We have lots of ideas on how to live out our faith, and actively show this to the whole school community. Throughout the year we aim to support our community, focusing on local, national and international charities, through fundraising and campaigning activities. We aspire to follow in Jesus’ footsteps through our role as servant leaders.
Fundraising
A Mini Vinnie member suggested a fund-raiser for Macmillan. The group organised a coffee afternoon where family members were invited to enjoy a slice of cake and a cup of tea or coffee. The children also sold cakes to the different classes through the week. The group even spent a morning making and decorating cakes with Ms McIlroy.
A charity very close to our hearts at St Joseph’s is Zoe’s Place as members of our school family attend this amazing centre. The children in Reception all dressed up as superheroes and the rest of the school wore yellow. We were delighted to raise £300.
After hearing of the possible closure many children approached and asked to fundraise again where our amazing school collected a further £825. So proud of the generosity of our amazing families.
Class Led Celebrations
Each class will lead a whole school celebration focussing on the RE topic that has just been covered. Parents and family members are invited to join us for the celebration.
Year 6 led us in a Harvest Celebration which celebrated the crops that have been collected and about giving thanks for all the good and positive things in people’s lives, such as family and friendships. Year 6 also talked about Fair Trade and the importance of farmers all around the world being treated fairly. The children all bought an item of tinned or boxed food to donate to a local food bank for those who are in need this winter. Father Anton collected some bags for a local food bank. Well done everyone your gifts will help a great many people over the upcoming weeks. One of the Mini Vinnies suggested leaving a box in the main foyer for people to continue to donate throughout the year. Fr Anton kindly volunteered to come into school when the box is full to take to the local foodbank. Thank you Father Anton for supporting us.
Beginnings – Year 2
Called To Belong – Year 4
Visiting Places of Worship
Throughout the year many of our classes will visit different places of worship. The Archdiocese know it is important to grow an understanding of different religions and further develop a respect of different faiths and religions.
Our parish – St Agnes and St Aidan
Year 5 and Year 6 celebrated the first week of Advent at mass. The children lit the first candle on the Advent wreath.
Christine Ball
We are very lucky to have Christine visit from the parish. She visits our school regularly and works very closely with our Year 4 class as they prepare for their First Holy Communion. Christine also works with all the other classes and helps support the teaching of some of the topics that we cover. Christine recently visited our Reception class and re-enacted a Baptism with the children. Thank you Christine for all your support we very much appreciate it.
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
Year 3 and Year 4 visited the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral for a beautiful Advent service. Some children had never visited the Cathedral before and were amazed at the size and the variety of statues, stained glass windows and chapels around the building.
Al-Rahma Mosque
Year 3 and Year 4 visited a Mosque whilst we learnt about Islam. The children found this visit fascinating and we would like to say a big thank you to Abdul for welcoming us so warmly into your place of worship.
Sister Bridget
Throughout the year Sister Bridget has helped us grow deeper in our faith by leading us in prayer. She has worked tirelessly to support us here at St Joseph’s and we are always uplifted by her visits. Year 6 took part in a retreat in the Autumn term where Sister Bridget led sessions on prayer and how Jesus inspires us in our everyday lives. Thank you Sister Bridget for all of your hard work, dedication, and joy that you have brought to St Joseph’s.
CAFOD
St Joseph’s works closely with other agencies such as CAFOD throughout the year. CAFOD delivered workshops in Autumn in every year group about Catholic Social Teaching. Catholic Social Teaching is founded in Scripture and offers wisdom and insights on living the Gospel in today’s world. Jesus tells us to love God and to love our neighbours, especially our sisters and brothers living in poverty. CAFOD uses Catholic Social Teaching principles to guide all their work. The children all loved these workshops and school will continue working on the principles throughout the year.
Live Simply Award
As a school community, we are working towards achieving CAFOD’s Live Simply Award. Live Simply is an invitation to follow in the footsteps of Jesus who lived and preached a simple life. It is a journey where we can take meaningful action on the social and environmental crises we face today.
Over the course of the next 18 months to 2 years, we will be undertaking a number of actions aimed at creating a more just and fairer world, whilst supporting the Catholic life and mission of our school and building and enriching our relationships with parents, parishioners, and the wider community. Pupils will also learn about the connection between faith and the social and environmental responsibility and begin to feel more empowered as active global citizens to bring about positive change.
