Vision Statement

St John’s School, as part of the Catholic faith community, strives to provide a caring, compassionate and supportive environment, where each person is valued and encouraged to develop to his/her full potential.

As teachers at St John’s we care for our students. Our primary concern is to care for them as children of God, temples of the Holy Spirit. To this end we cater for their spiritual, physical, social, educational and emotional needs.

Pastoral Care means enhancing the dignity of each person within a Catholic faith community. The school vision statement should reflect the Pastoral Care Policy of the school.

The Core Values at St John’s

Friendship: Pursue quality relationships among the whole school community.

Community: Cultivate a sense of sharing in a loyalty to the whole school community and the wider community of which we are a part.

Honesty: Foster authenticity in our view of self and in our behaviour and representations to others.

Creativity: Encourage a wide variety of talents and a diversity of approaches in academic, sporting, musical and artistic endeavours.

Achievement: Promote the value of personal effort and respect for the efforts of others.

Fairness: Ensure that all are treated in a just and equitable manner.

Self Respect: Develop personal inner harmony and promote the personal development of others.

Our school should give witness to genuine Christian simplicity and the Gospel spirit of poverty. St John’s will aim to avoid affluence and be counter-cultural, as the ‘Mandate of the Catholic Education Commission of Western Australia’ recommends. Catholic schools are for all children; therefore we should not have barriers such as high fees and costs, giving every child the opportunity for a Catholic Education.

The dignity and respect of each person in the school community is considered as fundamental in the entire educational process. Pastoral care infuses all aspects of school life. It is concerned with maximising learning and growth and developing the beliefs, values, attitudes, knowledge, skills and practices to enable all to become inner-directed, contributing members of God’s creation.

Our school aims to demonstrate ‘Christian Forgiveness’ and a discipline policy centred on managing bullying and student behaviour fairly and justly has been developed. It is important that our students recognise that everyone has the right to feel valued and be safe, and, in this regard understand their rights and obligations and behave responsibly.

Communication is the important element of Pastoral Care. Issues can be discussed and various strategies implemented with the support and cooperation of all parties involved. Individual programmes and plans may be developed and implemented, in conjunction with parents, teachers and children involved, to help increase self-esteem, stop bullying, deal with crisis, help those in need and develop behaviour plans if needed.

It is important for students to see common beliefs, attitudes and goals between their home and their school. Communication with parents, carers and guardians is of vital importance. To prevent misunderstandings, parents need to be informed of changes, encouraged to be involved in the School and have confidence that they have chosen the most supportive school for their child. Parent, staff and student collaboration are on-going and help to support and strengthen our Pastoral Care programme.

Our framework is flexible in order to account for the individual needs of each student, knowing that all policies within the school are influenced by the Pastoral Care policy. The integration of culture and faith and of life and faith is considered in our policy.

Our Pastoral Care also includes the services of a Social Worker who is available for the school community by appointment. All members of the Leadership team are available to hear concerns, but parents are asked to discuss classroom issues with the class teachers first. As teachers are busy it is important that appointments are made so quality time can be set aside.

Administrators and staff will be role models in the mutual care and support they show each other and the students. It is from the Pastoral dimension of the total school life that students learn their own value and dignity. Every Staff member shares some responsibility for the pastoral dimension of the Catholic School.

Pastoral care at St John’s:

• Has the individual as its focus,
• Permeates all aspects of the curriculum,
• Is exercised mutually by all members of the school community and
• Promotes respect for the rights of every person.

Positive School Environment
It is important that we ensure a positive school environment if our pastoral care structures are to be successful. At St John’s we aim to create a caring, safe and positive school climate by helping our students, staff and parents to be involved and feel they are valued members of our school community.

Some of the ways we work to achieve this:

School Environment

• School vision/mission statement displayed throughout the school
• School grounds neat and well maintained
• Classrooms neat, orderly and well maintained
• Equipment, furniture and facilities in good repair

Classroom environment

• Classrooms aesthetically pleasing and child-centred
• Positive message posters up in room
• Acknowledgement of special days (birthdays, awards etc)
• Explicit teaching of appropriate skills
• Appropriate instructional strategies and pedagogies
• Classroom incentives to encourage positive habits and behaviours

Learning program

• Provide an appropriate and flexible curriculum
• Provide engaging instructional strategies
• Provide pedagogy which caters for different learning styles and individual needs
• Provide learning programs which enable students to experience success
• Provide individual education and behaviour plans for the appropriate students

Recess/Lunchtime Activities

• Library open to students at lunchtime
• Sand pit equipment available
• Playground equipment used appropriately

Behaviour Management Plan

• Certificates of appreciation awarded at weekly assembly
• Whole school bonus playtime (Friday) for those students playing within the rules
• Token points for Guild for positive behaviour in playground
• Weekly Best Manners Award

External Competitions and Awards

• Awards for external academic competitions