The St Joseph’s Framework Tree was developed by the Leadership Team in collaboration with staff as a visual representation of what learning looks like across the whole school at St Joseph’s.
The sun represents the school’s vision statement – it is what directs all we do and provides us with sustenance for the learning journey.
The two doves represent the vocations we hope students will aspire to have as well as the aspirations we hold for our graduates when they leave St Joseph’s and move to secondary schooling – the set of learner skills and attitudes we want each learner to have and take into life.
The canopy houses our overarching aim for all learners – how do we get better at learning?
Under the canopy sits the five main whole of school principles we use at St Joseph’s in order to achieve our vision:
- Neuroscience
- Emotional Regulation
- Learner Qualities
- Mindsets of Growth
- Relationships and Connections
Each branch under the canopy shows how we achieve our goal:
- So we know how to learn…
- So we know where we learn…
- So we know what we must learn…
- So we know what learning is…
- So we know how well we are learning…
- So we know what we want to learn…
The trunk is our system (Catholic Education and St Joseph’s School) moral imperative; what is at our core – learning and wellbeing for ALL – This inspires all we do.
At the base of the tree we name our community inclusive of ALL learners: students, staff, families and the wider community (parish).
The roots are where we gain our strength and nourishment – at the core of what we do is who we are. We are a Catholic school established by the Mercy Sisters in 1927. Understanding we are all part of a bigger story is the beginning of our journey into recontextualising our Catholic identity. God is at our core. The roots contain our motto (With Christ We Live Love and Learn) and our way of Learning, Love, Community and Respect as Jesus did. They are entwined into everything we do.
The water symbolises the life-giving water represented in so much of the Christian tradition. It further represents the historical relationship of the school with water from its beginning, with the Sisters of Mercy teaching in gumboots to staff ferrying children over flood waters during pick up in Loeven Street. Issues with water initially triggered the planning and development of the new school as a place of Innovative Learning Environments, our Learning Habitats.
