St Joseph’s Catholic College provides a safe, caring and supportive environment in which each student is shaped by her relationship with Jesus in the Catholic tradition and is inspired by St Mary of the Cross MacKillop to make a difference in the world.
The Merit System
Students earn a Merit for a variety of positive behaviours and decision making such as:
- Punctuality to morning pastoral
- Achieving a strong test result
- Consistent application to class work and homework
- Presenting an excellent assignment
- Being helpful in class or in the playground
- Assisting the college community e.g. setting up chairs, picking up rubbish
- Acts of kindness
Teachers enter a Merit on the college database to acknowledge these behaviours and decisions.
10 Merits means the student earns a MacKillop Award and 2 MacKillops’ lead to a Bronze Award. Successive MacKillop Awards and Community Services then contribute to Silver and Gold Awards.
Community Services recognise service to others in areas such as:
- Collecting the roll each day for at least a term
- Volunteering at carnivals to complete an extended duty.
- Co-curricular involvement e.g. band, musical, choir, debating, BB sporting representation
- Community involvement e.g. giving blood, Red Cross collection, 48 hr famine, surf lifesaving
- Being an active SRC member
- Social Justice involvement
MacKillop Awards and Community Services contribute points to the student’s house so each student participates in the battle for points as houses compete for the annual MacKillop Shield.
The Mary MacKillop Citizenship Award acknowledges students who receive a Gold Award each year from Year 7 to Year 12.