CATHOLIC Special Character
At St Mary's our Catholic Special Character is the heart of our school's existence. Our multicultural traditions, beliefs and strong faith as Catholic Christians are visible in every aspect of our lives.
Religious Education is taught everyday from pre-school to Year 8. As Christians, this is to ensure a deeper understanding of our Catholic faith using traditions and scriptures. It is also strongly integrated in other areas of learning throughout the day.
We follow the official programme as set out in the "Religious Education Curriculum Statement For Catholic schools in Aotearoa New Zealand." Before we start a new religious strand (topic), parents are informed of the focus and learning intentions of the strand and what will be covered. This will inform and assist you to help your child at home.
Our Principal, Mrs Kathryn Hira, alongside with Mrs. Avida D' Souza, our Director of Religious Studies, are responsible for maintaining the Special Character of the school.
"Growing hearts, minds and bodies to learn, serve and make a difference" is our school mission, our purpose. In order to achieve this and our vision we have five core Christian values that we promote in everything that we do. The family of St. Mary's Avondale upholds the values of Respect, Compassion, Service, Justice, Excellence and Joy. These are the foundations of our School Charter and we believe that these values help us achieve our vision of "Confident, lifelong learners who C A R E - Connect, Achieve, Reflect, Engage".
We strive to uphold the Catholic Special Character of our school by consistently educating students through our sacramental programmes. Throughout the year, we work regularly with our parish priest being involved in several community based activities such as fundraising for charity and outreach programmes. All classes attend our school parish mass every term. Within the school year, the school and the parish come together to celebrate mass with the community.
For more queries and information about the Catholic faith, Catholic Education programmes and resources, visit these helpful websites:
http://www.faithalive.org.nz/assets/Resources/Family-whanau-book.pdf