It is clear from our name and mission statement that St. Joseph Catholic Academy is committed to the Gospel message of Jesus that serves as the foundation for all instructional and non-instructional programs and activities. At the Academy, students and teachers begin and end the day in prayer. In addition to their religion class, the children attend liturgies and prayer services on a regular basis, at least monthly throughout the school year.
In addition to the approved religion curriculum, children in first through eighth grade receive a copy of the Pflaum Gospel Weekly which serves as a preparation for Sunday liturgy as well as a resource to encourage faith formation within the family. The children are encouraged to provide age- appropriate service of some kind within and outside the academy community, whether through Propagation of the Faith donations, the annual toy and coat drives, or the Monday-weekly canned-food drives. Children in the junior high are required to perform forty hours of personal service each year and to keep a service journal.
Since every teacher is a catechist by example and/or direct instruction, one of the faculty professional meetings each year is devoted to some aspect of adult faith formation in an effort to deepen each faculty member’s personal faith and assist in the development of a faith-filled community within the Academy.
Gone are the days, if those days really ever existed, when being a Catholic elementary school was enough. While we are a Catholic school first, we are committed as much to providing each child with the opportunity for an excellent academic education. To this end, we see our mission as educating the whole child for future learning and life in a global community. The comprehensive curriculum is aligned with the Common Core mandates and the teachers understand Jesus to be their pedagogical role model.
Our co-curricular programs in music, art, band and dance as well as the buddy program serve to provide the children with opportunities for creative expression, personal responsibility, and mutual cooperation and respect. The weekly forty-minute Learning for Life period complements what students are taught in Religion classes by providing opportunities for religious activities, reflection, discussion, and service.
