EXPERTS IN BOYS EDUCATION

St Joseph’s College is recognised as an expert in boys’ education. Our expertise in the education of young men is founded on our fifty year association with boys, our constant innovation in curriculum and wellbeing and our educational methodology based on the teachings of St John Bosco.

He was a renowned expert in educating boys and started his mission in Catholic education in the Italian city of Turin during the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s. Dealing exclusively with boys, St John Bosco developed a unique and successful program which recognised and catered for the educational, personal and spiritual needs of boys. This vision has been carried into the 21st Century as a living and vital part of St Joseph’s College.

We understand that boys are complex people and this drives all that we do. The intellectual, physical, emotional, social and spiritual dimensions of boys are accommodated at the College. The St Joseph’s boys are provided with a diverse range of experiences richly contributing to their development into good, decent and successful young men.

During his time at St Joseph’s College a boy is involved in an academic program that is relevant and engaging. It will challenge his intellect and allow him to gain the knowledge and develop the skills essential for academic success as well as life beyond school.

He is exposed to a number of contemporary and proven pedagogies and learning spaces aimed at allowing him to achieve to the best of his potential.

The St Joseph’s classroom is a place of learning. A place where students are encouraged to work independently and collaboratively. A place where they learn that it is safe to experiment with their learning and where they can take risks with their learning.

The Physical Education, Sport and Outdoor Education programs provide all students with an opportunity to undertake physical activity; a vital component in the healthy development of young men.

Also vital is the cultural aspect and the College provides a program which allows boys to express themselves through the creative and performing arts, echoing St John Bosco’s assertion that a school without music is a school without a soul.

Also linked to the cultural aspect of boys is the focus on other cultures through the Language program which allows boys to study either Italian or Japanese. Additionally, exchange and overseas trips to Italy, Japan and Kiribati, as well as the exposure to other cultures through the international students program add to the richness of the St Joseph’s experience.

Boys’ well known interest in technology is also catered for through the ICT program of the school, as well as through the opportunities to undertake technology-focussed studies and vocational courses.

Boys are unique and diverse, and a good boys educator should acknowledge and respond to this fact. Multiple pathways are on offer to the students at the College, not simply the option of VCE or VCAL, but a range of programs beneath those umbrellas that cater for the individual interests of each boy.

Relationships are central to boys’ emotional and psychological wellbeing and relationships are central at St Joseph’s College. Authentic relationships are the linchpin of interactions between the boys and their teachers and in the interactions they have with each other.

St Joseph’s students know they are cared for and that there are people and processes at the College which are there to nurture, guide and look out for them. The classroom is a place where relationships are formed, with opportunities for collaborative learning are taken up by the students. In the playground, those relationships are strengthened.

Finally, boys are men in progress. The teenage years are years where they seek clarification of who they are, of what matters to them and what it is to be a good man. St Joseph’s College provides them with an atmosphere where they are exposed to and develop strong values and a sense of community, where strong personal and professional relationships are modelled in every interaction they have.

The tradition of St John Bosco, the expertise of a group of professional and dedicated teachers and an environment where learning is accessible yet challenging and achievements are celebrated assist them in developing into the finest young men they could be.