About our school
School Profile
St Joseph's Primary School Springvale is part of the vibrant, culturally and linguistically diverse community of Springvale and broader St Joseph’s Parish Community.
Our school nurtures a strong Catholic culture centred on Jesus Christ. Our staff, in partnership with our Parrish, strive to ensure that the children in our care have the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with God through the lens of Catholic social teaching and a commitment to student and family wellbeing.
Our highly experienced and capable staff are able to meet the individual needs of students and to support them to achieve and grow to meet their potential. St Josephs is proud of the academic and growth results which students achieve which is above local and state averages.
St Josephs offers a broad range of experiences for students which meets the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum but also develop students as global citizens and independent lifelong learners.
St Joseph's has approximately 560 students in Years Prep – Grade 6. The school is nestled behind the Springvale shopping precinct with its main entrance on St John's Avenue. St Joseph’s school are excited to be able to easily walk to the new Springvale Library and community Hub.
St Joseph's Primary School, Springvale, commenced in 1938 with an opening enrolment of approximately 43 children. It was initially staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame des Missions, but from the 1950s the school was run by the Brigidine Sisters. In 1974 the Conventual Franciscan Friars, OFM Conv, assumed the pastoral care of St Joseph's Parish. The Brigidine Sisters maintained a presence in the school until the mid 1980s.
Our school and parish have grown and reflected the changing post war migration patterns: from British and European immigrants to refugees from Asia, Africa and South America. At present the school has students from 17 different countries, speaking about 27 different languages.
St Joseph’s, like Springvale has a strong and proud link to the Vietnamese community and a significant number of families who's children attend the school are from a Vietnamese background.
Principal's Welcome
It is my pleasure to warmly invite you to become part of our St. Joseph’s school. It’s an honour to be the Principal of this school because of the consistent and very high level of academic achievement and the excellent reputation for the care and nurture we provide all children. I am very proud to say that our students are at the heart of everything we do and say.
We are a very respectful community that lives out the Gospel values of love, forgiveness, justice and truth. We promote a Catholic environment and pastoral tone so that the Catholic message is experienced by students, parents and staff, where-by the climate of the school is a form of catechesis and living witness. (Make disciples of all: Mt 28:19).
Everyone at St Joseph’s strives with high expectations to give each child the opportunity to succeed and shine and to grow in all aspects, across their social emotional, spiritual, cognitive and physical learning. We infuse the core teachings of Catholicity and wellbeing across the whole curriculum. (I Came That You May Have Life and have it to the full: Jn 10:10).
We aim to educate today for tomorrow, so your child will have the self-belief, skills, knowledge, wellbeing and attributes to contribute and flourish in a world that is fast moving, where jobs of the future are yet to be imagined. (Nurture leadership of all: Jn13:12-25).
We are an incredible learning community and as such a wonderful place to belong. I am, along with everyone, truly privileged to be in this unique school community. (Where two or three gather, I am there: Mt 18:20).
As Principal of St Joseph’s I warmly welcome you to come and visit us and have a tour of our beautiful school.
Chris O’Connell
School tour
School Vision and Values
Core Values
1. We value and respect each person’s background, differences and strengths, and voice
2. We strive to build family and school partnership to create a flourishing community
3. Live the ‘golden rule’ – treat others the way you would like to be treated
4. We respect and celebrate our differences
5. We are a welcoming community
At St Joseph’s we strengthen and integrate the Catholic faith by embracing and respecting our differences, through exploring other denominations alongside Catholicism and listening to each other’s ideas. Catholic traditions are authentically embedded and integrated throughout the curriculum. We put our faith-based learning into action through daily prayer and student led liturgies; living Jesus’ word by example. We demonstrate respect in all that we do, and work together to celebrate our Catholic identity through linking social justice initiatives between school, Parish and community.
We are a staff that focuses, supports and builds both pedagogy and wellbeing taking time to foster relationships through team building activities. Staff are dedicated to providing a stimulating and challenging work environment within well-resourced and contemporary classrooms. We have common high expectations for best practice and we implement professional learning and personal development, taking time to evaluate the outcomes we achieve. We explore staff individual expertise and interests with an openness to different ideas including within our school, other schools and networks. All staff spend time in the classroom on a regular basis, which allows us to master a ‘change’ before implementing the next. We develop trustful relationships that promote honest and open conversations when planning and meeting. Staff are empowered through a feeling of value and acknowledgement.
We value, support and take time to measure and analyse growth data through pre and post testing. Students are given time to reflect on their learning through self-assessment and evaluations. We use and need assessment and reporting data from all parts of the community that is timely, purposeful and appropriate to inform our teaching. We strive to understand the data we collect to create positive change. We frequently allocate time to analyse our data, evaluate our methods, and remove testing or adjustments that are not relevant, redundant or ineffective.
We promote a sense of dignity and optimism in each student to work towards a better future. We continuously develop whole-school social and emotional wellbeing practices through our rigorous Social and Emotional Learning program. In turn, we help students understand their personal strengths and how to use them, and consequently they develop a sense of self-worth that is independent of their academic ability. Through building strong and positive relationships between students, staff and parents, everyone is able to establish and promote a healthy growth mindset and work together to build resilience in the students. Our students are empowered because their strengths are celebrated and they are helped to navigate through the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Our students leave St Joseph’s as lifelong, faith filled, critical thinkers and learners; creative, innovative and adaptable problem solvers.
School Hours
For general enquiries or to make an appointment please contact the school office between 8:30 am - 4:00 pm on any school day.
Phone: (03) 9546 8223
Email: principal@sjspringvale.catholic.edu.au
The school office is situated at the main entrance of the school, on St. John's Avenue. Please use this entrance if you are visiting the school during school hours.
School hours
School Office Hours
8:30am – 3:45pm Monday – Friday
Before and after school care
Doors and gates open daily at 8:15am.
Youth Leadership Victoria conducts the Out of School Hours program at St. Joseph’s Primary School. The program is open to all primary school aged children and offers a range of planned activities for children in a safe and caring environment. The program operates on the school premises out of the school hall.
The program provides:
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A safe and supervised environment for all children attending.
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A planned indoor/outdoor program for all children in care.
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A range of activity choices for children.
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Program costs below those of other programs in the municipality.
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Snacks included in costs.
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Child care rebate available.
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Experienced, motivated and dedicated staff.