Catholic Ethos

ST.PATRICK’S NATIONAL SCHOOL

CATHOLIC ETHOS STATEMENT AND POLICY ON RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND FAITH DEVELOPMENT

St Patrick’s N.S., is a Catholic school under the patronage of the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois. The school models and promotes a philosophy of life inspired by belief in God and in the life of Jesus Christ.

In seeking to provide formation for pupils in the Catholic faith, our school facilitates and provides Religious Education for pupils in accordance with the doctrines, practices and traditions of the Catholic Church. Our Catholic ethos also finds expression through the core values of our school and through our actions, attitudes and practices:

• Our school is a centre of learning for all in the school community. This requires high professional standards from all the teachers, a commitment to ongoing professional development, dedicated unremitting service to the pupils and energetic efforts to help children to the next stage of their development.
• It is the aim of the school community to enable children to achieve their potential in all areas, and to nurture and affirm them in their individual abilities and gifts.
• Staff, pupils and parents are called to witness to our school ethos by ensuring that what we model is a reflection of what we promote.
• When differences arise, we strive to model Christian values of openness, patience, understanding, respect and forgiveness in our dealings with others.

Our school embraces:
– A sense of fairness and right relationships with all other persons
– Deep respect for all people.
– Forgiveness and new beginnings: A place where grudges are not held.
– Respect and Dignity: Deep intrinsic respect for all others.
– Affirmation and Tolerance: That we speak to, react to and act towards others respectful of their dignity.
– Personal Faith Formation: Formal prayer, religion lesson, celebrations of sacraments and the liturgy seasons of the year.
– Belonging: That all experience a sense of belonging and contribute to the promotion of the desired ethos of the school.
– Understanding: Teachers and pupils have positive experiences of school and positive relations are fostered.

While St. Patrick’s National School has a Catholic ethos, it also has due regard for pupils of other faiths or no faiths. Every child, regardless of religious affiliation, is welcome to attend and benefit from the Catholic religious education programme. Should parents have concerns about this, they are invited to meet with the Principal to see how best to accommodate their wishes. Parents are also welcome to view the Religious programme we teach, which has the central Christian commandment at its core, ‘Love God and love your neighbour’. Importantly, sensitivity will always be shown to pupils who are unable to participate in liturgical celebrations. The school cannot, however, undertake to educate children of other faiths in their own faith, nor can it provide supervision during the religious education period apart from the class.

Pope John Paul VI states that modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers and if he does listen to teachers it is because they are witnesses. Bearing this in mind we believe that

religion is caught and not taught.

We as a staff try to proclaim the Gospel in our own lives, and give our pupils a sense of Gospel values and Christian values.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION PROGRAMME

The Board of Management and the teachers have adopted the Grow in Love Catechetical Programme approved and recommended by the Irish Hierarchy for use in Catholic Schools.

The programme incorporates the recommended approach to religious education for the reception of the sacraments of Penance, Holy Communion and Confirmation.

The programme is studied each day for one half-hour. A Christian ethos however permeates the school day and the life of the school.

Whole School Dimension

Meaningful pictures and artworks are on display throughout the school building.

The major Catholic and local feasts are celebrated. They are marked with the aid of signs and symbols displayed throughout the school

• Advent – the Advent wreath and Jesse tree Christmas – tree and crib
• Feast of St. Brigid – traditional crosses
• Feast of St. Patrick – depiction of story and shamrock
• Lent – symbols of repentance and ashes
• Easter – symbols of the new life of resurrection, the empty tomb
• Pentecost – artistic depiction of the coming of the Holy Spirit

Liturgical celebrations are held on some occasions e.g.

• The opening and closing of the school year
• Nativity play at Christmas
• Times of trauma or crisis and for other occasions which from time to time are considered appropriate to celebrate or to mark.
• Catholic Schools Week

The pupils of the school join:

• At the celebration of First Communion and Confirmation
• Family Masses throughout the year
• Other liturgical celebrations in cooperation with the parish.

The catholic education offered in St. Patrick’s is conducted in collaboration with the children’s parents and the local parish. We see our role as being supportive of the role of parents and parish.

Spiritual Formation Of Teachers

The spiritual nourishment of teachers is understood by the Board of Management to be an integral part of the religious education programme undertaken by the school. To this end the following are organised:

• Prayer and reflection before staff meetings and Board of Management meetings
• In-service on handing on the faith/ Grow in Love Programme

Teaching Methodologies Used To Achieve Aims

• Study of the Grow in Love Teacher’s Guide
• Interactive learning
• Facilitating meaningful prayer experiences for children
• Sacramental and non-sacramental liturgies
• Use of imagination in prayer
• Drama and role play on the theme of Christian Values
• Questions and answers helping children to use their own words
• Vocal prayer

Success Criteria

We will know this policy is working in our school if:

• Developing and nurturing a relationship with God is at the heart of our school community and what we strive to achieve through religious education and practice.
• Children can speak confidently about their faith, recognising that it is a lived relationship with God, which has a positive bearing not only on their own lives, but also on the wider community.
• A deep respect for the dignity of every human person is evident at all times, and is clearly fostered through the daily life of the school
• The school is permeated by an atmosphere of prayer and worship
• There is an outward-looking care for the less fortunate in society
• There is evidence of parental interest in the religious education programme
• There are recognisable links between parish/home/school

Responsibility For Implementing This Policy

The Board of Management in consultation with the Principal and the Religious Education Representative are responsible for facilitating the smooth implementation of the policy. The teachers teach the programme appropriate to their class.

Teachers and Staff:

• Inform themselves through studying the Grow in Love teacher’s manual
• Deliver and teach the  Grow in Love programme appropriate to their class
• Cooperate with the Chaplain/ Parish and the Diocesan Advisers
• Avail of in-service support provided.
• Actively support the spirit and ethos of the school remembering that Religion is not taught but caught!

Parents:

• co-operate and support the school in its effort, especially at times of sacramental preparation and at other school events to which they are invited. They are also asked to help with religious education homework and to read the parts of the Grow in Love programme that are intended for them.
• Aim to do the best they can to foster a relationship with God within the home environment

Principal:

• takes an active role in encouraging the whole school aspects of the programme and monitors progress throughout the school
• Liaises with the school chaplain in defining the role of the chaplaincy and the parish in the life of the school
• Helps to facilitate supportive interaction