WILLOW PARK FIRST YEAR

MISSION AND ETHOS STATEMENT

DRAFT DOCUMENT

NOV 2008

Willow Park is a Catholic Spiritan school and as such our Mission and Ethos Statement, rooted in the charisms of the Holy Ghost founders and in the Gospel, is regarded as our most important school policy, the spirit of which permeates all other policies.

As the Third member of the Trinity, it is the Holy Spirit to whom we pray for counsel and guidance and it is He who inspires us and inflames our hearts with love for all those we encounter and for all those placed in our care.

The success of the school is determined by the degree to which we, in the spirit of our school Mission and Ethos statement, and in carrying out our Pastoral Care and Guidance Policy, create a safe learning environment (of the larger family) in which each member of the school community feels recognised, valued and empowered to achieve their highest standards of personal excellence (spiritual, moral, social, academic, sporting etc.)

United in one heart and spirit (cor unum et anima una) we, as a Holy Ghost school community are passionately committed, with courage an conviction, with faith and strength (fides et robur) to employ every provision possible to ensure that no-one "falls though the gaps" .

"As the members of the human body , though they are many , form one body, so also are the faithful in Christ….There is only one Spirit who, according to His own richness and the needs of the ministries, gives His different gifts for the welfare of the community. Giving the body unity…this same Spirit produces and urges love among the believers. For all this it follows that if one member endures anything, all the members co-endure it, and if one member is honoured, all the members together rejoice" (Lumen Gentium 1:56-59)

Be Caring
Be There
Be Truthful

1."To create an environment which nurtures Faith, one which will provide students with an informed understanding of the Catholic Faith, but which also motivates them to live their lives in accordance with the Gospel values."

► Willow Park is a Catholic school that sees itself as having the particular task of communicating both an intelligent understanding of the tradition, rooted in the charisms of the Holy Ghost Founders.

► The School community, a living entity of Christ's Church, lives according to Gospel values that it cherishes and which it wishes to promote. It believes that if the gospel is to take root in the minds, hearts and lives of the students, this will be due, in no small measure, to experiencing the values of the gospel lived, in the first place in their homes, and secondly in the school community.

► Willow Park First Year tries to motivate its students to work for the promotion of a caring, Christian society in which honesty and justice are acknowledged.

► Willow Park First Year sees itself as having a particular obligation towards the disadvantaged members of society in line with the missionary traditions of its Holy Ghost Founders and in accordance with Church teaching.
 

"He is not saved however, who, though part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity" (Lumen Gentium II.14)

2. "To provide a community environment in which each student can develop his full human potential."


►The sense of community should be strong in Willow Park First Year. This has helped by the fact that Willow Park has been, from its foundation - in part at least - a boarding school.

► The community, consisting of all who are involved in the work of the school - parents, students - past and present - staff and management - is seen to be one of the great formative influences in the lives of its members.

► The community is a living thing formed over the years by all who have been in any way a part of the school's life. The members of the community are at once the beneficiaries and the stewards of this heritage.

► The community spirit reaches beyond the walls and the confines of the time spent by students at Willow Park.

►Willow Park accepts that education is concerned with the development of the full potential of each student as he has been gifted by God and called to a special relationship with him in Christ's Church.

► A student's academic, emotional, spiritual, social and physical well-being must be pursued as a whole, not as isolated, independent parts. A good education will foster the development of every aspect of a student's personality, not just one or other dimension.

►Excellence, commensurate with ability, is the target in every sphere of school life.

► Special attention is given to the more vulnerable members of the school community.
 

3`"To encourage each student to live his life as a responsible member of society, initially as a student, later as an adult citizen."


► Willow Park First Year strives to be a school which encourages its students to become creative and responsible citizens and leaders. It wants them to be, not just passive recipients and conformists, but confident people who can take control of their own lives.

► Through their participation in the school's many activities, it is hoped that each student will grow towards becoming a well-balanced, trustworthy and informed person, one who is capable of both independent and co-operative activity, as appropriate.

► Through sporting and other activities, each is encouraged to develop the teamwork and co-operative skills necessary for adult life.

► Willow Park First Year seeks to develop in its students a capacity for good interpersonal relations and especially a capacity for a positive, caring role within the intimacy of family life.
 

4. "To lay the foundation to prepare and equip each student for the pursuit of an appropriate career."


► Through helping each student to develop his potential, Willow Park First Year tries to lay the foundation for the successful pursuit of a career in which he will find fulfilment and happiness according to his own special aptitudes.
 

5. "To transmit to the students an appreciation of their cultural heritage."


►  Through helping each student to develop his potential. Willow Park First Year tries to lay solid foundations for the successful pursuit of a career in which he will find fulfilment and happiness according to his own special aptitudes.

► Willow Park First Year seeks to transmit to its students an appreciation of their cultural heritage, maintaining what is good and adapting it to changing times.

► The school fosters an appreciation, through cross-curricular endeavours, of Ireland's Gaelic heritage, while at the same time helping students to appreciate and understand other cultural traditions on this island.

►  In the context of today's world, students are made aware of their European heritage.

►  The cultivation of taste, of appreciation of literature, music, art and drama is an important aspect of school life.
 

6. "To promote parental collaboration in the educational programme of the school."


► Recognising the importance of community, Willow Park First Year encourages the support and active involvement of parents in the education of their sons.

►  The Irish Constitution states that the primary and natural educators of the child are the parents. The School sees itself as a partner with parents in the work of education. It believes that there are many advantages to be gained from close home-school collaboration.
 

NOTE:
Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council.

As is customary with significant Roman Catholic Church documents, it is known by its first words, "Lumen Gentium", Latin for "Light of the Nations".

To read full document click link below

Lumen Gentium