Mission & Philosophy

The mission and philosophy guides St. Joseph of Cupertino School in how its faculty and staff educate the students. The Student Learning Expectations (SPARCCLS) work hand-in-hand with the school's mission, philosophy, and goals.

Mission

"St. Joseph is not just a school, we are a community."

St. Joseph of Cupertino School, in partnership with our families, is committed to educating the “whole child” spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially, and physically. We guide children in deepening their faith and using their gifts and talents to share their love of God in service to others.

Philosophy & Goals

"...educating the whole child"

St. Joseph of Cupertino School is committed to educating the "whole child." We place equal importance on the spiritual, intellectual, social, and physical development of each unique child. We base our education upon the teachings of Jesus - teachings which foster respect, responsibility, justice, gratitude, and peacefulness.

We believe in forging a strong relationship with the family because we understand that parents are the first and most important teachers of their children. Children benefit when they know that all the adults in their lives are working together and supporting each other.

Because we are committed to educating the "whole child," our program is very comprehensive. We provide a challenging academic curriculum, while addressing the special needs of individual students. We acknowledge our responsibility to prepare our students for the world in which they will live. We expect them to learn to give back to their world and to believe that they can make it a better place. We are dedicated to instilling this sense of social responsibility in our students by modeling a praying, learning, growing, caring, and welcoming community.

We are committed to nurturing the values of the Gospel message in our daily contact with each other, with the students, with the families, and with the larger community.

Religious Education Goals

In response to the gospel call to "Go and teach all nations" (Matt. 28:19), St. Joseph of Cupertino School dedicates itself to an on-going process of faith development among faculty, students and families. Therefore, we set the following goals for our school community:

1. To foster a spirituality based on the teachings of Jesus Christ: respect, responsibility, justice, freedom, and peacefulness.
2. To impart knowledge and understanding of the principles and traditions of our Catholic faith.
3. To guide students in understanding and loving the basic message of Scripture.
4. To challenge students to live the values of Jesus in daily life.

Intellectual Goals

We will initiate intellectual curiosity, guide students to think critically, and encourage them to make responsible decisions based on Christian values. Therefore, we set the following goals for our school community:

1. To stimulate intellectual curiosity, and foster a lifelong appreciation of knowledge.
2. To provide students with a solid educational foundation.
3. To instill a sense of responsibility and pride in their work through the formation of good and productive study habits.
4. To develop responsible decision-making skills based on Christian values.
5. To guide students to develop critical thinking skills.
6. To develop an awareness and appreciation of our multicultural society.

Psychological Goals

Because their education is so essential to our students and their futures, we desire that the learning atmosphere be one that promotes growth, concentration, and application to their lives. To foster these elements, the students need to be operating from their best, most comfortable, and most confident selves Therefore, we set the following goals for our school community:

1. To give positive feedback to children in order to encourage students to continue using their skills and talents.
2. To make students aware of their actions, and the consequences if they engage in behavior that is not conducive to a positive atmosphere.
3. To promote mutual respect among students as they assess and accept their own capabilities and the capabilities of others.
4. To assist children with emotional and/or learning difficulties in profiting from their educational experiences.

Social Goals

We want to help our children to grow to be happy, productive, caring, and generous people who believe in the goodness of God's world. Therefore, we set the following goals for our school community:

1. To encourage students to believe in themselves - in their abilities and in their goodness.
2. To foster acceptance and compassion among our students so that we become a welcoming community which reaches out to others.
3. To develop an atmosphere which encourages strong and honest friendships; and to provide guidance which helps the child to grow in these friendships.
4. To foster unselfishness and instill social responsibility, so that our children may grow to be good caretakers of the world.
5. To encourage student leadership and instill a sense of pride in our school community.

Physical Goals

We will instill habits of Christian responsibility in maintaining the physical and mental health of each student, and in fostering respect for our God-given environment. Therefore, we set the following goals for our school community:

1. To develop in students good habits of physical hygiene.
2. To develop lifelong habits of good nutrition and exercise.
3. To instill in students a high regard for safety.
4. To infuse knowledge of and respect for our physical bodies, and the bodies of others.
5. To care for our physical surroundings.