St Joseph's School

St Joseph’s School is a Catholic co-educational School, in the picturesque Avon Valley, catering for the education of approximately 600 students from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12. In 2015, the school was successful in its application to cater for Years 11 and 12 students. 2016 saw the first intake of Year 11 students into the school.

St Joseph’s School is situated off Great Eastern Highway and is just 90 km from the Perth CBD. The Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition established the first Catholic school in Northam, in 1889. The Marist Brothers opened St Paul’s, a boy’s College in 1948 and in 1971 these two schools combined to become a co-educational primary and secondary school on two separate campuses. Our school has a 127 years tradition of a caring environment and prides itself as a learning centre with programs to cater for all students.

The school is founded on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and seeks to nurture the individual qualities of each person in a caring and accepting community through the promotion of Christian values. As a Catholic school, there is an emphasis on the faith development of students and participation in the Sacramental Program organised in conjunction with St Joseph’s Parish. St Joseph’s School is an active community with the school receiving great support from parents. All members of the School community are encouraged to live the School Motto: ‘Fidelity’ (which means “the strict observance of promises or duties”) in their relationships with one another.

St Joseph’s School recognises the importance of an emphasis on Literacy and Numeracy in the early years and the need for early intervention.

We offer a Pre-Kindergarten program, Kindergarten for 4 year olds and Pre Primary for 5 year olds. Year 6 students have the opportunity to enter the da Vinci Decathlon competition for academically gifted students. Bahasa Indonesia is also taught at the school from Year 1 to Year 6. Italian is taught in Years 7 and 8.

Private music tutors teach on school grounds and the Primary School Choir has performed exceptionally well in the Catholic Schools Performing Arts Festival and always achieves highly in the annual Avon Valley Arts Festival. The comprehensive physical education program enhances the holistic approach to developing each student.

The School has significant community interaction through the Parish and local community groups. A Capital Development Program has resulted in excellent facilities for specialist subject areas, physical education and student amenities. In recent years, there has been a significant building and refurbishment program in place with a Performing Arts Centre on the Primary Campus and a second Science and Language Laboratory on the Secondary Campus.