At the end of the last school year, the staff reviewed our Mission Statement and Values. We carefully reviewed our values system in terms of the formation that we provide for our children for their future lives.
It was decided that we would adopt the Jesuit Values Profile at St Mary’s.
The Jesuit Pupil Profile was set up in 2013 in response to the question: What kind of people do we hope our pupils are growing to be? These values are not random but are a vision of what a good and virtuous person should be, rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The values are listed in the tree image and are arranged in pairs (colour coded). The concept is that the tree symbolises the growth of our young people and that we are responsible in partnership for helping their formation in these respects.
During term 3 ( January and February) we will move on to focus on a new pair of values whilst not forgetting the previous values and how these shape the
people we all aspire to be.
Next term’s values will be to help the children to become Compassionate towards others, near and far, especially the less fortunate; and Loving through their just actions and forgiving words
This is linked to Amethyst gem power – to co-operate – learn from and with others.
We ask parents and staff to support the children in developing these values in the following ways:
To listen to our children’s cares and concerns and to share their joys and to see the world through their eyes, to step into their shoes, to empathize. Whilst doing this we should encourage them to do this for others.
Being able to empathize is a virtue very necessary for being a good human being. To live successfully in a family, or a school community, or workplace, or in wider society, means being able to see, understand and feel things from other points of view, even ones to which we may not be particularly sympathetic. In the Christian tradition, it is never enough simply to be attentive: we must allow ourselves to be moved by what we see, especially by the plight of those who suffer or are less fortunate than we are.
Getting children to stop and notice how others are experiencing their lives, and how they feel, and why they say and believe what they do, is an important aspect of parenting and teaching. Ultimately, it is what makes us kind and, at a deeper level, opens up the possibility of being loving through our just and merciful actions and forgiving words.
The more we love others, the more we are truly human and most truly ourselves. By being compassionate and loving in the way pupils are treated, especially when a pupil is in trouble; and by opening pupils’ eyes to those who suffer poverty, injustice or violence.
