St Joseph's had its beginning in 1848 when Miss Mary O'Dowd opened a small
co-educational school for about a dozen children in the area, both Catholic
and other than Catholic. Two years later, Father Garin arrived in Nelson and
began a small school for boys only, in the Presbytery. In 1871 four members
of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, an international religious order
of French origin, arrived in Nelson at the request of Father Garin and took
over the education of both boys and girls. This same order, whose primary work
was education, staffed the school entirely for many years. The last member
of
the Order to work in our school retired in 2001. The first lay teachers joined
the Sisters in the late 1940's, and the school is now fully staffed by lay
people.
TODAY: St Joseph's is a Catholic primary co-educational school,
catering for children from New Entrants (5 year-olds) to Year 8. It is staffed
by fifteen lay teachers as well as numerous Support Staff. The school is situated
in, and is a part of, St Mary's Parish, but also draws pupils from the Stoke
Parish.
AIMS: As a school, we strive to work as a team to create a
happy, challenging Christian learning environment that will support and encourage
each person to develop fully. We work towards creating an environment where
each of us is enabled to discern God's presence in the other.