Services Offered
    
Part of the mission of the Catholic Schools Office is to provide
services which meet the needs of Catholic
schools. As costs are covered by the donations made by member schools to
the Catholic Schools Board, there is no charge to member schools for
these services. It is a member school's right to make use of our
services, and we are waiting for you to do so!
Our
programmes and workshops are interactive and interesting. We are
always open to suggestions as to how they can be improved and made
even more helpful.
Click on a heading below to find out more about the services we
offer. If you cannot find what you are looking for, give us a brief,
and we will do our best to meet
it.
CATHOLIC
ETHOS, PASTORAL CARE AND RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Integrity
in Ministry Workshop
Orientation
Workshop for teachers new to Catholic schools
Orientation
Workshop on Catholic ethos for new board members
Workshops
on understanding the ethos of Catholic schools
Assistance
to Religious Education teachers
Retreats
and Days of Reflection for your learners
Assistance
with Outreach
Introducing
Pastoral Care
LEADERSHIP
and SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
Management,
Leadership and Governance Training
FINANCIAL
MANAGEMENT AND STAFF EMPLOYMENT ISSUES
Advice
provided to Johannesburg Diocesan Schools
Advertising
your Positions Vacant
HR
and LEGAL SUPPORT
Advice
on Legal Support
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INTEGRITY IN MINISTRY |
Background
"Integrity in Ministry" is part of the South African
bishops’ response to the sexual abuse of children by clergy
and religious. In the past this abuse was largely hushed up by
Church authorities, and cases of abuse were badly mishandled.
Perpetrators were hardly made to account for their actions,
and victims received little or no redress. |
A new approach
"Integrity in Ministry" is a document which reflects a new
candid approach to the molestation of children, and the Church's
determination to end it. The document sets standards of behaviour
for employees in Catholic schools. These standards are based on an
understanding of education as ministry and service, and on the right
of children to feel safe and unthreatened at school.
Required by CaSPA
The Catholic Schools Proprietors Association (CaSPA), which
represents the owners of Catholic schools, has endorsed
"Integrity in Ministry", and requires that it is
workshopped in all Catholic schools.
What happens at an Integrity in Ministry workshop?
An Integrity in Ministry workshop deepens our understanding of
service and examines the responsibility of adults to honour the
trust and influence they have in professional relationships with
children.
We workshop the
standards of behaviour with your staff, and go through the
procedures that would follow if an allegation of misconduct
involving physical, emotional or sexual abuse was made against an
employee. The workshop closes with a brief liturgy of healing.
How long is an Integrity in Ministry workshop?
Three or four hours.
Who should attend an Integrity in Ministry workshop?
The workshop is for anyone working in a Catholic school - whether
voluntarily or in salaried employment - who provides a service to
learners. Teachers, managers, administration staff, support staff,
volunteers (e.g. mothers who work in the tuckshop), sports coaches,
part-time therapists, security staff, people who come in the
afternoons to provide specialised instruction for individual
learners (e.g. music teachers), after-care providers: all should
participate in the workshop.
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ORIENTATION
WORKSHOP FOR TEACHERS NEW TO CATHOLIC SCHOOLS |
  We
run an annual workshop for teachers who are new to Catholic schools
to
orientate them in the mission and purpose
of Catholic education
to
clarify what is expected of them
to make
them feel at home in the Catholic
school environment
to equip them to join wholeheartedly in the
enterprise of Catholic
education
to clear up any questions they may have about
Catholic practice and
the Catholic faith
Comments
from previous participants
“This
was a lovely and enjoyable experience; really worthwhile. I’ll
recommend it to any teacher new
to a Catholic school”
“I
came expecting a long impractical seminar, but was pleasantly
surprised by the refreshing inputs
and the stimulating hands-on
activities”
“The
workshop brought back the magic of the love of the profession”
“I
now really understand what Catholic schools are all about”
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ORIENTATION
WORKSHOP ON CATHOLIC ETHOS
FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS |
Guardianship
The declining numbers and increasing age of religious has seen the
laity being entrusted more and more with the guardianship of
Catholic schools. This workshop
assists new board members to take on this guardianship. Through an
exploration of Catholic
education philosophy and ethos, participants gain an understanding
of the endowment which the religious congregations have entrusted to them, and the need to use this endowment
as the foundation for the continuance
and development of Catholic education.
A
workshop about Ethos
This workshop does not deal with the mechanics of board functions
such as financial management, fundraising, appointment of staff,
maintenance of the school property and new development projects, but
focuses, rather, on the responsibility entrusted to boards to
nurture the Catholic ethos of our schools.
The
big picture
Acting upon Direction Statement 3 of the National Catholic Schools
Congress, the workshop also gives new board members a sense of the
“big picture” of our two dioceses, calling attention to the
disparities amongst our schools and the ensuing need for unity,
co-operation, generosity and sharing as our society undergoes
transformation.
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UNDERSTANDING THE ETHOS OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS |
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"Catholic
Education is, above all, a question of communicating
Christ, of helping to form Christ in the lives of others.
The cause
of Catholic Education is the cause of Jesus Christ and of
His
Gospel at the service of humankind."
Pope John Paul II
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What
makes a school Catholic is the subject of much ongoing
debate - hence the need to explore and come to an
understanding of what constitutes the distinctive ethos of a
Catholic school |
What makes
a school Catholic?
A
Catholic school is centred in Jesus Christ. We
follow Jesus Christ and are inspired by his understanding of
the human person. The liberating teachings of Jesus impel
Catholic schools to be agents of transformation. This is the great adventure of Catholic
education.
We do not provide
education for society as it is, but for society as it should be, as
envisioned in Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom
of God.
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Important
for many Catholic schools is the particular charism of the
religious congregation associated with the school. Motivated
as they were by the teachings of Jesus, the lives of the
founders of these congregations were invariably marked by
compassion, service and outreach to those who were poor and
overlooked in society. Some religious congregations active in
our two dioceses are deeply involved in imparting the charism
of their order to their school communities
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Affecting
and inspiring
learners' lives
We
share the Good News with our learners in ways that will profoundly
affect their lives. A Catholic school gives learners opportunities
to explore the answers which faith provides for the questions of
life, and for them to encounter the love and mercy of God. Faced with
the
pressures of our consumerist, competitive and materialist society,
and bombarded with messages about what counts as success, they will
go through life empowered by Gospel values of sharing, simplicity,
service, littleness, magnanimity and solidarity, and with a sense of
purpose: to build the kingdom of God. Our world will be different because of who
our learners become.
The need for effective formation programmes in ethos
Contending
with the powerful socialising influence of the media and a pervasive
individualistic success ethic, a Catholic school can all too easily
lose sight of Gospel values and Catholic teachings such as the
Common Good and the Primacy of the Poor, and end up abdicating the
purpose of its existence. This is why it is of deep concern to many
in Catholic education that Catholic schools have a thorough
understanding of their ethos. This concern was uppermost in the
minds of the leaders of religious congregations when they
established the Catholic Schools Board. The same concern is
reflected in the Direction Statements of the National Catholic
Schools Congress. The Congress called for effective formation
programmes which will create awareness of ethos and allow all
members of the school community to internalise the ethos
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ASSISTANCE
TO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TEACHERS |
The Catholic Schools Office is concerned to see Religious Education
flourishing in schools.
If
your RE teachers need help in drawing up a Religious Education policy
for your school, with compiling their RE curriculum, with resources,
with planning liturgical celebrations, or any other aspect of RE, we would be
pleased to come to your school and assist.
We
can, for example, present a mini-workshop on assessment in RE for
your RE department.
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RETREATS
AND DAYS OF REFLECTION FOR YOUR LEARNERS |
We
can run retreats, or days of reflection, or give inputs at days of
reflection for your learners. Our challenging programmes aim at
giving learners a real understanding of gospel values and of what it
means to "seek first the kingdom of God".
Some of the programmes we have
available:
The
teachings of Jesus in the Gospels
"Thy
Kingdom Come" - what must we do to bring the Kingdom of God?
False
gods and the true God
Respecting the integrity of creation
Inspiration
from the lives of the saints
The
State of the World (suitable for senior high school)
Simulation
games which demonstrate how the rich get richer and the poor poorer,
and how the global
economy works
We
can assist with ideas for community service and outreach
We
run a day for learner outreach groups active in our schools, such as
the Marist Co-workers, Lasallians, Young
Dominicans, Serviam, the
Edmund Rice Society, and for schools who would like to start such
groups
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INTRODUCING PASTORAL CARE
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Pastoral
Care is the active pursuit of attitudes, practices and programmes
that promote and develop the intellectual, emotional, physical,
social and spiritual dimensions of individuals through the
enhancement of a safe, caring environment where support structures
are evident.
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Pastoral Care
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reflects what we believe about the human person
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involves everyone
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is about creating a network of care which pervades every facet of school
life
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responds to the developmental needs of
people in the school community
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is about relating to one another more creatively
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is not satisfied with the mere outward niceties of social etiquette, but goes beyond these
to the substance
of a
spirituality of communion amongst members of the school community
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is about bringing “abundance of life” to fruition
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embraces an attitude that says “we are
a school where everybody is helped to grow”
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requires of teachers not simply the
teaching of a school subject, but also a commitment to travel the
second
mile of “making a difference” in the lives of children
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begins with everybody agreeing on
principles which underpin Pastoral Care, such as, “Every
individual is made
in the image of God and will be treated as
such,” “We strive for the common good,” or, “We are a caring
community”
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emphasises quality relationships
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transforms whatever is found to
dehumanise people or break them down
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is experienced when members of the
school community interact positively to make positive choices about
life
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directs the
energies of the school towards unlocking people’s giftedness and
becoming all that they can be
 Pastoral
care requires support structures for people who have particular
needs. Some learners may be victims
of bullying; others may be failing all their subjects; while others may be
struggling to make friends. Outside school learners may have been
victims of crime, their family life may be shattered, or they may be
suffering from the impact of HIV/AIDS.
The staff may be divided into factions. In class
teachers may have to deal with disruptive and deviant
behaviour, and they can be overwhelmed by the demands of their
stressful jobs.
Realities
like these, if left unattended, can make a school dysfunctional.
Pastoral Care puts systems and programmes in place which take in hand
these issues.
Pastoral
Care is integral to the ethos of a Catholic school. Pastoral Care is
the face of ethos.
Direction
Statement 4 of the National Catholic Schools Congress, and the
Policy Document on HIV/AIDS and Life Skills Education of the
Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, stress the need for
all Catholic schools to implement Pastoral Care programmes. We can
assist your school in putting such programmes in place.
ADVICE
& GUIDENCE to JOHANNESBURG DIOCESAN SCHOOLS |
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Salary
administration
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Workplace
skills development
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Employment
equity
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Conditions
of service
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Employment
contracts
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Provident
Fund administration
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Assistance
with labour relations issues
ADVERTISING
YOUR POSITIONS VACANT |
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Send us details of employment
vacancies you have going at your school
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We will advertise them on this
website and around the Catholic schools network
HUMAN
RESOURES & LEGAL SUPPORT |
HR and Legal
Support is available for Gauteng Catholic schools. Contact CSO for
further information.
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Free of
charge.
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