As one of five Marist schools in the country, and the top Catholic school in Cape Town, St Joseph’s in Rondebosch offers a balance between modern and traditional education of the highest quality.
Located in a beautiful suburb with a backdrop of Table Mountain, St Joseph’s Marist College is situated on a large campus catering for co-educational learners between Playschool and Matric. The school focuses on broad spectrum excellence spanning academics, sport and cultural activities. At the same time, learners benefit from receiving caring attention to their intellectual, spiritual and emotional developmental needs. The result is that they are given the grounding to become moral, conscientious citizens capable of success.
St Joseph’s is carefully divided in terms of the different developmental stages within the school. Concurrent Montessori and conventional classes run from Pre-School to Grade 6. Every level within the school is carefully designed to ensure a grounding for what is to follow. The attention to the needs of learners by caring teachers via an innovative curriculum translates into well-balanced citizens who can meet the rigorous requirements of a twenty-first century world. Lessons are supplemented by a mentorship programme to ensure that maximum benefit is derived from their time at the school.
In addition to this, St Joseph’s has an integrated Special Needs Unit at the school with a keen focus on development. The values espoused in the school’s ethos finds equal application in these classes, and learners are given the skills they need to create positive and confident attitudes towards learning in an environment where the specific needs of learners are identified and addressed with competence and understanding.
Pastoral care is central to the education and support offered to St Joseph’s as a Catholic school following the Marist tradition. It is via this important facility at the school that a number of important social issues are addressed, giving learners the faculties to make key choices with a strong moral drive. The pastoral life at the school is viewed as a partnership between the various members of the school community including learners, staff, parents and alumni.
St Joseph’s Marist College has a rich cultural life, whereby learners are exposed to a range of cultural and artistic activities and events. Learners are given firsthand experience of this from an early age, giving them the ability to develop a true appreciation for Music, Dance, the Arts and Drama. Learners are given numerous opportunities to participate in these disciplines through the school’s extra-mural programme, and the notable success of the Music School, as well as a busy calendar of cultural events and shows during the year, bears testament to the meaningful impact these activities have on the learners.
Sports are viewed as equally important in the development of pupils at all levels. Sports are age-appropriate and the extensive range of codes available ensures that learners will find a pastime to suit their talents and interests. The principles of good sportsmanship and working as part of a team have a telling impact on the character of all St Joseph’s learners.