Catholic Life

What are our School values?

Living and Learning with Christ as our Guide

Gospel values are key to the day to day life of our school.  The Golden Rule reminds us to care for each other, supporting those who struggle and celebrating joyfully with others in their happiness and success.

Examples:

• A sound pastoral system, including House Prefects
• Celebration assemblies

Our House Patrons further inspire us to live according to the values of the Gospel:

St Oscar Romero shows us that we should work hard for justice, in school, our local community and the wider world.

Examples of how we do this:

• Pupil voice, through the School Council
• Annual support for the local foodbank
• Year 9 fairtrade stall
• Lenten Lunches – eaten simply, in solidarity with the poor and proceeds to CAFOD.
• Pledges made in response to Laudato Si (Letter from Pope Francis, calling on us to care for our common home, and not to ignore the plight of the most vulnerable in view of climate change)

St Teresa of Calcutta reminds us that we can meet Christ in our needy neighbour and that we should always show love towards the sick, the lonely, and the marginalised.

Examples of how we do this are:

• Prayers for the sick / prayers for refugees
• Charity walks for CAFOD and for Father Hudson’s Care (specifically refugees)
• New students are always assigned a companion

Newman reminds us to respond to God’s call, to be faithful and put our trust in Him as we discover our vocation and what we are called to be.

Examples of how this is supported:

• The Prayer life of the School
• Day retreat to Alton Castle – Yr. 7
• Residential retreat to Soli House – Yr. 10
• A wealth of extra-curricular activities, that encourage the development of talents and personal growth.

Of course we are a Dominican School and so Dominican Values, that ultimately derive from Gospel values, also inform the day to day working of our school:

Community – We are a community: we work together, we play together and we pray together. We recognise the uniqueness of every member of this community as someone precious in God’s eyes. We are inclusive and welcoming of students of all abilities, supporting them to be the best that they can be.

Service/Charity – St Dominic lived an austere life, with little concern for material possessions, just as did our House Patron, St Teresa of Calcutta. St Dominic also sold his worldly goods, including his beloved books to help the poor. We have an excellent programme of charitable giving throughout the year, here at St Dominic’s, in which all staff and students are very much involved.

Prayer – Central to the life of a Dominican is Prayer.
Here, at school, there is some form of collective worship every day, and our school year is structured around a calendar of Whole School Masses – the highest form of prayer. In addition, students and staff have the opportunity to attend the parish Mass once a fortnight.

Study – St Dominic is often depicted with a dog at his feet carrying a torch. During her pregnancy, Dominic’s mother dreamt that a dog leapt from her womb, carrying a flaming torch. She understood this to mean that her son would set the world on fire with the truth about Christ. This is exactly what he did in thirteenth century southern France in the face of many heresies. The Dominican motto is ‘Veritas’ or ‘Truth’ and Dominic’s white lily is a symbol of truth and purity. Here at St Dominic’s we seek the truth through study and engagement with one another in all academic disciplines, always listening carefully to the views of others, and so we grow both in academic and spiritual terms. Beyond this, our mission to the world, like Dominic’s, is to reveal the ultimate Truth in Christ. How do we do this? Through our example, our positive relationships, our compassion, our charitable giving and our efforts to work for a fairer world – In short, through Living and Learning with Christ as our Guide.

Our School Values- made simple

Our mission statement is ‘Living and learning with Christ as our Guide’.

In other words, adhere to the Golden rule: Mt 7:12 ‘Do unto others as you would have others do unto you’

Our House Patrons inspire us:

St Romero reminds us to work for justice
St Teresa of Calcutta reminds us to care for those in need
Newman reminds us to put our trust in God

Furthermore, as Dominicans:

• We live in a community where everyone is respected, included and cherished.
• We value both prayer and learning as we grow spiritually and academically.
• People know that we are a Christian community because of our example and our charitable giving.

Live Simply Challenge

In July 2023 the school achieved CAFOD’s LiveSimply Award.

Through specific projects and ongoing traditions, the school community has demonstrated how we are striving to: Live Simply, Live Sustainably and Live in Solidarity with the poor.

Our projects have included: The creation of a prayer garden; walking to raise awareness of hunger, water aid, and the plight of the refugee; our annual simple Lenten Lunch; Harvest foodbank donations; our Fair-Trade tuck shop; the setting up of a Prep eco -club.

• The School Year at St Dominic’s through a Catholic lens
• 2019 09 Canonical Report FINAL St Dominic’s Priory, Stone