St Joseph's Primary School, which was founded by the Sisters of St Joseph, has a long history of serving the Catholic Parish of St Joseph's now known as Newcastle Parish. Students are enrolled from a number of areas including The Junction, Merewether, Bar Beach, Newcastle, Cooks Hill and Hamilton South. Our motto 'Live the Truth' is our ideal in responding to Christ's challenge to live the Gospel Our vision is to evangelise and to educate students to their full potential through a partnership of home, parish and school within a vital and positive atmosphere. St. Joseph's supports families in their efforts to educate their children to cope with the demands of a rapidly changing world and to cater for learning in the 21st century. We aim to provide an enthusiastic and friendly environment for learning; one which is safe and aesthetically pleasing. The beauty of the natural environment has been a main focus in recent refurbishments at the school. The students participate in a variety of environmental programs. Our gardening group helps to foster our appreciation of beauty and it also contributes to making our school grounds attractive. The school plays an important role in the Parish community by educating our students in the history, culture, traditions and doctrine of the Catholic Church while fostering the development of their faith. St Joseph's offers a challenging and flexible curriculum to maximise student outcomes. The challenge is to continue to build upon our academic strength and provide even greater learning outcomes for students at all levels. We provide a curriculum which is differentiated to cater for the individual needs of students and students with special needs are provided with individual education programs. Technology is integrated across the curriculum and is a focus of teaching and learning at St. Joseph's. St. Joseph's provides an opportunity for pupils to excel in creative arts, including dance, visual arts, drama and music. This occurs before and after school as well as being a vital part..