House Teams
At St. Joseph’s, our children work hard to receive house points which are collected at the end of each half term. The house with the most points is the winner of the house cup! Children can receive house points for a variety of things, such as: being kind to others in our community, trying hard in their lessons and living out our virtues. Anyone, including visitors, can give our children house points! So if you are visiting, please look out for fantastic behaviours you see.
Half Term 1
Congratulations to Fountains Abbey House on winning this half term’s trophy!
Half Term 2
Congratulations to Bolton Abbey House on winning this half term’s trophy!
Half Term 4
Congratulations to Whitby Abbey House on winning this half term’s trophy!
Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately 3 miles (5 km) south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 407 years, becoming one of the wealthiest monasteries in England until its dissolution, by order of Henry VIII, in 1539.
In 1983, Studley Royal Park including the ruins of Fountains Abbey was purchased by the National Trust. The abbey is maintained by English Heritage.
Kirkstall Abbey
Kirkstall Abbey was founded in 1152 by a community of Cistercian monks from Fountains Abbey. It gained its wealth from keeping sheep for the wool trade. Monastic life for the 31 monks came to an end in November 1540 when the abbey was surrendered to Henry VIII as part of the dissolution of the monasteries. Although a few buildings were cleared to ground level most were left standing and used for agricultural purposes. This is perhaps why Kirkstall is now the most complete set of Cistercian ruins in Britain. The church still stands to roof level. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the road from Leeds to Skipton ran right through the nave! The abbey is now in the care of Leeds City Council (2011).
Bolton Abbey
Bolton Abbey was founded by Augustinian monks who moved to the region from Embsay in 1154. The priory took around a century to take form and was one the largest monasteries in England. Building work on the site was still taking place up until the Dissolution of the Monasteries 1540 by Henry VIII.
Whitby Abbey
The ruins of Whitby Abbey are among the most celebrated sights of North Yorkshire. The first monastery here, founded in about 657, became one of the most important religious centres in the Anglo-Saxon world. In 664 it was the setting for the Synod of Whitby, a landmark in the history of the Church in England. The headland is now dominated by the shell of the 13th-century church of the Benedictine abbey founded after the Norman Conquest.