16 November 2023

Our Mission @ SJM

St James’ Primary School community excel in education through living and learning in Christ.

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Principal’s Message

Kindergarten 2024

It has been wonderful to see our new batch of our 2024 Kindergarten students here for their second day of kindergarten transition. The smiles on their faces really do light up the room. I sincerely welcome all our new families to SJM. I hope that we can work together for the continued growth and wellbeing of your child…… our child.

Staffing - 2024

We are currently in the process of finalising our staffing at SJM. I believe another teaching job will be advertised soon. Our aim is to announce classes for 2024 in the last week of school.

I would like to announce that Miss Georgia Brimble has been appointed to our school as a permanent teacher. Georgia has undertaken her internship with us and is currently the Regional Casual for the Upper Hunter. I am sure you will congratulate Georgia in due course.

We also will be farewelling teachers from SJM at the end of the year:

• Mrs Rebecca Harrod has been appointed to a position at St Catherine’s, Singleton.
• Mr Cody Somerville has accepted a position at St Columba’s, Adamstown.
• Miss Isabelle Lamont has accepted one of the Regional Casual positions. Isabelle will be still onsite 3 days per week at SJM as part of her Upper Hunter role.

I would like to wish Rebecca, Cody and Isabelle all the very best in the future and thank them for their service to the students and community of SJM.

Please note we currently have a position advertised for Uniform Shop Coordinator – 3 hrs per week. Please use the link here for more enquiries - 

We also have a Regional Casual teaching position currently advertised for the Upper Hunter - 

We still had a number of new and second hand maroon tracksuits. These have been donated to SIMS Cambodia. SIMS is a registered not-for-profit association. They venture to Cambodia regularly supporting impoverished villages in remote and jungle regions.  They support the construction and renovation of schools, payment of teachers wages, and the provision of educational resources in the hope of breaking the cycle of poverty through improved literacy and numeracy outcomes for the students. Medical supplies, food relief packages, clothing, mosquito nets, sleeping mats and blankets are delivered regularly to remote and impoverished communities in need.

As you can see, these uniforms are going to a good home.

Lot’s Happening across the Next Few Weeks

Please know that the end of year is always a hectic time but the next few weeks at SJM are going to be crazy. I have put all the events in a table for you. A reminder that this can change at any time.

Mr Aaron Moon
Principal

Assistant Principal

TWISTIES CUP ROUND 2

The TWISTIES CUP saw 6 teams made up of Year 1 and 2 playing fiercely in the heat out on the soccer pitches at Skellatar these past two weeks. Well done to all players who are learning the skills of playing soccer and playing fairly with others in a team environment.  The teams were drawn against each other, and we had the Wallabies, Possums, Echidnas, Platypus’ and Cockatoos.

The winning STAGE 1 team is The Echidnas- made up of Abel, Letti, Mason F., Leroy, Baylan, Max, Arlo and Cooper.

THE WINNERS OF YEAR 1 AND 2 Twisties ARE....

The Echidnas

Abel, Letti, Mason F., Leroy, Baylan, Max, Arlo and Cooper.

STAGE 2 AND 3 are competing this fortnight. This competition also includes a fair play award for the team that shows fairness, perseverance, and teamwork.

The CHICKEN PROJECT 2023 – 2024

Our chicken coup arrived and is behind the library near the yarning circle and planting area. There are no chickens yet as the eggs are being incubated and the chicks will be hatched soon.

Students can meet them when they arrive – please take part in the chicken naming competition and opportunities to help with landscaping the area, chicken proofing with mesh and looking after the chickens over the coming weeks and into 2024.

Phase 1 of the project which included maintenance of the area, compost building and creating a level area for the coup has been finished. Next phase includes rock painting – leaving a legacy rock for the garden area, watering, feeding the chickens, and collecting waste for recycling.

Send your chicken's name / entry by email to Mrs. Feeney by end of week 9 to

helen.feeney@mn.catholic.edu.au

Prizes...to be won!

Gardenning Success!

Thanks to Mrs. Douglas’ green fingers we harvested the crops of baby carrots, lettuce and other vegetables growing in the garden beds.

What's up Doc?

Another bumper crop! They tasted so “sweet and good”!

What crops would you grow?

NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE SHOW FORCE AND MOTION

Stage 1, 2 and 3 were fortunate to experience the Newcastle University Science show this week on Force and Motion.

Lots of volunteers had a go at the experiments including push, pull, friction and a fog machine which made onion ring shapes using a special machine.

Look at how you can recreate this experiment at home with adult supervision.

https://www.fizzicseducation.com.au/150-science-experiments/force-movement-experiments/create-fog-rings/

IMMIGRATION TALK

GUEST SPEAKERS – NEEMA from 6M, NICOLETTE HOCKING (LSA) and Mrs. Feeney.

Stage 3 were delighted this week and last with tales of Migration from Guest speakers:

The stories included reasons for migrating, what was liked / disliked about living in Australia, language culture and traditions from home countries.

What is your background? Where do your grandparents or great grandparents come from? What artefacts are important to you and your family?

Thank you to all speakers, Mrs. WIlson and Mrs. Douglas in the library, and to the audiences who were focused and asked many good questions.

Where would you like to visit if you could.... Send me your places and reasons for a chance to win a prize. Email your entry with the subject:

“Where in the World.” to helen.feeney@mn.catholic.edu.au by the end of week 9.

God bless you and your family

Mrs Helen Feeney
Assistant Principal

Religion

What an amazing Mission Day we have had at SJM! The Mission Day activities kept everybody busy. The total funds raised were just over $3000! A huge thank you to all the staff at SJM who guided and assisted activities around the school courtyard. The cakes looked delicious, the lucky dip and photo booth were fantastic, accuracy was seen with the lolly toss, thong throwing and Ping Pong, the singing of Karaoke kept Mr Somerville busy, the colours of hairspray, the lights of the disco, the tattoos, iced biscuits, fairy floss, chocolate wheel and lolly guess competition allowed students to leave SJM feeling fantastic and looking amazing. The baby guessing photo competition had many students and parents stumped, but they preserved with the help of their friends.

The spirit of Jesus was seen and heard everywhere is our courtyard yesterday. After speaking to the teachers it warmed my heart to hear that many students gave their change back or just gave extra money, with the most common response being, “oh no just keep my change”. The money line at the end of our activities really shows the spirit of Jesus. Not everyone spent their money at the stalls and this activity shows the generous spirit of families at SJM.

All funds raised will be going to Catholic Missions who support many different causes around Australia.

May your light continue to shine brightly

Mrs Jane Jacobs
Religious Education Coordinator

Awards

Class News

ES1

Mission Day was once again a highlight on the St James’ calendar. The children had so much fun spending the money that you gave them. They loved the disco, having their hair sprayed, getting a tattoo, having their photo taken, dancing around the cake walk, and having the freedom to roam where they liked! Thank you so much to our generous parents who donated an abundance of beautifully decorated cupcakes, cookies and cakes. With your help, St James’ raised a lot of money for those less fortunate than us. It was both a fun and meaningful way to spend a couple of hours.

Even though we have had a few exciting events in the last few weeks, the children have still been working hard inside the classroom. During our Geography unit, Let’s Explore the World, KM and KG have been learning about maps: what are they and why do we need them. We started with a map of Muswellbrook, then NSW, Australia and have just moved on to a world map and the globe. The children are learning about the seven continents that make up the world and we have been singing a catchy tune to help us remember the names and size order of the continents. In the coming weeks we will explore all seven continents, learning some facts about each one. Hopefully your child will share some of their knowledge with you. If you originate from another continent or have visited one, please share this with your child.

Mrs Donna Smith and Mrs Trishelle Threadgate

Stage 1

Dear Stage 1 Parents and Carers, 

A huge thank you to all our families who supported Mission Day at SJM. The students certainly enjoyed the many fantastic activities that were on offer and commented on how their contributions can make a huge difference to those who need help in our world through our fundraising to support Catholic Mission. We really appreciated your support and thank all our wonderful staff for their organisation.

It was an amazing morning to have the POWERFM breakfast team here at our school on Thursday Nov 9^th. Students, families and teachers certainly appreciated the opportunity to build upon the wonderful community spirit here at SJM. A special thank you to Miss Fitzsimmons for all her organisation and the staff behind the scenes who assisted in so many ways.

Students participated in a very solemn and reverent Remembrance Day Liturgy led by Year 6 this past Monday. Our students showed great respect and awareness throughout the liturgy. We thank all those who organised and assisted with the liturgy.

A reminder that for the remainder of Term 4 both Year 1 and 2 will hold their sports day on Thursdays. Students will participate in formal Physical Education lessons through Zing Activ. The focus of these lessons will be on Gymnastics and the relevant skills. Year 1 will participate from 9:00-9:40am and Year 2 10:20am-11:00am. Please ensure your child wears their school Sports Uniform on ( Thursdays ) for the remainder of the Term.

It was a wonderful excursion for Year 2 on Wednesday Nov 1^st to Oakvale Wildlife Park and the Super Nova Science Exhibit at the Newcastle Museum. The excursion focused on learning about the Living World and Earth and Space as part of the Term 4 Science Unit and in Geography, students are learning about Features of Places. The excursion was designed to enhance students’ learning in these key learning areas. The students thoroughly enjoyed all the learning activities and gained some amazing first-hand knowledge and skills. We would like to thank Miss Becus and Miss Cooper for all their fantastic organisation as well as Mr Moon and Mrs Hand for attending and supporting on the day. The students were extremely enthusiastic, engaged and demonstrated great manners at all venues.

Across the past two weeks it has been a very busy time in the classroom. In Mathematics, Year One have been focusing on features of 2D and 3D shapes as well as looking at building upon their skills in Whole number, Addition and Subtraction. It has been very encouraging to see students developing a wide range of strategies and skills. Year 2 have been focusing on whole number concepts and developing a range of skills when looking at Patterns in numbers. Students have been using addition and subtraction to explore various patterns and have certainly enjoyed challenging their thinking and developing new skills and strategies. In our PDH lessons students in both Years 1 and 2 have been discussing and looking at the physical, social and emotional benefits of participating in a range of games and physical activities. They are learning to identify ways to encourage and support their participation at school, home and in the community. In Physical Education students have been participating in the Unit “Striking and Fielding Games.” There has been a range of games and opportunities for students to develop throwing, striking and catching skills. We now look forward to learning more about Gymnastics with our Zing Activ teachers across Weeks 6-10.  Finally, students have continued to work through a range of Drama techniques through our “Drama on the Stage Unit.” They have enjoyed looking at using actions, facial expressions, the importance of voice as well as combining music through storytelling and elements of History.

Kind Regards,

Miss Fitzsimmons(1G), Mr Sabotic-Mrs Whithead (1M), Miss Cooper (2M), Miss Becus (2G)

Stage 2

Dear parents/carers, 

• Thank you to all the grandparents who attended grandparents' day. We had a blast! It was lovely to show you what we have been up to and share some of the students’ wonderful achievements with you. We hope you enjoyed the liturgy and classroom activities!
• Mission Day was a huge success. Thanks to all the parents who brought in supplies for Mission Day – we could not have done it without you. Children enjoyed engaging in activities such as getting their hair sprayed, eating fairy floss, a disco, karaoke, decorate cookies and eat plenty of treats and cakes. We hope there weren’t too many sore bellies!! Together, we raised lots of money!
• Even though it is creeping towards the end of term, Stage 2 have been working hard in class. In religion we have been exploring the history of the Church and how the Catholic Church begin in Australia. As part of this, we have been exploring our own family history. Thank you to those who sent the videos in, it has been so insightful to gain knowledge into the origins of the children in our class.
• In Science we have begun investigating living and non – living things. Children have explored the living things in our school environment and have created posters of living things in our school. Some examples included worms, flies, trees and even their friends!!

A few photos from Grandparents Day:

Mr Cody Somerville, Mrs Jane Dengate, Miss Gabrielle Dafter, Mrs Jane Jacobs, Mrs Mary Ballard

Stage 3

Students have had a fun filled couple of weeks with many exciting events happening. Stage 3 have enjoyed the first session of gymnastics in the hall learning the skills and control associated with this sport.

Year 6 have also had their orientation day at St Joseph’s Aberdeen in preparation for their move to high school. It was a great experience for students as they tried to get their bearings in what will be a much bigger environment. Students had the chance to have a taster of some of the subjects they have on offer.

Our class novel study ‘Boy Overboard’ by Morris Gleitzman has also given students some perspective on how children their age in other countries live and the adversity and challenges they face. With the events happening in our world at present it raised a lot of valuable and insightful conversations with our students.

We were enthralled by our guest speakers – Neema from 6M, Mrs Hocking (Zanel’s mum) and Mrs Feeney. They told us about their migration stories and told us about their reasons for leaving their home countries and living in Australia.

Miss Isabelle Lamont, Mrs Melissa McLennan, Mrs Lauren Gehrig, Mrs Helen Feeney, Miss Alyssa Pritchard

Leader of Wellbeing

I have been to a few classes and asked students what they would like to do during wellbeing week. It is so amazing to hear every single student in these classes communicate what makes them happy. They have ideas and strategies to help their mental health and wellbeing. Teachers and parents should be proud that these children know how important it is to look after their mental health and have ideas to help themselves. Please ask them what strategies they can use at home and how they can help you. Have a conversation about what you do to look after your mental health.

I have also been completing a few final VIA Character strengths surveys with students and reviewing our students’ strengths across the school. Ask your students what their strengths are. I was astounded by the number of students whose top character strengths is Love. It was nice to see all the strengths but there were 50 or so students with the top character strength of Love. Don’t forget you can do this for free at home to find your character strengths too.

At SJM we learn about and utilise strength spotting. This is noticing what student’s top strengths are and work with these. For example, if a student’s top strength is creativity, we encourage them to participate or provide opportunities for creative activities. We also encourage students to spot the strengths of characters in books, find other people who share their strength and if they know what their strength is it makes them feel like they are good at something. We all have moments when we feel like we are not good at anything. It is great for confidence when we know we are good at one thing.

Mrs Trishelle Threadgate
Leader of Wellbeing

Community Notices

St. James’ P & F Association

P&F Committee Contacts