7 June 2024

Our Mission @ SJM

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

Quote

‘In the broken bread and the chalice offered to the disciples, Jesus gives Himself for all humanity and offers Himself for the life of the world. #GospelOfTheDay (Mk 14:12-26)’- Pope Francis

Principal’s Message

Illness

As I have mentioned across the last week, SJM and the wider Muswellbrook community are currently experiencing a wide variety of illnesses that have taken hold.

We have COVID, Influenza, RSV, Rotavirus and gastro within the school. We encourage you to please keep your children at home if they are unwell. Please keep them home for the recommend exclusion period also.

For more information, please see the website below:

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/childhood.aspx

What we are doing @ SJM:

• All students will be hand sanitising before they enter the classroom.
• High touch points will be cleaned daily for the coming weeks.

As you can appreciate, staff are also susceptible to these illnesses. We have a number of staff away each day. We are doing our best to ensure your child’s class has a teacher with them, however, at times we may need to split your child’s class. We apologise and thank you for your understanding.

Reports

Teachers have been busy compiling reports over the last few weeks and these will come to exec soon. I want to acknowledge the teachers for all of the dedication and commitment they show to their students each day.

It isn’t just about report writing; the care the teachers take to program units of work, differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of all students, as well as devising suitable assessment opportunities is phenomenal. We are certainly lucky to have such great teachers at SJM.

Don’t forget to book your Parent Teacher Interviews by Wednesday 26^th June.

Uniforms

School uniforms are an important part of the fabric (pardon the pun) of SJM. With our increase in student population, as well as increase lead times in orders, we are out of stock with several items:

• Ties – ETA late July
• Hats – Medium hats (no ETA) – we still have small, large and extra large
• Trackpants size 6 – on backorder – ETA Week 8.
• Sports socks – 13/3 & 3/8 – ETA  Term 3

We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. We know it definitely isn’t ideal but we are doing our best.

Please note we have:

• Changed the manufacturer for the track suits. This does mean that the new pants have gold stripes on them. These are a stock track pant, rather than a custom made. We have done this to reduce costs to our families.
• Taken on feedback from families and ordered a different style of sports sock. Although, the same style this sock is not as padded inside the shoe.
• Checked the results of the survey. 80% of respondents stated they wanted a blue sports shirt. We will begin this process.

Spelling Bee

The Regional Spelling Bee was run and won at Scone this week. Congrats to the following students that competed in the Regional Spelling Bee:

Stage 1

Scarlett and Baylan

Stage 2

Willow and Lucy

Stage 3

Erin and Liliana

Congrats to Scarlett on winning Stage 1. She will now compete at the Diocesan Final at Singleton later in the term.

Mr Aaron Moon
Principal

Assistant Principal

Tell Them From Me Survey

The Tell them from me survey has now reached its halfway point. Thank you to all our parents who have completed this survey. The survey data provides us with valuable feedback on what our students think about their faith, school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. 

The information gathered from this survey helps our school community to be better informed about what we are doing well, where we need to focus more attention and how we can sharpen our planning to ensure we achieve improved outcomes for our students. This year, we are seeking your help and participation. The parent carer survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Most questions have a ‘tick box’ answer, but some allow you to provide comments. As you complete the survey, you will be able to see how many questions you have remaining.

If you have more than one child attending the same school, you only need to complete the survey once, and we ask that you base your responses on your eldest child’s experiences. All responses will be completely anonymous.  

As parents and carers of students in our school, we deeply value your feedback and encourage you to partner with us and complete this survey. The information we gather is critical to us and allows us to hear directly from you and gain insight into what you think is important about the work we do, how we communicate with you and where you think we need to improve. 

GOING AWAY ON HOLIDAYS? 

If you are planning an extended holiday during the year (more than 10 school days), you are required to apply for the leave and have it approved by the principal. You will need to contact the office for the appropriate form to be sent home. The approval of this leave usually isn’t an issue, but we need to follow the process and keep your approval on file. Once the leave is approved, we then supply you with a certificate for that leave, that you can produce if asked why your child is not at school. If your holiday is less than 10 school days, please just email your child's teacher to let them know when you will be away. 

LABELLING ALL SCHOOL ITEMS 

Don’t forget to label everything! This is the only way that lost items will be returned to your child. Now is a great time to make sure all school items have your child’s name in permanent marker or a label that will not peel off easily. Don’t forget to show your child their labelled items … this will help them when they come to ask us for help finding lost items. 

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Parents who wish to meet with their child’s teacher regarding progress are encouraged to book an interview time through the Compass portal. Thank you to all parents who have already completed this booking. If there is not an available time slot, please contact your child’s classroom teacher to organise an alternate appointment.

Stay warm during these cold, windy days

Mrs Jane Jacobs
Acting Assistant Principal

Religion

Last week we welcomed back Father Victor for his first stage mass of Term 2. Stage 2 and Stage 3 shared in this celebration. It was wonderful to hear students’ responses and understanding of the Gospel and what it meant for them. Students also discussed with Father Victor the meaning of The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We also have several students participating in the Sacramental Program each Wednesday at St James’ Church. As the students embark on this journey and deepening their faith we keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

A friendly reminder that we have our St James’ Parish Children’s Mass taking place on Saturday 22^nd June at 5.30pm. We would love to see as many students and families there as possible.

Mrs Lauren Gehrig
Acting Religious Education Coordinator

Merit Awards

Principal Awards

Class News

ES1

In History this term we have continued to explore how families are made up, what families looked like around the world and the differences and similarities of families today and in the past. From looking at pictures of the past we noticed photos were less readily available and in black and white. People in the past wore different clothes and had different technology. We discussed what it would be like to live without television and cars, most children said it would be different but wouldn’t mind living in the olden days because people still looked happy.

Students are building their vocabulary and experimenting with writing words about families: mum, dad and siblings. We revisited how the families are made up in our classes and noted people with only brothers, people with only sisters and people with both were about the same. We made a Venn diagram to see how our families were made up.

It is great to see Kindergarten confidence and communication skills developing.

Mrs Donna Smith (KG) and Mrs Trishelle Threadgate (KM)

Stage 1

Hello to all our wonderful stage 1 families! We are now more than halfway through Term 2 – wow how time flies! Year 1 and 2 have been quite busy over the last two weeks, with Year 1 going on their excursion to Tocal Homestead and Dullboys. Students enjoyed churning their own butter, dressing up and setting tables, before being whisked away to a world full of lights and modern technology. A massive thank you to Mr Sabotic, Mrs Baker, Mrs Mitchell, Mr Moon and Mrs Gers for taking all students. Year 1 represented SJM beautifully, and we could not be prouder.

In history students continue to explore communication and technology, taking a step back in time to explore older video games. Students had the option in Year 1 to play one of the first video games, PONG, whilst Year 2 opted for some PAC-MAN. Students compared aspects of modern-day gaming to gaming when it was first created. If you have any older games (video of board) this might be a great family activity to engage in on the weekend!

In PDHPE students have just finished up revising some of the key fundamental movement skills, throwing, catching and kicking. It is key to continue to revise these important skills as students grow to ensure they have the skills necessary to perform sporting games with greater ease. Over the next few weeks, students will explore dribbling, bouncing and striking. In Health students have been exploring the concepts of friendship and safe people. It is important for students to know who they can go to in a variety of different settings to ensure they remain safe and healthy.

Infants had an absolute blast at the Neon Disco, bringing fluro back into fashion. Students danced, laughed and grooved their way through a variety of songs with their teachers. There were some new moves on the floor that were definitely taught! Students love of colour also extended to the Wednesday, where students wore purple in support of the Starlight Foundation. Thank you to everyone who was able to donate.

This week for Wellbeing Week, students are encouraged to take some time to focus on their emotional and mental health. This also extends to the families and households. Some great activities you might like to do as a family could include; reading a story, playing a game, going to the park, cooking a meal together or having your own dance party!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. We look forward to an exciting term!

Kind Regards,
Mrs Baker & Mrs Ballard (1G), Mr Sabotic & Mrs Whithead (1M), Miss Cooper (2M), Miss Becus (2G)

Stage 2

Stage 2 have been enjoying their History unit, ‘First Contacts’, in which they have been learning about the beginnings of settlement in Australia. The students have been particularly interested in the conditions the convicts lived in on their way to Australia and have been developing their understanding of how Indigenous communities were impacted when the First Fleet arrived.

The students have been participating in Shot Putt and Long Jump trials during sport time and honing their running skills to prepare for the athletics carnival on Friday 14th June.

Miss Maher (3M), Miss Fitzsimmons (3G), Miss Dafter (4G), Mrs Jane Jacobs & Mrs Mary Ballard (4M)

Stage 3

Year 5 and 6 have had a busy time over the last couple of weeks. In religion Year 6 have been gaining a deeper understanding of what creation means to them, how it is changing and what we can do to help. They have also begun learning about the sacraments of service and their role within the Catholic Church and our daily lives. Year 5 have been learning about the significance of prayer and what it means to us and have just started looking the concept that at all things made in the image and likeness of God must be valued and treated with dignity and respect.  

Next Wednesday we will be going to Middle Schools’ Day at St Joseph’s Aberdeen. We are eager to see what awaits for us in high school. We know that we are going to have a lot of fun looking forward to the different classes we are going to try. We have also been busily preparing for the athletics carnival next Friday and are all excited to do our best.

Mrs Gehrig (5G), Miss Brimble (5M), Miss Lamont (6G), Mrs McLennan (6M)

Pastoral Care

Strengths Focus for this Fortnight

Love of Learning

Each of the 24 character strengths can be categorised into 6 different classes of virtues. They are: wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. Love of Learning falls into the wisdom virtue class. Wisdom describes strengths that manifest within an individual and allow them to grow and change.

If love of learning is one of your top strengths

Individuals who love to learn are always evolving and changing, when we learn new things or develop new skills we are growing and adapting. Some traits included in the love of learning strength are creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness and perspective.

If someone is using the strength of love of learning

SEE: expressions/body language/actions

“ I see through your curiosity that you are using your strength of love of learning”

HEAR: volume/word choice/para-language

“when you speak calmly and resilient after you are told you have done something the wrong way I can hear that you are using your character strength of love of learning”

FEEL: temperature/pressure/other sensations

“I feel proud when I see you exercising your strength and learning new things”

“learning is a treasure that will follow its owner anywhere”

Practicing Love of Learning

• We can practice love of learning by being curious and always seeking new ways to do things and new things to learn.
• We can practice love of learning through reading books and informative texts.
• We can practice love of learning by listening to other peoples ideas and thoughts to learn new perspectives.

Please discuss the Love of Learning strength with your child this week using the language of the see, hear, feel framework when you notice the strength of Love of Learning being used.

Love of learning is a strength you will never outgrow, we never stop learning.

Miss Emily Gavin
Pastoral Care Worker

Gifted Education Mentor News

CogAT Testing

In Term 2, students in years 2 and 4 will participate in the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). This test evaluates students' reasoning abilities in three key areas essential for success in school:

1. Verbal Battery: Assesses students' ability to reason with words and concepts, crucial for reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and verbal learning tasks.
2. Quantitative Battery: Measures students' ability to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts, which are vital for problem-solving in mathematics and other disciplines.
3. Nonverbal Battery: Evaluates students' ability to reason with geometric shapes and figures, requiring them to implement strategies for solving novel problems.

These batteries provide a comprehensive view of each student's learned reasoning abilities, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. CogAT aims to support differentiated practice in education by helping teachers adapt instruction to meet the unique needs and abilities of each student.

It's important to note that CogAT scores are not integrated into report grades or other conventional measures of school achievement. The focus is on tailoring instruction and fostering a supportive, inclusive learning environment based on each child's ability.

If you have any concerns or questions about your child's academic progress or specific educational needs, please schedule a meeting with your child's teacher. They will discuss your child's strengths and areas for growth based on various assessments. Additionally, you can contact our Gifted Education Mentor (GEM) Mr Bradley Sabotic (bradley.sabotic@mn.catholic.edu.au), or Education Officer - Gifted Education, Maree Karaka (maree.karaka@mn.catholic.edu.au) for further assistance.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring the best educational outcomes for our students.

Mr Bradley Sabotic
Gifted Education Mentor

Library News

National Simultaneous Storytime

National Simultaneous Storytime is a campaign, held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association that aims to encourage more young Australians to read and enjoy books. Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. The NSS book for 2024 was Bowerbird Blues written and illustrated by Aura Parker.

Thanks to the Year 5 and 6 students who created this beautiful display. It looks amazing thanks!

Library Borrowing Changes

Library Borrowing Days for Term 2:

Tuesday: Kindergarten and Year 1

Wednesday: Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4

Thursday: Year 5 and Year 6

Scholastic Book Club

PLEASE NOTE: The DUE date for Book Club is 21st June. It cannot be paid by cash.

We are only accepting LOOP orders 

LOOP Ordering Instructions from Scholastic

1. Simply grab your child's Book Club catalogue and either sign in or register your account  
2. Click on ORDER and then select your school and your child's class* 
3. Add your child's first name & last initial (so the school knows who the book is for) PLEASE NOTE: Your child's details will never be shared with 3rd parties OR used for marketing purposes - this is for distribution purposes only. 
4. Enter the item number from the Book Club catalogue
5. All orders are sent directly to the school for submission to Scholastic. Books will still be delivered to your child's classroom if you order by the close date
6. Afterwards, there's no need to return paper order forms or payment receipt details back to your school! 

If you get stuck and need help, simply call our friendly Customer Service team on: 1800 021 233 between the hours of 8am to 5pm. After 5pm, you may email our after-hours LOOP help on Customer_Service@scholastic.com.au

Please feel free to contact the library if any problems/concerns arise during the year.

lisa.wilson@mn.catholic.edu.au  or 65433094

Happy Reading!

Lisa Wilson                  

Teacher Librarian

Nadene Douglas

Library Assistant                   

St. James’ P & F Association

P&F Committee Contacts