02 August 2024

Our Mission @ SJM

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

Quote

“For the one who does not practice mercy will have his judgment without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment”

Principal’s Message

NAIDOC Celebrations @ SJM

NAIDOC Week (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) is a significant event in Australia that celebrates the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Integrating NAIDOC Week into our school is important for several reasons:

1. Cultural Awareness and Respect: NAIDOC Week provides an opportunity for the students of SJM to learn about and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous Australians. This helps foster respect and understanding among all students and staff.
2. Reconciliation and Inclusivity: By recognising and celebrating Indigenous cultures, we play a role in promoting reconciliation and inclusivity. It helps address historical and ongoing injustices and supports efforts to build a more equitable society.
3. Educational Enrichment: NAIDOC Week activities at SJM included storytelling, art, music, and traditional dances that enriched our educational experience. We hope that our NAIDOC Day enhanced students’ learning and broadens their perspectives on Australian history and society.
4. Role Modelling and Leadership: It is important that we model the importance of cultural respect and social responsibility. This sets a positive example for our students and encourages them to value diversity and inclusion.
5. Promoting Dialogue: Engaging in NAIDOC Week activities @ SJM encourages open dialogue about Indigenous issues and histories.

Incorporating NAIDOC Week into SJM not only aligns with broader educational goals but also supports the development of a more inclusive and informed generation.

Thank you to Mrs Tania Thompson and Aunty Wanda Smith for organising such a valuable day for our SJM community.

Tell Them From Me

The "Tell Them From Me" survey data provides valuable insights into various aspects of school life from the perspectives of students, parents, and teachers. Thank you to those families that responded and completed the survey. This term the exec will be reviewing all of our survey data and using these findings to guide us moving forward in the development of our next Strategic Improvement Plan.

School Sports Shirt Transition

Thank you to those 182 community members that responded to our survey regarding changing the sports shirt. 82% indicated that they would like to modify our sports shirt to a predominately blue shirt.

This will phase in with our Kindergarten students next year in 2025. A two year transition will then take place with all students expected to be wearing a blue sport shirt for the start of the 2027 school year.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN results were sent home this week. NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) is as a snapshot of students' skills in literacy and numeracy. It provides a measure of student performance at a particular point in time, which can help identify strengths and areas needing improvement. However, it's just one part of a broader picture of a student's abilities and progress. It doesn’t capture all aspects of learning, like creativity, critical thinking, or social skills.

NAPLAN also gives us an opportunity to identify school trends. We can see that we have had improvement across several key areas, however Grammar and Punctuation will be a focus moving forward. The Pedagogical Mentors will be working with me to analyse the data and place targets in our School Improvement Plan.

If you have any questions about your child’s NAPLAN, please speak to your child’s teacher.

Courtyard Works

The team at Regal are motoring through the demolition works with all the pavers now pulled up. The soil will be removed in coming weeks.

Thank you to all our community for adhering to all our changes as a result of these works. So far things are going smoothly.

A reminder:

• All parents are to wait at the visitor car park.
• If you are collecting children at both St Nick’s and School, you may wait at the steps between the school hall and St Nick’s.
• If you are parking in the overflow car park, please use one of the 2 pedestrian crossings available.

Olympics

Are you loving the Olympics? I know the Moon household is.

Watching the Olympics can be so beneficial for kids.

The athletes, especially our Australian athletes are so inspirational.  Seeing athletes who have worked hard to reach the pinnacle of their sport can inspire our kids to pursue their own goals with dedication and perseverance.

It encourages kids to be more active. The diverse range of sports showcased can motivate kids to be more active and try new activities, promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Tying in after our NAIDOC Day, it teaches cultural awareness. The Olympics bring together athletes from all over the world, offering kids a chance to learn about different cultures and countries.

It highlights the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship which are valuable lessons that kids can apply in their own lives.

Watching athletes achieve their dreams can teach our children about the importance of setting and working towards personal goals.

And most importantly watching the Olympics is a fun thing to watch as a family. 

As a school we are also enjoying the lunchtime Olympics, with classes teaming up to be a country. They are competing for two great prizes: a moosie each and a trip to the new pump track. Stay tuned on Facebook for updates.

Tinker Shed

The children are really enjoying the Tinker Shed with Mr Sweeney.

We are always on the lookout for donations. If you have any:

• Old computers or gaming consoles
• Old bikes
• New tire inner tubes

Please contact the school if you may be able to assist.

Aaron Moon 

Principal

Assistant Principal

Pupil Free Day 

We have booked in a Pupil Free Day for Friday 16 August. This is an opportunity for all staff to complete professional learning. On this date, we will be working with Education Officers from the Catholic Schools Office who will guide us on the Numeracy Progressions.

BEHAVIOUR EXPECTATIONS AT SJM   

As we move into the term 3 and the second semester, we would like to continue with high expectations of behaviour and reduce any negative behaviours. Please reinforce our four baseline behaviours, so that you can use the same language at home with your child when you are encouraging a renewed strengthening of behaviour for the new term ahead.  

1. Respect yourself, each other, and the environment.  
2. Right place. Right time. Right task.  
3. Stop. Think. Act.  
4. Kind words. Kind actions.  

 At this stage, our reward at the end of Term 3 is a Laser tag for those students who are displaying the appropriate behaviour this term. Your child will not be eligible for this reward if they receive the following throughout the term:  

• 1 x Base 4  
• 2 x Base 3  
• 3 x Base 2  
• 9 x Base 1 or a total of 18 demerits. 

Please have a chat to your child’s teacher if you require any more information about the behaviour system here at SJM.    

SCHOOL UNIFORM  

The following information about school uniform is straight from our school’s Parent Handbook. Please read it carefully and ensure your child is in the correct uniform each day. Please send in a note to Mr Moon or your child’s teacher if there is a reason that your child is not wearing the correct uniform. At school we are monitoring who is making correct uniform choices and respecting the school’s expectations. 

If you require any items to ensure your child is in the correct uniform, please send in a uniform order form via the QKR! app, and we will arrange for the item to be sent home with your child. Please note – the uniform shop is open Monday 1 – 3pm.  

TOYS AND SPORTS EQUIPMENT AT SCHOOL 

 We ask that you speak with your child about keeping their toys and sports equipment at home. We are fortunate to have equipment for the students to use in the playground. There is no need to bring in toys or sporting equipment to school. We ask that you keep it at home, as we cannot guarantee its safety here at school … you only need to look at the roof tops to see how much equipment ends up on the roof and we are unable to get it down easily. I would encourage you to contact the school if you have suggestions for any equipment, and we will keep it in mind for our budgeting. 

WHOLE DAY ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL  

EVERY DAY IN SCHOOL MEANS SO MUCH MORE 

Regular attendance at school is essential for students to achieve quality life outcomes. Everyday counts, as regular attendance helps students: 

• Develop a sense of belonging 

• Develop and maintain friendships 

• Be more engaged at school 

• Progress with their learning 

• Be more aware of career and life options. 

Supporting positive school attendance is a shared responsibility - everyone has a role to play in promoting the regular attendance of students. 

It is important that your child is at school as many days as possible. Here is a friendly reminder that you are required to provide a reason for any whole days that your child is absent from school to avoid absence letters going home for explanations. 

1. Add an attendance note in Compass app - this avoids the need for unexplained absences later. 
2. Email your child’s teacher - as a courtesy to let them know why your child is away and probable date of return. 
3. Call the office – this can then be added straight away to your child’s compass notifications and avoids any mistakes or forgotten messages. 

If you are choosing to let us know of the absence using the Compass app, we ask that you add absences for whole days into Compass as soon as you can (within seven days). You can even do this on the day that they are away. If your child is arriving to school late, or leaving school early, please do not add this as an attendance note in Compass. Late arrivals and early departures are added using the Compass Kiosk in the front office. 

School Attendance Rate - The number of full-time days your students have attended as a percentage of the total number of student-days. 

School Attendance Level - The proportion of full-time students whose attendance rate is equal to or greater than 90% 

Mrs Jane Jacobs

Religion

Welcome everyone back to Term 3 and we certainly started the Term with the celebration of the Patron saint of our school St James.

St James was one of the Twelve Apostles, the brother of John and was part of Jesus’ innermost circle. As we celebrated the feast day of St James with our parish community on Thursday 25^th July we remember the sacrifice he made for his faith. St James is the patron saint of pharmacists, pilgrims, soldiers and those suffering from arthritis. He was with Jesus when he experienced agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and throughout Jesus’ journey. May we continue to be a community who thinks about the needs of others, being generous in spirit and strong in our faith.

This Term students will continue sharing in Stage Masses with Father Victor celebrating these on a weekly basis. It is a great opportunity for students to share in mass, eucharist and insights of the weekly Gospel and its message.

Looking forward to another faith filled Term.

Mrs Lauren Gehrig
Acting Religious Education Coordinator

Office of Safeguarding

Merit Awards

Principal Awards

Week 3

Melody Lawley 5G

Noah Dumas 3G

Class News

ES1

Welcome to Term 3!

We are looking forward to another exciting term. We have lots of events this term.

NAIDOC celebration last week was a great way to start the term. The children enjoyed the cultural sharing day. it was great to see the school embrace the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander games, food, stories and knowledge

It will be exciting to watch and learn about the Olympics, the students will even participate in our school lunch Olympics for some fun and healthy competition.

We will be preparing from our annual school performance. Later in the year the students will present a Dance for families. It is always a fun night. We have started to learn about concepts of dance in Creative arts and in sport.

We will also be participating in public speaking this term. The children will have an opportunity to talk in front of their peers, maybe the school and possibly go on to talk in front of other schools in the area if they are successful. Now is a good time to discuss this with you child. We will be learning the key aspects of speaking in front of a group of people or a large crowd.

Kindergarten will host Father’s Day at SJM with the paper plane challenge and a special performance for the Dads. More information to come. Start taking some photos with Dad for our slide show at the Liturgy.

We will take Kindergarten to Highbrook park. This is always a hit as we all love the lizard slide. We will learn about special places that are important to us and to indigenous people.

Mrs Smith (KG) and Mrs Threadgate (KM)

Stage 1

Dear Stage 1 Families,

Welcome to Term 3! We hope you all had a restful, happy, and safe break. We were very excited to hear about all the fun adventures Stage 1 students had in the holidays, upon their return to school. We hope the break prepared yourselves and your children for another fun and busy term of learning, laughing, and having fun.

We would like to begin by commending Stage 1 students for their adaptive and resilient attitudes when learning our new routines due to our courtyard renovations. The students have taken the disruptions in their stride and are getting used to their new routines quickly.

Week 1 saw us kick the term off with a bang when we celebrated NAIDOC Day on Friday the 26^{th of} July. Stage 1 students enjoyed a day full of fun and engaging learning activities, organised by Mrs Tania Thompson and Mrs Wanda Smith (Aunty Wanda). We enjoyed sausage and ‘Kanga Bangas’ for lunch, followed by a delicious cup of wattle seed ice-cream. Congratulations to the Stage 1 winners of the NAIDOC colouring in competition, it was wonderful to see your careful and creative art be rewarded at our closing ceremony!

We would also like to congratulate the Stage 1 CREST Crew for proudly representing their culture throughout NAIDOC day, particularly during their dances at our opening and closing ceremony. Well done!

This term, students in Stage 1 have exciting and engaging learning opportunities. In Science, we will be looking at Digital Technologies and the Living World, where students will have the opportunity to observe a life cycle occurring. We are excited to begin our artworks to be auctioned off at the SJM Trivia Night – watch this space! Students are also beginning to learn about the continents and oceans of the world in our Geography unit this term. This ties in well with our school-wide Olympics competition!

We hope you are looking forward to this term as much as we are. As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Kind Regards,

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

Stage 2

Welcome to Term 3.

This is officially the halfway point of the school year. This term is actioned packed like always with rich learning experiences and extra curricula activities. Students have adapted very well to the changes in routine with the construction sight in full operation.

Our Term began with wonderful NAIDOC festivities, celebrating Australia’s rich cultural heritage. Students completed traditional sand artworks, engaged in Talks with Aunty Wanda about the Ochre Pits found on her country, bush medicines, tools and hunting techniques. Students also explored Traditional Aboriginal games, boomerang throwing and Trivia. Well done to CREST Crew who were part of the ceremony in a traditional dance capacity, it was wonderful.

This term students have started an English unit focus on the Olympics. Students have enjoyed learning about the rich history of the Games beginning 2700 years ago in Ancient Greece. Students have designed their own mini class Olympics using stationary materials. Some creative games created included shot put with scrunched up paper, high jump with a whiteboard marker, Darts with a paper plate and a whiteboard marker and many more. Students will focus on what it is like to compete at an Olympics and what tools/mindset athletes require to compete to such a high standard.

The Olympic Fun does not end here though, every lunch time over the next 3 weeks students will be engaging in an SJM Olympics. Basketball shoots out is the first sport to be held on Monday, followed by Archery Target Throw, Athletics, Volleyball on Thursday and Equestrian on Friday. The Olympics also features in the geography program. Students this term will be looking at different countries, population, infrastructure, landmarks and climates. This pairs well with the current research students are completing about the different countries in the Games.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi Lets go Australia!

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

Stage 3

It has been a productive start back to Term 3 for Stage 3 students. Years 5 and 6 have started reading their new English novels and are enjoying getting to know the new characters within the texts. Students have also started joining in on the Paris Olympics fun in both the playground and in the classroom. Year 5 have been having their own ‘Potato Olympics’ with a variety of challenges and athletic events. Students have personalised and named their potato athletes with outstanding creativity. As we progress through the next two weeks, we will see who our winning athlete will be!

We have also had a great amount of interest in the Netball Gala Day in Singleton on the 14^th August. We have entered 2 senior boys teams and 2 senior girls teams. Students are attending training and are very much looking forward to the experience. In other sports news we have had our first session of Sports Fun with the year 10 students from St Joseph’s Aberdeen. Stage 3 enjoyed working and learning from these students with a few familiar faces from years gone by.

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

Indigenous News

At the end of Week 1 we celebrated NAIDOC at St James’. This year’s theme, ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud,’ was brought to life throughout the day with all students participating in a range of cultural activities.

Aunty Wanda Smith and many of our Stage 3 CREST Crew shared their knowledge of country, the Dreaming and other fascinating facts about indigenous culture. During other activities they were able to get more hands on by creating sand art, boomerang throwing and playing traditional indigenous sports.

We were also treated to some fabulous performances from some of our didgeridoo players and several traditional dances. The dancers have been so blessed to have had Aunty Wanda teaching them and in turn be able to proudly share this cultural experience with us.

As usual most students opted to have the bush tucker lunch. We are so grateful to the canteen helpers who helped make that part of the day such a success. THANK YOU!

The day concluded with the announcements of our annual NAIDOC competition winners. These went to,

One of my absolute favourite moments of the day was when one of our younger students told me what great fun they were having because they had done no school work all day. When I quietly suggested that maybe they had actually been learning lots of cultural information throughout the day their reaction was priceless. Their jaw dropped, eyes widened and the look of surprise was followed by a, ”Wow!”.

Who knew learning could be so much fun!

#learnlaughandhavefunatSJM

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Mrs Tania Thompson
Aboriginal Education Teacher 

Sport Report

Diocesan Athletics Carnival 

Congratulations to the squad of 44 students who travelled to St Catherines Singleton to participate in the Regional Athletics Carnival at the end of Term 2.  The following students have been progressed to the Diocesan Carnival to be held on Wednesday 7th August at Newcastle.   

Mrs McLennan
Sports Coordinator

Pastoral Care

Strengths focus for this fortnight

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. Forgiveness falls under the temperance virtue class. Temperance describes strengths that help you to manage habits and protect against excess. Other strengths within the temperance virtue class include: humility, prudence, and self-regulation.

If forgiveness is one of your top strengths

Individuals who are forgiving are able to extend understanding toward those who have wronged or hurt them. Forgiving people are accepting of the shortcomings, flaws, and imperfections of others and are able to give them a second chance.

If someone is using the strength of forgiveness

SEE: expressions/body language/actions

“I can see when you give someone a hug after they have upset you that you are using your strength of forgiveness”

HEAR: volume/word choice/para language

“I can hear when you use a soft tone and words of kindness when someone has hurt you that you are using your strength of forgiveness”

FEEL: temperance/pressure/other sensations

“I feel warm inside when you forgive others and are understanding of their flaws”

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world”

Practicing Forgiveness 

• We can practice forgiveness by being understanding of those who have wronged us
• We can practice forgiveness by accepting others for their flaws
• We can practice forgiveness by giving others another chance after they have hurt us

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

Miss Emily Gavin

What’s on in the Library

Library Borrowing Days

Kinder and Year 1: Tuesday

Years 2, 3 and 4: Wednesday

Years 5 and 6: Thursday

Book Week 2024

The theme for this year's CBCA Book Week is, 'Reading is Magic'.

The Book Character Parade will be held on Thursday 15th August at 9.15am, in the School Hall. Students will dress as a magician or wizard, a magical character from a book or their favourite character from a book, that they believe is magical.

They are to come to school dressed as their character but must bring a jacket or jumper for after the parade. If their costume is not suitable to wear all day, they may bring a change of clothes.

Book Week Magic Show

If students wish to perform a trick at a lunchtime Magic Show, they must bring their tricks to school and attend the Hall on their selected day.

• Monday 12^th August - Year 2
• Tuesday 13^th August – Kinder and Year 1
• Wednesday 14^th August – Years 3 and 4
• Thursday 15^th August – Years 5 and 6

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge will finish on Thursday 15^th August. All record sheets must be returned to the library prior to this date.

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

Community Notices

St. James’ P & F Association

P&F Committee Contacts