13 June 2025

Our Mission @ SJM

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

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Principal’s Message

Supporting Positive Behaviour—A Shared Responsibility

At St James’ Muswellbrook, we are committed to fostering a school environment where respect, responsibility, and kindness are at the heart of everything we do. Positive student behaviour is essential for creating a safe, inclusive, and productive learning space for all.

While our staff work daily to model and reinforce these values, we know that parents and carers play a vital role in supporting this work. When school and home work together, students receive a consistent message about expectations, accountability, and the importance of making good choices.

Here’s how families can support positive behaviour:

• Talk regularly with your child about school expectations and values
• Celebrate positive behaviour and effort at home
• Stay connected with your child’s teacher and communicate openly
• Model respectful behaviour in everyday interactions
• Encourage problem-solving and reflection when challenges arise

If you ever have concerns about behaviour or wellbeing, we kindly ask that you speak directly with the school. Open and respectful communication allows us to work together to support your child effectively. Posting concerns on Facebook or other public forums is not the appropriate avenue and can often lead to misunderstandings or unnecessary distress.

We deeply value the partnership we share with our families. Together, we can continue to guide our students to grow into respectful, resilient, and responsible young people.

The Importance of Student Attendance

At SJM, we believe that every school day counts. Regular attendance supports stronger learning outcomes, social connections, and a sense of belonging.

When students attend school consistently, they benefit from:

• Stronger learning outcomes through continuous engagement
• Improved social connections with peers and teachers
• Greater confidence and independence
• A stronger sense of belonging within the school community

Even missing one day a fortnight adds up to four weeks of missed learning over a year. Let’s work together to build strong attendance habits that benefit our students now and into the future.

Our Thoughts with Mrs Renee Gavin & Miss Emily Gavin

Our thoughts and prayers are with Mrs Renee Gavin, Miss Emily Gavin, and their family as they mourn the loss of their beloved father and grandfather, Gary.

During this difficult time, we extend our deepest sympathies and support. May they find comfort in the love of family, the strength of community, and the peace that comes with cherished memories.

Showcasing Our School Community

Our Communications Team has been working on new video content to showcase the heart of SJM. Featuring interviews with parents and highlights of school life, these videos aim to celebrate our vibrant community and give prospective families a genuine insight into what makes our school special.

We’re proud to share the voices of our families and the positive experiences they’ve had as part of our school journey. Stay tuned—we look forward to sharing these videos with you soon!

Progressive Programs at SJM

We take pride in being a progressive and forward-thinking school. This year, we introduced Taekwondo for selected students to help develop self-control, discipline, and confidence.

Next term, we’re excited to launch a partnership with Top Blokes, a mentoring program for Stage 3 boys that focuses on building resilience, emotional intelligence, and respectful relationships.

We are also exploring the implementation of a STEM program, which will provide hands-on learning experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

We are committed to providing opportunities that nurture the whole child—academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

Celebrating Catholic Schools Week

Last week, we joyfully celebrated Catholic Schools Week under the inspiring theme: “One Call, One Mission: Pilgrims of Hope.” It was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our shared faith, values, and the vibrant community that makes St James Muswellbrook so special.

Our school came together for a beautiful liturgy, followed by a shared lunch with parents and carers. A highlight was a special reflection led by our student leaders, who interviewed Mr. Moon, our principal, sparking meaningful conversations about faith, leadership, and hope.

Semester 1 Reports & Parent-Teacher Conferences

Our teachers are currently finalising Semester 1 reports, which will be sent home in Week 9. These reports offer valuable insights into each child’s progress and achievements.

Parent-Teacher Conferences will follow in Week 10. Bookings will open soon—please be ready to secure a time to meet with your child’s teacher and discuss their learning journey.

SJM Spelling Bee Final

Last week, St James Muswellbrook held the highly anticipated SJM Spelling Bee Final for Stages 1, 2, and 3. It was a fantastic celebration of language, learning, and confidence, with students showcasing their spelling skills in front of peers and staff.

Congratulations to all participants—you should be incredibly proud of your efforts and courage. Your hard work and dedication were evident, and you represented your stages with pride and enthusiasm.

Regional Representatives:

• Stage 1 Winner: Holly | Runner-up: Alexandre
• Stage 2 Winner: Ari | Runner-up: Willow
• Stage 3 Winner: Clancy | Runner-up: Abigail

We wish our champions the very best as they prepare to compete at the regional level. Go Team SJM!

Welcoming Back Familiar Faces

Later this month, we are delighted to welcome back two of our SJM alumna, Jorja and Haylee, as they return to our school community for their Year 10 Work Experience placements.

It’s always a joy to see former students return in new roles, and we look forward to supporting them as they explore future career pathways and gain valuable experience in an educational setting.

Welcome back, Jorja and Haylee!

SJM Hundred Club – Support Our School!

We invite all families and friends of St James Muswellbrook to support the SJM Hundred Club. Every contribution goes directly back into our school to purchase valuable resources that benefit all our children.

Your support makes a real difference in enhancing learning experiences and opportunities for our students.

Thank you for giving generously!

Mr Aaron Moon
Principal

Assistant Principal

What an amazing couple of weeks we have had. It is always wonderful to head out in the playground and see the students encouraging others with whatever game they are playing or listening to feedback from a peer on how they can improve their passing usually basketball or soccer.

SEMESTER 1 REPORTS AND PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Formal school reports are provided twice a year to communicate with parents and carers student achievements. The purpose of school reports is to communicate to parents and carers about their child/ren’s progress and areas for further development. The teachers use a variety of formative and summative assessments and data to determine the common A-E grading for students in Years 1-6 (Kindergarten students have a different report format). Some of the assessments that teachers use to determine grades may include:

• Standardised testing (NAPLAN, PAT) 
• Diagnostic reading assessments  
• Teacher created assessments 
• Checklists 
• Class observations and anecdotal records 
• Book work/work samples
• Class participation and verbal answers

The Common Grade Scale shown below is used to report student achievement in both primary and junior secondary years in all NSW schools. The Common Grade Scale describes performance at each of five grade levels.

A-The student has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the content and can readily apply this knowledge. In addition, the student has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills and can apply these skills to new situations.

B-The student has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the content and a high level of competence in the processes and skills. In addition, the student is able to apply this knowledge and these skills to most situations.

C-The student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills.

D-The student has a basic knowledge and understanding of the content and has achieved a limited level of competence in the processes and skills.

E-The student has an elementary knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.

It is important to note that teachers use their current assessments and data to determine grades. It is not uncommon for students to achieve a grade either above or below what they had achieved on their previous school report, as the content and skills of what they are learning this year is different to last year. Fluctuating between two grades is not uncommon.

Semester 1 reports will be available on Compass on Friday 27 June (Week 9).  Those parents who would like to meet with their child’s teacher regarding progress please look out for Compass notifications for bookings.

SCHOOL HATS 

Please ensure your child comes to school with a school hat every day. We do not have spare hats at school for students to use. Any student who does not have a hat will be asked to sit on the silver seats under the Cola for lunch breaks. Labelled school hats will be returned to your child if they are found in the playground. We ask that you regularly check your child’s hat for their name, as the name wears off easily when they are used every day.

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.

Mrs Jane Jacobs
Assistant Principal

Religion

From 2 to 6 June, we celebrate Catholic Schools Week—a time to honour the vibrant communities within our Catholic schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle. This week highlights the dedication of staff, the growth of students, and the shared mission to nurture each child spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically. Catholic education is about helping every student flourish and become the person God calls them to be, through learning that inspires both the heart and mind.

We have much to be proud of in our endeavours to provide our young people with a well-rounded education that meets their needs today and for their future. We are deeply grateful for our thriving community, where teachers, parents and parish come together in unparalleled levels of care providing safe, supportive and inclusive surroundings which nurture students’ wellbeing, confidence and hope for themselves.

In this Jubilee Year, we are blessed with opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ and remind ourselves that growing in faith builds firm trust in God’s promises. It is our trust in God’s promises that fills us with hope—even in our darkest moments, God's faithfulness never fades. May this week inspire us to live each day with joyful hearts and steadfast hope in the Lord.

At St James’, we celebrated Catholic Schools Week alongside Wellbeing Week, providing students with the opportunity to participate in various enjoyable activities and to relax and spend quality time with their families. Our Catholic Schools Week Liturgy allowed us to reflect on our blessings and the unique gifts each of us possesses. Following the example of Jesus and his disciples, we shared a meal with our families. It was wonderful to see so many families come together for this event!

Mrs Lauren Gehrig
Religious Education Coordinator

Office of Safeguarding

Merit Awards

Class News

ES1

Dear Families,

This fortnight has been a busy one at SJM! Last week we celebrated Wellbeing Week. Wellbeing Week occurs each Term during Week 6, and contains various activities aimed at boosting student wellbeing. Activities including bubbles on the courtyard, a disco with Mr Moon and leave painting with Mrs Baker. We also enjoyed crazy hair day on Monday. Miss Maher and Mrs Smith were blown away with some of the extravagant hairstyles! We also celebrated Catholic Schools Week on Thursday, with a lovely liturgy run by Mrs Gehrig and a shared lunch. It was lovely to see so many families enjoyed a shared lunch together out in the sun.

In the classroom, we have been busy learning more sounds and new tricky words. Tricky words are words which cannot be sounded out phonetically, and so hence, are tricker to read and write. So far, Kindergarten have learnt a variety of tricky words including my, the, is, was, you, that, I, a and they. We look forward to learning even more!

Finally, homework has begun. Please spend no more than ten minutes an afternoon working on homework with your child. New homework will be send home each Monday and should be returned to your child’s classroom teacher on Fridays.

Upcoming Events:

Mrs Smith (KG) & Miss Maher (KM)

Stage 1        

We are now halfway through term 2 and students have been building on their knowledge of materials and how they move during science. We have had some wonderful foil sculptures throughout our lessons, and students should be congratulated on their efforts. Students are now looking at how materials change.

Students were reverent during our Catholic school's week liturgy and enjoyed having lunch with their family and friends.

Year 2 will join our primary students in the Athletics Carnival today.  Students will compete in 100m, 200m and the final 800m races.

We have also saw students commemorate and acknowledge ‘National Sorry Day’, paying respects to our Indigenous community past, present and emerging.  The students found the talk by Aunty Wanda fascinating.

We ask if you could please update any unexplained absences on Compass or email your students teacher explaining why you child was absent on a past date. If you are unsure where to check this, please ask your students teacher and they will be able to inform you.

Lastly please check your child’s information on the school canteen app QKR.  Some students are still in last year’s classes, which becomes confusing on canteen days.  Have a great week.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Mitchell (1G), Mr Sabotic (1M), Mrs Ballard/Miss Pritchard (2G) & Mrs Threadgate (2M)

Stage 2

This term has been a busy one, last week we celebrated Wellbeing Week with lots of activities at lunchtime for the students to be a part of. We have also celebrated Catholic Schools Week with our liturgy and shared lunch with parents.

Aunty Wanda come into our classrooms to talk to us all about “National Sorry Day’. The students found the talk interesting and had lots of questions. Thank you, Aunty Wanda.

Today is our athletics carnival; students will be competing in their age races as well as other races they have nominated for. Students are able to wear their house colours for the day.

Just a reminder to check your child’s information on the school canteen app QKR.  Some students are still in last year’s classes, which becomes confusing on canteen days. 

Warm Regards, 
Mrs Sylvester (3G), Mrs McLennan (3M), Mrs Gavin/Mrs Jacobs (4G) & Miss Cooper (4M)

Stage 3

We have had a busy fortnight in Stage 3 and the term is flying by! We hope you have been enjoying hearing about all the great things we have been doing at school.

Last week we celebrated Wellbeing week and Catholic Schools Week. This was a week of fun, reflection and fancy hair. It was lovely to see so many families sharing lunch together after the Catholic Schools Week Liturgy.

Last week year 6 also enjoyed participating in Middle Schools Day at St Joseph’s Catholic College Aberdeen. They participated in library, geography, woodwork and other fun workshops to help prepare them for the structure of high school. The feedback from students was positive and they enjoyed exploring the much bigger space with new friends.

Mr Sweeney (5G), Miss Becus (5M), Mrs Gehrig/Mrs Somerville (6G) & Miss Dafter (6M)

What’s on in the Library

National Simultaneous Storytime

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, family day cares, childcare centres, bookshops, family homes and many other places around the country. Now in its 25th successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

By facilitating NSS we aim to:

• promote the value of reading and literacy,
• promote the value and fun of books,
• promote an Australian writer and publisher,
• celebrate and promote storytime activities in public libraries, school libraries, classrooms, bookshops and communities around the country,
• and provide opportunities to involve parents, caregivers, the media, and others to participate in and enjoy the occasion. (ALIA, 2025)

The book for NSS 2025 was “The Truck Cat” by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell

The Truck Cat is a story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found. With illustrations by multi-award-winning artist Danny Snell and words by award-winning new voice Deborah Frenkel, The Truck Cat is the perfect book to inspire kindness and compassion in young children everywhere.

Some cats are house cats. Some are apartment cats.

But Tinka is a truck cat. Tinka lives everywhere.

Along with his human, Yacoub, Tinka travels roads wide and narrow, near and distant. But no matter how much they travel, home feels very far away – for both of them.

Yacoub drives his truck to make a living, learning the landscape of a new country along the way, and longing for connection. When Tinka and Yacoub are unexpectedly separated, they are determined to find their way back to each other – and, in doing so, might find more than they expected …

The students thoroughly enjoyed the book and were engaged in accompanying activities. They completed a variety of responses, which included, drawing their favourite part of the story, designing a cover for a sequel to the story and designing missing cat posters, using CANVA.

Lisa Wilson
Teacher Librarian

Nadene Douglas
Library Assistant

Community Notices