Week 3, Term 2

Welcome to the Week 3 newsletter. I hope all mothers had the chance to spend quality time with their children and their families on Mother’s Day. We thank our mothers for the love, care and guidance that they provide to us.

This week we celebrate Catholic Education Week. The theme is “Raising Hearts and Minds to the wonder and awe of God’s creation.” The theme chosen by Catholic Education SA seems to be hand chosen for our school as this has become an even bigger focus for our school during 2024. This year, we have embarked on a Nature Play focus where each class spends one lesson per week outdoors in nature in "Wonder Time." Students get to explore and be curious about the world around them. They are encouraged to care for our surroundings and to bring that curiosity back into the class to enhance their learning. Our school also has beautiful nature based playgrounds, which enhances the love of nature and it also promotes problem solving as they navigate the playground. Our students also learn about and practice sustainability by recycling, providing food scraps to our chooks and they spend time in the school’s vegetable garden.

Congratulations

Miss Cheriton attended her Graduation Ceremony during the school holidays and received her Bachelor of Education. Congratulations Minnesota. She has made a great start to her teaching career.

Staffing Update

Colleen Broad has concluded her time as a cleaning staff member at St James. She worked diligently for the school for three years, keeping our school clean and we thank her for her hard work.

Employment Opportunity - Cleaner

The school is seeking a Cleaner. Applications close today. The position is 8 hours per week and it is a permanent position. Working days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. For more details refer to the link; https://www.cesa.catholic.edu.au/working-with-us/positions-vacant/job-detail/98165

The first two weeks of Term 2 have been a lot of fun for the Year 4 cohort! We have been enjoying a variety of different activities and learning opportunities. On Monday of Week 2, we were lucky enough to enjoy two sessions with Nature Play SA, where we learnt all about the flora and fauna in our local area, and we were given the chance to engage with lots of different nature play activities, including building mini aqueducts, flying kites, constructing teepees, and painting plans for our own creations that could one day be used to help the plants and animals at our school!

In preparation for Mother’s Day on the 12th of May, we also spent a lot of time creating lovely gifts and cards for our Mums, to thank them for all they have done for us.

At St James we are always striving to improve and support student wellbeing and engagement. We have once again added another layer of support for our students.

Recently we were extremely lucky to have been granted money from Variety, the Children's Charity SA, to establish a sensory room within the school. 

Sensory rooms, when effectively used, are a resource to support students’ sensory needs so they can achieve their learning goals and be active and engaged learners. They proactively support and respond to the students' sensory needs. 

With the money, we have been able to purchase the following items (Included is a brief description outlining how they support regulation) :

Peapod which is like a blow-up canoe, this provides sensory input into the whole body of the child when they lay in it. Deep pressure provides proprioceptive input which calms and regulates the central nervous system. 

Cloud sensory beanbag these are filled with a sensory foam that eliminates noise and prevents overstimulation in our students who may already be heightened or have a sensitivity to noise or feel of traditional beanbag filling.

Crash mat which is another item that provides proprioceptive input. Jumping into the soft, crash pad promotes strong tactile senses especially in our autistic children.

Blackout sensory tent which reduces sensory input and provides a safe and non-stimulating space for children to calm down and refocus.

Lycra tunnel this hugs around the child's body resulting in deep pressure touch which is controlled by the child as they make their way through it. This stimulation releases serotonin in the brain, in turn helping child to be calm, relaxed, concentrate on a task.

We would like to thank and acknowledge all the fundraisers, sponsors and supporters of Variety, the children’s charity SA, for their generous donation and support of our school. We know our students will greatly benefit from the new room.