Week 3 Term 1, 2025

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

We’ve had a fantastic start to the year, with the first two weeks flying by! The children have been absolutely excellent, settling in well and showing great enthusiasm. Our dedicated staff are working hard to create a positive and engaging environment for everyone. We’re excited for what the rest of the year will bring!

We would like to invite all parents and friends to attend the Parents and Friends AGM this Tuesday night at 6:30pm. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about the year ahead, get involved with our community, and contribute to shaping our activities and events. We’d love to see you there!

A big thank you to everyone who has already dedicated their time to the OP SHOP, our major fundraiser. Your hard work in setting up is truly appreciated, and we are excited to see the success this event will bring. We encourage everyone to drop by and support this wonderful cause.

Lastly, due to the forecasted hot weather this week, please note that children will have limited access to outdoor play for their safety and comfort. We appreciate your understanding and support as we keep the children cool and hydrated during these warmer days.

Thankyou for your continued involvement and support of our school community!

Martin Hayes

Lord, as we step into new beginnings this February, grant us the courage to embrace change and the wisdom to navigate new paths. Fill our hearts with hope and determination. Amen.

This Friday at 9:30am in the St James Church, we will have our first official mass of the school year, led by the Year 5/6 class. At this time, our student leadership will be inducted and commissioned, as well as presented with their badges. All parents, grandparents, parishioners and extended families are most welcome to join us.

After the Mass there will be goodies to purchase to support the Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser. All are welcome to join us afterwards to support this worthy cause.

AGM

This Tuesday night, the Parents and Friends will be holding their Annual General Meeting. We warmly invite you to join us in the Learning Centre at 6:30pm. There’s no obligation to take on a role unless you’d like one, but we’d love to have more members on the committee to continue the wonderful work that many families have contributed to the school over the years.

OP SHOP

The Pop-Up Op Shop is up and running, and donations are coming in! We would greatly appreciate any help with sorting items. If you're unable to attend our sorting sessions on Wednesdays (9-11 AM or 6:30-9 PM), feel free to stop by at a time that suits you best and place items with others of the same category. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

The committee is also looking to borrow white folding tables for the month of March. If you have one available, please contact Bel Heness.

We continue to accept donations! You can drop them off on the front porch of the hall at any time.

The Pop-Up Op Shop will take place on March 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.

CATERING EVENT – MARCH 29^TH

The P&F are catering for the Northern Areas Show Association Award dinner.  We are not asking parents to donate food for the event but are looking for volunteers to help on Saturday 29th March.  

I will prepare as much food as possible prior to the event but will still need some helpers for a morning shift and then for the night shift.   We are also looking for some waitresses (happy to have some past students or year 6's that might be happy to help).

This will be a really great fundraiser for the school so please consider helping out.  If you think you can help, please message or call me on 0475 065 467.

Thanks Sam Catlin

SPORTS DAY – Week 6 – Friday 7^th March

Our Sports Day is fast approaching. Sports Day takes place at the end of Week 6 on Friday, 7^th  March.;

• 8:55am - Students JCS Oval and meet their class teacher
• 9:15am – Welcome, Prayer Service and Health Hustle
• 9:30am – Long distances running races
• 10:00am – Tabloid events
• 11:00am – Sprints
• 11:30am – Relays and Team events
• 12:00pm – Trophy Presentations
• 12:30pm – Conclusion, pack up and dismissal of students

*Please note that while every effort will be made to adhere to the timetable set out in the Sports Day program, we may run ahead of or behind time.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are always thankful for the assistance our parents provide at our Sports Day. Please contact Judy Walkington or Tammi Kitschke at the front office if you are able to assist on the day with any of the following - Scoring, judging or starting. Thank you in advance!

SPORTS DAY UNIFORM 

Students will need to wear their school PE uniform shorts with a plain POLO SHIRT in their team colour. If you have any difficulty sourcing a polo shirt, please let us know at the front office as soon as possible. We have a few spare shirts.

Hats are compulsory on sports day so please make sure your child has a hat.

At St James School, we place a strong emphasis on student wellbeing, recognising its vital role in academic success. Guided by CESA policies, the LearnWell framework, and current educational research, we understand that a strong sense of wellbeing enables students to develop confidence, independence, and a sense of responsibility. This foundation empowers them to take positive risks and fully engage in their learning and community.

We are committed to providing a strengths-based learning environment that fosters developmentally appropriate challenges for every student. Through a positive education approach, we support students in understanding themselves, recognising how they learn, and developing the skills to become self-regulated, lifelong learners.

Our staff work closely with caregivers to build a strong support network around each child. By fostering a strong connection between home and school, we create the best opportunities for students to reach their full potential.

How We Support Student Wellbeing

• Wellbeing Agreement: We have developed a school-wide wellbeing agreement that highlights our shared responsibility in supporting student wellbeing.
• Dedicated Wellbeing Lessons: Weekly lessons provide opportunities for students to connect with each other, explore emotions, build emotional literacy, and develop respectful relationships.
• The Resilience Project: Students participate in weekly activities focused on gratitude, empathy, resilience, and mindfulness.
• Outdoor Learning & Nature Engagement: We encourage students to interact beyond the classroom, building connections, problem-solving, and sharing learning experiences in natural environments. The benefits of engaging with nature include improved concentration, motivation, creativity, and social skills, along with reduced conflict and a stronger appreciation for the environment.
• Targeted Support Programs: We offer one-on-one and small group programs addressing social and emotional skills, change and loss, and other specific needs.

Additional Wellbeing Initiatives

• Breakfast Club: Toast, cereal and fruit is available every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings in our breakout space.
• Community Freezer: Providing meals for families in need, donations from our supportive school community are always welcome.

If you feel your child or family could benefit from additional St James support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to help!

Wishing our school community a great week!

Sandra Gresch - Wellbeing Leader

The Year 1/2 Class will be running assembly next Friday 21^st Feb at 2:40pm (Week 4) in the Learning Centre. We look forward to hearing more about what the students in this class have been up to so far this term. All parents, grandparents and families welcome.

Thank you so much to all the parents and families that supported our Parent Information Night on Wednesday of Week 1. We appreciate your attendance at nights like these to come together as a school community to celebrate the beginning of the school year, welcome our new families, and ensure you receive accurate key information from your children’s class teachers for the year ahead. We are so excited about the 2025 school year and all the opportunities it will bring.

Students in the year 5/6 class will participate in School Crossing Monitor training on Tuesday 18^th February at 12:00pm. This will be lead by Senior Constable Jason Thiele. Students who are crossing monitors are required to be trained on a yearly basis. Please keep an eye out for consent forms for this that will be sent home this week that need to be returned prior to this training.

The school is fortunate to have Paul Gibson teaching music lessons to all classes each week. He has some exciting lessons planned, offering our students wonderful experiences with a variety of instruments and styles of music. The younger classes especially enjoyed singing along while Paul played his guitar.

This Friday we are supporting the Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser by encouraging all  St James students and staff to wear red or a touch of red for a Gold Coin donation. There will also be goodies to purchase after mass on Friday. All proceeds will go directly towards supporting research and resources for individuals and families living with cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disease that mostly affects your lungs and digestive system,  and limits life expectancy.

Currently, there is no cure for CF. Let’s get behind this very worthy cause that is close to all of our hearts  and paint St James School red this Friday.

If you would like to attend the CF fundraising event, “Paint the Town Red” on Friday night, follow this link to purchase tickets.

https://www.trybooking.com/CXWGB

The first School Board Meeting for the year takes place next Monday, 17^th  February at 7:00pm.  The School Board monitors the governance of the school including policies, procedures, finances, legislative requirements, WH&S and maintenance. The School Board also monitors enrolments, academic results and strategic plans.

The School Board AGM takes place on Monday 17^th March at 7:30pm. If you are interested in nominating or you wish to nominate a member of the school community, please contact the Acting Principal, Martin Hayes or the School Board Chairperson, Matt Hale.

Representatives from CESA met with the staff and School Board last week as part of their consultation process. The understanding is that from this they will go away and put together an application package and then advertise the position in the next few weeks.

Just a reminder that students should not be entering the school grounds until 8:30am. If your child is riding or walking to school, please remind them of this also and to not leave home too early. The yard and indoor spaces are supervised from 8:30am. We want to ensure your children are supervised adequately at all times. We appreciate your support with this.

Parents are asked to notify the school when their child/children are absent from school. For Pastoral Care and legal reasons, we require an explanation for all student absence. When children are absent from school, the school should be notified by 9.15am via phone call (08 8637 9100)

In the case of planned absence, a message via Seesaw, personal notification to the teacher or front office or phone call, prior to the absence is required. Absence of more than 5 school days must be discussed by the parent with the Principal.

In the case of unplanned absence, on the day, a phone call or written note sent with a sibling prior to 9.15am is required.

In the event that a student’s absence has not been notified, an SMS message will be sent to parents asking for an explanation. We appreciate parent’s prompt reply.

Throughout the school year we offer the opportunity for children to order books through Scholastic. The school  receives book vouchers from our sales, but we stress there is no obligation to purchase.. Please place all orders online through LOOP www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP

In 2025 St James will be offering mid year enrolments. If your child turns 5 before 31st October 2025, they can start school at St James in Term 3 2025 and the school fees are free. Children starting in Reception mid-year will have a minimum of 6 terms in Reception. Interest and enrolments are also open for the beginning of 2026. Please contact the school and register your interest and book a discovery school tour. Children who turn 5 on or before 30th April can begin school in Term 1 of 2026.