Newsletter 24 April 2024

Principal's Message

Our school, along with the 45 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sale, will celebrate Catholic Education Week from 17 May to 24 May.  The theme for this year’s celebrations is, A New Dialogue of Love, Hope and Joy, inspired by the Scripture passage, ‘See, I am Making All Things New’ (Rev. 21:5).  

This theme symbolises an optimistic and hope-filled perspective on the world and a renewed approach to fostering positive change.  The theme emphasises the belief that transformation and renewal are possible in all aspects of life through individual choices. By following the life and teachings of Jesus, and embracing principles of compassion,  peace, goodness, and justice, individuals can contribute to a more hopeful and joyful world, sowing seeds of  positivity and hope.  

Through this theme, Catholic schools aim to inspire young people to reflect on the Christian message and to showcase their efforts in contributing to creating a better world. The hope is for staff, students, families, and parishes to embrace this meaningful time and for schools to celebrate their distinctive mission and share features that are special about their schools. 

Members of staff will be attending a Leadership Eucharist and Awards ceremony to celebrate and recognise outstanding service and excellence of staff and students in Catholic Education in our Diocese at presentations during Catholic Education Week. 

Our school will also hold a number of activities including:

Monday May 20 : St James Pilgrimage.  In the spirit of St James Pilgrimages , families are encouraged to meet at the hotel and walk to school.  We will then gather around the Camino garden for prayer and to also share how far we would have walked on the actual Camino Trail.

Tuesday May 21:  St James Open Day. 

We also have 3 combined school masses, hosted at Columba, St John's and St James. This is to celebrate our three schools all being connected to each other in Parishes in Partnerships.  Families are also invited to attend these masses at 10 am on the following days;

Wednesday May 22: Columba  Year 3/4

Thursday May 23: St John's Koo Wee Rup Foundation and Year 1/2

Friday May 24: St James Year 5/6

Whole School Cross Country - what an amazing day we had on Monday.  We managed to order the perfect weather conditions and our children, like the sun, shone brightly.  I've always been proud of how our children support each other, but Monday was exceptional.  In true ANZAC Spirit, no child was left behind.  If they did fatigue, they kept going with the outstanding support of their mates.  At one point I think we had more children supporting each other than actually entries for the age races. 

Thank you to parents who attended as race marshals, spectators and those who took the time to give overwhelmingly positive feedback to staff. Stated in different ways, the comments and emails were all focused not just on the opportunity our children had, but on the manner in which they participated.   

" Hi Bec, Just wanted to let you know how impressed I was with the sportsmanship and encouragement shown by all the students today but especially the grade 6s. It was lovely listening to them cheer each other on and go back and walk/run alongside those who were struggling. 

This kind of community spirit is one of the reasons we chose St James for our kids." (parent email)

ANZAC DAY DAWN SERVICE - Families are invited to meet at the NNG Centitaph at 5.30 am for the Dawn Service.  If students could wear their school jumper, that would be great.  Keep an eye out for Tom and Ally so that we can gather together.  Thank you to both these Year 6 students and their families for volunteering to lay our St James wreath.

Staffing update:

Evan Parker has stepped down from his one day position, we are currently working towards his replacement.
Welcome to the Education Support Team Emmi Webbe and Zac McMenamin.

Enjoy the extra long weekend!  See you Monday,  Bec 

Religious Education News

From Year 3/4 LB

This week the Year 3/4 class took some time to pause and reflect on what ANZAC Day means to us and why it is important to honour this day each year. Many students came forward to share stories that had been passed down by their own families and to express the emotions they thought our ANZAC’s may have felt during WWI in Gallipolli. 

When asked to share why ANZAC Day was important to them some students shared:

• ANZAC Day is to remember the soldier’s who died and fought for our country- Aubryn
• We remember the soldiers who died and some who survived at war and I’m grateful because the people in war saved our lives. Some suffered and we will always remember them on ANZAC Day- Owen
• That they (the soldiers) sacrificed themselves for the war even if they had their own children at home- Ziera
• ANZAC Day feels special to me because people fought to protect our country; despite where they had to live (the trenches) and the sacrifices they made for us- Scarlett
• ANZAC Day is important to me because my Pa was fighting for me. He was sixteen when he was in the war and he survived- Jack S
• We show respect for those who died in the war- Tim
• I feel pride and respect for the soldiers but also sad for the soldiers who had their friends die and still march to remember them- Aiden

Class Newsletters

Parents and Friends News

2025 Enrolments

If you know of a family wishing to enrol at St James or if you have a sibling that will be attending next year, please contact the school office for an enrolment pack.

Important Information

This year St James will be using two main platforms of communication with our families - PAM and Schoolzine.   

To ensure that you keep up to date with what is happening with your children and within the school please ensure that you have access to these platforms and are familiar with their uses.

If you require assistance with accessing or setting up these platforms, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

From time to time it will also be necessary for emails and text messages to be sent.

Schoolzine App Installation Instructions:

This is an app that you have on your phone and allows for easy reading of the newsletter, as it customises to the screen and translates into many languages if required.
Please click the link below for the instructions on installing the app on your phone.
https://www.schoolzine.com/szapp-installation
As part of the installation, you will be required to enter the following 4 digit passcode -
3675
Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions or queries.

Accessing PAM Instructions:

Please use the below link to access your PAM account. 

https://pam.stjamesnng.catholic.edu.au

The user name is the email you have provided to the school and if you have not logged on previously, you will be able to set a password.

If you require your password to be reset, please contact the school office.

DS Sports

Community News