Newsletter 14 August 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Families,
This week we welcome Cienna Malic and Talia Velten to the St James team. They will be working in the role of Education Support. I know everyone will make them feel welcome and we look forward to them sharing their gifts and talents with us as they work to support students across the school.
With the weather looking and feeling brighter our veggie patch is thriving and our fruit trees are blossoming. It has also been wonderful to have the kids outside more, enjoying the weather and playing in different spaces. We have two areas not in use at the moment. The first being the oval due to it being so wet. We're also keen to keep off until our last Winter Sport home game against St Patrick's this Friday. Once we are back using the oval, new soccer nets will also be available for use.
The second area is the grass area closest to the classrooms and blue court. In this area the retaining wall has been removed. The repair of the wall was mandated in our OH&S site assessment. The decision to remove the wall and create a gentle slope was made as this was far more cost effective and also helps with the blue court drainage issues. Once the grass has grown in, it will be another spot for outdoor learning and playtimes.
You will notice the very unsightly pile of pavers at the front of the school. These are looking for a new home. If they can be of any use to you or someone you know, please feel free to grab them.
Congratulations to our junior students for the way they participated in the swimming program over the past two weeks. They have had great fun, challenged themselves and only lost a couple items of clothing!
On Friday, Catholics and many other Christians celebrate the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This significant feast day recalls the spiritual and physical departure of the mother of Jesus Christ from the earth, when both her soul and her body were taken into the presence of God. You are warmly invited to join us for Mass at 9.30am.
WHOOPING COUGH - As per previous communication, please ensure you notify the school if your child has been diagnosed with whooping cough. Given the level of contagion with this virus, it is essential that we are able to notify our community if there is a case/s in the school. This is in an effort to continue to keep our families and staff safe and well.
Enjoy the sunshine!
Bec Kollaris
Religious Education News
Last Friday the whole school celebrated the feast day of our National Patron Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop. I can not praise our school community highly enough for their beautiful participation and would like to acknowledge all the helpers that took on a special role, whether it be reading, assisting with technology or processing in with Father Avinash. As a community that is able to look to Mary MacKillop as a strong role model it was lovely to see students step in to help their peers without hesitation.
This coming Friday we will come together as a whole school again to acknowledge the Assumption of our Lady Mary. I can not wait to see our students strive for excellence again during this service. Please note that we will not be having a shared morning tea after this mass service.
Confirmation Reflection/ Retreat Day
On Tuesday our Year 6 students went on ‘retreat’ for some personal and spiritual reflection to prepare themselves for their upcoming sacrament of Confirmation or the next big steps that students will be making in their lives (heading off to high school).
We explored our personal God given gifts and talents; discussed how the Holy Spirit works through small acts of kindness in our immediate communities and reflected on how we, as year 6 students, can make a difference in the world around us.
Andrew Chinn Concert
On Tuesday 27th August Australian religious songwriter and singer, Andrew Chinn, will be visiting our school to share his songs with our children. Andrew’s songs, such as “These Hands”, “Rainbow”, “An African Blessing” and “Rise Up!” are used in classrooms and liturgies around Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. The concert will take place in the hall, at 2:15 pm . We look forward to seeing you there.
About Andrew Chinn
Andrew Chinn was a teacher for 20 years in Catholic schools in Sydney and taught all grades from kindergarten to Year 6. He has been song writing since 1993 and has released 14 albums, 6 picture books, and 5 DVDs. His music is used in schools across Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada and he has visited more than 1100 different schools around those countries. His best-known songs are These Hands, Rainbow, An African Blessing, and Rise Up! Andrew’s music is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
The Sacrament of Confirmation will be held on the 28th of August.
ALL WELCOME
5pm or 7pm
St John the Baptist Koo Wee Rup
Rehearsal
If your child would like to attend an opportunity to rehearse for Confirmation at St John the Baptist church, this will be occurring at 3.45pm on Monday 26th August. This is not compulsory but will be a good opportunity if your child wants to see the church prior to the sacrament.
1/2JD News
Last week, 1/2JD participated in a mini Olympics. We enjoyed lots of fun games outside and students showed great participation and sportsmanship. Congratulations to team Australia who came away with the win over Canada and Greece!
Tasty Tuesday
Parents & Friends News
Every Day Counts
First Aid
WHOOPING COUGH:
The Department of Health has issued a health alert due to increasing numbers of whooping cough (pertussis) cases in Victoria.
The key messages:
- Cases of pertussis are increasing in Victoria, mostly affecting children aged 10-12 years
- Pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory illness known for causing a cough and can lead to life threatening infections in babies
- Symptoms of pertussis may be very similar to other respiratory infections, especially in the early stages, meaning diagnosis by a doctor as soon as possible is important
- Whooping cough is particularly dangerous for babies under the age of 6 months. Pregnant women, new parents or carers of babies should consult their medical professional
Recommendations:
The school asks all families to:
- Monitor all household members for symptoms and see a doctor if symptoms develop
- Notify the school if whooping cough is diagnosed
- Remain home if diagnosed with whooping cough until 5 days of appropriate treatment have occurred
If you have any questions or queries, please contact the school office.
School Fees
Term 3 Fee statements have been issued.
If you have not made any contribution towards your school fee account or contacted the office to put a payment arrangement in place, please ensure you do this as a matter of priority. It is an expectation that fee accounts are finalised by the end of each year.
Direct debit arrangements can be set up at any time, please contact the school office for a direct debit form.
If you are experiencing financial hardship and wish to have a confidential discussion, please contact Bec Kollaris.
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/
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.
Lamont Book Fair
DS Sports
