Newsletter 4 September 2024

Principal's Message

Dear Families,

Last week was a HUGE week!

Late Friday, Kathy and I were reflecting on the week that was and we became a little weary!   Every day had at least one, often two or three things happening.

• PSG Meetings
• Andrew Chin
• Sacreament of Confirmation
• District Athletics Carnival
• Father Day gifts, breakfast and Mass
• Final Winter Sport Round against St Catherine's

Every single person in our community stepped up, took on extra without complaint and although a busy week, it was incredible. I cannot commend our staff to you highly enough! They all exceeded any expectations and chipped in while still carrying out their  ‘normal’ duties.  They did this because they are all so committed to our students and community and it is an absolute privilege to work alongside them.  On behalf of all, I say THANK YOU to them!

Sacrament of Confirmation

We shared in a beautiful celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Greg, Fr Avinash and the communities of St John’s and St Columba.  Bishop Greg spoke of the voices we hear that can influence our thinking.  He used the analogy of “The Voice” blind auditions.  He stressed that the four judges are not concerned with how the contestant looks, dresses, what age or race they are, they simply listen.   He then related this to need to listen carefully to the voice of God and be discerning in the other influential voices (positive and negative) we hear.  This is so important in our world where social media influences our thinking, opinions, actions and biases.

This message of listening ties in with the theme of this year’s Child Safety Week: Every conversation matters. Child Safety is our first and foremost priority at St James.  This is reflected in our words, actions, policies, procedures and curriculum.   All these focus on the dignity and respect of the person created in the likeness of God.  Our goal is to ensure a safer future for all our students in our care; spiritually, academically, socially and emotionally.  At St James, child safety is crucial in our strategic intent: Providing safe and inclusive environments where high quality Catholic Education drives improved outcomes for all learners.  While this week’s focus is on Child Safety, it remains our focus everyday of every term.

Conversations are powerful tools to keep children and young people safe and well. Conversations can help us understand issues, craft solutions, value community knowledge, and build the brains and social connections of children and young people.

Conversations between
…children and their caregivers matter (from the very earliest days)
…children and their peers matter
…families with teachers, doctors, and other professionals matter
…friends or neighbours matter

…decision-makers and the communities they serve matter.

So this National Child Protection Week we invite you to speak up – and speak together – about what needs to change for every child in every community to have a fair go.

Fathers and Special Persons Celebration 

Friday was a genuinely wonderful celebration of our Dads and special people in our lives.  On behalf of all, I also thank the P&F led by Tarryn and Abby and supported by so many new and known faces.  They are a truly amazing group, passionate about our school and our children.  Please continue to support them.  As the old adage goes “many hands make light work”. 

 Have a great week everyone!

Kind regards, Bec

Term 4 2024 - Upcoming Events

RE News

Student Progress Meetings

Parents are invited to book a 10 minute appointment with their student/s teacher on either Tuesday 10 September or Wednesday 11 September between 3.40pm and 6.00pm.  Interviews will be held in the classrooms.  Please note, if you have booked a PSG Meeting for Term 3, you do not need to book a Student Progress Meeting.

Please log into your PAM account to make your Student Progress Meeting booking.

Parents & Friends News

Lamont Book Fair

**Please note change of times on Friday 13/09 for the Book Fair

Welcome to our New Staff

Every Day Counts

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.

From the Community