Newsletter 26 March 2025
Principal's Message
Dear Families,
Our walk to School Pilgrimage was an amazing experience for our community. Thank you to the staff and parents who were able to attend to ensure a safe and fun event for all. In the true spirit of St James, Harmony Day and inclusivity, students who were not able to meet in town waited for their peers at the end of the driveway and joined them on the last leg of their trek; not unlike what you could expect to witness as Pilgrims joined others along different points of the Camino journey.
As a staff, under the guidance of Loren Bertoncello and guided by the work of Andrew Chinn, we have been collaborating as a staff to formulate this year’s prayers and picnics. On Monday we had our first whole school rehearsal which was a reverent commemoration of the events of Holy Week. We look forward to sharing these prayers through dialogue and song with you next Monday at 3.30pm. Please warmly invite your extended family to our celebration. (Don’t forget your afternoon tea and picnic rug!) Students will be sitting in class groups to assist with the smooth running of the prayers. In the event of less than lovely weather, we will move to the hall or red roof depending on the weather forecast. A text will be sent ASAP on the day to notify of any changes.
CONGRATULATIONS to….
- Our year 4-6 students who participated in yesterday’s interschool sports competitions. They did so showcasing the “St James Way”, encouraging and supporting not only their peers but also students from other schools. Thank you to the staff and parents for their support of our students to ensure this was a wonderful opportunity for all affording our students the opportunity to try sports that they may not have had a chance to. A special thank you to Carli Galante for stepping in as our basketball coach. As a collective group we were able to come together to watch our basketball team play a very face paced, intense finals game and then thank all involved. It was a great day to be part of! Please enjoy the special report from our Sport Leaders Pip and Jay.
- Next week, Mrs Bertoncello will be absent Wednesday and Thursday (April 2 & 3). Loren has been selected to participate in the Diocesan Leadership Program during the course of 2025. This recognises Loren’s dedication to excellence in Catholic Education in the Diocese of Sale. We celebrate and acknowledge Loren in this distinction for additional learning and leadership development as we look forward to her insights and the impact they will have on her work at St James as Religious Education Leader.
- Mrs McCormack and our talented students achieving an honourable mention at Pakenham Art Show. Nicole and the students created a unique and absolutely stunning piece of artwork, this will be displayed in the hall where we can all enjoy it.
This weekend we, as the Catholic community of St James, are celebrating the Frist Communion candidates and their families.
Our whole School Cross Country event is next Friday, we still require parent helpers, please follow this link to the Google Form to register your support https://forms.gle/h7Qz7NcNGvPt46AJ8
“Little side” and “red roof” playground areas:
Although this area is rarely used due to limited surface area and opportunities for different safe zones of play, you will notice a slight adjustment to this area of the school. The equitable access to and safety of this area has been rectified. We have now removed the steps at the retaining wall and installed a temporary barrier along the top of the wall. Students and staff will now access the courts from the water tank side of the playground for their safety and that of others. We will also commence with obtaining quotes to install a fence between the retaining wall and ‘ball play’ area to separate the two areas for the safety of all when this area is required to be used. This area is mainly used during inclement weather conditions during PE lessons. Thank you to Mr Gulavin for monitoring the weather to adjust these conditions accordingly for our students to ensure their learning and fun in and around PE is paramount.
If you are able to assist with any of the above mentioned works, I’d love to hear from you! (including the movement of mulch from the staff carpark to under our very stressed oak trees)
Grey roof of a morning:
We have adopted the routine of assembling under the grey roof each morning before school officially starts at 9am. The purpose of this is enhance our whole school routines and communicate any daily information to students. A recent example of this was avoiding playing under the trees due to extreme wind. It is also a great opportunity for students to ask questions and clarify other events such as Walk to School Day last week. Staff have provided feedback noting the calmer start to the day and the value of all children being settled by 9am for the day to commence.
Thank you to our Parents and Friends, and a special welcome to the 2025 committee. Thank you for organising our First Day Lunch social event, Krispy Kreme drive and Easter Raffle fundraisers for term 1. Please continue to support the work of this magnificent crew as they continue to work towards supporting improvements for our children and the planning for our 50th year celebrations.
Casual Relief Teachers (CRTs):
Unfortunately, we remain in the space of teacher shortages across the globe. We now rely heavily on CRT agencies to fill staff vacancies. While this system is supportive, it has its limitations with providing consistency of staff, if they are able to fill vacancies at all. Often, we are waiting until as late as 8.30/45am on the day to be notified by one of three agencies we are engaged with. In every instance, we try to introduce the teacher to the students during our morning catch ups and the CRTs are partnered with the class ESO and the teacher next door for support.
Administration area organisation:
Our office is open from 8.30-4pm daily. On the rare occasion the office is not staffed, please ring the bell as this will notify staff and we can promptly offer you assistance.
Please pray for Mrs R who recently lost her grandmother and Mrs McCormack who also lost her beloved grandfather recently. Eternal rest grant to them O Lord
Take Care, Bec
Upcoming events
| Monday | 31/03/2025 | School Photos Prayers and Picnics (3.30pm - 4.30pm) |
| Friday | 04/04/2025 | Whole School Cross Country Event Last Day of Term 1 |
| Tuesday | 22/04/2025 | Term 2 Commences |
| Friday | 25/04/2025 | Anzac Day |
| Friday | 09/05/2025 | Mother's Day Breakfast |
| Monday | 12/05/2025 | District Cross Country |
From the Deputy Principal
Dear St James community,
NAPLAN - Over the past two weeks, our Grade 3 and 5 students have participated in the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numberacy (NAPLAN). This assessment helps us understand how our students measure up to national proficiency standards. I would like to congratulate all of our studnets who took part in the assessments. They demonstrated resilience, patience and persistence throughout the process.
Garden Club
To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow (Audrey Hepburn)
Our St James gardening club has super motivated and enthusiastic students who have been meeting weekly to care for our environment. Students have worn gloves and planted broccoli, cauliflower, carrot and edible flower seedlings into the six raised garden beds. Students added sugar cane mulch to the gardens and used buckets and watering cans to water the seedlings. We are looking forward to continuing to care for our seedlings in term two and harvesting our crops. Next time you are in the school yard, please come and take a look at the garden beds.
Great work St James Garden Club!
Kind Regards, Kathy Zanonda
RE News
Prayers & Picnics attire - if children could please bring dark coloured clothing to change into at the end of the day.
Third Week of Lent (week beginning Monday 24 March)
Lam is 27 years old from a small village in rural Vietnam who faced significant challenges due to his short stature. Growing up, Lam often felt isolated due to limited job opportunities and difficulty moving around his community. While his friends started jobs after high school, Lam stayed home with his parents, unsure if he could ever achieve his dream of becoming a graphic designer.
Everything changed when Lam joined the I-SHINE program, supported by Caritas Australia. Through this initiative, Lam completed a six-month course developing his graphic design skills. Along the way, he built confidence, made friends and gained a sense of connection.
Today, Lam runs a successful freelance graphic design business from home, serving clients worldwide and earning a steady income. Lam hopes his story will encourage other young people with disabilities to overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams.
Lam’s journey shows how your support of Project Compassion empowers individuals to break barriers and transform their lives.
Will you walk alongside people like Lam this Lent?
Our school fundraiser: Students will have now bought home their Project Compassion boxes. We ask students to collect as many coins as they can to contribute to their class coin line and the class with the longest coin line will win a hot chip lunch at the end of Term. We look forward to working together as a school community to support those in need and will continue to share Project Compassion updates in the coming weeks.
WE ARE IN OUR FINAL DAYS. Please start returning your Project Compassion boxes
Return Date: Can all students please return their Project Compassion boxes to their classroom teachers by Friday 28th March to participate in the coin line during assembly that afternoon.
Sacrament Dates 2025
Sacrament of First Communion
| Date | Place | Time |
| Saturday 29 March 2025 | St James Nar Nar Goon | 5.00pm |
| Sunday 30 March 2025 | St John's Koo Wee Rup | 9.30am |
| Sunday 30 March 2025 | St Joseph's Iona | 11.00am |
Sacrament of Confirmation
Commitment Mass
| Date | Place | Time |
| Saturday 3 May 2025 | St James Nar Nar Goon | 5.00pm |
| Sunday 4 May 2025 | St John's Koo Wee Rup | 9.30am |
| Sunday 4 May 2025 | St Joseph's Iona | 11.00am |
Parent/Child Workshop
| Date | Place | Time |
| Wednesday 14 May 2025 | Columba PS Bunyip | 5.30pm |
| Thursday 15 May 2025 | St John's PS Koo Wee Rup | 5.30pm |
Sacrament of Confirmation
| Date | Place | Time |
| Wednesday 4 June 2025 | St John's Koo Wee Rup | 5.00pm |
Sacrament of Reconciliation
Commitment Mass
| Date | Place | Time |
| Saturday 18 October 2025 | St James Nar Nar Goon | 5.00pm |
| Sunday 19 October 2025 | St John's Koo Wee Rup | 9.30am |
| Sunday 19 October 2025 | St Joseph's Iona | 11.00am |
Parent/Child Workshop
| Date | Place | Time |
| Wednesday 29 October 2025 | St James PS Nar Nar Goon | 5.30pm |
| Thursday 30 October 2025 | St John's PS Koo Wee Rup | 5.30pm |
Sacrament of Confirmation
| Date | Place | Time |
| Thursday 13 November 2025 | St John's Koo Wee Rup | 5.30pm |
Wellbeing Leader
School Photos
School Photo Day is on Monday 31 March 2025.
Anzac Day 2025
St James is again supporting the Anzac Day Appeal, selling pins, badges, pens and other goodies. The grade 6 leaders will visit each class each morning if children wish to make a purchase/donation. Please note no change is able to be given so children will need to have correct money.
Lost Property
Each day a number of items are brought to the office as "lost property". If names are on items they are returned to the child, however there is a large amount that do not have names or have names of past students. This is a timely reminder to ensure that you are naming all your children's garments.
A lost property box has been put in the Admin Foyer. Parents are welcome to check this at any time. At the end of each term, this box will be emptied and items donated to the second hand uniform shop.
St James Parents & Friends Committe
Important Information
Both the PAM and Schoolzine Calendars have been updated with new information.
To access the Schoolzine calendar through the app you will be prompted to enter a password - James4011
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.
DS Sports
