29 June 2020

Newsletter Articles

Our Mission @ SJM

St James’ Primary School community excel in education through living and learning in Christ.

Principal’s Message

Hasn’t this weather been extraordinary? We have had a little bit of everything lately. Perhaps we need to call us Melbourne instead of Muswellbrook! One thing for sure is that the recent rain we’ve had is definitely needed and welcome. I do hope we can get some more significant rains soon that will fill our dams and reduce the need for water restrictions.

Stage 2 Assembly

This year we introduced a Stage Assembly to the SJM landscape. Unfortunately, due to COVID last terms did not go ahead. On Friday Stage 2 shared what they have been doing as part of their learning, albeit a little differently. I would like to thank and congratulate all of Stage 2, Years 3 & 4, for their efforts. You all sounded AMAZING!

Thank you to the Stage 2 teachers for all your hard work and commitment to the students. They are lucky to have you!

Term 2 Home Reading Incentive Draw # 1

Congratulations to Milliarna G (KG) and Addison B (2M) who were the lucky winners of our first Home Reading Incentive Draw for Term 2. Another two students were drawn out today and their names will be on Facebook.

Miss Eloise Hand – Wellbeing Framework Working Party

As you would know, Miss Eloise Hand, is our Lead Teacher of Wellbeing here at SJM. She works closely with the Where There’s A Will Foundation to deliver positive education into our classrooms, as well as promoting staff and student wellbeing. This is a very important job and we are thankful that we have Miss Hand in this position at SJM. This position is funded by our school. Not all schools have a Lead Teacher of Wellbeing.

Student and staff wellbeing has been included as an important aspect of the CSO Strategic Plan 2019-2022. On of the key components is to:

Develop, resource, and implement whole-school frameworks and initiatives which support mental health and resilience of staff and students and guide schools around best practice social emotional interventions.

I would like to share with the SJM community that Miss Hand has been invited you to join the Wellbeing Framework Working Party. This is an exciting opportunity to be directly involved into the direction of wellbeing across all school communities. This invitation highlights the respect and great work being undertaken by Miss Hand within the school and the Upper Hunter community.

Congratulation Eloise.

Canteen – Will Resume Term 3

At this stage, Canteen will resume in Term 3.

If there are any changes we will let you know ASAP.

Unwell = Stay @ Home

Whether it’s COVID-19 or the common cold, as a school we need to ensure we are healthy at school as we do not want to spread any sickness throughout the community.

If your child has a:

• Cough
• Fever
• Shortness of breath
• Runny nose

We encourage you to keep them at home.

As a school, as per recommendations, we will be sending any child who presents with these symptoms home. We ask you to think of not just your own family, but the families within our community. Thank you in advance.

If you do have one or more of the symptoms above, I encourage you to either contact your doctor or head for a COVID-19 test.

Please find below the COVID Testing Clinics at Muswellbrook:

• Muswellbrook Hospital – 7 days per week ~ 1:30pm – 3:30pm

We also ask that if a member of the household is tested for COVID-19 your child remains at home until you receive a negative result. If you happen to receive a positive result for COVID-19, we ask that you contact me at the school ASAP.

As usual, I would like to thank you for your support of the SJM community.

Quote

'God's love is unbounded: It has no limits' Pope Francis

Religion

The Sunday Gospel talks about human virtue - the act of hospitality. These readings highlight the importance of welcoming people into our community and family. Jesus tells us in this week that we should welcome people. Jesus makes the point that when we welcome others into our lives, we welcome Jesus himself.

Hospitality is something that most children excel at. Look how young children get excited when visitors arrive. Welcoming others is not just a 'feel good' - it's something that Jesus asks us to do in his name. We are to welcome the prophet, the holy person, the follower of Christ. Sometimes they will come to us in the guise of someone who is poor or marginalised, and extending hospitality won't be easy. But, Jesus tells us, we will surely be rewarded.

MJR

Making Jesus Real is centred on the belief that we are all God's children and we are called to be like Jesus in the way that we live. MJR values includes respect, honesty and trustworthiness, understanding, tolerance and inclusion. It is important that whenever we go into a strange or new place and we meet people we always feel at ease if they welcome us with a smile or Hello or G'day! This simple act of hospitality shares the spirit of Jesus with everyone. These moments could be showing kindness, giving a high elbow (high five), thumbs up, wave, smile, being kind, saying thank you or helping someone with something. Where have you seen the spirit of Jesus today? Where is the spirit of Jesus in your life?

During this time of COVID-19 restrictions the celebration of Mass at St. James' Church now requires a booking due to the numbers allowed in the church. Please contact the Parish office on 65431167 to let Fr Victor know that you will be attending Mass. Please refer to St. James' bulletin attached.

I would like to wish all our St. James' families and friends a safe holiday break with your family.

May your lamp burn stronger and brighter in 2020.

Assistant Principal

Lost Property

We have seen a huge increase in the number of clothing items in the lost property basket. We check these items every day for any that have names on them, and we return any named items to their owners. Unfortunately, we are seeing an increase in the number of items that are either not labelled at all, or have the name of a student who has left the school. We ask that you please label every items of clothing that your child wears to school. We can return it to you if it has a name, otherwise it sits in the lost property basket until the end of the term and then it goes into the second-hand clothing pool.

School uniform

Since returning to school, we have seen an increased number of students who are not wearing the correct school uniform. Each of our families came to St James’ knowing our school’s uniform, and we ask that you continue to support us in the wearing of the correct uniform each day. We would like to mention in particular … there are a huge number of students who are borrowing spare hats every day. We understand that sometimes students forget their hats, but this is more than that. The same students are ‘forgetting’ their hat every day. We do not have an endless supply of spare hats, so we ask that you check with your child about the whereabouts of their hat, and purchase a new hat if necessary. Of course – please make sure it is labelled with your child’s name.

Drink bottles

With the bubblers still out of action due to increased risks from COVID19, we have noticed the large number of students who do not bring a drink bottle to school. We have been supplying students who don’t have a drink bottle with a plastic cup so that they may have a drink at lunch time. Last week, we handed out over 200 cups. It is the same students every day who do not have a drink bottle. Please consider purchasing a small drink bottle for your child to bring to school. They are able to fill it up at lunch breaks, at the water stations in the playground. This is certainly a better option than 200 cups being thrown out each week.

Absences from school

Now that we have returned to school full-time, it is expected that each child attend school Monday to Friday. If your child is not able to attend school (eg. they are sick, need to attend a medical appointment, or you are away on holidays), then you will need to explain this absence. You can do this using the Compass app (if you have used your username to log in) or you can write a note to your child’s teacher explaining their absence. I have included below the instructions for adding an attendance note for your child using the Compass app. It really is an easy process and your child’s teacher will see that when they mark the roll, so there is no need to send them an email unless you need to give them more information. Please feel free to contact the school if you require any assistance with this process.

NOTE - All absences must be explained within 5 days of the absence, otherwise it is marked as an unexplained absence on your child’s record.

Also attached is the flyer from the Catholic Schools Office – IT’S NOT OK TO BE AWAY. Please take the time to read through this information. It is important that we show our children that we value their time at school.

Compass Parent Portal Accounts

Thank you to all of our parents who have already logged into their account. We have 71% of our families who have at least one parent / carer signed into their child’s account. We would encourage all families who haven’t signed in yet, to grab the login details that were sent home to them earlier this term, and log in as soon as you can. This will be the place that you will soon be asked to add attendance notes for your child’s absences, and this is where you will access your child’s school reports. We sent home last week another login letter to any family that hasn’t already logged in. That’s two additional copies that you have recevied. We urge you to login so that you can receive all important messages. Please contact admin@muswellbrook.catholic.edu.au if you have any questions about logging in.

Parent Portal Login Letters – Your login letter contains your username and password for you to access your child’s Compass portal. Each parent should receive a separate username and password. Please keep these secure, as your child’s portal contains your child’s personal details, as well as attendance information and school reports. If you have more than one child at our school, you will receive a letter for each child, but the username and password will be the same for all children in your family. You only need to login once and you will have access to multiple students.

Logging in the first time - The letter also contains the instructions for logging into the portal for the first time. We have been advised from the CSO that is it best for you to log in the first time on a computer or laptop (not a mobile phone or iPad), as this is a much easier experience. Once you’ve logged into the portal for that first time on your computer, you can then use the app on your phone each time after that. Please contact the school if you require any assistance. We are happy to help.

Primary Coordinator

Pos Ed Book Club:

I was introduced to this book by a fellow colleague this week, and I love it! The book is called Who am I? by Philip Bunting. It can be purchased for $10 at Big W

This is the perfect book to balance out the idea that we are all from the same place, and made of the same stuff, yet we each see ourselves as individuals. It is such a simple way to explain to students how every inch of us is unique. With all that is happening around our world at the moment (particularly what is being shown on the media and news) this is a great way to start up a simple conversation with your children.

On resilience:

What did happen to Humpty Dumpty after this fall? Was it all over? Or did he go on to do incredible things as a result of his fall?! Ask your children, they might be able to tell you about resilience. When we breathe mindfully or bring ourselves into the present moment by noticing the things we feel thankful for we build up our resilience in the process.

“After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back up Again)” by Dan Santat is a great children’s story focused on the concept of resilience. I have included a YouTube link to the book below. It would be a great one to watch and discuss with the whole family.

Strengths Spotlight #4: Persistence

(from the Institute of Positive Education)

• Perseverance, industriousness.
• Working hard and sticking with something valuable that you’ve started

Persistence is a strength which is closely related to other strengths of Courage, including Zest and Honesty. These strengths are about taking action even when it’s hard to do so.

What does a focus on Persistence look like in your world today? Can you ask the other members of your household to look out for and share examples of perseverance and industriousness?

Some suggested Persistence activities

• Build something big, like a Lego tower or marble run.
• Learn something new about a hobby, or deepen your enjoyment by undertaking a new element.
• Pick something to work towards; 50 pushups, knitting a scarf, cooking a whole meal... the options are endless.
• Consider how you self-sabotage or let negative self-talk about procrastination stall your efforts at persevering.
• Spot yourself using persistence, and reflect on the feeling.

Try These Three Things

Kid's Book

The Little Engine that Could, Watty Piper

Book

Grit, Angela Duckworth

TED Talk

Why you will fail to have a great career, Larry Smith

Gratitude Meditation:

Below you will find a script for a meditation that you can try with your family at home. What are you thankful for? What brings you joy? What sparks warm feelings inside?

Completing a short meditation is a great way to help wind down before bed, or find calm during stressful situations.

Quote of the Week:

"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his or her skin, background or religion. People must learn to hate. And if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite"- Nelson Mandela

Stay safe, calm and kind,

Miss Eloise Hand
Primary Coordinator & Lead Teacher of Positive Education

Class Awards

Class News

ES1

Kindergarten have been sharing a variety of Fairy Tales during our study of characterisation. It has been surprising to see how many different versions there are of the same story and some students are very good at spotting slight changes. As the finale to our study of Fairy Tales, we will have our traditional fairy tale character dress up day this Thursday. Kindergarten are excited about this event and we can’t wait to see just who comes to school on Fairy Tale day.

Kindergarten are also looking forward to the Obstacool course this Friday. It will be a first-time experience for many of our Kinder students and a wonderful reward for those who are always on their best behaviour.

We continue to work on consolidating our letter/sound knowledge and applying this to basic reading and writing tasks. We thank parents for continually supporting their children’s efforts. In Maths, we have looked at 3D shapes and Volume in recent weeks. Volume, in particular, lends itself to home maths where you can encourage your child to do some cooking and measuring. Bath play with containers where volume can be explored is also a good option to support learning about volume.

Mrs Donna Smith and Mrs Marina Norton

Stage 1

Week 10! Just a few more days and we are halfway through our 2020 school year! All of our Stage 1 students should be proud of their efforts throughout this challenging term. A special congratulations to all students who have made it to the End of Term Reward that is happening on Friday, it is a great achievement and your wonderful behaviour has been appreciated.

In English, students have been continuing to work on their skills in both persuasive and creative writing. Teachers are beginning to see wonderful improvements across the board in sentence structure and use of “wow” words (adjectives). In Mathematics, students have had a focus on Volume and Capacity, along with Mass. This particular focus on measurement has seen many hands on activities happening in the classroom.

Year 1 have been spending time each week completing lessons from the Grow Your Mind program. This program focuses on developing each child’s sense of compassion, gratitude, mindfulness, brain awareness, courage and resilience. Miss Hand and Miss Beletich have been introducing their students to the different parts of the brain, along with strategies to focus on and use their strengths. The response has been very positive and both teachers are looking forward to incorporating it in their classrooms again next term.

All teachers wish you and your families a safe and happy 2 week break. We look forward to seeing you back, refreshed, in Term 3.

Miss Emma Beletich, Miss Eloise Hand, Miss Jane Boyle and Miss Elissa Pryke

Stage 2

We are so proud of Stage 2 and their presentation at Assembly at the end of Week 8. The students have all learned a lot this term about the colonial times in Australia from both the European and the Indigenous perspectives. We are sure you'll agree that their artworks are beautiful and their singing was amazing.

The Stage 2 teachers wish you all a happy and healthy holiday. We cannot wait to see all of our kids back at school on Monday July 20.

Don't forget to keep reading and recording your reading in your reading diaries during the holidays.

Mrs Trishelle Threadgate, Mrs Jane Dengate and Mrs Donna-Maree Watt

Stage 3

We cannot believe we are already in the last week of term 2 and nearly halfway through our school year. The students are very excited about our term 2 reward ‘Obstacool’ which will take place this Friday. We would love to congratulate all students (and parents) on your amazing effort this term. You have worked hard and persisted even in the challenging times of home learning and transitioning back to full time classroom learning.

We have been working very hard the last couple of weeks. During Creative art lessons students have been focusing on ‘landscapes’ using a range of materials to portray different landscapes

Stage three have almost completed their term two text, Rowan of Rin written by Emily Rodda. They were immersed in adventure, fantasy, friendship, team building and problem solving themes. One student was particularly engaged in the team building theme and related it to our Religion topic about feeling connected.

During mathematics students have been investigating a range of strategies to solve problems involving addition and subtraction of fractions with the same denominator. Last week we looked closely at patterns and algebra which involved students analysing and creating geometric and number patterns, constructing and completing number sentences, and locating points on the Cartesian plane.

Students participated in an escape room challenge involving patterns and algebra. Students were provided with the following statement and 4 questions which they needed to solve and work out the code to move onto the next activity.

“The astronauts aboard the International Space Station have just sent out a distress signal, their navigation system is malfunctioning, and they are beginning to go off course! The only way to bypass their emergency protocol and reactivate the navigation system is to follow the clues and find the 4 security codes. The astronauts are relying on you, so make sure you read all the instructions carefully and work together as a team.’’ We could see all students working hard and showing the character strengths of ‘team work’, ‘fairness’ and ‘creativity’.

Stage 3 students have been particularly excited about the Athletics Carnival where the students competed under COVID 19 safe restrictions. Many thanks must go to Mrs Dengate for her hard work and dedication in making this possible for the students at St James. Thanks must also go to the stage 3 teachers for their efforts in organising the qualification trials leading up to the carnival.

Mrs Jane Jacobs, Mrs Rebecca Harrod, Mrs Clare Collett and Miss Lauren Osborne

Re-gathering Day Celebrations

SPORTS NEWS

Congratulations to all our students that competed as part of our Athletics Days last week.

And the winners are:

Junior

11 Years

Senior

Champion House - ROSELLAS

Library

Borrowing Days

Please encourage your children to return their library books, on their borrowing days.

Kinder: Tuesday
Years 1 – 6: Thursday

Scholastic Book Club

A reminder that all transactions need to be completed online or over the phone through Scholastic. We cannot take any cash sales at school.

PLEASE NOTE: Book Club cannot be paid by cash.

Please ensure if paying by cheque or phone orders, that orders are placed in an envelope, correctly filled out and clearly marked with your child’s name and class. There only three methods of payment available now.

1. Phone. Automated free call 1800 557 908. When paying by phone you will receive an 11-digit receipt number. Return to school with completed order form.
2. Cheque made payable to Scholastic Australia. Attach cheque to completed order form and return to school.
3. LOOP Ordering Instructions from Scholastic
   a). Simply grab your child's Book Club catalogue and either sign in or register your account
   b). Click on ORDER and then select your school and your child's class*
   c). Add your child's first name & last initial (so the school knows who the book is for) PLEASE NOTE: Your child's details will never be shared with 3rd parties OR used for marketing purposes - this is for distribution purposes only.
   d). Enter the item number from the Book Club catalogue
   e). All orders are sent directly to the school for submission to Scholastic. Books will still be delivered to your child's classroom if you order by the close date
   f). Afterwards, there's no need to return paper order forms or payment receipt details back to your school!

If you get stuck and need help, simply call our friendly Customer Service team on: 1800 021 233 between the hours of 8am to 5pm. After 5pm, you may email our after-hours LOOP help on Customer_Service@scholastic.com.au

Premier’s Reading Challenge

For Years 3 – 6 the Premier’s Reading Challenge is optional but I urge all students to participate. The books are available during their borrowing times. At the end of the year the children are awarded a certificate from the Premier of NSW. The primary students, who wish to participate, will be given a record sheet. They then need to visit the PRC website to locate the ID number for each book.

Please feel free to contact the library if any problems/concerns arise during the year.

lisa.wilson@mn.catholic.edu.au or 65433094

Happy Reading!

St. James’ P & F Association

P&F Committee Contacts