15 February 2021

Newsletter Articles

Our Mission @ SJM

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Amidst the busyness of life, serve the needs of others, spend time with God and share the Gospel.

Principal’s Message

We have had a great start to the school year at SJM. The children are learning, laughing and having fun. The Kindergarten students have made a great start to SJM also and, although a little tired, they are enjoying their days at school. Congratulations to all our students for the positive way they have started the school year.

School Community Code of Conduct

Schools are busy and thriving places where there is lots happening daily. Sometimes we might have a concern or question that you would like clarified. That is a normal part of life.

As a caring and respectful school community I would like to encourage all parents and carers to make the school your first port of call for any questions or concerns.

At the end of the newsletter I have included the School Community Code of Conduct for your perusal. Within this it states, parents, carers and volunteers agree to:

• Communicate directly with their child’s teacher or the Principal regarding any concerns about their child, other students, staff or community members.
• Treat all school staff, students, other members of the school community, visitors and volunteers with respect in all dealings with them both personally and through the use of all social media technologies at all times.

As a Catholic School we must always respect our school community and its members. We do this by speaking to the school directly and not discussing issues with other parents within our community or placing any disrespectful comments on social media. I encourage you to be proactive and supportive of your child. Please do this by making contact with the teacher, myself or Mrs Shannon Hall.

Thank you in advance for your support of SJM.

Parent Involvement - Ash Wednesday & Opening School Mass

Ash Wednesday (Wednesday 17th February) and our Opening School Mass (Tuesday 23rd February) are important dates in our school calendar. They are usually days we join as an entire community within the school.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions we must change our events as follows:

• ASH WEDNESDAY – will be for students and staff only.
• OPENING SCHOOL MASS – Parents of students receiving badges on the day can join us on the day. Invites will be sent out shortly.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused. We are saddened that we cannot have you attending, and we hope that these restrictions change soon.

Parent Information Night

A reminder that our Parent Information Night will take place this Thursday 18th February at 5:30pm. At this evening I will introduce myself and my staff to you, as well as discussing the year ahead at St James’ Primary School.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see what your child is learning about and how they are taught it. It is also a great opportunity to meet all the teachers and other parents. Please come along.

Normally we would invite you to stay for drinks and nibbles after the presentation. Unfortunately, this will not take place this year due to COVID restrictions. As a result of the above said COVID restrictions, we are only allowed to meet for a maximum 1 hour, with 80 people in attendance. To ensure we meet these guidelines, we ask that you register your attendance to our Parent Information Night via the link below:

If we get over 100 registrations or if COVID restrictions change, we will change this to a ZOOM meeting instead.

We will keep you in the loop with any changes that may occur.

Welcome Mrs Chapman

Last week, we held interviews for the Senior School Officer – Clerical. We are excited to announce that Mrs Virginia Chapman will be joining us soon in our front office. Virginia comes to us with a wealth of experience, as she has enthusiastically taken on this role in another of our regional schools. We know that you will make Mrs Chapman feel welcome when she starts. Her start date is still being sorted out, so in the meantime, Mrs Moore will be helping us out.

Schools Fees

School fee statements will be sent home shortly. These will be emailed to you directly.

Stay tuned for more details.

SJM NRL Footy Tipping Competition

This year we are have decided to have an NRL footy tipping competition for the entire school community…….. and it’s free!

We hope to have a little fun with this over the season. See below for details:

To join …

1. Go to http://www.iTipFooty.com.au
2. Click the 'REGISTER' button if you don't already have an account with iTipFooty.com.au
3. Once you have successfully registered login and, click the JOIN COMP button.
4. Enter Comp # 101289 and Comp Password SJM2328
5. Click join comp.....DONE!

Also, if you have a business that would like to donate a prize or cash please contact me at school.

Mr Aaron Moon
Principal

Religion

Ash Wednesday liturgy will be held on Wednesday 17 February at 10.30am in the school Hall. Fr Victor will be joining the school community in acknowledging the first day of the Lenten season. Lent is the time of year when we prepare for Easter. During Lent many people go without something that they really enjoy, like chocolate or Maccas. By giving something up we remember Jesus Christ who fasted for 40 days in the desert. All students will complete a Lent and Easter unit during the last 5 weeks of Term 1.

Due to COVID restrictions the St. James’ parent community will be unable to join us for this Ash Wednesday liturgy.

The St James’ community will celebrate 2021 with an Opening School Mass on Tuesday 23 February in the school hall at 9.15am. Our new school leaders will be receiving their badges at this Mass. This year St. James’ will be focussing on Stewardship of the Earth. The earth and all life on it are part of God’s creation. We are called to respect this gift. We are responsible for taking care of the world we live in and for sharing all the wonders and resources the earth gives us. Pope Francis highlights in his encyclical, Laudato Si: On the Care for our Common Home, that we are called to respond and to adopt new ways of living.

Due to COVID restrictions the Opening School Mass will be by invite only for the family members of our new school leaders.

For more information about the Stewardship of Creation please visit the Caritas Australia website

Sacramental Program 2021

Thank you to those parents who have expressed as interest in the Sacramental program for 2021. If you are interested in your child participating in this parish-run program, to prepare for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation, please email me your name and your child’ name (jane.jacobs@mn.catholic.edu.au)

May your lamp continue to burn stronger and brighter in 2021.

Mrs Jane Jacobs
Religious Education Coordinator

Assistant Principal

It has been great to see our SJM community settle back into school life so quickly. As I wander around the school, through the playground and into the classrooms, it is exciting to hear all of the learning, laughter and fun. Keep up the great work everyone. I have a feeling that 2021 is going to be a great year!

Safer Internet Day 2021

On Safer Internet Day, the world comes together with a shared vision of making online experiences better for everyone. This year, Safer Internet Day was held on Tuesday 9th February, with the theme “Start the Chat”. The staff and students of SJM used the week to start the conversation about ways that we can make online experiences better for everyone.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is running online webinars for parents. These live webinars explore the latest research and they are a great way to learn how you can help your child develop the skills to be safer online. All sessions are delivered by eSafety’s expert education and training team. This year’s topic is “eSafety’s Parent Guide to Cyberbullying and Online Drama”, where they will look at how parents and carers can support young people to have safe and respectful relationships and what to do if things go wrong. It will cover:

• Starting conversations with your child about their online friendships and positive ways to deal with changing relationships
• Understanding the rights, laws and community expectations that govern social media use
• Where to seek help if your child is involved in a cyberbullying incident.

The webinar will include case studies, research and targeted advice so you can support the young people in your life to have safe, enjoyable online experiences.

Dates for these webinars include:

Tuesday 9th February - 7.30pm to 8.30pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Time AEDT)
Wednesday 10th February – 12.30pm to 1.30pm (AEDT)
Wednesday 10th February – 7.30pm to 8.30pm (AEDT)
Monday 15th February – 12.30pm to 1.30pm (AEDT)
Monday 22 March – 12.30pm to 1.30pm (AEDT)

Please use this link to register for one of the webinars

You can also find out all information about these webinars, as well as future webinars from the eSafety website - https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars

NAPLAN Online

The best way to ensure the smooth running of NAPLAN Online is to plan ahead and ensure we all feel prepared. We have been provided a few days this term to test our equipment to ensure we have all the necessary technology and security in place for the actual testing to take place in May. The following dates are important for Year 3 and Year 5 students:

NAPLAN Online practice test (for Year 3 and Year 5 students only) – The week of Monday 22nd March to Friday 26th March – this is just to test our equipment for readiness. This test will not be marked and will not contribute to your child’s NAPLAN report. This will also allow Year 3 and Year 5 students to practice logging into the secure NAPLAN site.

NAPLAN Online testing period (for all Year 3 and Year 5 students) – Monday 10th May to Thursday 20th May.

All Year 3 and Year 5 students will require headphones for the testing period in May. The headphones will need to be kept at school for the whole two weeks and will not be returned until your child has completed their last test. You will not be able to share headphones with siblings at this school or another school, so please start thinking about what this looks like for your family. Hopefully you already have headphone at home and this will not require a new set to be purchased.

At this stage, we have not been informed of the scheduling of tests for each class. Once the scheduling of NAPLAN tests has been sent to us, we will inform you via a letter home of the actual dates and times when each class will complete each of their four tests. Any parents who do not wish for their child to participate in the NAPLAN testing in May, should contact our principal Aaron Moon to have a chat about the process of withdrawal.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) are responsible for the administration of NAPLAN tests across Australia. They have created a public demonstration site for everyone to have a look at so that we all feel comfortable with the testing platform. You can visit the demonstration site at

HEAD LICE

From time to time we are made aware of cases of head lice that have been detected in a child’s hair. Luckily, we don’t have many outbreaks here at SJM, as our parents are great at minimising the risk of the spread of these little critters. We ask that you remain vigilant and check your child’s hair regularly for any lice or their eggs. If detected, please treat immediately. We encourage all students with hair longer than their collar, to pull hair neatly back into a band. We also encourage all hats to be clearly labelled with your child’s name to avoid the wrong hat being worn.

COMPASS Parent Portal

Last week, all of our new families, as well as any families who hadn’t already logged into Compass, should have received their letters detailing their username and password. The Compass Parent Portal will again be a channel for communicating important messages with you. I would ask that all current parents check that they have their Compass Parent Portal login details and are able to log in using those details. They are the same login details that you had from 2020 when you originally logged in. Compass is a major form of communication here at SJM and it is important that you are able to access these notifications when they are sent. Please send me an email (shannon.hall@mn.catholic.edu.au) if you require any assistance logging in. I am able to reset your password if you have forgotten over the holidays … I am only an email away.

LABELLING ALL SCHOOL ITEMS

Don’t forget to label everything! This is the only way that lost items will be returned to your child. Now is a great time to make sure all school items have your child’s name in permanent marker or a label that will not peel off easily. Don’t forget to show your child their labelled items … this will help them when they come to ask us for help finding lost items.

SCHOOL HATS

Please ensure your child comes to school with a school hat every day. We do not have spare hats at school for them to use. Any student who does not have a hat will be asked to sit on the verandah for lunch breaks. Labelled school hats will be returned to your child if they are found in the playground. We ask that you regularly check your child’s hat for their name, as the name wears off easily when they are used every day.

Shannon Hall
Assistant Principal

Primary Coordinator

GROW YOUR MIND

By now you may have heard your children talk about their Guard Dog… if not, they will be in the coming weeks.

Grow Your Mind has created animal helpers to represent key parts of the brain. Our Guard Dog represents the amygdala, a really useful though slightly over reactive part of our brain! This term, students are exploring how being kind and tolerant is a really simple way to shrink our Guard Dog. There is an important step before showing kindness and tolerance to others though. We need to feel connected to people around us. Saying hi, being friendly, laughing with others, are all ways to boost your connection. When we feel connected to others we can start being kind to ourselves and to the people and animals around us.

Grow Your Mind mental health tip #1:

To shrink your Guard Dog (aka your amygdala):

1. Take 3 anchor breaths
2. Try finger breathing
3. Think of one thing or person you are thankful for

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Celebrated on February 17th each and every year, Random Acts of Kindness Day is a day where everyone has the opportunity to do something nice for a complete stranger, a family member or a co-worker.

On Kindness (from the Grow Your Mind Blog):

“Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about” Unknown

Note, the quote does NOT say “Be kinder than necessary to the people you like that don’t bug you”. We tend to have this down pat. It is after all fairly easy to be super kind to people we like and admire. But at school, in our home life or on the sporting field we will continually meet people who get under our skin. How do we be kinder than necessary to them?! And maybe we should extend this question to: why be kinder than necessary to them?

Let’s start with how…

Keep your Guard Dog small. An enlarged amygdala is not going to bring forth the kinder than necessary part of yourself. Practice mindfulness to do this. We are not calling on you and your 3 year old to meditate for an hour a day. Just take a mindful moment. Three deep breaths, a round of finger breathing, a moment to pause and notice how you are feeling or a quick reminder of three good things in your day.

Model being kind: Let’s say, you are with your children and have a tonne of items in your trolley at the supermarket. The person behind you only has a few. You offer for them to go first. Kinder than necessary. Or, another first world problem scenario: What do you do when a car cuts you off and your children are in the car? Give them the bird? Shout out a few expletives? Quick disclaimer – we are as guilty of this as anyone. How about next time, try naming your emotion but offering a bit of compassion up too. “Gosh that is frustrating when a car cuts you off, they must be having a hard day to be in such a rush”. Right here and now you are modelling for your child the next time someone bugs them – they name their emotion but they still act with kindness.

Set a kindness intention: Ask your child as they set off for school, how are you going to be kinder than necessary today? In particular put the emphasis on, how could you do something nice for someone who bothers you? Or at the end of the day see if you can elicit some information about acts of kindness they carried out. You are showing your child that your family values kindness. This is not to be confused with rewarding kindness, see next point:

Friendly February

We need our friendships more than ever this year! Let's focus on doing our best to be a good friend to all. An act of kindness and connection ripples out and impacts on so many more people than we realise, and it also boosts our own happy hormones! In times of stress people can react more quickly than they would normally, so let's show compassion and kindness and try to keep calm.

POS ED Book Club:

“Make it Happen” by Jordanna Kevin

A fun, practical and easy-to-follow guide to manifestation for a whole new generation.

Everyone can manifest. We're all doing it - every second of every day - without even realising it.

For years, journalist, podcaster and lunar event host Jordanna Levin thought that she was psychic. She would think things and they would come true. But she wouldn't just think them; she would feel them, take subconscious action towards them and believe with every cell of her being that they would happen - and most of the time, they did. A broken foot, a cancelled flight, a tragic love story… the list went on. She soon realised that she wasn't just predicting the future, she was manifesting it. Until one day she changed the game.

In this warm, witty and practical book, Jordanna shares her personal experiences and struggles along with her foolproof equation for manifesting whatever you desire, from your dream job to a lasting relationship. Whether you're a matter-of-fact skeptic or a somewhat hippie yoga-lover, Make It Happen will empower you to take ownership of your life and create anything you want.

Thought of the week:

Choose kindness, always.

Miss Eloise Hand
Primary Coordinator and Lead Teacher of Positive Education

Awards

Class News

ES1

The children have now been at school for 2 weeks and are well and truly settling in to the rules and routines of St James’. Each morning all of the Kinder students meet up at our school hall for Successful Foundations (play) time. It is certainly our favourite time of the day! The introduction of Successful Foundations this year is allowing the children to build positive relationships with children that they didn’t already know before starting school. It is wonderful to see the children branching out and playing with different friends as they feel safe and secure in the play environment. Both Mrs Jacobs and Mrs Smith are enjoying this time as a way of making connections with the children and also finding out their strengths and interests. We look forward to observing how their play deepens as we develop the play spaces to suit the self-determined play.

We hope to get to meet you at the Parent Information session on Thursday 18th February at 5.30pm. Don’t forget to book your tickets.

Mrs Donna Smith and Mrs Jane Jacobs

Stage 1

Stage 1 students have settled well into their new classes. It has been wonderful to see them use their character strengths to focus on their work and develop their friendships. The students have started their History unit, ‘Past and Present Family Life’, by looking at images and objects from the past. Stage 1 have also done some great work on our PD/H unit, ‘I Can Do It’, which asked the students to identify the internal and external attributes of a person. We are looking forward to another fortnight of amazing learning.

Miss Emma Beletich, Mrs Mary Ballard, Mrs Trishelle Threadgate and Miss Jane Boyle

Stage 2

The students in Stage Two have commenced our timetable of moving classrooms on a Monday and Tuesday afternoon. On Mondays 3G work with Mrs Watt on History, 4G work with Mrs Dengate on Science and Technology, whilst 3/4M work with Mrs Norton on Creative Arts. On Tuesday afternoons, 3/4M work with Mrs Watt on History, 3G work with Mrs Dengate on Science and Technology, whilst 4G work with Mrs Norton on Creative Arts.

The children are settled and are following their new routines, despite the building works and challenges presented by this. We are very proud of them. Library borrowing has commenced and we love seeing the students borrowing enthusiastically from our VERY well-stocked library.

Mrs Watt has requested if any families have any local area historical information/photographs/items that you’d be willing to send to school to add to a display for the students this term, she would be most grateful.

In Science and Technology with Mrs Dengate, the students are learning about the effects of heat on materials. The children enjoyed watching the process of popping the popcorn, but we think they enjoyed eating it even more.

Mrs Norton has the creative juices of the students flowing during Creative Arts and she is loving having each class throughout the week to participate in some wonderful activities. We can’t wait to see the finished products!

We look forward to meeting you at the Parent Information session on Thursday 18th February at 5.30pm. Don’t forget to book your tickets.

Mrs Marina Norton, Mrs Jane Dengate and Mrs Donna-Maree Watt

Stage 3

Stage 3 should be very proud of their successful transition into their respective 5/6 classes. In the same vain our new school captains and house captains have embraced their roles and have stepped up to all leadership challenges with ease, zest and pride. We’re all very proud of your efforts!

Over the next couple of weeks stage three will continue to study the novel, Wonder in English, as well as reviewing and learning spelling and grammar rules. Mathematics will be focusing on the strand, ‘number’ (primarily factors and multiples). For Religion we will be investigating the word, “Mission” in an array of contexts – namely, the student’s lives, lives of celebrities and ultimately the life of Jesus. In HSIE, we will continue our Papua New Guinea study and in particular, Papua New Guinea’s 40 years of independence and how it has shaped them as a nation. In science, we will continue to study forces with a particular emphasis on gravity, whilst, in PDHPE and sport we will continue to focus on health and ball skills.

Mrs Rebecca Harrod, Mr Aldo Rufo, Mrs Clare Collett and Miss Lauren Osborne

Library News

Welcome

Welcome to another exciting year in the St James’ Library Learning Hub. Students will attend the library for a 90-minute library lesson, once a fortnight. Infants on a Tuesday and Primary on a Wednesday.

Kindergarten will borrow every Tuesday. Years 1 – 6 will borrow every Thursday. These borrowing times will commence on Tuesday 16th February. Please put a reminder in your phone or notice board at home.

Important message

Please ensure your children keep their library books in their library bags (when they are not reading them) and store them in a safe place to prevent damage or loss. Students must use a library bag, plastic bags will not suffice.

Borrowing Days

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

Tuesday – Kinder
Thursday – Years 1 – 6

Scholastic Book Club

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.
   f) Books will still be delivered to your child's classroom if you order by the close date
   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 this week, to start recording their books. 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!
Lisa Wilson
Teacher Librarian

Nadene Douglas
Library Assistant

Let’s Yabber – Indigenous News

Each year St James’ students participate in the NAIDOC School Initiatives Competition. We were delighted to receive the news that Colton Hedges had been awarded the coveted NAIDOC medal for his entry. Only 25 of these medals are awarded to students throughout the state. Mrs Raylene Price, President of the Upper Hunter AECG & Manager of Ochre Opportunity Hub, graciously came to our Monday morning assembly to present Colton with this stunning medal.

Mrs Tania Thompson
Aboriginal Education Teacher

St. James’ P & F Association

P&F Committee Contacts