15 March 2021

Newsletter Articles

Our Mission @ SJM

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

Quote

“Aspire not to have more, but to be more.” Saint Oscar Romero

Principal’s Message

Welcome back! It was lovely to welcome back parents to our school assembly this morning. Living through a pandemic has indeed been challenging, but as a school community we have done it well. Thank you very much to you the parents, the amazing staff and our resilient students for making it through what has been the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obviously, we still have a long way to go, and if the need arises, changes to school guidelines may change. If they do, we will keep you in the loop.

Once again, thank you for your support of SJM. We appreciate it!!

SJM Traffic Management Procedures

Last Friday we reverted to our Pre-COVID19 Traffic Management Procedures here at SJM.

I do hope you had the opportunity to read carefully through the information sent home with your child last Thursday.

As we transition back to pre-COVID19 routines, teachers will still be out on morning duty to guide and assist you if you require. Please let us know if you have any questions.

The most important part of our traffic management procedures is that we want everyone to be safe. Thank you for ensuring this takes place each day.

If you haven’t please click on the link below for the information.

Behaviour Management Review

Our aim at SJM is to develop the whole child – spiritually, intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially. We believe that the consistent and effective behaviour management practices and procedures, developed in partnership with parents and the parish community will:

• Develop a happy and friendly Catholic environment built on trust, forgiveness, and the acceptance of others
• Develop and support positive relationships
• Develop the child’s awareness of self-discipline
• Promote constructive and positive behaviour
• Develop a sound, well-planned curriculum as a foundation for good classroom behaviour
• Develop a school community where all members are treated with respect and dignity

Our positive Behaviour for Learning is based around the four baseline behaviours:

• Stop, Think, Act
• Respect ourselves, others and the environment
• Kind words, kind actions
• Right time, right place, right task

These are the minimum expectations we have on a daily basis.

We have refined our Behaviour Management policy and procedures over the last two years. We are about to review this policy again and would like your input. There is a short survey in the link below. We ask that you complete this survey by Monday 29th March.

Gazetted Local Holiday

A reminder that Friday 26th is a gazetted half day local area holiday for the Muswellbrook Cup.

The school will be open for the students until 12pm. We ask that all children are collected by that time.

Please note:

• There will be no buses at 12pm to return the children home.
• The canteen will be closed on this day.

Holy Week Liturgies and Easter Hat Parade

It is with great pleasure that I can welcome limited visitors back in Week 10 for our Holy Week Liturgies and Easter Hat Parade.

COVID-19 guidelines permit the following for community social events:

• Indoor events – 50 people
• Outdoor Events – 100 people

As such, we have organised the following events to take place in Week 10:

Holy Week Liturgies

• Monday 29th March @ 12pm –Palm Sunday Liturgy – led by Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten). This will be held in the courtyard and we will have a maximum of 100 visitors. Use this link to book your free ticket - https://events.humanitix.com/holy-week-early-stage-1
• Tuesday 30th March @ 12pm – Last Supper and Washing of the Feet Liturgy – led by Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2). This will be held in the courtyard and we will have a maximum of 100 visitors. Use this link to book your free ticket - https://events.humanitix.com/holy-week-stage-1
• Wednesday 31st March @ 9:15am – The Garden of Gethsemane Liturgy – led by Stage 2 (Year 3 and Year 4). This will be held in the courtyard and we will have a maximum of 100 visitors. Use this link to book your free ticket - https://events.humanitix.com/holy-week-stage-2
• Thursday 1st April @ 12pm – The Crucifixion Liturgy – led by Stage 3 (Year 5 and Year 6). This will be held in the school’s hall and we will have a maximum of 50 visitors. Use this link to book your free ticket - https://events.humanitix.com/holy-week-stage-3

Easter Hat Parades

Wednesday 31st March

• Infants Easter Hat Parade (for Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2) will start at 12pm and will be held in the courtyard. We will have a maximum of 100 visitors. Use this link to book your free ticket - https://events.humanitix.com/infants-easter-hat-parade
• Primary Easter Hat Parade will start at 2pm and will be held in the courtyard. We will have a maximum of 100 visitors. Use this link to book your free ticket - https://events.humanitix.com/easter-hat-parade-primary

Please note:

• We can only offer 1 seat per family for each event. A maximum of 100 parents can attend each outdoor event.
  o Additional children are unable to attend these events.
  o We are so sorry for any inconvenience caused.
• We have completed a COVID Safe plan for these outdoor events.
• The outdoor events are weather permitting. If they must be moved into the school hall, no parents will be permitted onsite for the event. The event will be live streamed on Facebook instead.
• If you are unwell, we ask that you do not come to these events.
• When you enter, can you please sign in using the COMPASS kiosk and the Service NSW QR Code?
• •We ask that you park in the overflow carpark.

We are so excited to welcome you back to SJM. We are sorry for any inconvenience with the limitation on tickets, however, we want to ensure as many families as possible can access these events.

If there are additional spaces available in the week of the events, I will send out an alert on COMPASS or Facebook offering additional tickets.

Enrolling Now – Kindergarten 2022

Normally Catholic Schools Week is the beginning of our enrolment period for Kindergarten enrolments. However, our Diocese has pushed back Catholic Schools Week until next term. We have done this in the hope that our school communities may be able to come back together as COVID restrictions begin to ease. Fingers crossed!

However, we are now taking enrolments for Kindergarten 2022. (Children must turn 5 by May 31 2022)

St James’ Muswellbrook is a Catholic school that strives for academic excellence. We take great pride in our Catholic identity, expressing Gospel values in all the Key Learning Areas and throughout the general life of the school.

Our school community is built on active partnerships between parents, school and the local parish. At St James’, we continue to build upon those early educational foundations laid by you, the first educators of your children. As such, we encourage families to take an active role in their child’s education.

Our school community is open and caring, where social justice, honesty, compassion and love are nurtured and valued.

If you are interested in enrolling your child at SJM, I encourage you make an appointment and have a chat with me. Phone 6543 3094 to make an appointment or for more details.

You are most welcome at St James’ Primary School.

Religion

Project Compassion

This week we are entering the fourth week of Lent.

Arsad, an Indonesian farmer, had no toilet in his house, so always had to walk into the forest to the open defecation area. His family was often sick and open defecation caused many neighbourhood disputes. With the support of Caritas Australia and its partner agency, Laz Harfa, Arsad took part in hygiene, sanitation and financial management training. He then funded the building of a toilet in his house and helped other community members to save money to construct their own toilet.

Now, Arsad’s family is healthier, their community no longer practices open defecation and is more harmonious. Arsad inspired his community to ‘Be More.’

Around 17 percent of Indonesia’s rural population, or 45 million people, practice open defecation – going to the toilet outdoors in fields, forests and other open spaces.

Watch a short film about Arsad’s story Project Compassion 2021 - Week 4 - Arsad’s Story (Indonesia) on Vimeo

Has your family discussed Lent? What are you thinking of doing throughout the Lenten season? Have you given up chocolate, decided to et fish on Fridays or even go without something you really enjoy and raise money for Project Compassion?

Upper Hunter Regional Staff Mass

Last Tuesday, the Upper Hunter Staff participated in the Regional Staff Mass at St. James’ Church. Staff came from across the six Upper Hunter schools and shared a reflective and peaceful mass dedicated to the amazing work that each staff member brings to their own school community. At St James’ we are extremely lucky to have a dedicated, caring and collaborative staff that always put the needs of the students before their own. Thank you to all the staff of St James’ Muswellbrook who continue to spread the good news of the Gospel.

Easter Raffle 2021

Mini Vinnies are organising the St. James’ Annual Easter Raffle. Each family has received a book of ten tickets with each ticket costing 50c. When you have sold all your raffle tickets please return them to school in an envelope with your child’s name and class. If you would like more raffle tickets, please let us know and we will send more raffle tickets home.

Holy Week Liturgies 2021

Holy Week Liturgies allow students to deepen their understanding of the events in Holy Week through active engagement. Each stage will portray the events leading up to Easter Sunday.

Due to COVID restrictions there is a limit to our audience numbers. Please ensure you book a ticket using the link provided by Mr Moon.

Monday 29 March @ 12pm – Early Stage 1 (Palm Sunday)
Tuesday 30 March @ 12pm – Stage 1 (The Last Supper and Washing of the Feet)
Wednesday 31 March @ 9.15am – Stage 2 (The Garden of Gethsemane)
Thursday 1 April @ 12pm – Stage 3 (Stations of the Cross and Crucifixion

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

We have had another busy two weeks … there is so much important learning taking place here at SJM. In the last two weeks, I have worked with students on solving Maths problems, as well as listening to the ways that they explain their problem solving process. It is really important that students practice this skill of explaining their process … if they can explain their process, we can help them if they get the incorrect answer. This is part of our working mathematically component of the Mathematics Syllabus.

In the Mathematics syllabus, Working Mathematically encompasses five interrelated components:

1. Communicating - Students develop the ability to use a variety of representations, in written, oral or graphical form, to formulate and express mathematical ideas. They are communicating mathematically when they describe, represent and explain mathematical situations, concepts, methods and solutions to problems, using appropriate language, terminology, tables, diagrams, graphs, symbols, notation and conventions.
2. Problem Solving - Students develop the ability to make choices, interpret, formulate, model and investigate problem situations, and communicate solutions effectively. They formulate and solve problems when they use mathematics to represent unfamiliar or meaningful situations, design investigations and plan their approaches, apply strategies to seek solutions, and verify that their answers are reasonable.
3. Reasoning - Students develop an increasingly sophisticated capacity for logical thought and actions, such as analysing, proving, evaluating, explaining, inferring, justifying and generalising. They are reasoning mathematically when they explain their thinking, deduce and justify strategies used and conclusions reached, adapt the known to the unknown, transfer learning from one context to another, prove that something is true or false, and compare and contrast related ideas and explain their choices.
4. Understanding - Students build a strong foundation that enables them to adapt and transfer mathematical concepts. They make connections between related concepts and progressively apply the familiar to develop new ideas. Students develop an understanding of the relationship between the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of mathematics. They build understanding when they connect related ideas, represent concepts in different ways, identify commonalities and differences between aspects of content, describe their thinking mathematically, and interpret mathematical information.
5. Fluency - Students develop skills in choosing appropriate procedures, carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently and appropriately, and recalling factual knowledge and concepts readily. They are fluent when they calculate answers efficiently, recognise robust ways of answering questions, choose appropriate methods and approximations, recall definitions and regularly use facts, and manipulate expressions and equations to find solutions.

The five components of Working Mathematically describe how content is explored or developed − that is, the thinking and doing of mathematics. They provide the language to build in the developmental aspects of the learning of mathematics. The components come into play when students are developing new skills and concepts, and also when they are applying their existing knowledge to solve routine and non-routine problems both within and beyond mathematics.

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 the link below.

BUS PASSES

We have received the following information from Osborn’s Transport. Please read the information carefully and contact Osborn’s Transport if you have any questions.

Students from Kindergarten-Year 2 are eligible if:

• They are a resident of NSW, or an overseas student eligible for free government education.
• Aged 4 years 6 months, or older.

No minimum walking distance criteria applies to these students.
BUT THEY MUST APPLY FOR THE TRAVEL TO BE FREE

Primary school students from Years 3-6 are eligible if:

• They are a resident of NSW, or an overseas student eligible for free government education.
• The straight line distance from their home address to school is more than 1.6 km.
• The walking distance from home to school is 2.3 km or further.

BUT THEY MUST APPLY FOR THE TRAVEL TO BE FREE

*If a student is not eligible for FREE travel they must either pay their daily fare or purchase a term/yearly pass for 2021. Some students may be eligible to apply for special circumstances / medical grounds. The 2021 mandatory period is now finished any student who does not have a travel pass or money will be refused travel.

P&F Association webinar on Cybersafety

We recently received this information from the CSO’s Parent Liason Officer, Mrs Cath Garrett-Jones:

Following a recent survey, our parents and carers listed concerns about Cybersafety as one of the top three topics they would like more information about.

The Federation of P & F Associations has listened and is proud to offer a FREE online presentation specifically for parents and carers of students enrolled in Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

We are delighted to announce that former detective Brett Lee will present specifically for us on 30 March at 6.30pm. Please join us for an evening with Brett from the comfort of your home.

To register, please click the link:

This presentation will also be available to those who register for 5 days following the event.

Please note: To register for this event, your details will be collected by Internet Safe Education. Further details about Internet Safe Education can be found 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.

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

On Focus:

We have a lot of distractions around us. Try noticing when your thoughts are drifting away from what you are meant to be doing.

Wellbeing tip: Really cannot focus, but want to?

#1: Name one thing you can taste, smell, hear, see and touch. This will bring you back into the present moment and allow you to regain your focus.

Focus: The focus over the past few weeks in Grow Your Mind was all about… focus! So, what does a famous musician, a sports star and a tight rope walker all have in common? They have a strong reticular activating system (RAS).

In the Grow Your Mind program, we call this part of the brain the Sifting Sooty. Named after the real Sooty Shearwater who has the most incredible focus in the animal kingdom. Flying up to 500km a day, you would want to have a strong RAS!

Wellbeing Week – Week 6

In Week 6, we held Wellbeing Week at St. James’. Statistics show that Week 6 and 7 each term are the weeks where many students and staff are sick and run down.

Check out the amazing timetable of activities that we had happening during Wellbeing Week at SJM!

A special THANK YOU goes to all teachers who offered to run an activity in their classroom during their lunch break.

The students appeared to really enjoy the week. Check out the photos below.

TOURIST TUESDAY

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I am missing overseas travel!

I loved seeing all of the outfits for ‘Tourist Tuesday’ – so many creative costumes, handmade cameras and interesting places on the kids travel lists.

I had a giggle at some of the responses from Mrs Ballard’s 1M students:

BCF
Denman pool
Singleton pool
Barrington Tops
Forster
Egypt
USA
India
Hawaii

Thought of the week:

Choose kindness, always.

Miss Eloise Hand
Primary Coordinator & Lead Teacher of Positive Education

Awards

Class News

ES1

During the past 2 weeks, the Kindergarten students have learned that the sound at the beginning of the word ‘mouse’ is represented by the letter ‘m’ and the sound at the beginning of the word ‘seal’ is represented by the letter ‘s’. When introducing these graphemes (letters), we begin by matching them to the sounds made when speaking. The children learn about the ‘feel’ of the sound in their mouth as sounds are distinguished from each other by the placement and action of the teeth, lips, and tongue during articulation. When introducing a new sound, the children practise making that sound over and over. They look at the teacher making the sound and at each other, checking for the position of their mouths, tongues, and teeth. They hold their hands in front of their mouth to feel if there is any air coming out; they hold their nose to see if that makes any difference to the sound; they place their hand on their throat to see if there is any vibration. All these activities are designed to help the children to distinguish between sounds that are very similar, for example, /n/ and /m/. Both sounds are nasal, but one is made with the lips apart and the other is made with the lips touching.

Over the coming weeks, the letters representing the sounds /t/ and /a/ will be introduced and then the children will be able to blend sounds together to read a word, eg /m/ /a/ /t/. This is when it gets very exciting!

Mrs Donna Smith and Mrs Jane Jacobs

Stage 1

Stage 1 have been enjoying working on their History unit, with students looking at who is in their family and the responsibilities they have. It has been interesting for the students to think about how their lives are different from the lives of children who lived one hundred years ago. Stage 1 have shown some great netball skills in PE, with the teachers very impressed with the throwing and catching skills that have been on display. It has been wonderful to see how the students have been engaging in the ‘Grow Your Mind’ program, with the teachers hearing the students talk about their ‘guard dog’, ‘wise owl’, ‘sifting sooty’ and ‘elephant’. Be sure to ask your child about it, as it is a fantastic way for the students to explain their emotions and reactions to situations at home and at school.

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

Stage 2

In Science and Technology, the students have been learning about light rays and redirecting light using mirrors. They have just moved onto shadowing and enjoyed making animal shadows using the lights.

In Creative Arts the students have completed the Visual Arts aspects of the course and have moved onto Music. The children are currently experimenting with rhythm.

In History the classes are working on the local history of Muswellbrook and are completing a timeline of the area. They are learning all about the various spellings of the town name throughout history.

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

Stage 3

Stage 3 have been very busy creating and preparing for both the Muswellbrook show and for theirwork showcase that is due to live stream on Friday, 19 March. This is in addition to the commencement of the Fractions and Decimals unit where students will explore the relative size of fractions on the same diagram, as well as compare and order simple fractions. Science will continue with the Force topic which has been a positive experience for our enthusiastic and creative learners. English will continue to support the wellbeing themes in our class novel, Wonder as well as working towards improving the quality of our writing structure in narrative and persuasive text types. HSIE will focus on research programs in Australia and other parts of the world that aim to bridge the gap between developed and developing countries, whilst PDHPE will review the overarm throw and the skill set required to gain proficiency. In Religion, we will be preparing for the Stations of the Cross which will be streamed week 10 as well as continuing with the Lent unit.

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

Sport

Diocesan Swimming Carnival

The students of St James represented our region at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival with enthusiasm and sportsmanship. Congratulations to Mason Chapman and Shelby Edmonds who will be swimming at the Inter-Diocesan carnival in 50m freestyle. We wish both students luck on their pursuits.

Winter Sports Trials

Congratulations to the following students who will be attending the Diocesan Winter trials.

Ronaldo Latham for Soccer.

Toby Large, Lachlan Leadley and Deegan Lidster for Rugby League.

Regional Touch Football Trials

We wish Toby Large and Abbie Wright good luck at the Regional Touch Football Trials at Singleton on Monday 15th March.

Rugby League

All rugby league teams have begun training. For the safety of the students and ensuring that they will be prepared for competition we will not be attending the Group 21 Carnival in a weeks’ time, but we will participate in other competitions through the year.

School Cross Country

Students from Year 2 to Year 6 will be participating in the school cross country. Under 8s, 9s and 10s will complete a course of 2km while 11s, 12s and 13s will complete a 3km course. The school cross country will be on Thursday 25th March. The 8/9 races will be from 9.10 to 9.25. Under 10s 9.30 to 9.45. Under 11s 9.50 to 10.10 and Under 12/13s 10.15 to 10.35. This year the children are competing against qualifying times to be forwarded to the diocesan cross country.

Library News

Borrowing Days

There are still a number of students, who are not borrowing or returning their books. Please encourage your children to borrow and return library books, on their borrowing days.

Tuesday – Kinder

Thursday – Years 1 and 6

New Resources

Please see new resources attached.

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 are 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

Students, who are participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge, have received their recording sheet. The books are available during borrowing times. They must read 20 books before August 13. Students must read 15 books from the PRC list and 5 of their own choice. If possible, they need to visit the PRC website to locate the ID number for each book at the link below. If not, they can visit the school library for assistance. The title and author, must be listed on the record sheet, and be dated and signed by the parent.

Rules for books in a series: In an approved series on the PRC booklist, you can read any three books as PRC books. You can read up to five other books from the same series as Personal Choice books. (PRC website)

The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. (PRC website)

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

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

Happy Reading!

Lisa Wilson
Teacher Librarian

Nadene Douglas
Library Assistant

St. James’ P & F Association

Our next P&F meeting will be held on Wednesday 31 March at 6pm in the school’s hall. All parents are welcome. We look forward to seeing you there.

Sonia Boyle
President

P&F Committee Contacts