7 March 2025

Our Mission @ SJM

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

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This week may we reflect on the season of Lent beginning we also send our prayers to Pope Francis as he continues to recover from illness in hospital.

'We pray for Pope Francis, that he will recover fully, regain strength and continue to lead the church’s mission of grace and peace in the world.'

Principal's Message

There's lots of great work happening in the classrooms, and it’s been a positive start to the year! Students are engaged, learning, and settling in well.

Thank you for your support in making this a fantastic beginning!

Morning Drop-Off Reminder

Students dropped off before 8:30 AM will be unsupervised, and there is no access to the courtyard before this time. Please try to drop off after 8:30 AM to ensure their safety.

If you need early care, please consider MOOSH.

Thank you for your cooperation.

PB4L Focus: Respect ALL

For the next two weeks, our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) focus is Respect ALL. PB4L is a framework that helps create a positive and supportive school environment by teaching and reinforcing expected behaviours.

We encourage students to show Respect for Themselves, Others, and the Environment in all areas of school life. Teachers will be discussing and recognizing respectful behaviours in the classroom, playground, and beyond.

Thank you for supporting our PB4L initiatives!

International Women’s Day

A heartfelt thank you to all the teachers, mothers, and grandmothers for everything you do for your children and grandchildren. Your love, care, and support shape their lives in ways words can't express.

We celebrate you today and every day for your amazing contributions! 💜

What is NAPLAN?

NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) is an annual assessment for students in Year 3, 5, 7, and 9 across Australia. It tests essential skills in reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar, and punctuation), and numeracy.

Good Luck to Year 3 & Year 5!

We wish our Year 3 and Year 5 students the best of luck with NAPLAN coming up! You've worked hard, and we're confident you'll do your very best. Stay calm, give it your all.

Mr Aaron Moon
Principal

Assistant Principal

NAPLAN

What does NAPLAN assess?

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school curriculum.

Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics.

NAPLAN timetable 

The NAPLAN test window is 9 days. This is to accommodate schools that may not have capacity to complete the tests in a shorter time frame. Schools will schedule the tests as soon as possible within the testing window, prioritising the first week.

Naplan Timetable at SJM will start in Week 7 from Wednesday 12 March and continue through to Monday 24 March 2025. The key dates are as follows:

Wednesday 12 March: Writing Year 3 9am - 10am

Wednesday 12 March: Writing Year 5 10am – 11am

Thursday 13 March: Reading Year 3 9am – 10am

Thursday 13 March: Reading 10am – 11am

Friday 14 March: Conventions of Language 9am – 10am

Friday 15 March: Conventions of Language 10am – 11am

Monday 17 March: Numeracy Year 3 9am – 10am

Monday 17 March: Numeracy Year 5 10am – 11am

CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY AT SJM

Clean up Australia in an important event that is celebrating it’s 35^th anniversary this year. It recognises the importance of improving and conserving our environment, one piece of litter at a time!

It's hard to believe that what was started thirty-five years ago, by Ian Kiernan, AO, an "average Australian" who had a simple idea to make a difference in his own backyard has now become the nation's largest community-based environmental event, held annually on the first Sunday in March.

Due to the extreme weather we had last week, it was decided that the SJM community would complete this activity on Monday 3 March. A school clean up is a great way for students to take care of their environment and to learn about the impact of rubbish in our school and local community. Students worked together to look after our SJM environment.

ICED BISCUITS MINI VINNIES

Lent has started and each family has been given a money box and information regarding Caritas Australia. The Mini Vinnies students have been discussing ways that we can raise funds to assist the people that Caritas are helping everyday to live full and healthy lives.

We have started it with icing biscuits. Our icing is purple – the colour of the liturgical season. All the students who have purchased biscuits have enjoyed putting their biscuits together as well as eating them with friends.

A huge thank you from the Mini Vinnies group for supporting our first fundraising activity. Once we have the final total of funds raised during our Lenten journey, we will let you know.

Stay tune as we have a few more activities planned for our Lenten season.

Let your light continue to shine

Mrs Jane Jacobs
Assistant Principal

Religion

This week Stage 2 commemorated Ash Wednesday with a beautiful liturgy here at school presided over by Fr Victor. As the well-known saying states ‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return’. A chilling and stark reminder of our mortality. It is designed to call us to repentance, a change of heart. That is why, most frequently, when the cross with ashes is marked on our forehead, the priest will use Jesus’ first words from the Gospel of Mark: Repent and believe in the gospel. This text more clearly identifies the key theme of Lent which Ash Wednesday begins – it is a season of renewal.

It is not meant to be a gloomy day or inwardly focused. One of the Lenten prefaces speaks of the ‘joy of minds made pure’. Lent is a welcome opportunity to grow, to enter more deeply into the saving mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Conversion of heart is something we embrace in hope.

It is always God’s Spirit working in us that brings us to new life and growth. Each class was given a plant for their sacred space that continues to remind us of our continued growth when we are loved and cared for. May this growth and positive qualities continued to be shared with those around us during the season of Lent.

As you would’ve seen this week, each family has been given a Project Compassion box. We ask that this can be placed in your home for any small change and donations. This money is an important part of giving back to communities less fortunate than ourselves and providing basic necessities like clean drinking water to countries all around the world. We ask that these boxes be returned to school at the conclusion of Lent and this money will be sent directly to Caritas: Project Compassion.

Mrs Lauren Gehrig
Religious Education Coordinator

Merit Awards

Class News

ES1

Kindergarten is roaring ahead with learning, playing and building friendships. Students are enjoying their time together during Successful Foundations. They are continuously demonstrating their negotiating, sharing and investigation skills. They have been very creative, and we love listening to their ideas.

This term in HSIE, the students in KM and KG are learning about families. We have been discussing our families, all the fun things we do with our family, who is in our family and why we love them. We have looked at family photos and are growing our understanding that families can be different, and we can find similarities with our friends’ families. This is a great opportunity for kindergarten to develop the confidence to get up and talk in front of an audience.  Thank you for sending in your beautiful family photos, it is nice to hear the children talk with such pride and love.

Mrs Smith (KG) & Miss Maher (KM)

Stage 1

In Physical Education the students have been developing their throwing and catching skills. We have played a range of Indigenous games to develop our skills. We are learning to throw over arm, using the specific actions to make the ball go where it is supposed to go. Using the correct technique helps us to throw the ball as far as we can, which seems to be the student's favourite game. When students can throw to a target specifically their teammate this in turn develops our catching skills. We are less scared of the ball hitting us now that we are getting better at catching. During these games we are also learning to be a good teammate as we aim to include everyone in the team. We have seen wonderful sportsmanship and friendship when encouraging everyone to have a turn and showing them how to improve their skills.

Mrs Mitchell (1G), Mr Sabotic (1M), Mrs Ballard/Miss Pritchard (2G) & Mrs Threadgate (2M)

Stage 2

Dear Stage 2 Families,

We can not believe we are almost halfway through Term 1 already! Time flies when you’re learning, laughing, and having fun!

Thank you to those who attended our Parent Information Night last week. Here, Stage 2 teachers discussed important points that parents are required to know for their child’s education this year. We discussed how reward systems are occurring in each classroom, behaviour expectations, the responsibilities that Stage 2 asks of its students, and our excursion. If you were unable to make it to our Parent Information Evening and you wish for more information on any of these topics, please contact your child’s classroom teacher.

We are very proud of the way Stage 2 students conducted themselves during our Opening School Mass. Thank you to those who attended. It was heartwarming to witness students’ engagement with Father Victor’s Mass and demonstrate their passion to their faith. As a stage we also organised the Ash Wednesday Liturgy on Wednesday, 5^th March, signalling the beginning of Lent.

We would like to congratulate our classroom finalists who competed in our Stage 2 Maths bee on Friday, 28^th February. The knowledge and dedication you displayed was admirable! Congratulations to Baylan from 3M and Zaine from 4M who will be progressing to the Regional Maths Bee in Denman!

As always, please rest assured that open communication is our priority to ensure students are reaching their full potential both at home and school. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s classroom teacher should you have any questions or concerns.

Miss Stephenson (3G), Mrs McLennan (3M), Mrs Gavin/Mrs Jacobs (4G) & Miss Cooper (4M)

Stage 3

Stage 3 have continued to work hard these past two weeks. We are proud of the children’s continued efforts as they try their best while following baseline behaviours.

On Friday the 28^th of February, our school hosted a Maths Bee. Two students from each class competed in the Bee. It was very exciting for our participants to compete in front of their families and their fellow students, who showed great support for their classmates. Well done to Hayden Clerke and Kaelynn Cottrell who will be attending the Regional Maths Bee at Denman later in the term, we wish them luck!

This Wednesday, we observed Ash Wednesday as a school. Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent which is a time for us to prepare our hearts to celebrate the season of Easter. During religion lessons Stage 3 have been discussing how Lent is a time for reflection, fasting and praise.

This week students will have received a Project Compassion box to take home. We raise money for Project Compassion every year during Lent. These funds go toward helping the most vulnerable members of communities across Australia. Thank you for your generous donations!

Recently, St James also participated in Clean Up Australia Day. Each class tidied up an area within the school. Clean Up Australia Day is an important event that reminds us about the effects of our rubbish and why it is important to tidy up after ourselves. The students were very responsible in cleaning up and we congratulate them on their efforts.

We thank you for your continued support. Have a fabulous week!

Mrs Marco (5G), Miss Becus (5M), Mrs Gehrig/Mrs Somerville (6G) & Miss Dafter (6M)

What’s on in the Library

SORA Reading App

Sora is an award-winning digital reading app that empowers students to discover age-appropriate ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and more. It has the largest, most diverse catalogue of digital books available to schools. This is free to students in the Maitland Newcastle Diocese.

Please see instructions below and encourage your children to utilise this valuable resource.

PLEASE NOTE: You will find that our school isn’t listed because we are part of the ACEN Network. (Australian Catholic Education Network). Therefore, the students will select ACEN and use their school login for access. I will individually send logins to the parents of infants’ students. If your child can’t remember their login details, please contact Lisa Wilson in the Library.

Borrowing Days

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

Tuesday: Kinder and Year 1
Wednesday: Years 2, 3 and 4
Thursday: Years 5 and 6

Scholastic Book Club

Book Club orders must be in by the 21^st March.

PLEASE NOTE: Book Club can not 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

1. Simply grab your child's Book Club catalogue and either sign in or register your account  
2. Click on ORDER and then select your school and your child's class* 
3. 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. 
4. Enter the item number from the Book Club catalogue
5. 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
6. 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

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is optional, but I urge all Years 3 – 6 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, to start recording their books. They then need to visit the PRC website to locate the ID number for each book. https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html

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

Community Notices