10 February 2020

Newsletter Articles

Our Mission @ SJM

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

Principal’s Message

As I said in the first week’s newsletter, welcome to St James’ Primary School. I really do hope you find this to be a caring and nurturing community for your family…… I am sure you will!

When it comes to school, I believe that every child has the right to a quality education. I believe that we, as educators, must ensure we impart the necessary skills to ensure that all children can be successful citizens in a global and ever dynamic society. This is imperative. I also believe that school should be fun…… jokes should be told, smiles seen, and laughs heard. Hence the hashtag #learnlaughandhavefunatSJM.

If you would like one of these car stickers, please let me know. We have plenty to share. We would love to see these all over the countryside!

Parent Information Night

Our Parent Information Night will be held on Thursday 20th February. This will take place @ 6pm in the School Hall.

At this evening I will introduce myself and my staff to you, as well as discussing the year ahead at St James’ Primary School.

We invite you to stay for drinks and nibblies after the meeting.

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.

Footy Fever Day – Raising Money for our Local RFS Brigades

In conjunction with the start of the Rugby League season, SJM has decided to have a fun day to raise money for our local RFS Brigades. We will be hosting a ‘Footy Fever’ Day, where students are asked to wear their favourite footy colours…AFL, NRL, A LEAGUE, RUGBY…. Anything – for a gold coin donation.

On the day the students will join in some footy games with NRL representatives and our Year 6 students.

We are also having a 100 club. This is up and running now. All tickets are just $5 with the winner receiving a 40” TV.

Please support us to support our local brigades.

Please see the flyer in this newsletter for more information.

Catholic Schools Week ~ 2nd – 6th March

This year the Catholic Schools Week 2020 theme is Drawing From the Well - Invitation. Encounter. Witness.

What does this mean to you? To me I think back to my pilgrimage to the Holy Land last year. I was invited to attend. I took up that invitation and encountered many things….. experiences that I did not expect.

I visited a Greek Orthodox Church in the West Bank that housed Jacob’s Well. This is a well, over 40 metres deep, hewn of solid rock. A place where Jesus rested after a tiring journey. There we were invited to draw from the well, encounter a place where Jesus had been…. had drunk from the well. This was a humbling experience.

To think that this well has been there for thousands of years is quite a humbling experience. It put me in my place in the world and what I have been placed on this earth to be: A supportive and loving son, husband, dad, friend and educator.

I now have a greater knowledge of my faith so that I can come back to the SJM community and be a better witness to my faith and my profession than I may’ve been previously.

I hope during this Catholic Schools Week you draw from the well that is the St James’ school community. I invite you to encounter us more deeply, especially our new parents, through our activities on Wednesday 4th March. From there I encourage you to be a witness at SJM, supporting our community in many ways…. from attending events, becoming a member of the P & F, and even becoming a volunteer. We would also love you to be a witness for SJM in the wider Muswellbrook community. Tell them the good news stories happening.

As part of the celebrations for Catholic Schools Week we will have a free community BBQ. I will put an order form out soon. Keep an eye out for this.

Sports Days

We will continue with our designated sports days for infants and primary. This will limit congestion on the oval and basketball court, especially during terms 1 & 4. Infants (K-2) Sports Day – Wednesdays. Primary (3-6) Sports Day – Thursdays.

SJM is a Nut Free School

This year we have several students who are allergic to nuts. Please ensure that our school is nut free. That means no peanut butter or nutella sandwiches or nuts are to be brought to school. If your child has peanut or hazelnut spread for breakfast, please ensure that your child/ren wash their hands and brush their teeth thoroughly. If you have any further information, please contact the school.

Local Area, Photo & Video Permission Note

A local area permission note, a photo permission note and a video permission note went home in Week 1. If you haven’t already filled this in and returned it, can complete it and return to school ASAP. Please note that the photo/video permission note will include: local media, Diocesan websites and social media, school websites and social media (Facebook).

Pension or Health Care Card Rebate

Did you know that if you have a Health Care Card you may be entitled to a rebate? See the admin staff in the office for further details.

Term 1 in the Office

As you know, Mrs Sue McCormack is on leave in Term 1. We welcome Mrs Alison Wright, Mrs Kaylene Wilson and Mrs Lyn Moore to the SJM Office. Mrs Nadene Douglas will continue to work in the Office on a Thursday.

Please find below the School Office Hours:

Pupil Free Days – Term 1 2020

This term we have two scheduled Pupil Free Days. These two days are focused on two of our school’s strategic goals – Writing and Professional Learning Communities.

These Pupil Free Days will occur on:

• Monday 2nd March – Week 6
• Wednesday 18th March – Week 8

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation and we apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused.

Update Your Details

It is important that keep us up to date with all of your details. We need to know how to contact you if there is an emergency. If you have not done so in a while, please contact the admin staff to update your:

• Phone numbers (landline, business or mobile)
• Home address
• Email address
• Emergency contacts
• Illness or allergy information for your child

Student Home Reading @ SJM

This year we have changed our Home Reading @ SJM. Each child will be issued with their own Home Reading Diary. We ask that this be completed each night that either: your child reads or your child is read to.

This needs to be sent in as part of the classroom homework schedule. For every time a student reads 25 nights, they will be issued a raffle ticket with their name on it. They are to bring this up and place in the barrel located in the office. We will conduct 2 draws in Week 8 and another 2 draws in Week 10. All raffle tickets remain in the barrel for the ter. At the end of each term the raffle tickets are removed ready to start afresh the next term.

Each draw a student can win a prize. This term the prizes are $20 Big W vouchers.

Quote

God will carry you Isaiah 46:4

Religion

Reflection

Love one another as Jesus loves you. When we love, we are like the lamp on the stand – God’s goodness and mercy in us is seen by all.

Religion

Welcome back to school for another year. Our St James’ community has continued to expand – a warm welcome to those who have joined us this year.

We will be celebrating our opening school mass on Thursday 20 February at 9.15am in the hall. Family and friends are welcome to attend this mass in our hall. School leaders for 2020 will be presented with their Leadership badge.

Sacramental Program will be occurring this year. In preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation please email the Muswellbrook Parish: muswellbrookparish@mn.catholic.org.au

Shrove Tuesday will be on 25 February this year. We would like to share pancakes with the students. If you are able to volunteer your cooking expertise could you please send me an email: jane.jacobs@mn.catholic.edu.au

May your lamp burn stronger and brighter in 2020.

Mrs Jane Jacobs
Religious Education Coordinator.

Assistant Principal

Welcome back

I would like to welcome everyone to 2020 at SJM. It was great to see so many smiling faces to start our year. As I wander through the playground and classrooms, I am hearing lots of stories about exciting holiday adventures. I am also witnessing lots of enthusiasm for learning. Keep up the great work everyone. It is going to be a great year!

Clean up Australia Day in Schools

This year we will again participate in the Clean up Australia Day in Schools. This will take place on Friday 28th February. During the event, we will ask students to reflect on the impact of rubbish in our local environment and how we can all play an active role in keeping our local community clear of rubbish. Our younger students will clean up inside the school, while our older students will venture outside the school grounds onto Skellatar Stock Route to clean the roadside area out the front of our school. Stay tuned from more information.

Afternoon pick up

We have noticed quite a few parents leaving early each afternoon … maybe this is due to the extreme heat? We would just like to remind everyone in our school community that we need to remain safe at all times while in the school grounds. We need to ensure all bikes and walkers and students travelling home via bus are allowed enough time to leave the school grounds before our students are leaving with their parents in cars. If you choose to take your child home early (eg. before the bikes and walkers and buses have left the school grounds), we ask that you sign your child out at the front office. Sometimes it is easier just to wait those extra couple of minutes to ensure all students remain safe here at school. We thank each and everyone of you who value our safety as much as we do.

Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day will take place on 11th February. Safer Internet Day is a worldwide event that raises awareness about online safety and encourages everyone to help create a better internet. The theme this year is ‘Together for a better internet’ and Australia’s eSafety Commissioner is encouraging parents to mark the day by starting family conversations about online safety. You can download our Safer Internet Day resources at http://esafety.gov.au/sid and use them to start the chat about online safety with your family. Check out eSafety’s great range of advice and resources. Get started by visiting the eSafety’s parents and carers pages and reading the practical tips for kicking off an online safety conversation. You can also download their ‘Parents guide to online safety’ booklet (available in 5 languages), look through eSafety Kids with your family or get familiar with our step by step advice for reporting different types of online abuse.

COMPASS Parent Portal

In the coming weeks we will launch our COMPASS Parent Portal. This means all parents will be provided with a login to our Student Information System called COMPASS. From here you will access your child’s academic reports and will be able to let your child’s teacher know about reasons for absence from school – saving time from writing a note when your child returns to school. Lots of other schools in our diocese have already started using this parent portal and they love how easy it is to use. We will provide more information at our Parent Information Night, so stay tuned for your login details later this term.

Primary Coordinator and Lead Teacher of Positive Education

Welcome back to, what is sure to be, another amazing and positive year at St James’. I trust you and your beautiful family soaked up every last minute of sunshine, relaxation, and time together during the break and are ready to attack all that Term 1 has to offer.

During the break, I found time to read (something I struggle to find time for during the school term). As you know, I have a love and passion for Positive Education and wellbeing, always looking to sink my teeth into as much as I can on the topic. I have a book recommendation for you – ‘The Resilience Project – Finding Happiness through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness’ by Hugh van Cuylenburg.

‘The Resilience Project’ is honestly a must read for teachers and parents. Hugh van Cuylenburg was a primary school teacher volunteering in northern India when he had a life-changing realisation: despite the underprivileged community the children were from, they were remarkably positive. By contrast, back in Australia Hugh knew that all too many people found it hard to be happy, or suffered from mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. This dawned the start of “The Resilience Project”. Hugh speaks of the GEM principles – Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness – and how incorporating these 3 simple practices can make such a huge difference in boosting an individual’s wellbeing and overall happiness. Try this one simple gratitude practice at the dinner table with your family tonight, ask “What are 3 good things from your day”.

Character Strengths – Term 1 Focus

This term, our school will be revisiting and focusing on Character Strengths. Every individual possesses all 24-character strengths in different degrees, creating our unique and one of a kind character profile. We feel and perform at our best when we are using our strengths. We are happier, we have more energy, we learn faster, we bounce back from difficult things faster, and we are able to work more successfully with others at home, school, work, and in our community!  

Last week a note went home with students in years K-2, asking parents to ‘spot’ the top 5 Character Strengths they believe their child holds. Thank you to all parents who have taken an active role in their child’s Character Strength education and have returned the forms back to school completed.

Students in Years 2-6 have all now completed the VIA Character Strengths survey. Please ask your child about their results!

If you are interested in discovering your top Character Strengths, you can take the free 15 minute survey at the link below. I would highly recommend it.

Term One Pos Ed Dates to note:

Friendly February

This Friendly February Action Calendar has daily suggested actions to do throughout February 2020 to bring happiness to others and improve your relationships.

Thought of the week:

Choose kindness, always.

Miss Eloise Hand
Primary Coordinator and Lead Teacher of Positive Education

Class News

ES1

What a wonderful start to the year! So far the children have been very settled and at this stage, no tears! (Although we did have some reports of a few parents crying in their car on at Day 1.) There is always so much to learn in the first few weeks of Kindergarten: rules of the classroom, rules of the playground, the names of the teachers, what to do when you can’t find your buddy, where to go to the toilet, and heaps of other things. It’s no wonder the children are exhausted by the end of the day!

We are looking forward to getting to know you throughout the year.

Mrs Donna Smith and Mrs Marina Norton

Stage 1

Stage 1 have had a wonderful start to the term. It has been fantastic to see how Year 1 and Year 2 have settled back into school and their learning. We have had a fun start to our Science unit, with students investigating how different toy cars and trucks move and at what speed. It has been great to see the students identify their talents and character strengths as part of our PDH unit, Including Everyone. We look forward to using our talents and strengths in a range of ways throughout the year!

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

Stage 2

Stage 2 have settled back into their learning. They have been learning the routines and have began our First Contact Unit for History. We are very lucky that Mrs Tania Thompson is sharing her expertise of Early Aboriginal contact with European explorers. Mrs Mary Ballard will be introducing the children to the Australian artist Ken Done. They will get to appreciate his art and create their own artworks depicting his style. In the class they are looking at the artworks of Monet and using techniques to recreate. The children are reading and writing numbers up to 5 digits and learning how to organise them in ascending and descending order. In Science we are learning about the interactions between the Earth and the Sun and the impact that has on our daily lives.

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

Stage 3

Stage 3 have had an awesome start to 2020. We have quickly adjusted to the school routines, our classes and new teachers. During the first weeks of term, we have identified our character strengths, discussed our uniqueness and what makes us who we are. It is important to acknowledge that we are all different and we each use different strengths. We have started the year with a character strength artwork and which acknowledges our top five strengths and two strengths that we will continued to develop throughout 2020.

Stage 3 are always looking for volunteers, if you are able to assist us please let us know.

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

Library

Welcome

Welcome to another exciting year in the St James’ Library Learning Hub. Students will attend the library for a 45 minute library lesson, once a week. Infants on a Tuesday and Primary on a Wednesday. Years 1 – 6 will borrow at an allocated time, every Thursday. Kindergarten will borrow during their lesson on a Tuesday. Borrowing will commence on Tuesday 11th February.

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. Please ensure library books are kept at home and not taken on holidays or to relatives’ homes. 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 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
   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 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

St. James’ P & F Association

P&F Committee Contacts

Community News