Term 2, Week 5
Welcome
In 2021, Catholic Education in Australia celebrates 200 years of service, education and faith, and during that time Catholic schools have educated millions of children, including the beautiful 386 students at St James Primary.
The first Catholic school in Australia was founded in October 1820 by Irish Catholic priest Fr John Therry and run by convict and lay person George Marley. The school, which Catholic historians believe was in Hunter Street, Parramatta, taught 31 students. By 1833, there were 10 Catholic schools in the colony.
Over 200 years, Catholic schools have grown to become the largest provider of schooling in Australia (outside government) with one in five school-age students attending a Catholic school. This represents 777,000 students in 1,755 schools across the country and employing over 100,000 teachers and staff.
On Monday, May 24th, all Dioceses across the country will celebrate Mass simultaneously to mark this special occasion and celebrate our rich history and proclaim 'faith in the future.' In the Diocese of Lismore all schools are coming together in Lismore at St Carthage's Catherdral, and Year 6 students, Darcy and Eloise will accompany Mr. McTaggart to represent St. James Primary.
Fr. Rob Galea has written a beautiful song, Faith in the Future, which is the theme of the celebration.
We pray with thanks to those who served Catholic education to gift us with what we have today and we pray, with, faith, faith in the future!
School Promotion
Recently we upgraded our resources for school promotion and parent communication. We are very pleased with the results, and we thank all students, parents and service providers who supported us with this endeavour. We hope you enjoy looking through these resources.....you might even see some familiar faces!
Upcoming events
Please note these upcoming events:
- St James Athletics Carnival: Friday May 28th
This will occur on the bottom oval and parents/friends are welcome to join us for the day. A pop-up canteen will be available and children may wear their house colours for this event. Please note there is no assembly on this day.
- 2022 Enrolment Interviews
Enrolment interviews for Kindergarten 2022 commence on Tuesday, May 25th. We currently have 386 students at the school, with very limited spaces available, but we are taking expressions of interest for 2022 enrolment now.
- Art Room Open Morning - Thursday June 4th
The art room will be open from 8am-8:40am for anyone who would like to drop in and view St James' incredible art! All students will also have a family portrait available to purchase at the fete.
- Queen's Birthday: Monday June 14th
There is no school on this day due to the public holiday.
- Gems in the jar reward / Last day of Term 2: Friday June 25th
Students can wear 'mufti' clothes (sun smart/closed in shoes please) and they will have extra play and a special treat; well done kids!
St James School Fete
We are holding our bi-annual school fete on Sunday, June 6th. All fundraising goes to the parent forum who then support the school with desired 'icing on the cake' resourcing. This day is set to be a fun and engaging time where kids and parents alike can play, laugh and share time together as a 'Family in Christ.'
Thumbs-up
- Year 3 & 5 students for engaging in NAPLAN positively.
- All students for calmly undertaking the lockdown and evacuation drill recently.
- Mrs Cree & the staff who took care of the school whilst I attended the Principal's meeting.
To conclude
Each Friday afternoon in Term 2, students are engaging in vertical streaming (small groups from Kinder-Yr 6) activities where they are exploring the Play is the Way concepts. Our Yr 5 students are facilitating the activities with support from staff and they are doing an amazing job! This also gives the Yr 6 students an opportunity to support their Kinder buddy, which is a very special relationship. The ultimate aim of Play is the Way is to support students to develop resilience and empathy, which assists them to become people of good character and decency. Our cafe, Saintly Square, is open on a Friday afternoon from 1:45pm, and parents are welcome to drop in and have a cuppa, and visit the classrooms to see Play is the Way in action. Remember, my personal best is the ultimate test!
With blessings,
Nic.
Play is the Way
