Week 1, Term 2
Welcome
Dear St James Community,
Welcome to Term 2; we hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing and enjoyable holiday break and is ready for the learning, spirituality and joy that awaits us throughout Term 2.
In the past week our Year 6 students embarked on their camp to Brisbane, and from all accounts, they had a tremendous time and they engaged very well in the program. The Kindergarten-Year 5 students met them in the city on Wednesday for our whole school excursion to Frozen - The Musical, which was a tremendous occasion for everyone.
Year 6 Camp
Frozen - The Musical
Catholic Schools Week
Next week we will celebrate Catholic Schools Week; a time for us to showcase our beautiful school and share how it plays an important role in providing a rich environment where life in all its fullness can take root and flourish. We are extremely proud of the role St James Primary holds in partnership with our parents and parish in maintaining the rich heritage that is Catholic Education in our community, and we sincerely thank all families for their ongoing support and promotion of our school.
On Monday, May 2nd, our school will be open for enrolment tours during the day, which will be guided by our capable and excited Year 6 Leaders. Then at 7pm, there will be a Principal’s presentation in the MPC, where again we will proudly share how students who attend St James Primary are known and loved as members of our ‘Family in Christ.’ 2023 Kindergarten enrolment packages are available from the school office; applications close on Friday, May 20th.
Our parent prospectus can be viewed on the school website:
St James Feast Day
St James Feast Day is celebrated on Tuesday, May 3rd. In essence, this celebration captures all the goodness, faith, learning and joy that encompasses our school for those who call St James Primary their educational home. The children will celebrate this occasion with a Liturgy at 12:40 pm in the MPC, followed by a whole school incursion at 2 pm. Parents are most welcome to attend both of these events, including staying over lunchtime to share lunch with the children (the canteen is available for both parents and students on this day).
Term 2 Dates & Events
Please note the upcoming events scheduled for the remainder of Term 2.
- May 2nd: School Tours and Principal's Presentation.
- May 3rd: St James Feast Day.
- May 6th: Mother's Day Breakfast.
- May 26th: Student Disco.
- June 10th: School Athletics Carnival.
- June 13th: Queen's Birthday (Public Holiday).
- July 1st: Play is the Way Championships (Celebration of Learning Day for Term 2).
* May 31st, June 9th & June 14th: 3-way Conferences.
Basketball Court Cover
Works on the new cover for the basketball courts have commenced. The structure will provide shade and shelter from the weather elements for students, thus ensuring this area of the school grounds is usable all year round. During construction, the courts will not be accessible for students and access to the oval will be via the Doyle Centre.
Communication (about learning)
As you're aware St James Primary holds three 3-Way Conferences per year. This along with our formal reports and the new Essential Assessment platform that we are rolling out this year provides a unique and thorough way for the school to report to parents about growth and goals for each student. Now that we've secured our clear pathway in this area, we have decided to cease using SeeSaw, so all families can delete this app. Evidence of work will be provided in various ways throughout the year, and celebration items that were sometimes put on SeeSaw will now be put on Facebook. Thank you for journeying with us in the roll-out of our reporting to parents strategy.
Mother's Day Breakfast
On Friday, May 6th our traditional Mother's Day breakfast will be held in the quadrangle of the school (7:30 am). We look forward to hosting everyone as we celebrate and acknowledge our Mother's and mother figures.
Thumbs-up
- All students for returning to school with joy-filled and positive attitudes.
- All families for supporting our Easter Raffle, and especially those parents who led the event.
- Our maintenance crew who worked tirelessly during the break to ensure our learning environment is beautiful.
To conclude
Our recent Easter festival reminds us of the Good News of The Resurrection of Jesus, which is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived by the Christian community and handed on to us.
Jesus is Risen, Alleluia, Alleluia
Jesus is Risen indeed!
With blessings,
Nic.
Road Safety Awareness - Be Bus Aware
Some ideas to keep our students safe:
1. Be Bus Aware Video
This short video could be shared through a social media platform or in your newsletter. The video discusses how to stay safe on and around buses whether you're a driver, pedestrian, cyclist or passenger.
https://youtu.be/VKnroqI4PW8?
2. Exiting a bus safely
This short video could be shared through a social media platform or in your newsletter. The video highlights the need to always cross the road in a safe place where you can see vehicles travelling in either direction and they can see you, and look left and right continuously as you cross.
https://youtu.be/riVZwFgotwg
3. Key Message for families – Safe Bus Travel
Families have an important part to play in keeping children safe around roads.
- Never drop off or meet your child on the opposite side of the road to the bus stop or call them across the road. Always drop them off or meet them on the same side of the road as the bus stop.
- Remind your children to always wait until the bus has gone before choosing a safe place to cross the road.
For more information about bus safety for families go to: https://roadsafety.
4. Key message for motorists – Bus Flashing Lights
Lights flash on buses to warn motorists that buses are picking up and dropping off children.
- You must slow down to 40km/h when overtaking or passing a bus displaying flashing lights.
- You can help keep children safe by:
- Sticking to the speed limit and following the road rules in school zones
- Slowing down to 40km/h when bus lights are flashing
- Looking out for children crossing the road near bus stops, in school zones or along bus routes
- Giving way to buses when they merge back into traffic.
Video: https://youtu.be/
5. Informal Bus Stops
If your students are picked up or dropped off at informal bus stops you may like to share this message with the school community.
There are thousands of “informal school bus stops” used for picking up or setting down school children on rural school bus routes across NSW. They are generally agreed between bus operators and parents, and are not sign posted or developed as formal bus stops.
If your child needs to use a rural bus stop that doesn’t have signs or other safety infrastructure – think about whether it’s located in a safe spot that allows buses to stop away from the road, with good lines of sight in both directions, and includes a safe place for you to park your vehicle and wait. You can talk to your local bus operator or find more information in the Transport NSW document Advice for Choosing Locations of Informal School Bus Stops.