Week 7, Term 3 - 2023
Welcome
Dear St James Community,
Sunday, September 3rd is Father’s Day, a time to reflect upon people in our lives who guide us with strength and humility and gift us with protection and love.
During the Catholic ‘Rite of Baptism', we pray a special prayer for the child’s father, which blesses the Father and helps them to continue their loving and holy vocation for their children. So, today, we pray together for all of our Dads.....
God is the giver of all life, human and divine. May he bless the father of this child. He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith. May they also be the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
This morning, Friday 1st September, we shared a lovely Father's Day breakfast; it was terrific to have many families share in this special occasion and we thank all the parents who assisted with the coordination of the stall and breakfast.
We wish all Fathers a very happy Father’s Day!
Happy Father's Day
Grade 6 Catholic Schools Mass
This year the Grade 6 Catholic Schools Mass was held at St Anthony's, Kingscliff. This annual mass is an opportunity for all Catholic Primary Schools in the Tweed region to come together to pray and celebrate their 7-year journey of Catholic Education. Many of the students will then reconnect at the two local Catholic High Schools. As always, the St James children were amazing, leading with reverence, respect, and joy. In 2024, it's our turn to host the event!
Short-Term School Goals
Our school improvement sign located at the entrance of the school has been updated. The new short-term goal is: Families will complete the parent feedback from the Learning Conferences, using the insights template.
The template will be provided to you via Compass on Monday, September 4th and your important reflections and celebrations for the children will become part of the Semester 2 report. Thank you!
Learning Conferences
Term 3 Learning Conferences
We have concluded the Term 3 Learning Conferences. We thank you for actively engaging in the meetings which fosters the ongoing cycle of celebrating glows and working towards growth. There is always a lovely buzz in the school during these evenings; the kids love showcasing their learning with their parents, and by attending, parents are encouraging their children to pursue their best at school.
Teacher Education
Our staff has a terrific growth mindset and the ability to challenge themselves to be better each day. To this end, we are a contributor to the Diocese of Lismore - Learning Collaborative; a forum of professionals who share knowledge and skills, and work with an internationally renowned educationalist, Dr Lyn Sharratt [Canada]. As part of the collaboration, St James was chosen to host a visit with Lyn and colleague teachers; a wonderful honour and nod to our school! To this end, Dr Sharratt and 56 guests visited us on Monday, August 28th to witness all of the wonderful learning and teaching that is occurring at St James. This was indeed a proud moment for us, with Lyn being "speechless" and in awe of our school, staff and kids!
Learning Collaborative
Stage 3 Gala Day
Grades 5 & 6 students attended the Catholic Schools Tweed Zone Gala Day on Friday, August 25th, representing our school with pride and terrific sportsmanship in Netball, Soccer, AFL, Tennis and NFL Tag. The competive soccer team won the event and will now attend the Dio Soccer Trials in Grafton on Wednesday 20th September; congratulations kids and the all best with the next stage of the competition.
Gala Day
Bushfire Management
As summer is approaching our school has commenced preparations for the upcoming bushfire season. We have developed a plan (located on the website - link below) should a fire emergency occur in our area during school hours. Our Bushfire plan takes into consideration the safety of students and staff while at school as well as families needing to collect their children from school and make their way home safely.
In general terms, should the Rural Fire Service or relevant Authority escalate a Fire Alert Level to ‘Watch and Act’, our school leadership team, in consultation with the Catholic Schools Office, will determine if it remains safe and viable for our school to remain open. Please be assured that our Bushfire Management Plan will always err on the side of caution.
Should we need to change the opening status of the school, you will be advised via Compass and Facebook. We ask that all parents or adults in a household download Compass and have their phone on and available throughout the summer bushfire season. This message will clearly state that if the school will be open or remain closed for the next day, or if the school is closing and the request and instructions to collect your child/ren.
Should the opening status of the school change, this will also be posted on our school website (and social media). I take this opportunity to remind you during this time to avoid calling the school to ask if the school is open or closed as we must remain easily contactable to the first authorities. Please rely on the information distributed via Compass, text message, school website and school social media.
It is strongly recommended that you and your family consider developing your own plan of what you will do in a bushfire event. Please talk to your children about what to expect if there is a bushfire near your home or the school. The Rural Fire Service has resources available to help you with your family bushfire plan.
We are confident in our planning and also hopeful we will not need to action it this coming season.
Bogan Bingo!
Thank you to all parents and friends who attended our recent Bogan Bingo social fundraiser. We had a tremendous evening of laughter and fun, and we raised $950!
Our Parent Forum, along with our entire parent community has worked very hard to build our community and to provide little extras for the children's learning and well-being experiences at school. In 2023, $20,000 has been donated from the Parent Forum to assist with the purchasing of new chairs and tables for the MPC; thank you!
Bogan Bingo!
Chicken Roster - Holidays & Term 4
Our school chickens (Rosalind, Henrietta, Marigold & Petunia) need care over the upcoming holiday break and during the weekends during Term 4. So, we invite families to go on the roster as explained below.
Weekend roster:
- Attend school on Saturday and Sunday and feed the chickens food scraps from home and give them some seed (provided). Check the eggs and take them home to enjoy some yummy scrambled, poached, or fried eggs!
Holiday roster:
- Attend school for a period of days during the holiday break (according to the roster) and feed the chickens food scraps from home and give them some seed (provided). Check their water and feeder. Check the eggs and take them home to enjoy some yummy scrambled, poached, or fried eggs!
Families who join the roster will have access to the school with a key for the side gate and an outline of what to do. If you'd like to join the upcoming holiday roster or the Term 4 roster, please email the school by Wednesday, September 13th (bpp@lism.catholic.edu.au). In advance, thank you for helping us take care of our little chicks!
Dates & Events
Please note the upcoming events scheduled for Term 3.
- Friday, September 8th: World Literacy Day.
- Saturday, September 9th: Stage 2 Family Mass.
- Friday, September 15th: R U OK Day.
- Wednesday, September 20th: Dio Soccer/Netball.
- Thursday, September 21st: Matilda - The Musical (see flyer below).
- Friday, September 22nd: Pupil Free Day.
Thumbs-up
- Everyone for sharing a lovely Father's Day breakfast; thank you to all the helpers!
- All parent helpers involved in the Bogan Bingo event.
- Parents, students and teachers for engaging in the Term 3 Learning Conferences.
- Smithwick [Maddie] & McDonald [Maddie] Families for helping care for Petunia, Rosalind, Marigold, and Henrietta (our beautiful chickens) over the past two weekends.
To conclude
Earlier this week (August 28th), our Church celebrated the feast of St Augustine of Hippo, a ‘father of the Church’. St Augustine was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of the Catholic Church. St Augustine encouraged people to “take up and read” the Word of God; something we continue to do today. I close off this newsletter by sharing with you one of my favourite pieces of scripture…..
"Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
Philippians 4:8-9
With blessings,
Nic.
