Week 1, Term 4 - 2023
Welcome
Dear St James Community,
Welcome to Term 4; I trust that everyone has enjoyed their holiday break and have returned to school refreshed for the final part of the 2023 academic school year.
On October 4th, during the break, our Church celebrated the feast of St Francis of Assisi. St Francis of Assisi abandoned a life of luxury for a life devoted to Christianity after hearing the voice of God, who commanded him to rebuild the Christian church and live in poverty. Francis was born in 1181 in Italy and after his canonisation, he became the patron saint of animals and the environment. St Francis’ peace prayer reminds us that goodwill, love and harmony are aspirational elements of life, we pray:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Settling into Term 4
Our students have settled back into Term 4 very calmly and positively; I especially acknowledge our Year 6 students who have commenced their final term of Primary School and I wish them well as they journey with excitement (and some sadness) towards ending their time with us.
Welcome Back
Introducing Kat Rogers
It's our pleasure to introduce Kathryn (Kat) Rogers to the staff team of St James Primary. Kat has joined the administration team, who along with Tracey Smith and Jacinta Condon are the three staff who support families, students, and staff in a myriad of ways!
Kat has a background in administrative work and her skills will assist the school with communication matters, compliance, social media & marketing, general queries and support for our children.
We welcome Kat to our school and staff team; please say hi the next time you're in the office area.
Mission Fair & Crazy Sock Day
Next Friday, October 20th we will hold our annual Mission Fair and Crazy Sock Day. This day is a fun experience for all students, where they explore the joy and games of the fair, which is fully organised and operated by our Year 6 leaders. Our senior students work tremendously hard with their stalls because they know that all proceeds go to those in need of our financial aid, which supports the dignity of the human person and the common good. All students are invited to bring along some spare change to join in and donate towards our missionary efforts.
Kindergarten 2024 - Transition Program
Our newest students to St James will attend their transition program in Term 4, which will prepare them for the adventures that await at big school in 2024! We have 58 kindergarten students commencing with us and over the coming weeks they'll attend a welcome BBQ, 3 transition sessions, an orientation session and they'll meet and greet their new friends, teachers, and Yr 6 buddies. The program dates are:
- Welcome BBQ: Wednesday, October 18th (5:30pm)
- Transition session 1: Tuesday, October 31st (9am-9:45am [Hanly & Ryland students] / 10am-10:45am [Polding & MacKillop students].
- Transition session 2: Tuesday, November 7th (9am-10.30am)
- Transition session 3: Thursday, November 23rd (9am-10.30am)
- Orientation session: Thursday, November 30th (9am-12noon)
School Cleaning
Our school cleaning contract is due for renewal, therefore we are currently seeking tenders for providing cleaning services at St James Primary for 2024-2027. We take great pride in maintaining a clean and safe environment for our students and staff, and we are seeking a reliable and professional cleaning service provider to partner with us. The cleaning services include, but are not limited to:
- Daily cleaning of classrooms, corridors, and common areas.
- Cleaning and sanitising restrooms.
- Emptying trash bins and replacing liners.
- Sweeping and mopping floors.
- Vacuuming carpets.
- Window cleaning.
- Seasonal deep cleaning tasks.
- Undertake the cleaning service between 6pm – 6am.
The full scope of works and timelines are available from this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xNt1d7AlDfcGN0F0PyS1TWVxZklInVCL/view?usp=sharing
Camps
In Week 3 our Year 3 & 4 students attend their 2023 camping experiences.
- Year 3: Overnight to Camp Goodenough (Carool)
- Year 4: 2 nights to Tyalgum Ridge
We wish all campers a safe and joyful adventure and we look forward to hearing their tales upon their return to school - have fun kids!
Bequest
Phyllis Margaret Ward bequeathed $10,000 to St James Primary in 2022 after having a long association with our school and parish. To honour Phyllis we decided to build a new prayer garden/sacred space for our community with the money gifted to honour Phyllis. Over the holiday break, the garden works commenced, and soon this area will be a lovely prayer garden and a place for students to be in the presence of Christ, listen to spiritual music, engage in Godly play and pray with God, which will help them to be called by the Father, gifted by the Son and moved by the Spirit.
Prayer garden
World Teacher's Day
We will acknowledge World Teacher's Day on Friday, October 20th, which is an opportunity for us to give thanks to the dedicated people who gift our community with the care, support, and education of our students. At St James, we are very blessed to have staff who ensure that our children are safe and known and loved each day as valued members of our ‘Family in Christ.’ On behalf of our community, I thank our staff for the dedication and joy they bring to our community.
Staff Professional Learning - 2024
Many thanks to families who completed the recent survey concerning how we could structure professional learning for staff in 2024, which ultimately impacts families. We received 165 responses, with 67.9% voting favourably for the days to be taken together at the start of Term 3 and 32.1% voting for the days to be spread throughout the year. I have submitted a proposal to the Catholic Schools Office and staff are currently discerning this matter; a decision will be made and communicated with families soon.
Term 4 Dates and Events
Please note the upcoming events scheduled for Term 4:
- Wednesday, October 18th: Kindergarten 2024 Welcome BBQ
- Friday, October 20th: Mission Fair & Crazy Sock Day
- Friday, October 20th: Australian Teacher's Day
- Monday, October 23rd - Wednesday, October 25th: Year 4 Camp
- Thursday, October 26th - Friday, October 27th: Year 3 Camp
- Tuesday, October 31st: Kindergarten 2024 Transition session
- Wednesday, November 1st: K/1/2 Camp
- Thursday, November 2nd: Pupil Free Day
- Friday, November 3rd: Pupil Free Day
- Tuesday, November 7th: Kindergarten 2024 Transition session
- Tuesday, November 14th - Thursday, November 16th: Term 4 Learning Conferences
- Friday, November 17th: Woodwork & Needlepoint Social Gatherings
- Monday, November 20th - Wednesday, November 22nd: Year 5 Camp
- Thursday, November 23rd: Kindergarten 2024 Transition session
- Saturday, November 25th: Stage 1 Family Mass
- Monday 27th, Wednesday 29th November and Friday, December 1st: Swimming Program
- Tuesday, November 28th: Yr 6 Graduation Mass, 5:30pm @ St Joseph's Church
- Thursday, November 30th: Kindergarten 2024 Transition & K-Y5 step-up session
- Monday 4th, Wednesday 6th and Friday December 8th: Swimming Program
- Tuesday, December 5th: Swimming Carnival [Y2-Y6] @ Murwillumbah Aquatic Centre
- Thursday, December 7th: Christmas Carols
- Monday, December 11th: Yr 6 Celebration Day
- Tuesday, December 12th: Kindergarten Graduation
- Thursday, December 14th: End of Year Liturgy & Yr 6 Dinner Dance
- Friday, December 15th: Final School Assembly, Yr 6 celebration day & final day for 2023
Thumbs-up
- All students for returning to school with positive attitudes.
- Our maintenance crew who worked tirelessly during the break to ensure our learning environment is clean and tidy.
- Cunningham [Myles, Louis and Grace], De Fillipis [Amira], Visser [River and Orlando] and Gillet [Emily & Jake] Families for helping care for Petunia, Rosalind, Marigold, and Henrietta (our beautiful chickens) over the school holidays.
To conclude
In late Term 3, our school community was ablaze with the smell of rebellion as our students presented Matilda Jnr - The Musical. It was tremendous to see all of the children dancing and singing, and retelling the story of Matilda.
If you would like to view or download the film that was taken on the evening, it is available from this link below.
We congratulate all students on their performances, and we especially acknowledge Cormac, Jayden, Liam, William, Archer, Indie, Cohen, Pippa, Eddie, Tayla, Mila, Griffin, Aoife, Lucas, Emily, Brooklyn, Josie, Jed, Zane, Isobelle, Hallie, River, Leah, Sienna, Lily, Gabriella, Isabel who were the leading cast members of the show.
Congratulations!
With blessings,
Nic.
Matilda Jnr - The Musical
