Week 5, Term 1 - 2024

Welcome

Dear St James Community, 

On February 27th parents attended 'An Evening with the Principal', which was aimed at providing deeper opportunities for parents to listen to our school's philosophies, build relationships with each other, and ask questions of me.  My intention with this forum was to 'Build purposeful and strategic partnerships with families to enhance connections between school and home.'

This gathering's theme was: The St James Way.  I unpacked for the attendees what we do here at St James; when, why, and how.  The essence of the topic focussed on our approach to providing educational opportunities that are concentrated on the varying learning needs and circumstances of individual learners so that all can have academic growth and experience pastoral care.

Thank you to those who attended this meeting; we will hold another parent information/learning gathering in Term 2.

2025 Enrolments

Enrolments for Kindergarten 2025 are now open; the school open day tours and the Principal's presentation will be on Tuesday, March 12th, with enrolments closing on Friday, April 5th. 

Online enrolments open from Monday, March 4th.

3-Way Conferences & Parent Meeting

Learning Conferences:

At St James Primary we hold Learning Conferences (Parent/Teacher/Student) each Term, which gives students and families significant opportunities to reflect upon achievements and set new aspirations for future learning.   This, along with formal A-E reports, social & emotional tracking, and celebration of learning events, create a cyclic package of communication about student learning and wellbeing with parents and teachers, and the child at the centre of the conversation.

Term 1 Conferences will be held next week: March 5th, 6th & 7th.  We thank our staff for their dedication to this process and we thank you, our parents for engaging with your children in their learning - this is one of the most important things you can do to support growth and promote learning as a life-long adventure.

Parent Information Meetings:

We held our Grade welcome meetings for parents in week 4.  These gatherings enabled teachers to provide important information about the Grade structures and enable you to meet your child’s teachers and ask questions.  The link to the video sessions is below:

Parent Forum

As mentioned in the last edition of our newsletter, all schools are required by the Diocese of Lismore Catholic Schools Limited board to review their Parent Forum model.  On Thursday, February 22nd, a small group of parents attended the presentation and discussed the options.  This is outlined in the attachment below, along with a survey link that all families are invited to complete, which will inform the option we choose.  Please complete this survey by Friday, March 15th.  We aim to introduce the chosen model during Term 3 this year and in the meantime our current Parent Formum executives will continue in their roles to support parent engagement. 

Mobile phones and smart watches

As per the Parent Handbook (Pages 8 & 12); mobile phones and smart watches (and the like) are not permitted at St James Primary.  This was a topic covered in the parent-grade information sessions and was at times hotly debated, which is a great example of parents and the school staff working together to understand perspectives and reasoning behind decisions.  The below letter was provided to all Stage 3 families (Year 5/6) and I feel it prudent to provide this to everyone so that we can work together to provide a safe and supportive digital space for our children and educate them to become responsible digital citizens.

Staffing News

Ms Lauren Ayres, current support teacher, finishes her time with us today; she is due to have her second baby in March.  We wish Lauren all the best and on behalf of our community, we thank her for her support of our students and the dedication she has given to them.  We look forward to hearing the happy news soon!

School Improvement Goals: Fortnightly update

Short Term Goals

Our recent short-term goal was 'We will engage in the Grade parent information sessions so that everyone is informed, involved, and included in the 2024 learning journey.'  Thank you to our teachers for providing this important connecting activity and thank you to the many parents who attended.

Our new short-term goal is 'All families will engage in the Week 6 learning conferences to celebrate glows and co-create student goals so that all can achieve success.'

Long Term Goals

One of the longer-term goals is centred on building authentic partnerships with families that enhance connections with school and home.  Our recent parent-grade information sessions are a wonderful example of this goal in action.

Upcoming Events

Please note the following events/dates scheduled for the remainder of Term 1.

- March 5th, 6th & 7th: Term 1 Learning Conferences

- March 22nd: Cross Country

- March 28th: Holy Week Liturgy & Easter Raffle

- March 29th: Good Friday Public Holiday

-  April 1st: Easter Monday Public Holiday

- April 3rd: School Photos

- April 12th: Whole School Retreat [Yandihndi]

Thumbs-up

- Parents for coming along to our Grade-Parent meetings.

- Students for their behaviour and engagement with the Ash Wednesday Mass.

- Parents who came along to the Parent Forum future discussion.

-  The Langan & Walsh Liu families for caring for our chickens over the past two weekends.

To Conclude

We commenced our Lenten journey on February 14th with Ash Wednesday Mass; Lent is a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and deepen our commitment to a way of life. Lord God, you who breathed the spirit of life within us.  Draw out of us the light and life you created.  May Lent grant us time to reflect upon our patterns, pray more deeply, and be generous to those in need.  

With blessings,

Nic.

Ash Wednesday Mass

Online Safety for Every Family

Connect with what your child or young person is doing online. Explore what apps, social media and games they regularly use. Start the conversation about safe online behaviour.

Reflect on your family’s online habits. Is your families screen time balanced and healthy?

Protect your child or young person with tools they need to stay safe online.

Learn about the latest games, apps and social media, including how to protect your information and report harmful content by using The eSafety Guide.

Make getting students to school on time every day a top priority.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Ensuring that students arrive at school on time every day is crucial for their academic success and wellbeing. Parents play a crucial role in instilling the importance of punctuality in their children. Here are some strategies for parents to make getting students to school on time every day a top priority:

• Establish a Consistent Routine. Set a daily routine that includes specific times for waking up, getting ready, having breakfast, and leaving for school. Consistency helps children develop good habits.
• Model Punctuality. Children often learn by example. Demonstrate the importance of punctuality by being on time for family events, appointments, and other commitments.
• Limit or Have No Screen Time in the Morning. Minimise distractions such as excessive screen time in the morning. This helps your child stay focused on getting ready for school without unnecessary delays.