Week 1, Term 2 - 2024
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.
Today we celebrated St James Feast Day; the school turned 30!
St. James the Less, also known as James, son of Alphaeus, was one of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus Christ. He played a significant role in the early Christian community, contributing to the spread of Christianity. St. James the Less is revered for his dedication to spreading the teachings of Jesus and his commitment to the faith, serving as an inspiration for believers throughout history.
Students, staff and parents alike joined in the celebrations today where we gave thanks to all we are gifted with at St James Primary.
Happy Feast Day!
St James Feast Day
School Reviews
Schools undergo periodic review processes for us to celebrate achievements and look to future growth options, which is an integral aspect of school improvement. St James will complete the 3-year cyclic reviews in Term 2, 2024.
- Catholic Mission Review: Thursday, May 9th.
- School Improvement Review: Tuesday, May 14th, Wednesday, May 15th & Thursday, May 16th.
On these occasions, a panel of knowledgable others will attend our school to explore all we do at St James, which forms the basis of a report that will offer affirmations, commendations and recommendations. Staff, students and parents will be given opportunities to meet with the panel to offer their thoughts, celebrations and insights.
Parents who wish to join the conversation are invited to email the school with their intention to attend one or both of the reviews [bpp@lism.catholic.edu.au]. The dates and times are:
- Catholic Mission Review: Thursday, May 9th @ 12noon in the MPC.
- School Improvement Review: Tuesday, May 14th @ 2:30pm-3pm in the MPC.
We are looking forward to celebrating and improving our beautiful school.
Tell Them From Me
Each year St James Primary undertakes a parent, student, and staff survey that asks questions about the organisational health of our school community. This data is vital in shaping our school improvement planning and future directions. The 2024 survey opens on Monday, 6th May 2024 and closes on Friday, 24 May 2024. Please use this link to access the survey http://tellthemfromme.com/z7rj7 Please take the time to complete the survey so that we can continually improve and offer the best education available for our students!
Safeguarding Children
As part of our ongoing commitment to safeguarding our children, there are two things that we need to inform/remind parents of to ensure we have best practice safeguarding occurring and that these are in line with the NSW safeguarding standards. Please note:
Afternoon Collection - Green Zone
At the afternoon collection time, primary schools must have a 'Green Zone', which are areas of the school where parents can wait for children, without having to sign in to the school. Our 'Green Zone' inside the school is the nature play area (where the cubbies & sandpit are) and the undercover space in the middle of the school.
MPC Toilets
The MPC toilets now are signed with "students only", therefore no parents or visitors can use these toilets during the school day, e.g.: during assembly. An adult toilet is located in the main office. As the MPC are students-only toilets, this also means parents/visitors can not enter these toilets with toddlers.
Mother's Day Breakfast
On Friday, May 10th our traditional Mother's Day breakfast will be held outside the library (7:30 am). We look forward to hosting everyone as we celebrate and acknowledge our Mothers and mother figures. The Mother's Day stall will be held on Thursday, May 9th. We wish all Mother's a Happy and Blessed Mother's Day on Sunday, May 12th.
Parent Community Group
The first meeting of the newly formed Parent Community Group will be held in the MPC next Tuesday, May 7th (7pm). Refreshments and conversation will help our discussions, as we look for new ways to enhance our beautiful school and students' experiences. The agenda is below; see you there!
Zone Cross Country
All the best to the following students who will represent St James at the Zone Cross Country on Friday, May 10th. Zoe A, Callum A, Harley B, Xavier B, Sophie C, Lucas C, Savanna C, Penny C, Violet C, Max C, Gabrielle C, Lennox C, Billy D, Matteo DS, Emilia DS, Lucia DS, Ted E, Sunny E, Millie F, Lacey G, Lakey G, Hype G, Reeve H, Timothy H, Bethany I, Tex L, Hazel L, Hudson L, Jake M, Elspeth M, Oscar N, Sienna N, Spencer N, Maya PM, Sienna P, Vincent P, William R, Junia R, Victoria T, Hudson T, Jessica VG, Kayla W, Sophie W, Liam W, Keira W and Ava W.
Road Safety
Approximately 1200 students and 150 staff move in and around the College and Primary School each morning and afternoon. Safety must be the number 1 priority for everyone, so please be kind and patient with one another, promote safe practices and follow all rules for the safety of our children (Traffic Management Plan - see link below).
The Greenway Drive children's crossing will be operational very soon; we are awaiting the arrival of the equipment. We thank the Tweed Council for supporting this important aspect of road safety.
We have discussed the bus situation with Transport NSW and Kinetic in an attempt to improve access to buses in a more timely manner. They have all resources focused on the network development for the new Tweed Hospital, which will go live soon, and then their focus will be on the Tweed School network.
Transport NSW has informed us of the following:
- Rapid population growth in the Tweed region is resulting in a school network that is at capacity.
- Their short-term focus has been to add new buses on existing routes to ensure no student is standing on a school bus travelling on roads over 80kmph.
- Beginning in May 2024 the Transport NSW and Kinetic team will be focused on developing a longer-term Tweed school network solution to improve capacity, safety and timetables.
- One of the considerations of this review will be to improve the St James after-school bus wait times.
- Once the review is started and timelines have been developed these will be shared with St James Primary School.
We are very grateful that the current bus network is being reviewed; we will communicate any changes accordingly. In the meantime, we sincerely thank the families who continually follow our traffic guidelines and focus on the safety of everyone.
School Improvement Goals: Fortnightly update
Short Term Goals
Our new short-term goal for the start of Term 2 is "Students will reconnect with their peers and teachers, and maintain a high standard of school attendance." Our current overall student attendance rate is 92.8%.
Long Term Goals
One of the longer-term goals is to achieve academic success for every student. In Term 1 we achieved this by having every student in Years K-6 engage with rich new curriculum learning. In English, this meant our children in the early years were explicitly taught a systematic synthetic phonics program and exposed to rich literature. In years 3-6, children also engaged in explicit instruction on spelling concepts, terminology, rules, and conventions. All students in Years 3 and 5 successfully completed NAPLAN, and the results will inform classroom teaching strategies moving forward.
Term 2 Dates & Events
Please note the following events/dates scheduled for Term 2.
- May 7th: Parent Community Group Meeting (7pm - MPC)
- May 9th: Mother's Day Stall. - (If you are able to assist with helping please email bpp@lism.catholic.edu.au)
- May 9th: Catholic School Mission Review.
- May 10th: Mother's Day Breakfast - (Dad volunteers if you are able to assist with helping please email bpp@lism.catholic.edu.au)
- May 10th: Zone Cross Country.
- May 14th-16th: School Review.
- May 20th-23rd: Year 6 Camp.
- May 24th: Mr. McTaggart commences 6 weeks leave.
- May 28th: Proclaim Lismore (Pupil Free Day).
- June 2nd: First Holy Communion.
- June 4th-6th: Term 2 Learning Conferences.
- June 12th & 13th: Murwillumbah Eisteddfod.
- June 14th: Atheltics Carnival.
- June 28th: Atheltics Carnival Back-up Date.
- July 3rd: 100 days of Kindergarten Celebration.
- July 4th: PiTW Championships Day/Final Day of Term 2.
- July 5th: Pupil Free Day.
Thumbs-up
- All students for returning to school positively.
- All who assisted with the preparation and celebrations of our 30th anniversary and St James Feast Day.
- Our maintenance crew who worked tirelessly during the break to ensure our learning environment was beautiful.
- The Wheeler, Antonini, Fyfe & Manouk families for caring for our chickens over the holidays.
To conclude
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our school families who joined us in commemorating the ANZAC Day march. Your presence not only honours the sacrifices of those who served but also strengthens our community's bond and commitment to remembrance and peace. Together, we honour the courage and valour of our servicemen and women, ensuring that their legacy lives on in our hearts and minds. Thank you for standing with us in remembrance and reflection.
ANZAC Day - 2024
Upcoming events
Please note the following upcoming events......
Parenting support & learning
Please note the following parenting supporting & learning items.....
eSafety Parent Webinars Term 2
eSafety 101: How eSafety Can Help
This webinar provides an overview of the eSafety Commissioner and supporting programs and resources for parents and carers, children and young people.
Suitable for parents and carers of children and young people in primary and secondary school.
Tuesday, 14 May: 12:30 pm
Thursday, 6 June: 12:30 pm
Register here for eSafety 101
Wellbeing and Digital Technologies
An overview of strategies to protect, respond to and support your child online. This webinar will focus on the digital skills to protect and support young people’s mental health and wellbeing online.
Suitable for parents and carers of young people in secondary school.
Thursday, 16 May: 12:30 pm
Tuesday, 4 June: 2:00 pm
Register here for Wellbeing and Digital Technologies
Consent and Online Boundaries
As children begin to navigate the online world, they need to know how to make decisions around consent and boundaries. This webinar will outline strategies for parents and carers, as well as support those hard-to-have conversations.
It is suitable for parents and carers of children in primary school.
Tuesday, 28 May: 12:30 pm
Tuesday, 18 June: 12:30 pm
Register here for Consent and Online Boundaries
Setting your Child up for Success Online
An overview of having conversations about tech and online interaction, putting boundaries and rules in place, using parental controls, and monitoring your child online.
It's suitable for parents and carers of children primary school.
Thursday, 30 May: 12:30 pm
Thursday, 20 June: 12:30 pm
Register here for Setting your Child up for Success Online
Bullying & Friendships
Item 1: What is Bullying?
Understanding bullying helps students and parents distinguish between regular conflicts
and actual bullying. This helps avoid confusion and ensures that the right help is given
when needed. It can also empower you as parents to engage in prevention efforts
proactively. By teaching your children about respectful behaviour, empathy, dignity,
courage, and inclusion, parents can help prevent bullying from occurring in the first place.
Bullying refers to the unwanted, repeated and intentional use of words or actions against a
student or a group of students to cause distress and risk to their wellbeing. Watch What is
bullying?
Bullying means behaviour that has three (3) key features:
1. It involves the intentional misuse of power in a relationship;
2. It is ongoing and repeated; and
3. It involves behaviours that can cause harm.
A student can acquire power through advantage, such as social status, popularity, an
advantage in size and strength, number of allies, age, skill, or membership in a socially
defined dominant group, which could be based, for example, on wealth or gender.
Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:
1. Mutual arguments and disagreements;
2. Not liking someone or a single act of social rejection;
3. A single episode of hurtful words or actions
4. Isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation and/or violence
Indirect bullying (also known as covert bullying) is not always immediately observable and
acknowledged as bullying. Indirect bullying can be discreet and anonymous, and the
person experiencing the bullying behaviour may not realise it until after it has occurred.
Examples of indirect bullying include:
● Spreading rumours: Sharing false or harmful information about someone to tarnish
their reputation.
● Gossiping: Engaging in negative discussions about a person without their
knowledge.
● Social manipulation: Encouraging others to exclude or reject a person from social
groups.
● Cyberbullying: Using digital platforms to harass, intimidate, or spread harmful
content about a person.
● Stealing: Discreetly and repeatedly stealing personal belongings
When parents understand what bullying entails, they can effectively communicate with
their child about their experiences at school, in the community and online. By using the
correct terminology and understanding the dynamics of bullying, parents can encourage
open dialogue and provide the necessary support.
Watch Bullying and Conflict with your child.
Item 2: Conversations about Bullying
Having an open dialogue about bullying with your child is crucial for fostering trust,
understanding, and resilience. You could use this video from Bullying No Way as a
conversation starter.
Here are some tips for initiating and maintaining this important conversation:
● Ensure that your child feels comfortable and safe discussing sensitive topics like
bullying. Choose a quiet, private setting where your child feels relaxed and free to
express themselves without fear of judgment or reprisal.
● Be ready to manage your reactions.
● Start the conversation by asking open-ended questions that invite your child to
share their thoughts and experiences. For example, you could ask, "Can you tell me
about what's been happening at school lately?" or "How are things going with your
friends?"
● Practice active listening by giving your child your full attention and demonstrating
empathy and understanding. Avoid interrupting or dismissing their feelings, even if
you disagree with their perspective. Reflect back on what they're saying to show that
you're truly listening and validating their experience.
● Let your child know that their feelings are valid and that it's normal to feel upset or
worried about bullying. Reassure them that they're not alone and that you're there
to support them every step of the way.
● Focus on empowering them with knowledge and strategies for dealing with bullying.
Help your child to brainstorm possible solutions or strategies to manage the
situation. If your child is experiencing bullying or if the conversation reveals other
issues, contact the school.
By fostering an open and supportive dialogue about bullying, you can help your child feel
empowered, resilient, and equipped to navigate challenging situations with confidence.
Starting the conversation about this topic should be grounded in your family's beliefs and
values. Make sure you have early, regular conversations with your child about the values
you have as a family regarding respect and care for others and the dignity of each human
person.
What are your family values? How do you as a family provide healthy opportunities to grow in
mutual love and respect?
Other information
Please note the following additional information.....
