Week 1, Term 1 - 2025
Welcome
Dear St James Community,
Welcome to the 2025 school year! Over the past week, our students joyfully returned to school to complete their Mathematical Assessment Interviews and commence classes for the year. It has been heartwarming to see them reconnect with friends and teachers, embracing the new academic year with enthusiasm.
We are deeply grateful for the peaceful and safe holiday break our families and community enjoyed. As we begin this new year, we pray that 2025 brings joy, health, and safety to us all.
Gracious God,
At the start of this academic year, we bring our hopes, expectations, and feelings to You. Help us to trust in Your promise: "I will always be with you."
Grant us a fresh perspective to see people, events, and academic challenges as opportunities to nurture and share the gifts You have bestowed upon us in service to others.
Bless us with peace, joy, safety, and meaningful learning experiences as we journey through the year together.
Amen.
We are delighted to welcome Snow C (Y1), Kai S (Y1), Isabell M (Y2), Iza P (Y3), Sohana S (Y3), Piper W (Y3), Henry F (Y3), Zali W (Y4), Luca S (Y5), Zee C (Y5), Georgia W (Y5), Austin P (Y6), Anna M (Y6), George F (Y6), Gaby M (Y6), who are joining our St. James 'Family in Christ.' A warm welcome also to our new teachers and staff: Miss Sophie Sullivan [Year 1], Mrs Jordan Ross-Swaver (School Counsellor Monday & Tuesday) and Mrs Danielle Salmon (School Counsellor Wednesday). We are thrilled to have you with us!
On Monday, February 10th we will joyfully welcome our 60 new Kindergarten students as they embark on their 13-year journey of Catholic education. May their first days be filled with fun, friendship, and excitement as they explore their new surroundings.
We invite all families and friends to join us on Friday, February 14th at 11:30am for our Beginning of the Year Liturgy and then at 2:15pm for our Welcome Assembly.
2025 Shared Goals
As we embark on another exciting school year, we are committed to fostering growth and success for every member of our community. To guide us on this journey, we have set clear and ambitious school improvement goals through our 4 year strategic plan and the 2025 annual action plan. These goals reflect our dedication to enhancing the educational experience, nurturing the well-being of our students, and strengthening our partnership with families.
Parent Handbook
Our 2025 parent handbook can be found on the school’s website. This booklet contains all the information families require to understand the policies, procedures, and structures of St James Primary. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with this information and refer to the booklet as required.
Some changes in 2025
In our continuous effort to enhance the educational experience, we are introducing the following changes this year:
- School Times: Monday - Friday
- Arrival: 8:10am (Gates open).
- School commences: 8:40am.
- Morning Recess: 10:40am – 11:20am.
- Lunch: 1:05pm – 1:45pm (Friday: 12:35pm-1:15pm).
- Dismissal: 3:00pm.
- Office Hours: 8:10am – 3:30pm Monday to Friday.
- School Assembly: Assemblies will now be held fortnightly on Fridays at 2:15pm (even weeks), starting Friday, February 14th. Grades will present throughout the year as listed below.
- Term 1: Week 2 [Principal], Week 4 [Year 6], Week 6 [Year 5], Week 8 [Year 3], & Week 10 [Kindergarten].
- Term 2: Week 2 [Year 1], Week 4 [Year 2], Week 5 [Year 4], Week 8 [Year 6], & Week 10 [PiTW Championships]. Please note the week 5 assembly rather than week 6, which is due to pupil free days.
- Term 3: Week 2 [Yandihndi], Week 4 [Year 1], Week 6 [Year 3], Week 8 [Year 5], & Week 9 [Kindergarten]. Please note the week 9 assembly rather than week 10, which is due to pupil free days.
- Term 4: Week 2 [Year 4], Week 4 [Year 2], Week 6 [Kindergarten], Week 8 [Year 6], Week 9 [Principal], & Week 10 [Principal].
- Grade Blogs & Newsletter: Grade blogs will be published fortnightly (even weeks), beginning Friday, February 14th, while newsletters will continue fortnightly (odd weeks), with this edition being the first for the year. These will be distributed electronically via Compass.
- Grade Parent Representatives: We will seek a parent or 2 to act as Grade Parent Representative to support the Grade Teachers and be active members of the Parent Community Group; opportunities to volunteer for these formal parental roles will be provided by Amanda in due course.
- Reporting to Parents: Parents/Students/
Teachers will gather in Terms 1 & 3 for student learning conferences (20 minutes for each student), and formal reports that will include various written statements and grades will be published in Terms 2 & 4. In 2025 we are reintroducing SeeSaw to showcase along the way learning and wellbeing achievements throughout the year. Teachers and students are working together to learn the Seesaw platform and build shared beliefs and practices around sound digital literacies. In the coming weeks, you will receive an invitation to connect to the Seesaw app and instructions on engaging with your child's Seesaw digital portfolio. The following infographics will provide a deeper insight into our reporting processes and Seesaw's value in sharing learning at school with you at home.
Digital Tech Student User Agreement 2025
At St James, we prioritise responsible and safe digital citizenship. To foster this, we use a variety of digital technologies to support and enhance engagement and creativity within learning.
To ensure a shared understanding of our expectations, all students and their parents must sign a Digital Technology Student User Agreement each year. This agreement outlines the expectations for using digital technologies within our school and informs parents how digital technologies are managed and supported within our school and across the Diocese.
Please take the time to read through and sign the Digital Technologies User Agreement for 2025 with your child by Friday, 14th February, so that your child can continue using digital technology and access the school network.
Please note: A new form is to be submitted every year for each child at our school. We ask that you use your child’s full name as per Compass - first and last name only.
To further support this, teachers will explore each of the dot points over the first term with students in class.
We appreciate your continued support in guiding your child towards responsible digital citizenship.
The agreement is available here: https://dlcsl.jotform.com/team/digital-techologies-for-learning/bpp-dtsua2025
Welcome to Grade Information
This year teachers will video a welcome message that will introduce the teachers and provide Grade specific information. Parents can meet and greet teachers and ask questions (etc) at 8:10am Mon-Thurs mornings. The videos will be distributed via the Grade Blogs.
Road Safety Message
Approximately 1200 students and 150 staff need to move in and around the College and Primary School each morning and afternoon, and as you're aware the traffic can be congested. To this end, safety must be the number 1 priority for everyone, so please be kind and patient with one another and at all times promote safe practices and follow all rules for the sake of our children. To support traffic flow the College and Primary have co-created a traffic management plan (see link below); please be familiar with this and enact it at all times. From this year Leadership staff will be providing crossing guard duties in the afternoon to support the safe crosswalk of pedesdrians.
Here are some safety tips:
- Be alert and aware by travelling distraction-free. Ask children to take off their headphones when walking.
- Keep safe getting in and out of the car. Always use the door closest to the kerb.
- Keep safe getting on and off the bus.
- Wait at the bus stop and stand at least one step back from the edge of the road.
- Always meet your child at the bus stop. Never meet them on the opposite side of the road and call them across.
- Wait until the bus has gone, before you cross the road.
- Wear a helmet. Children must wear a helmet when riding a bike in any public place – it’s the law. Foot scooter, skateboard and rollerblade riders should wear helmets and protective gear such as knee and elbow pads.
Hold a grown-up’s hand (Kinder to Year 2) when:
- you cross the road
- you’re on the footpath
- you’re in a car park
- Use a safe place to cross the road. The fastest way, may not be the safest way.
- Stop! Look! Listen! Think! Every time you cross the road and keep checking until you safely across
Cross the road safely by enacting stop, look, listen and think:
- STOP! one step back from the kerb
- LOOK! continuously both ways
- LISTEN! for the sounds of approaching traffic
- THINK! whether it is safe to cross and keep checking until safely across
If your child travels independently to school, please talk to them about the route they take to ensure they are making safe decisions.
Be a positive role model when you are a pedestrian, passenger and driver. Children learn from what they see, as well as what we say. Never sacrifice safety for convenience.
Term 1 Events/Dates
Please note the following events/dates scheduled for Term 1.
- February 10th: Kindergarten commence school.
- February 14th: Beginning of the Year Liturgy & Leadership Presentation -MPC 11:30am.
- February 17th: School Photos.
- February 19th: Zone Swimming.
- February 27th: Parent Community Group Meeting.
- March 4th: Shrove Tuesday.
- March 5th: Ash Wednesday.
- March 11th, 12th & 13th: Term 1 Student Learning Conferences.
- March 12th - 24th: Years 3 & 5 NAPLAN.
- March 14th: Cross Country.
- March 21st: Harmony Day.
- March 28th: Welcome to the school year family event.
- April 7-10th: Year 6 Camp.
- April 11th: Easter Raffle and Holy Week Liturgy.
- April 11th: End of Term 1.
Please note our pupil-free days for 2025:
- June 5th & 6th, September 26th, November 13th & 14th, and December 18th & 19th.
Please note the 1 public holidays that fall in this year's school calendar:
- June 9th: King's Birthday
Please note the Parent Community Group Meeting dates for 2025:
-February 27th, May 22nd, August 14th & November 6th (all meetings will be held on Thursday evening [7pm] on Week 4 of each term.
To support future planning for families, our yearly planner is below; the dates are firmly set but are subject to change if required.
Chickens - Term 1
Our school chickens (Rosalind, Henrietta, Marigold & Petunia) need care during the Term 1 weekends. So, we invite families to go on the roster as explained below.
Term 1 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!
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 Term 1 roster, please email the school by Friday, February 14th (bpp@lism.catholic.edu.au). In advance, thank you for helping us take care of our little chicks!
Thumbs-up
- To all families and students for returning to school happily.
- To our students for their work with the MAI (Math) assessments.
- To our maintenance crew who have ensured the school is clean and tidy for us to enjoy!
- To the Godenez-Purchase family who cared for our school chickens at their home over the Christmas holidays.
To conclude
We look forward to working with you and our students to promote academic, social, and spiritual growth throughout the 2025 school year. We sincerely thank our staff for their work in preparing for the year ahead, and we congratulate all students and parents for the positive and joy-filled way we have returned to school. Welcome everyone; may 2025 be a faith-filled year of safety, joy, learning, and good health.
With blessings,
Nic.
Upcoming Events.....
Parenting Supporting & Learning.....
BUILD THE HABIT OF REGULAR ATTENDANCE - What makes coming to School great?
NAPLAN 2025
What is Bullying?
As parents of young children, it is important to know what bullying is. This can help you tell the difference between normal disagreements, conflict and bullying. You can then respond and give the right support to your children. Parents also play an important role in reducing the likelihood of bullying by teaching children about respectful behaviour, empathy, dignity, courage, and inclusion.
Definition of Bullying
Bullying involves the unwanted, repeated, and intentional use of words or actions aimed at causing distress and endangering the wellbeing of an individual or group of students.
Key Features of Bullying:
- Misuse of Power:
The deliberate use of power in a relationship to harm others. - Repetition:
The behaviour occurs repeatedly over time. - Harmful Impact:
The actions result in physical, emotional, or social harm.
How Power Can Be Misused:
- Social status or popularity
- Physical strength or size
- Age or skill
- Number of allies
- Membership in a socially dominant group (e.g., based on wealth or gender)
Behaviours That Are NOT Bullying
Certain actions, while unpleasant, do not meet the criteria for bullying:
- Mutual arguments or disagreements
- Disliking someone or a single instance of social rejection
- A single episode of hurtful words or actions
- Isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation, or violence
If you are concerned that your child is experiencing or displaying bullying behaviour, please contact their class teacher for support and guidance.
Other Information.....
