Week 1, Term 4 - 2025
Welcome
Dear St James Community,
Welcome to Term 4! I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday break and has returned feeling refreshed and ready for the final part of the 2025 academic year.
During the break, on October 4th, our Church celebrated the feast of St Francis of Assisi. St Francis, born in 1181 in Italy, abandoned a life of luxury to devote himself to Christianity after hearing God's voice, calling him to rebuild the Church and embrace poverty. After his canonisation, he became the patron saint of animals and the environment.
St Francis’ prayer for peace beautifully reminds us of the values we aspire to—goodwill, love, and harmony. Let us pray together:
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.
Mission Fair
Today Friday, October 17th, we held our annual Mission Fair and Crazy Sock Day, and what an incredible day it was! The event was a huge success, filled with fun, laughter, and generosity from all our students. Our Year 6 leaders did a tremendous job organising and running the stalls, putting in a great effort to ensure everyone had a memorable day.
We are so proud of our senior students for their hard work and dedication, knowing that all the proceeds will go to those in need of our financial aid. Their commitment to supporting the dignity of the human person and the common good truly shone through.
Thank you to all the students who brought along their spare change and joined in to make this day a wonderful celebration of our missionary efforts. Your support will make a real difference to those who need it most!
Mission Fair
Sporting news
A huge congratulations to the talented students who represented St James Primary at the Diocesan Netball in Week 10, Term 3. They played with incredible determination, teamwork, and school spirit, making us all very proud. Well done on a fantastic effort!
Thank you to the coaches, staff, and supporters who helped make these events possible. Well done to all involved!
Our sporting stars
Term 4 Dates & Events
Please note the upcoming events scheduled for Term 4.
- October 31st: Australian Teacher's Day
- November 4th: Kindergarten 2026 Family BBQ
- November 5th - 7th: Year 4 Camp
- November 6th: Parent Community Meeting
- November 10th - 12th: Year 5 Camp
- November 11th: Remembrance Day
- November 11th: Kindergarten 2026 Transition session 1
- November 12th: Kindergarten-Year 2 Camp Day
- November 13th & 14th: Pupil Free Days
- November 18th: Kindergarten 2026 Transition session 2
- November 21st: Year 4 Bike Ed (Boys)
- November 25th: Kindergarten 2026 Transition session 3
- November 27th & 28th: Year 3 Camp
- December 1st - 5th: Swimming Program
- December 2nd: Year 6 Graduation Mass
- December 2nd: Kindergarten 2026 Transition session 4 & Whole school step-up day
- December 8th - 12th: Swimming Program
- December 10th: Swimming Carnival
- December 11th: Christmas Carols
- December 15th: Kindergarten [2025] Graduation
- December 16th: End of Year Whole School Liturgy
- December 16th: Year 6 Dinner Dance
- December 17th: Final Whole School Assembly & Final Day of Term 4 / 2025 school year
Please note our pupil-free days for 2025:
- November 13th & 14th, and December 18th & 19th.
Please note the Parent Community Group Meeting dates for 2025:
- November 6th (7pm - MPC).
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.
- All those involved in the Grandparent's Day and Book Week celebrations.
To conclude: Grandparents Day and Book Week – A Celebration of Love, Faith and Stories
Last Term our community was blessed to come together for two very special occasions: Grandparents Day and Book Week. Both were a reminder of the deep connections that shape our children’s lives – the love of family and the gift of stories.
Grandparents are such a precious part of our school community. Their presence in the lives of our students is a living testimony of love, patience and faith. The joy on the children’s faces as they welcomed their grandparents into classrooms and shared time together was a beautiful witness to the way love bridges generations. In many ways, grandparents are the first storytellers of a family – passing on wisdom, faith, and traditions that help children understand who they are and how they are called to live.
Book Week, too, gave us reason to celebrate. The theme reminded us that reading is more than a pastime – it is a lifelong adventure. Through books, our children learn to dream, to imagine, and to grow in understanding of the world and of themselves. Just as Scripture has been handed down through the generations to guide us in faith, so too do the stories we read nurture hearts and minds, opening them to God’s wonder and truth.
This year, as we continue to walk together in the Year of Hope, both celebrations invited us to see hope alive in our school. We saw it in the gentle smiles of grandparents, in the laughter of children discovering new characters and adventures, and in the way our community gathered to honour both family and learning.
We give thanks to God for our grandparents, who embody unconditional love, and for the gift of books, which inspire lifelong curiosity and joy. May the seeds of faith, hope and knowledge planted in our children continue to flourish – guided by the wisdom of those who came before them and strengthened by the stories that light the path ahead.
With blessings,
Kylie & Karen
Grandparent's Day and Book Week - 2025
Upcoming events.....
Please note the following upcoming events......
Parenting support and learning.....
Please note the following parenting supporting & learning items.....
A new way of preparing teachers comes to our schools
From 2026, our Catholic Schools in Tweed Heads, Pottsville and Coffs Harbour will be part of an exciting new program with Southern Cross University that reimagines how teachers are trained.
The Reimagining Teacher Education (RiTE) initiative will see Master of Teaching students learning in classrooms from the very first week of their studies. Instead of waiting until the end of their degree to gain experience, these Associate Teachers will spend two days a week in schools throughout their training.
What this means for our Catholic schools
- Extra support in classrooms for teachers and students.
- Fresh energy and ideas from aspiring teachers.
- Strong mentoring links between experienced staff and the next generation of educators.
Adam Spencer, Director of Catholic Schools, says our schools are looking forward to welcoming these student teachers. “Our students and staff will benefit from the added support and new perspectives, while these future teachers gain valuable experience in a real school community.”
Thinking of becoming a teacher?
If you’ve ever thought about teaching, this could be the time. Enrolments in the Southern Cross University Master of Teaching opens on 11 November 2025 with classes commencing early March 2026. With the RiTE program, you’ll not only study but also gain practical experience in our Catholic Schools from the start.
Find out more at: SCU Master of Teaching
New Resource for Families: Supporting Children Through Grief and Loss
We know that grief and loss can be some of the most difficult experiences for children to face. To support families in having these important conversations, a series of videos and resources has been created for parents and carers.
These resources, which focus on bereavement, are now available in the Parent Resource Centre Link.
We encourage you to explore these materials and use them to support your child during times of loss. If you have any concerns about how your child is coping, please share them with us so we can work together to provide the care and support they need.
Online Guardians Seminar
On Monday 17th November, Nathan Verinder will be visiting students from Years 2 - 6 to discuss online education and safety.
In the coming days, we will send an Event via Compass requesting consent for your child to attend the age appropriate seminar. Students will also complete an anonymous survey at school, to inform Nathan of their online interests, allowing him to tailor his talk to meet his audience.
Following this, we invite parents and guardians to listen to Nathan talk about online safety and how we as carers can help keep our children safe. This one hour session will be held from 7-8 pm on Monday, 17th November.
More information is in the agenda below.
Healthy Lunchboxes
Build a healthy lunchbox by including foods from each of the 5 food groups. Include some vegetables for Crunch & Sip, as a snack or as part of a main item.
For more information on how to build a healthy lunchbox, visit www.healthyliving.nsw.gov.au/healthy-lunchboxes
Other information.....
Please note the following additional information.....
