Newsletter 1 March 2023
Deputy Principal's Message

Good afternoon families.Term one is in full swing. A big welcome to our Foundation students who are now officially full time at St James.
This Friday we have our Year Six (Mrs Duplock's class) and Foundation / Year One (Mrs Hermann's class) Mass at 9.30am. Could all students please bring a plate of food to share for morning tea. Families are welcome to attend and join us. We will be welcoming Fr. Avinash to the classroom and who will be talking with these students after Mass.
The repurposing works in the hall have continued in readiness for line marking and indoor PE. Part of this work included moving the picnic tables into shaded areas around the school making them more accessible for students on warmer days. If any parents are interested in investigating the line marking project please contact Bec Kollaris.

DISTRICT SWIMMING
Last Thursday, the students who qualified from years three to six attended district swimming at the Koo Wee Rup swimming pool. The students represented our school with great pride and great sportsmanship and were models of our school values Safe, Responsible and Respectful. I think some of the students may have gone home without a voice after all the cheering and yelling that happened to support our team. A big shout out to the parents that also attended on the day. In my short time here at St James I have noted how sporty our community is and how much support we have from our families when events are run. The District Swimming was a well run event and we must thank Mark Trounson who is the Lang Lang District School Sport Association Coordinator and Rebecca Roche from St James for all their work with the organisation of this event. I must also thank Mrs Stewart and Mr Parker who attended and helped each student make it to their race/s on time. A great team effort from everyone.
NAPLAN
As mentioned in the newsletter a few weeks ago, the grade three and five students have Naplan this month.This is a national assessment that all students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 complete each year.
All grade three and five students are required at school on the dates listed above. We do however understand that students can become unwell, and if so they must stay home.
The St James NAPLAN schedule is as follows:

St James Athletics Day
Our whole school Athlectis Day will be held on Friday 31 March at Edwin Flack Reserve, Berwick. Permission Forms and Information has been released on PAM today. We will also require parent helpers on the day. Please complete the below link to register your availability.
From the Office
School Fees
Statements were emailed to families last week. If you have any qeustions or queries, please contact the school office or email office@stjamesnng.catholic.edu.au.
If you are experiencing financial hardship please contact rkollaris@stjamesnng.catholic.edu.au to have a confidential discussion.
Direct Debit arrangements can be set up at any time. Please contact the office to obtain a Direct Debit form.
If you hold a Pension or Health Care card, please contact the office to obtain the relevant paperwork to be completed and returned. Eligibility will then be assessed and an applicaiton for assistance to reduce your school fees will be applied for.

PAM - Parent Access Module
Here is the link for the St James Parent Access Module.
Your user name is the email address that you have registered with the school. The first time you log in we ask that you use the 'forgotten password' feature to set your own password.
ALL parents must access PAM to receive up to date informaiton and grant necessary permissions.
REPORTING AN ABSENCE
To report your child's absence please do so via PAM, email - office @stjamesnng.catholic.edu.au, or call 5942 5404.
MEDICAL INFORMAITON
When you update your chid's medical information in PAM - PLEASE ensure this is accurate. The school must have current up to date ashtma, allergy, anaphylaxis or medicla plans for those students identified with these conditions and any other medical conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy. This is to ensure we have relevant information to assist your child with the managment of these medical conditions.
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Our Patch News
Our Before and After School service - Our Patch is seeking feedback on St James families requirements for their service. This includes, Before and Afterschool Care, Holiday Care and School Closure Day Care. We would appreciate as many families as possible completing this survey (link below), to enable informed decisions to be made with regards to the continuation of this service moving forward.
SFX News
Year 7 2025 Online Parent Q & A Information Evening. Thursday 16 March 2023 7.00pm – 8.00pm
Open Day (Berwick and Officer Campuses) Saturday 1st April 10.00am – 2.00pm
Registrations can be made on our website at https://sfx.vic.edu.au/

From the Community
Child Safety
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