Newsletter 22 March 2023
Principal's Message
CHANGE OF DATE FOR PRAYER AND PICNIC
Prayer and Picnic will now be on Monday 3 April
We are thrilled to announce that our student leaders have been appointed and they are very excited to be forming a student body leadership team. This year, we have taken the opportunity to reimagine student leadership at St James with a focus on Catholic Identity, Sport and student voice and engagement. We commend our student leaders for taking the time to apply for their respective positions and were very impressed with the way they presented themselves, not just in the written application but also their interviews. We are currently waiting for the leadership badges to arrive and are working with students around a formal presentation to the school community and morning tea with their families after this presentation.
Congratulations
Student Leader; Catholic Identity
Peyton, Jasmine, Ben, Imelda, Antonio and Ruby
Student Leader; Sport
Chloe, Kaleb, Liam, Hugo, Gracie and Harry
We look forward to working with this dedicated and energetic team over the year.
Thank you to Miss Rushton, Student Leaders and Parents who have worked so hard to repurpose our school library. A huge thanks to our P&F for funding this through the amazing work they do with fundraising. We now have a beautiful, welcoming, functional space in which to share a love of literature with our children. There are child friendly shelving, soft furnishings and nooks for children to read in. When working in the Library with some of our Student Leaders yesterday, they were buzzing with excitement about the changes. During their conversations they spoke about the new space inspiring them to read, being more modern and being a cozy place to be. Teachers can now take classes to the library for reading sessions, not just book borrowing. Parents are warmly welcome to come and visit and see what your contributions to our fundraising efforts make and the impact this has on our children's learning and learning environment.
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Deputy Principal's Message
HARMONY DAY
It was great to see many of our students acknowledge this year's
Harmony Day by wearing a splash of orange.
Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and
brings together Australians from all different backgrounds.
It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
Each classroom participated in activities to create opportunities for
students to think, talk about and recognise how our differences make
Australia a great place to live.
Make sure you ask your child about these activities!
NAPLAN
A huge congratulations to our Year Three and Year Five students who completed NAPLAN this week. All our students showed perseverance and stamina when completing the assessments.
We did have some student's say to us that the tests were hard. We continue to reassure our students that NAPLAN is an important assessment, however as long as students have tried their best we are very proud of them for giving it a go. I am sure that you will support your child in the same way.
Have a wonderful week.
Kind regards,
Kathy Zandona
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Religious Education News
Reconciliation
Next Tuesday 28 March is a special evening for our St James students who have been preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and who will receive the sacrament for the first time. As a school and parish we pray for these students and their families who have been preparing together for some weeks, attending commitment Masses and who have been supported through their Religious Education at school.
A Prayer for Parents of our Reconciliation Candidates
Loving God, help me to teach my child that You love us totally and unconditionally. Help me to encourage my child to grow in love and to learn how to say sorry, knowing that You always forgive. Give me the courage to pray with my child and to share my faith as we journey together. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Coin Line Next Week!
As part of St James parish fund raising, St James school commits during Lent each year to supporting the work of the aid organisation Caritas. On Wednesday 29 March (next Wednesday), we are asking students to bring as much loose change as the family can spare to see if we can outdo our previous record by making a coin line that goes twice around the Pilgrimage Garden at the front of the school.
Caritas does extremely important work supporting communities to organise self-sustaining, much needed projects which build independence and strengthens those communities through economic, education, health and many other initiatives.
More on Caritas' work can be found here: https://www.caritas.org.
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Scholastic Book Club
Scholastic Book Club provides families with an affordable and convenient way to bring the best in children's literature into their homes.
15% of every purchase through Scholastic Book Club comes back to the school in Scholastic Rewards. This allows us to purchase valuable educaiton resources for the school.
Issue 2 closes on Thursday 23 March at 5pm.
If parents are ordering books as gifts and do not wish for them to be sent home with their children, please ensure when ordering that you tick the GIFT box. This ensures that we call you to pick up your order rather than send home with your child.
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From the Office
School Photos 2023
School Photo Day is - Wednesday 29 March
- Students are to wear their Full summer uniform (jumpers will not be worn for photos)
- Please see the below information to place your photo orders
- Orders close at 5pm Tuesday 28 March
School Photographs for 2023 - St James NNG
Annual school photos will be taken on Wednesday, 29 March 2023.
Students are to be in full school uniform.
PRE-ORDER ONLINE (orders close at 5:00 pm on the day prior)
See the packages available and place your pre-order online.
To place your order Go to our website or scan the QR code;
Select> School Photo Pack Orders
Enter your School Access Key: MQT48J7P
Select the pack you want and complete the form.
Sibling photos are available for families with multiple children attending the school.
Sibling photos must be ordered online before 5pm the day prior.
** A complimentary family/sibling photograph is available for families who order an individual pack for 3 for more children at the same school. To be eligible, you must order all the individual packs first and then add the family photograph to the same shopping cart. The discount will be automatically applied.
Place your order online before 5pm the day prior, you do not need to return any paperwork.
If you have any inquiries, please contact us on (03) 5942 5234
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Parents & Friends News
REMINDERS
Parents and Friends Annual General Meeting will be held tomorrow 24th March 2023 at 9:30am. Come along and see how we support the school through fundraising and activities for the kids. It’s a great way to make some new friends also. Toddlers, and Babies are welcome along as well. We would love to see some fresh faces with fresh ideas.
Tomorrow is Ride (Scoot) to school day. Students and families to meet at the Nar Nar Goon Hotel at 8.15am. Parents and Friends will also be providing breakfast at school, for all children.
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Our Patch News
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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/
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From the Parish
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From the Community
