Week 7, Term 3

Welcome to the Term 3, Week 7 Newsletter. I hope all fathers and father like figures had a wonderful Father’s Day. It was terrific to have over three quarters of our students fathers or family members present at our annual Father’s Day Breakfast and Liturgy on Thursday 31st August. The students certainly enjoyed having them at school, to share a meal and to join us in prayer. The Year 1/2 Class led the school community in prayer and shared some touching videos of why they love their dads. A common theme among many of the students was how funny their dads are. I look forward to hearing some dad jokes soon. Thank you to the Year 1/2s and their teachers for leading us in prayer. I also wish to extend my gratitude to the members of the Parents and Friends who organised and prepared the tasty breakfast for all to enjoy, in particular Bridget Lange, who coordinated the orders and meal.

Catholic Schools Open Week

We recently hosted an Open Morning as a part of Catholic Schools Open Week. It was marvellous to see many existing and new families attend. We had 50% of the school families represented at the Open Morning. It provided parents who attended the opportunity to discover what their child has been learning at school. Thank you to those who attended. Remember, our doors are always open.

School Closure Day - Numeracy Training for Staff

Last Friday, 1st September, during the school closure day, staff took part in professional development about effective teaching strategies in Mathematics. We spent time studying the Catholic Education Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and unpacking our new Numeracy Teaching Agreement, a policy about how Maths is effectively taught across the school.

Partners in Practice – Speech Pathology – Successful Grant Application

One of the unique and specialised services that St James has been able to provide for the past two years, is access to an experienced speech pathologist, Carly Perry from the Thrive Health Group. I am pleased to announce that the school has successfully applied for and been awarded a third round of funding to have Carly continue to support students with oral language and literacy development and to work with staff to continuously improve the way we support students with their literacy development. Carly will recommence her work with our school in the week beginning 11^th September. She will continue to visit our school each Thursday, until the end of Term 1, 2024. This funding round includes a financial contribution from Catholic Education and St James School. If any parent wishes to discuss oral language or literacy skill development about their child, please contact myself to discuss what is on offer. I am really pleased and thankful that Catholic Education South Australia has continued to support our school community with this important service. This service also compliments the psychologist service provision that Catholic Education allocates to our school on a termly basis.

Items Purchased through Donation - Thank You Parents and Friends

The Parents and Friends Committee recently fulfilled some our our staff wishlist items. This included four Wonderboom Bluetooth Speakers, furniture for the Junior Primary Classes, a 3D Printer and High Jump Equipment. The value of the items that have been purchased is approximately $8,900. 

These purchases have been made possible by all families who have contributed over many years to our school fundraisers. The school staff and students are very grateful to the Parents and Friends Committee for their continued fundraising efforts. This allows staff to enhance the education of the students in our school.

Catering Weekend

Thank you to parents who catered for the Friends of the Heysen Trail Group over the weekend. They were provided with a beautiful two course meal. Many families contributed by donating items for this fundraiser. Thank you to the dedicated volunteers who assisted on Saturday with the meal preparations and with serving the meals and the clean up. Special thanks to Billie Thomas for coordinating the event.

The first session of Junior Jimmies took place last Wednesday. It is not too late to register and join Junior Jimmies.

WHAT IS JUNIOR JIMMIES? Junior Jimmies is a transition program designed specifically for kindergarten students moving into Reception the following year. With a focus on early literacy skills, school routines, oral language development, social skills, and familiarising children with the school setting, Junior Jimmies is here to make the transition to school seamless and exciting.

Junior Jimmies runs over Terms 3 & 4, offering an extended transition to school program that ensures children feel confident and prepared for school. Beginning with 2.5-hour sessions at school, our program gradually increases to a full-day experience towards the end, allowing children to grow their confidence in their new school environment.

Session Times - Starting 30th August (Wednesday’s fortnightly Term 3 and weekly in Term 4 on Wednesday’s for a total of 10 sessions)

• The first 8 sessions with be run for 2.5 hours (8:55 – 11:20am)
• Session 9 - 22nd November will run until the end of lunch (1:45pm)
• The final session - 29th November will run for a full day.

Junior Jimmies will be led by an experienced educator who understands the unique needs of young learners. Our educators will create a nurturing and stimulating environment that fosters growth and development.

Who will be leading Junior Jimmies – Mrs Ellie Stacey

Where: Sessions will be held in our General-Purpose Learning spaces.  There will be some interaction with the current Reception class and specialist teachers throughout the program.

We believe in providing equal opportunities for all children, regardless of their background and that is why we offer our transition program for free!

Guest Speaker

The Parents and Friends committee have been successful in winning a grant from Catholic Education for a guest speaker. The committee has asked Australian of the Year, Tarryn Brumfit to come and answer our questions in relation to positive body image, social media, and mental health.

On Sunday 15th October at 10am, we will show her movie ‘Embrace’ and then Tarryn will be available to answer our questions. The talk will be free of charge and will be held at Maple and Pine. We’d love as many parents as possible to attend.

If you would like to secure your seat, please email Annie aoreilley@stjames.catholic.edu.au before we open it up to the community at the end of this week. There are only 120 tickets available. 

Catering

Thanks to Bridget, Roger and Alf L, Shona S, Tash D and her Mum Raelene B, Bec H, Jodie T and Steve T who took time out of their morning to make bacon and egg sandwiches for our dads. 

Thank you also to Billie T who organised and catered for 51 Heysen trail walkers on Saturday night with help from Sueanne R, Colleen B, Kerry S, Bec S (and her Mum Dianne, her father Brian and sister) and Evan W. Thank you also to all who donated food for this event.

Our next catering event will be for the CFS on September 23rd and 24th. We will again be asking for donations and a few workers. Please keep an eye out for rosters coming out soon. Your donations and hard work really do make a difference to the resources at our school. At the last meeting, funding for a high jump mat and 3D printer was approved for the school to purchase.

Summer School Dresses

P&F Uniform Committee ask that in preparation for summer uniform and next term, that parents please check their child’s sizing for School Dresses. If you will require a particular size for next term or early next year, please let the school office or Sophie Home know by the end of Week 8 (15th September).

R U OK Day - Thursday 14th September

On Thursday 14^th September, our school will be participating in R U OK? Day. On this day, students are invited to wear yellow to school. Students will also be participating in some activities during the day.

Classroom Pulse Survey - Each term all students are asked to complete a 5 minute wellbeing check-in. This consists of a survey that includes selecting emojis or writing short statements about students feelings about school. The survey results allow teachers to check in with how students are feeling at school and to provide adjustments as needed. If you have any concerns about how your child is doing at school, please feel free to contact their teacher.

Football Clinics

On Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th of September (Week 7), students will be participating in two Football (Soccer) clinic per class. We are looking forward to welcoming a specialised coach from Adelaide to teach our students the basic skills of football. Students will need to wear their PE uniform on both Tuesday and Wednesday this week.