Week 3, Term 1

God of mercy, 
We pray for the people of Turkey and Syria following the recent earthquakes. 
We mourn the death and destruction and pray for those who have died and those who grieve. 
We hold in our hearts those who are injured and those who have lost loved ones, livelihoods and homes. 

There are COVID cases in the school community including a cluster in the Yr 3/4 class. We ask everyone to monitor for symptoms.  

Students who are unwell should stay home if they have cold or flu-like symptoms and get tested for COVID-19. If students test positive to COVID-19, please advise the school as soon as possible, and we ask that they stay at home until all acute symptoms (runny nose, sore throat, cough and fever) have cleared.  

Each Catholic school has 4 closure days for staff training and development per year. The first school closure date is in Week 5 – Monday 27th February. Teachers will take part in Restorative Practices Training. This is aimed at enhancing social skills for children. Please mark the date in your calendars. 

All Year 6 students are invited to attend YCS with Sr. Kerry at 3:30, next Monday 20th February. Students from JCS in Year 7, 8 and 9 are also welcome to attend. YCS stands for Young Catholic Students. YCS provides opportunities for senior primary students in Year 6 to maintain strong links with the Sisters of St. Joseph. Sr Kerry Keenan rsj who is based at Clare, visits us regularly. 

We will celebrate Shrove Tuesday on 21st February at 9am with a Liturgy (prayer service). Students will be provided pancakes as a treat, before we move into the season of Lent. Pancakes will be served free of charge at 10am.  

We are seeking 1 or 2 helpers to cook and serve these. We would also be grateful for any donations of Pancake mix, lemons or jam. If you can make a donation, please let us know before making any purchases, so dietary requirements can be considered. Please let office staff know if you can assist. 

P & F will be catering for a CFS training weekend on the 17th-19th March. More information will follow soon.

If you are able to assist on any of these days we would greatly appreciate it.

The first Parents and Friends Meeting will take place next week on Tuesday, 21st February at 6:30pm. All parents, new and existing are welcome to attend. Meetings take place in the Meeting Room in the Learning Centre. Come along and hear about how our parents are involved in social and fundraising activities. 

Next week, we will be hosting a Parent Information Evening on Wednesday 22nd February from 6 to 7pm. Students are welcome to attend. As we have many new staff, this evening will provide parents with the opportunity to meet their child’s teacher informally and to ask any questions. 

All parents and grandparents are invited to the Year 5/6 Assembly on Friday 24th February at 2:40pm. We look forward to hearing about what they have been learning in class.  

The 50c Book Sale was held last week. I would like to thank everyone who supported the school with the sales. The remaining books will be sold at the upcoming Pop Up Op Shop on 24-26th March. 

Ally Kelly 

My name is Ally Kelly and I live here in Jamestown. I have been a teacher for just over 10 years, working at both Jamestown Community School and St Joseph’s School Peterborough. I am excited to be back working within the Jamestown community and stepping into the leadership role as APRIM at St James School. I have appreciated the generous welcome from many new and familiar faces here at St James and I look forward to becoming a part of this school community.

Amy Kennedy

Hello! My name is Amy Kennedy and I moved to Jamestown late last year with my husband and 2 children. I am the WHS Coordinator at St James and at St Columba's Memorial School Yorketown. I have worked in both public and private schools as support staff for the last 6 years.

 

 

 

 

 

Chloe Cunningham

My name is Chloe Cunningham, I live in Laura and I am working as an ESO for curriculum support in the reception class, working 3 days per week. I have previously spent 8 years working at Jamestown community Children’s Centre in child care and pre-school support.

Claire Sheridan

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OPENING SCHOOL MASS AND DIOCESAN THEME

Last Friday we celebrated the beginning of the new school year and introduced our new theme for the Port Pirie Diocese, ‘Called to Community’. Fr Brian and the Year 5/6 class led us in mass and invited us to think more deeply about our response to this call to community, by accepting others as they are and building a community of love, not just through our words but also our actions. We look forward to unpacking this theme more as the year progresses.

We invite all members of our school community to journey with us, as we continue to create a place of welcome here at St James. We look forward to the many blessings that 2023 will bring to our school and wider community. 

God of friendship and love, 

I come to know your love and care through the embodied presence of others. 

Weave me together with kindred spirits, knit me more closely with friends of the soul, 

Cultivate in me a kinship with humanity so that I recognise my struggles and joys in others. 

In my loneliness reveal to me this communion and may I be a solace to others who ache for connection. 

Transform me through conversation and loving presence. 

Help me to see how I am part of a great circle of pilgrims, witnesses, ancestors and mystics who guide me to true connection with You. 

Gather me into your great wide heart, so that I might discover I am never separate but always held in love. 

Christine Valters Paintner 

THE SEASON OF LENT 

ASH WEDNESDAY 

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (22nd February, Wednesday Week 4). We will be participating in an Ash Wednesday Mass led by Fr Brian at 9 am. All parishioners and community members are most welcome to attend.

Lent begins with the marking of ashes, a sign to remind us to live the way Jesus did. Ash Wednesday begins the forty days of Lent, as we prepare for Jesus’ resurrection at Easter. It is a special time when God invites us to go without and do good things for others. It is a time to take action.

SHROVE TUESDAY 

Next Tuesday 21st February, the school community will gather together at 9am for a prayer service for Shrove Tuesday. Students will then have the opportunity to eat pancakes.

PROJECT COMPASSION  

Project Compassion runs through the six weeks of Lent every year. During Lent, we raise money for disadvantaged people all over the world. During this time, students will learn about different people all over the world and how the work of Caritas Australia and Project Compassion has helped these individuals live fulfilling lives. The theme of Project Compassion 2023 is ‘For All Future Generations’ and reminds us that the good we do today extends to impact the lives of generations to come. It invites us to make the world a better place by working together now and finding long-term solutions to global issues.

We encourage you to put your compassion into action this Lent through prayer, fasting and almsgiving in support of Project Compassion. Keep an eye out in the Parent Bulletin and Newsletter over the next few weeks to see our project compassion fundraising initiatives within our school and classes.

Book Club was sent home last week. Please ensure you place any orders online by the 20th of February.