House Teams

For the purpose of competition on carnival days and for other school activities, children are placed in one of four House Teams 

All the children from one family are placed in the same team and as far as practicable, will remain in this team for the whole of their schooling at St James’. 

Homework

At the beginning of each year, teachers will provide an outline of class procedures in regard to homework.

Environment

St James’ School is blessed with large outdoor areas. We have established an Environmental Team who take care of plants, tend and harvest a variety of fruits and vegetables. We have our aquaponics garden. An adventure playground that promotes safe play within nature and encourages students to take risks on the obstacles. We believe in giving our students many opportunities to play and learn in the outdoors. This play space is know as the ‘Father Doran area’.

As a Catholic school, we take seriously our duty as Stewards of Creation. Therefore, we strive to be a binless school by reducing the amount of throw away packaging that comes to school. All families are urged to pack their child / children’s recess and lunch in reusable containers clearly labelled with their name.

Crunch and Sip

St James’ is a ‘Crunch and Sip’ school, children are encouraged to bring a piece of fresh fruit or a vegetable to eat during crunch and sip. It is highly recommended that all students’ food is brought to school in reusable containers that are labelled with their name.

Nut Free

Due to the increase number of students with Anaphylaxis, St James’ is a nut aware school. Therefore, please be considerate when packing lunch boxes.

Sunsmart

St James’ is a Sun Smart school. As such, students are asked to wear sunscreen to school. A pump pack is available for all students to reapply sunscreen throughout break times from the first aid trolley. St James’ upholds the ‘no hat no play’ policy. Children without a hat must stay sit under the covered area near the administration office at recess and lunch.

Learning Hub (Library)

The Learning Hub is staffed by 1 teacher librarians who teach each class for a 60 minute lesson each week. These lessons integrate the use of technology to locate, organise and present information linked to units taught in the classroom. Programs running in the library to promote the love of reading are the PRC (Premier’s Reading Challenge) and Book Week in Term 3.

Each class borrows books once a week during which time they can borrow 2 or 3 books depending on their grade. They require a library bag to protect the books.

Internet Access

Please be vigilant supervising your child when on the internet or any other social media. Careful and continued monitoring at home of how online platforms are used will minimise issues such as bullying and scams. Please take the time to sit with your child and discuss the importance of Cyber Safety. An internet user agreement will be sent home, and needs be signed, by both you and your child.

At times, students may wish to email an assignment or a link to themselves at school. Students can only access their emails via Webmail. Their email addresses are:

firstname.lastname@mnstu.catholic.edu.au

Throughout their time at St James’ students will engage in a variety of programs and lessons regarding how to use the internet safely.

Money Sent to School

If on the odd occasion students need to bring cash to school, we ask that this money be placed in a sealed envelope and clearly marked.

NAME              CLASS             PURPOSE                    AMOUNT

Newsletters

Our school newsletter is available each fortnight on COMPASS. This contains information regarding the happenings around our school and community. Wherever possible, publications are published through COMPASS and our website. Parents are asked to ensure they have updated their email address through COMPASS to receive the newsletter.

Parental Involvement

There are many ways you could offer your help.

Parents & Friends Association (1^st Monday of each month at 7pm in the Learning Hub)

• Fundraising
• Canteen
• Class Helpers
• Excursions / incursions
• Sport Carnivals
• Playgroup
• Social Gatherings / Fundraising Activities
• Sacramental Preparation / Celebration

Whatever your talent, we welcome your contribution and extend an invitation to you to participate in your child’s education.

The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle has an absolute and abiding commitment to promote the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children. As a volunteer working in a diocesan school, you should be aware of your obligations and responsibilities in protecting students from abuse or neglect.

To become a volunteer within a diocesan school you are required to complete the online Volunteer Registration Form. This may mean you will be required to obtain a Working with Children Check and/or National Police Check. The school must receive the volunteer clearance from the diocese prior to volunteering. Please see the below link to the Volunteer Registration Form:

https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/people/volunteer/

The Diocese values the significant contribution volunteers make to all our schools, programs and services. Our volunteers enrich the quality of life for the people we support and their families and are in turn, enriched by their experiences.

Parent Groups

Contact between the school and the parent is of the utmost importance. Functions, which enable parents to meet each other as well as teachers, occur throughout the year.

The school’s Parents and Friends Association (P&F) exists to coordinate interest in St James’, to collaborate with the Principal and staff of the school and to help provide resources beneficial to the school and its pupils.

The P&F meet on the first Monday of each month at 7:00pm in the Learning Hub. All parents are earnestly invited to attend the meetings and take part in the decision-making and in the helping with the projects initiated.

Nicola Geary Memorial Fund

In February 2011, Nicola Geary a Kinder mum was excited to see her little boy Benjamin become a member of our St James’ Family. Sadly, Nicola passed away on Benjamin’s third day of school in February 2011. Nicola had a rare kidney disease known as Gitelman Syndrome. Nicola missed out on fulfilling her dreams as a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.

Nicola left behind a young family and out of the concern for the family a Mothers’ Dinner in July 2011 was held to help in raising funds for David and their children Benjamin & Lucy. This fundraiser was a great success. The Mothers’ Dinners in the following years raised funds for the “Nicola Geary Memorial Fund”.

This fund was established to support families who through illness, death or misadventure find themselves in financial difficulties in addressing their everyday needs.

School Canteen

Thanks to the generosity of the P & F, the school has a canteen for lunch orders and counter sales at lunch Monday, Wednesday and Friday. New volunteers are most welcome. Lunch orders are available online through Flex Schools. Birthday buckets of Zooper Doopers are available from the canteen.

Supporting Your Children

Life is full of ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ that children have to learn to cope with and manage, whether it’s being first at the swimming carnival or not being invited to a birthday party, having difficulty with multiplication or knowing that someone you love has moved away. Parents try their best to prepare and support their children during these times so they can win gracefully, accept defeat, persevere with challenges and be optimistic. Occasionally, you may need advice or professional help to do this.

At St James’, you can access some support services directly or seek advice on where to go for further help. The first port of call is always the class teacher. With your consent, he or she can seek the advice of the Learning Support Team. This comprises of:

• a member of the school executive (i.e. Principal, Assistant Principal, Religious Co-ordinator or Primary Co-ordinator)
• the Learning Support Teacher (LST)
• the School Psychologist
• the Class Teacher

We have additional staff who may work with classes, groups or individuals from time to time:

• Learning Support Assistants (LSA)
• Learning Support Teacher (LST)
• English as an Additional Language / Dialect (EAL/D) teachers
• School Psychologist

Teachers can refer students to the Learning Support Team. The Learning Support Team meet regularly to discuss how to best support your child. This might include one or more of the following options:

• A list of strategies to support the child in class, on the playground or at home
• Further assessment of learning needs by the Learning Support Teacher
• An intervention program to support additional needs or build skills, e.g. literacy, numeracy, social skills
• Referral to the school Psychologist for specialist advice
• Referral to the Pastoral Care Worker for social and emotional well-being or family support
• Referral to a Learning Support Education Officer from the Catholic Schools Office for specialist advice in particular areas of difficulty, e.g. Speech and Language, mobility, behaviour
• Recommendation to contact an outside service provider such as Paediatrician

Should you have any concerns about your child’s well-being or academic progress, do not hesitate to contact the class teacher. Early intervention is essential and can often prevent problems from escalating. If you would like advice on supporting your child at home with reading or other homework, the school can organise parent workshops or leaflets to address your needs.  Just let us know!

Appointments

PRINCIPAL - If you have any concerns regarding your child's development, or if you need to discuss any matter with the Principal, please do not hesitate to phone/email for an appointment.

TEACHER - If at any time, you wish to speak to your child's class teacher, please email of phone the office and they will let the teacher know.

Parent/Teacher Communication

Communication between class and home may take the form of individual meetings, called by either teacher or parent, or be whole class oriented. Parent/Teacher Conferences are held in early Term 1 and Term 3.

Lost Property

Please assist your child to identify clothing, drink bottles and lunch boxes by marking them clearly. Lost property boxes are located in the Passive Play Area.

Excursions / Incursions

From time to time class excursions/camps and visiting speakers (incursions) are arranged to broaden the children’s experience, complement current work being studied, and to make lessons and units of work more interesting. Cost is kept to a minimum and parental consent is required before any excursion or camp beyond the immediate school locality.

Assemblies

Assemblies are held each Monday afternoon in the School Hall. Parents are warmly invited to attend our school assemblies which commence at 2:10pm. The school assembly is a chance for children to receive awards and information of what is happening in the school. We celebrate the successes of our students at this time.

Birthdays

Birthday buckets of Zooper Doopers are available for purchase through the canteen on Flexischools.