Dear Parents and Carers,

We are now in the the joyous season of Easter. At this time, let us reflect on the message of hope and renewal that it brings to our Catholic faith. Thank you to the staff and students for their preparation in our school Easter celebration. It is this sacred season which reminds us of the promise of resurrection and the unconditional love that God has for each of us. May the light of Christ fill all our families, bringing peace and happiness to our Easter celebrations. Let us carry the spirit of Easter into our lives, spreading kindness, compassion, and love within our community.

As we reach the end of Term 1, we celebrate the great learning and achievements of all students at St James’. We also take the time to give thanks and gratitude to the staff who have facilitated so many learning experiences for the children. At the end of this term we will farewell Mrs Margaret Harris who is retiring from a wonderful 48 year career of teaching in Catholic Education. Mrs Harris has been a part of the St James’ community for over 20 years and more recently the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teacher at our school. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Margaret for her commitment to the community of St James over the years and we are deeply grateful for her expertise and knowledge she has shared with all over the years. We wish her all the best in the next chapter as she enjoys retirement with her husband and family. Next Wednesday we will celebrate Mrs Harris’ wonderful career with a liturgy under the COLA at 10.15am. All welcome!

Wishing all our families a wonderful holiday. We hope that all return to school well rested and ready for a busy and productive Term 2!

Mrs Sonya Boslem
Principal

This Sunday’s Gospel is from John 20: 19-21

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they have forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.”

In community, the disciples found faith in the risen Christ. Thomas, for some reason, was not with them when the Lord came. Separated from the community, he found faith more difficult. Faith in the Lord, while personal, is not a private affair. In the faith of one, the faith of another may be strengthened. Formation in faith for the disciples had its communal experience - together they learned and found faith in the Lord.

Upcoming Liturgical Events:

Term 2

Monday 29^th April- ANZAC Memorial Service 2:10pm lead by Year 6

Friday  3^rd May- Mass for the Feast of Sts Philip and James Time TBC

Thursday 9^th May- Mother’s Day Liturgy 9:15am lead by Year 2

Saturday 18^th May Parish/School Mass 5:30pm at St Philip’s Church

Patricia Miller
Religious Coordinator

Office of Safeguarding

As the holidays are approaching it is a good time to remind your child/ren about the importance of safety in our ‘online’ world. Below are some helpful tips and a great visual for families.

How to Stay Safe on the Internet

1. Don’t post any personal information online – like your address, email address or
2. mobile number.
3. Keep your privacy settings as high as possible
4. Never give out your passwords
5. Don’t befriend people you don’t know.
6. Don’t meet up with people you’ve met online.
7. Remember that not everyone online is who they say they are
8. Think carefully about what you say before you post something online
9. Respect other people’s views, even if you don’t agree with someone else’s views
10. doesn’t mean you need to be rude
11. If you see something online that makes you feel uncomfortable, unsafe or worried: leave the website, turn off your computer if you want to and tell a trusted adult immediately.

The Office of Safeguarding has some wonderful resources available to our students and community. I encourage all parents and carers to look at these links and to share and important information with your children. I have included the resources for High school students as many of our St James’ students have older siblings.

Resources for Primary School Students

https://padlet.com/childprotection/resources-for-primary-school-students-ta8uzzgbz8vlvku0

Resources for Vulnerable Persons

https://padlet.com/childprotection/resources-for-vulnerable-persons-38h0cuex3bj4sn2f

Resources for Parents and Carers

https://padlet.com/childprotection/resources-for-parents-carers-jqddlxahc0zswvk4

Resources for High School Students

https://padlet.com/childprotection/resources-for-high-school-students-nh1jukq19j6cby33

Stay safe everyone and enjoy the holidays! Rest, relax and spend time with those that you value the most.

My personal thanks to all the staff and students for their hard work throughout Term 1. Take care.

Mrs Debra Petersen
 Assistant Principal

We ask that parents do the following:

• You stay in the order you arrive at the Kiss and Drop Zone.
• There is no cutting in front of other vehicles.
• You will not leave until the vehicle in front has left the zone.
• There will be no reversing of vehicles.
• You do not get out of the car – unless your child requires assistance to be restrained in a
car seat.
• When using the Kiss and Drop Zone you display your family name label.

As we focus on ensuring the safety of our children on their way to and from school with our new dismissal procedures, we kindly ask for your assistance in reinforcing the importance of safe crossing practices. Taking a few moments to discuss these guidelines with your child can help instil lifelong habits that prioritize safety:

Pedestrian Crossings:

Always use the pedestrian crossing opposite the church on Vista Parade. We have our crossing supervisor there each morning and afternoon to help our school community cross safely. Teach your child how to cross safely by:

• Waiting on the footpath well back from the curb of the road.
• Wait until the supervisor stops traffic, stays stationary in the middle of the road and clearly indicates to cross over safely.
• If your child rides a bike, scooter or skateboard, they are to walk them across rather than riding them over.
• If siblings are walking together into school, it is good practice to hold hands (if the younger child is less than 8 years of age- NSW transport)
• Point out the difference between a pedestrian crossing and a pedestrian refuge island (St. James has one near the intersection of Princeton and Vista Parade). The refuge islands are not pedestrian crossings and should not be used in this way of a morning and afternoon. All our students are to use the crossing with the guidance of our supervisor.  

An important message for the bikers using the Raspberry Gully track on Princeton heading towards Charlestown direction: always stick to the track when riding and avoid using shared driveways as shortcuts as this can be dangerous having to contend with cars, particularly in the estate across the road from the school.

We are having these talks at school but also having these conversations at home about crossing behaviours, we are able to create a safer environment together for our children. Thank you for your continued support in keeping our school community safe.

Dio Sport Trials

In Week 9, students from St James attended Dio Sport Trials around the region. Congratulations to all students who attended these trials. A special congratulations to Addison (Netball), Ace H and Jarvis P (Rugby League), Mateo, Oliver and Gianluca (Soccer) for their selection into the Diocesan Teams.

Regional Touch Football Trials

On Wednesday 27^th of March, students attended Wallsend Touch Fields to trial for the Regional Touch Football Team. Congratulations to all the students who attended, we are very proud of you. Evie L was successful and will attend the Dio Trials in May.

NSWPSSA Championships

In May, Evie L and Evie M will attend the NSW PSSA Championships in Newcastle over consecutive days. Here they will play against other teams in NSW. At the event, selectors will look to pick some players to represent NSW at the state championships. We wish the girls the best of luck!

Polding Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to Oliver P, Isabel S, Madeleine S, Jonah T, Soren R, Oliver L and Sebastian K who represented the Diocese at the Polding Swimming Championships earlier this week.

Oliver P received a bronze medal for the 50m freestyle. Isabel received a bronze medal for the 50m butterfly. Madeleine and Oliver P were also selected to hold the Diocesan Flag. Oliver P and Isabel are now off to NSWPSSA State Swimming Championships next week.

St James’ 2024 Athletics Carnival

The St James’ Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday 10th May, at the Fearnley-Dawes Athletics Track.

This is a whole-school event. The children will travel to and from the carnival by bus to this event. Students will be leaving school at 9:00am and buses will return to school by the end of the day for dismissal.

You will be emailed a link to this event on compass.

What you will need to do:

« Please provide consent for your child to attend online through the compass event

« Please ensure that your child’s medical requirements and emergency contact information are up to date on the school records.

« All children will automatically be entered into their 100 metre age race (50 metre race for Kindergarten and Year 1).

« All children will participate in fun, non-competitive tabloid activities throughout the day.

« If your child would like to participate in the 200m and 800m events, please nominate for these events through the compass event

« If your child would like to be considered for the 1500m and High Jump events at the regional carnival, please submit their Little Athletics times/heights and/or Cross-Country Result through the compass event also.

« If you are able to help out on the day, we would love your support. (Please note: you must have completed your school volunteer clearance.)

Please respond to the compass event as soon as possible. Access to the Compass event will close on the 5th of April.

OVERVIEW OF THE DAY

The children will travel by bus to the Fearnley-Dawes Athletics Track. When the children arrive, they will sit in the grandstand in their colour house groups.

9:20am- 800m races begin

9:50am- Acknowledgement of Country, Prayer & National Anthem

10:00am- 200m races

10:40am- Tabloid Rotations Begin- The children will go to their Age Manager. They will remain with their Age Manager for the rest of the day. They will rotate through the tabloid activities until their 100m race is called.

Children will leave the activities, compete in their age race and then return to the tabloid rotations.This format enables the greatest level of active participation for every child.

Relays will follow 100m races. Relay teams are made up of colour house members where possible. If a team is short, we will use children from another colour house. These teams are just for fun at our school carnival. The relay teams that progress to Regional level are made up of the fastest runners from our 100m age races.

PLEASE NOTE:

· In running events, the children who complete the fastest times are selected for representation; there will be no finals. Therefore, not all heat place-getters will be selected.

· This year there will be 2 Long jump and shot put events operating. One is competitive and one is ‘just for fun.’ The children will be shortlisted for the competitive events prior to the carnival.

· If you wish to take your child home from the carnival, please see either Mrs Petersen or Mrs Boslem to sign them out beforehand. All other children will return to school by bus.

· The teachers will take any necessary medications from the school to the carnival. They will be stored at the first aid trestle table.

REMINDERS:

· Children will wear their sport uniform with a house colour t-shirt.

· Children are to bring a packed lunch and plenty of water. There will be no canteen facilities available on the day.

· Please ensure your child is wearing sunscreen prior to the event.

· We welcome parents and carer as spectators however you must remain in the designated areas. These areas will be clearly marked and parents reminded throughout the day. Parents will not be allowed to access the field area. Crossing of the track disrupts races and can be quite dangerous for our competitors.

Tegan Fry and Renee Pettet
Sports Organiser

The Learning Hub has been in full swing since Week 3 with the usual round of lending and borrowing available for all students.

It has been sometime since the school rules around borrowing have been covered and I thought it would be a good opportunity for our first Newsletter entry for 2024 to go over the borrowing rules.

Kindergarten - Only borrow from the Book Boxes and they can borrow two books for a two-week period.

Years 1 and 2 - Can borrow from the Book Boxes and the junior fiction and non-fiction books within the Learning Hub and can borrow two books for a two-week period.

Years 3 to 5 - Can borrow from anywhere within the Learning Hub with the exception of Senior Fiction which is reserved exclusively for Year 6. Each student can borrow two books for a two-week period.

Year 6 - Can borrow throughout the whole Learning Hub and they are allowed to borrow 3 books for a two week period.

Please be aware that in order to borrow, a student must have a Library bag with them at the time they borrow the books. This is done so that while the books are in transit from School to home and back the quality of our school library collection is maintained for as long as possible.

Going Digital

A few years ago our St James School Library was updated to a Borrowing system called Oliver. One of the great features of Oliver is that it allows the borrowing of E- Books through the St James School Library. The Oliver based collection has thousands of E-Books available for St James students to borrow. This is done through the SORA app which you need to download.

The process for this is available below.

This link will take you to Oliver:

https://mncatholicprimary3.softlinkhosting.com.au/oliver/OpacLogin?corporation=mnkotarasouthsj

This link will take you to SORA https://soraapp.com/home

Talking about borrowing books, we have recently decorated a section of the Learning Hub to announce the official start of The Premiers Reading Challenge for 2024.  The Premiers Reading challenge is open until the 23^rd of August.

Last year we were very proud to present over seventy Premiers Reading Challenge certificates to our students as well as Five Gold certificates to students who have earned and received four consecutive annual certificates. We are very keen to eclipse this amazing achievement in 2024. 

Please be advised that the Premiers Reading Challenge log-in is the same every year. The log-in received in kindergarten continues throughout the schooling of the student. It does not get renewed or changed. If you have lost access to the Premiers Reading Challenge Log-in for your child, please contact Mr Coleman, Mrs Churches or Mrs Farley.

Please also note that this year’s kindergarten students will be issued with their log-in next week and a new initiative will be launched in due course to kick start their Premiers Reading Challenge while they attend St James'.

Exciting Developments

We have once again renewed our school computers in order to provide a reliable and effective computer experience to our Kinder to Year 4 students. At the start of Term 3, Year 4 will commence their Bring Your Own Device program. This is an exciting development for them as it is the introduction to them having their own devices to care for and use in the school environment.

ANZAC Day

During the break ANZAC Day will be commemorated.

During Term 1, Our Year 3 students have been looking at Australian Celebrations and Commemorations and in particular why ANZAC Day is celebrated. As part of this unit of work the students are gaining an understanding of the ceremonial as well as the social traditions that attach to this day. As in the past, we will create a tribute in the Learning Hub for ANZAC Day on our feature wall for a period at the start of Term 2 to help commemorate this sacred day in Australia.

The Learning Hub Team
Mr Coleman, Mrs Churches and Mrs Farley

We are excited to announce that our Year 6 students will be attending the combined schools ANZAC commemorative event at the CIVIC theatre on Wednesday, April 9th. The theme for this year's event is "An Enduring Bond of Courage and Mateship."

The performance will delve into the collaboration between Australia and New Zealand in theatres of war, as well as explore aspects of diplomacy, training, and peacekeeping. This year, the students involved in the performance had the unique opportunity to work with students from New Zealand in creating the content for the service.

The event will also feature students from the ASPIRE Drama ensemble in our Diocese. We believe that this experience will not only be educational but also a great way for our students to honour and learn about those who have served Australia through our Armed forces or during times of war.

We look forward to sharing this meaningful experience with our Year 6 students and hope that it will be a valuable learning opportunity for them.

A bus will transport the students to and from the St James, and we are asking that parents provide permission via Compass by Tuesday.

Complaints and Grievances

P & F AGM

The P&F AGM will be held on Monday 8th April at 7:00pm. This meeting will be held in the Parish meeting room near the Church. Please park in the Parish Carpark.

All welcome!

Easter Raffle

Thank you to everyone who donated to our Easter Raffle, and to those who purchased raffle tickets. We raised approximately $1600 which will go towards new sport equipment for the school.

Canteen

There has been Food Safety Changes for all school canteens. If you are a volunteer in the school canteen, can you please follow the below link to ensure compliance of the new NSW Government Food Authority Standard 3.2.2A.

https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/retail/school-canteens

Playgroup