Filter Content
Dear Parents and Carers,
As we prepare to celebrate Grandparents' Day at St James’, it's a perfect moment to reflect on the profound impact that grandparents have in our lives and in the life of the Church. This special day allows us to honour not only our beloved grandparents but also to remember the significant role that Jesus' grandparents, St Anne and St Joachim, play in our faith tradition.
St Anne and St Joachim were blessed to be the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, making them the grandparents of Jesus. Though they are not mentioned in the Bible, their story has been passed down through sacred tradition and is cherished in the Church.
According to tradition, Anne and Joachim were devout and faithful people who longed for a child. Their prayers were answered when Anne conceived Mary, who would become the Mother of Jesus. This gift was seen as a divine blessing and a testament to their dedication to their faith.
Last year I was privileged to visit the Church of St Anne, whilst on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This Church is built on the site of the childhood home of Mary. The Church is dedicated to Anne and Joachim, who according to tradition lived here. This was such a moving experience to visit this Church and to pray for my own grandparents and all grandparents lighting a candle and offering prayer. The photos I have included show the beautiful altar and one of the prayer spaces throughout the Church.
Grandparents' Day provides us with a special opportunity to express our gratitude to our grandparents and all older generations who play a nurturing role in our lives. Just as St Anne and St Joachim supported and nurtured Mary, our grandparents offer wisdom, love, and guidance that profoundly shape our lives. They are a living link to our past and a source of strength and stability.
This day is also a time to reflect on the values and teachings that grandparents pass down to us—values like kindness, compassion, and faith. It's a chance for us to honour their contributions and to acknowledge the important role they play in our families and our faith community.
We look forward to having our grandparents visit our school next Friday, 20th September.
Best Wishes,
Mrs Sonya Boslem
Principal
This Sunday is a Perpetual Day of Remembrance
September 15th, promulgated as a ‘Perpetual Day of Remembrance’ in our diocese, marks a day of solemn remembrance of the harm caused by a history of child sexual abuse and failure to protect children. It has two aspects: one focused on supporting survivors and the other on the prayer of the whole church. This year Perpetual Day of Remembrance Sunday falls on September 15th. As people of faith, we can pray for a change of heart as the ground of hope for a safer future for all.
Special prayer resources are available online at:
www.mn.catholic.org.au/church-mission/perpetual-day-of-remembrance
Every person is invited to use and help disseminate as widely as possible the resource for Individuals and households. May Christ be our Light.
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans (14:7 – 9)
“The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life, it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”
Religious Literacy in Year 2
This Term Year 2 are learning about “The Christian response to sharing of God’s love through the ways we live in right relationship with God and other people. They will examine ways to interact with others and how actions can reflect the love of God. This module explores what it means to be part as part of a caring community. Students will learn about Jesus’ great commandment to love one another and ways of applying this commandment to their own lives.”
By the end of this module each child should be able to demonstrate the following Religious Literacy Components:
|
RELIGIOUS LITERACY COMPONENTS |
|
HOW WELL CAN STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MODULE |
|
Identifies ways communities care for one another. |
|
Recognises ways that the Church is a caring community. |
|
Makes connections between Jesus’ teachings and actions and caring for others. |
|
Outlines ways of living justly. |
|
Articulates the message of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. |
|
Recalls stories from the Gospels about caring for others. |
|
Demonstrates an understanding of the Option for the Poor. |
|
Identifies ways that the community can care for our neighbours. |
|
Suggests ways of caring for the poor. |
|
Outlines ways that the community is responsible for caring for creation. |
Term 3 Liturgies and Celebrations
- Friday Parish Mass:
Week 10: 27th September-Year 5 and Year 1
We would love to have you join us.
- Parish/School Mass
Saturday 14th September 5:00pm
- First Eucharist Masses
Saturday 14th September 5:00pm
Saturday 21st September 5:00pm
- Grandparents Day: Friday 20th September
Liturgy 12:00pm
Please see the attached flyer for details of our celebration.
Sacramental Program
The Parish Sacramental Program will conclude over the next two weeks with the sacramental candidates receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the fist time. This will complete their full initiation into the Catholic church.
Please pray for our children who are preparing to receive Jesus in the Eucharist.
Mrs Patricia Miller
Religious Coordinator
ICAS
We have completed all six ICAS examinations and are awaiting the results. When the certificates arrive, I will present these during an up-and-coming school assembly. Well done to all the students involved.
Child Protection Week
Last week was Child protection Week, the theme was ‘Every conversation Matters’. Families may have seen our entry into the Decorate your Gate competition (ran by the CSO and the Office of Safeguarding) on the fence near the top gate. Below is a description of what and why we created our display the way we did.
Decorate Your Gate Competition
At St James Kotara South, our entry for the “Decorate Your Gate” competition embodies this year’s child protection theme, “Every Conversation Matters,” through our display we have chosen faceless characters to highlight the power of words. Our gate features dynamic silhouettes representing people from all backgrounds and ages, symbolizing the power and importance of open, respectful conversations.
Each silhouette is intricately designed to reflect all people, highlighting that every individual's voice contributes to a richer, more understanding community. By showcasing these diverse figures, our display underscores how meaningful dialogue bridges gaps and fosters a safe environment where everyone feels heard and valued. This visual representation aligns with the theme by demonstrating that every conversation—regardless of age, background or culture—plays a crucial role in ensuring safety and building strong, supportive relationships within our school community.
Office of Safeguarding and Safety Commission
I spent some time last week viewing the resources on offer to schools and families and came across this ‘Time Online’ resource that families may find informative.
Time Online - How much is too much?
There is no magic figure. The right amount of screen time can depend on a range of factors like your child’s age and maturity, the kind of content they are consuming, their learning needs and your family routine. It can be easy to focus only on the clock, but the quality and nature of what they are doing online, and your involvement, are just as important.
Links to the above mentioned resources/videos can be found here.
Digital technologies and mental health / Parental Controls
Parent resources | eSafety Commissioner
SchoolTV
https://kotarasouth.catholic.schooltv.me/
SPECIAL REPORT: Online Game Fortnite
The current craze sweeping the nation, is an online game called ‘Fortnite: Battle Royale’. Unfortunately, this highly addictive game is impacting negatively on the behaviour of adolescent kids everywhere. Despite it being inappropriate for primary aged children, there are still many kids in this age group battling online and teachers are reporting changes in classroom behaviour.
It has been described as a “gruesome, Hunger Games-like video game” which, as of June 2018, had 125 million registered players worldwide. In the game, up to 100 players battle each other in a savage fight to the death using weapons such as rocket launchers, grenades, assault rifles, cross-bows, pickaxes and shotguns. Disturbingly, many players post their “top 10 kills of the week” on YouTube which get hundreds of thousands of views!
Increasing evidence of young players suffering psychological distress as a result of gaming is of great concern to parents. We hope this special report will prompt parents to reassess gaming allowances and better manage technology usage at home.
https://kotarasouth.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/online-game-fortnite-special-report
If families are experiencing difficulty, you can also access the following site to book online sessions about topics relevant to you and your family through the kids helpline.
Search Kids Helpline @ School Resources & Education Topics
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs Debra Petersen
Assistant Principal
| Monday 16th September |
Gymnastics - Kindergarten, Year 1 & Year 2 Indigenous Literacy Foundation Book Sale |
| Tuesday 17th September |
NSWPSSA Golf Diocesan Socktober Launch |
| Friday 20th September |
Grandparents Day |
| Monday 23rd September |
Summer Uniform |
| Wednesday 25th September |
Year 2 Tocal Excursion |
| Thursday 26th September |
St James Mission Event |
| Friday 27th September |
Parish Mass Year's 1 & 5 / 9:15am |
| Monday 14th October |
Pupil Free Day |
| Tuesday 15th October |
First Day Back for Students Term 4 NSWPSSA Cricket |
| Monday 21st October |
Kindergarten Transition 9:30am - 11:00am |
| Monday 11th November |
Kindergarten Transition 9:30am - 11:00am |
| Thursday 28th November |
Kindergarten Transition 9:30am - 11:00am |
This fortnight in PBL the St James’ community will continue to learn the expectations in our third pillar of RESILIENCE. We can show we are resilient by being a problem solver. As a community we consider how important resilience is. When you overcome setbacks and problems, it builds confidence and helps you feel more capable the next time a problem comes up.
Resilient people are often good at solving problems and learning new skills. This is because they’re more willing to try again even if things don’t go the way they want the first time. PBL is for all people, all places, all the time including our families at home. What problems can you solve this fortnight?
NSWPSSA Soccer Championships
Last week, we competed in the NSW state championships in Tamworth with our Polding team. We played 8 games in total, facing off against 14 talented teams divided into 2 pools of 7 teams each. Over the 3 days, we finished as one of the top two teams in our pool, which was a historic achievement as it was the first time a Polding team reached the semifinals. In the semifinals, we played a tough match against Sydney East. After regular time and an extra 10 minutes, the score was still 0-0, and Sydney East advanced to the finals due to having more corner kicks. We ended up with a bronze medal. We would like to thank our parents for driving us up to Tamworth and we thank the coaching staff for their support and coaching.
Oliver, Mateo and Gianluca
Gymnastics K-2
Over the last two weeks, Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 have been participating in Gymnastics at school. Take a look at some of our little gymnasts!
St Pius Sports Day
On Wednesday, Year 6 students attended a Sports Day hosted by Year 10 PASS students at St Pius. Students were split into three teams and participated in a range of activities including dodgeball, volleyball, vortex and speedball. A fun day for all involved.
Mrs Tegan Fry & Miss Renee Pettet
Sports Organisers
Tuesday November 5th starting at 6:00pm, Civic Theatre Newcastle involving all of our choir participants for the Diocesan Choir Showcase.
Thank You
Thank you to the generosity of our P&F for providing $3000 towards readers for Kindergarten and Year 1. We look forward to getting these into classrooms very soon.
P&F Meeting
Our next P&F meeting is scheduled for Monday, 4th November at 7pm in the Parish Hall.
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
Thank you to our parents for the support and value that you place on your child being at school each day. Regular school attendance plays a critical role in ensuring that every student has access to the same learning opportunities. When students are not at school, are late to school or leave school early, they are missing out on so much that can impact on their future learning.
The following Attendance Guidelines are based on current legislative requirements, research on attendance and best practice.
✔ Attendance affects a child’s academic achievement and their overall wellbeing.
✔ There is NO safe threshold of absence – everyday counts.
✔ School attendance patterns are established early in a child’s schooling
✔ The effects of school absenteeism accumulate over time and affect children’s development now and into the future.
✔ Daily punctuality is important. The early part of each day is critical. Important learning is scheduled during this time when children are rested and receptive. Key concepts are built up in the time.
✔ Sporadic absences can affect academic achievement as much as absences over consecutive days.
✔ We ALL need to work together with our children’s best interest in mind to ensure that students are at school every day that they are well enough to attend.
Compass Unexplained Absences
Unexplained absences are required to be explained within 7 days of the absence on Compass. A weekly email will be sent to parents to alert of any unexplained absences that can be updated on Compass. Please note that if the absence is longer than 7 days, the absence is then unable to be explained by parents or school.
Complaints and Grievances
The CSO has formal written protocols in place to address complaints and grievances. These protocols are in line with the Diocesan Complaints Resolution Policy, developed to provide a consistent approach for all diocesan schools. This policy aims to address the concerns of parents and carers and the wider community. These concerns may include children’s learning, behaviour and welfare, school organisation and management, student health and safety issues.
To lodge a complaint with the Catholic Schools Office please click here.
You can access the Catholic Schools Office Complaints and Resolutions Policy and resources here.
If you have any 2nd hand St James school uniforms at home you no longer require, donations are welcome to the Front Office please. We can add them to our 2nd Hand Uniform pool for sale to other families. Thank you.
It is great to see the sun shining and warmer weather predicted over the coming weeks. Therefore, to accommodate this change, students are welcome to transition from the Winter school uniform to the Summer school uniform. Parents may make the decision daily depending on the forecast.
The official change over date for all students to be wearing our full school Summer uniform will be Week 10, Monday the 23rd September.
The first week of Term 4 will be PUPIL FREE on MONDAY OCTOBER 14. Staff will be working with CSO Education Officers on improving our PBL Framework ready to launch in 2025.