Term 1 Week 6 (05/03/2021)

What Is On?

Dear Parents and Carers,

You may have noticed that the executive was "away" on zoom Wednesday and Thursday at the Leaders Clergy Conference. ( Then again you may not have noticed as we were in the Library and Kiss and Drop) 

Anyway! There were some great ideas presented for our consideration. Speakers discussed how we need to build student voice and choice in the learning agenda, which is something we work on at St James.

Idea: ( Stephen Hempell)

Children are important in leading what they are learning - “We forgot how good children can be”.

Interestingly, when I shared this challenge with the executive and some staff, the response to this comment was. " No,  that is not true."  "No teacher who is teaching in 2021 would be able to say that. " and "I could be offended by that". It is an area where we need to continue to strive and with the right attitude, I believe that the learning engagement can continue to strengthen.  

Idea: ( Angela Hay) 

Students designing their learning are more engaged - “The current generation is a golden generation - enormously valuable and special”. It was nice to spend time working with a positive forward looking and thinking agenda. Beyond the now, looking at possibilities and honestly recognising the challenges and barriers we need to overcome.  Time to reflect and reconsider is a gift that we were offered over the 2 days and for that I am very grateful.

Idea: ( Stephen Hempell)

Children know they can learn outside of the traditional classroom and want to.  You might notice the continuing development of the investigation spaces around the school. Our latest project has been to fence off and grass the Stage 1 investigations space behind the library, near Kiss and Drop.  This is part of a bigger project to maximise the use of the spaces around the school. This includes the 5th classroom beyond the back fence. Weather permitting we will be really competing cross country with the back area in the course. The gate has been put in, now we need to weed and slash. Fingers crossed the weather cooperates. 

Idea: ( Angela Hay) 

Children need lots of modelling for learning and opportunites for flexible grouping. This is an area of our professional learning that we continue to focus on: 

*Ask your children about "the learning pit" in mathematics; the choice and voice they have in where they learn; and the difficult choices they have to make when the teacher says " Is this the best spot for you to work with your "bestie"?  

My absolutely favourite comment from  Br David Hall fms asked us to consider our purpose to build a new humanity where we create a more compassionate world, where interdependence and common destiny are the core of our lives, supported by love.(of God and our world) 

See you in Kiss and Drop WAIT ... READ ON!

Ann

STOP THE PRESSES- community welcome on site!

As of Monday 8th March.  (We are so relieved).   In all schools the community are welcomed on site with all COVID rules still in place. Staff will be available to assist for parents who are new or unsure of where to go.

What this means for safe access is...

1.Parents and carers can park on the front of school grass (not in staff carpark or Kiss and Drop) and walk children in.  Bell still 9:00am to start day.

Kiss and Drop still available .

2. Parents and carers can collect children at 3:10pm from the big top.

Kiss and Drop still available

3. As we are still in COVID cleaning plan, the silver seats are NOT available for parents and carers.

4.Please take care when parking on Carr's Drive to watch for: children, cars, trucks and buses. Small children do need to be securely with a parent to enter or exit. 

5.The school playground is not open for children before or after school. 

6.The carpark and Kiss and Drop gates are not for pedestrian access as it is very dangerous. 

7.We will still bring children out to cars in K and D during the school day for early departures. Please ring 66463266. 

8.Staff are still social distancing and the whole school is still under the same capacities in all spaces. 

-All the other details are in the attached note from the CSO including sport, assemblies and singing.  Please read this carefully.

I would have liked to email this to every family but the diocesan internet with all your email addresses on it will not load. Please let everyone know who may be interested.

It is not "back to normal"yet but I will take what we can get.

RE News

Sport News

Swimming

Last Friday at Murwillumbah we had 7 students from St James competing at the Diocesan Swimming Carnival. As mentioned in last week's newsletter two students, Clarence Dougherty and Kydan Jones, were successful in qualifying for the Polding carnival to be held in Sydney on Monday 22nd March. Good luck boys.

Results from Diocesan carnival are below.

• Clarence Dougherty - 1st 8yrs Freestyle
• Lola Dougherty - 4th 8yrs Freestyle
• Kydan Jones - 3rd 10yrs Freestyle, 4th Junior Butterfly, 6th Junior Backstroke
• Heidi Van Leest - 4th 11yrs Freestyle, 4th 11yrs Breastroke
• Dexta Jones - 9th 12 yrs Freestyle, 9th Senior Butterfly, 10th Open 100m Freestyle, 10th Senior Backstroke
• Levi O’Shea, Clarence Dougherty, Eamon Mawn, Kydan Jones - 3rd Junior Relay

Winter Sport Trials

The Winter Sport Trials were held in Woolgoolga on Wednesday and Taya Murphy was successful in gaining selection in the Clarence Zone Netball team to compete at the Diocesan carnival in Grafton next Friday. Well done Taya and good luck.

Cross Country

Just a reminder that the school Cross Country has been moved from Friday 26th to Thursday 25th March. The Zone carnival will be held at McAuley College in Grafton on 28th April.

Curriculum Corner

Fr Nicholas, Miss Dawson, Mrs Dougherty and I were very fortunate to attend a virtual Clergy and Leaders' Cathlolic Education Conference delivered via Zoom, under existing COVID restrictions. The Conference featured clergy led prayer and spirtual communication, and also hosted five quality speakers over two days, concentrating on the current situation of Catholic education -  ongoing change and innovation. As you can see below our students were featured in a photo 'tinkering' outside of the classroom.

Christine Jeffrey

Vegetable Week

Early Stage 1

This week in Early Stage One we were introduced to our Stage 3 Buddies. Our buddies read a story and Kindergarten shared their news with them. We look forward to Buddies again next Tuesday afternoon. In the classroom we are thriving with our Investigations. In the Tinkering space we have an old bike that Jackson, Elliott and Sebastian were able to unscrew the wheels and the bell. The challenge now is to see if they can put the bike back together! We also have a space in our Literacy area exploring the rich text Owl Babies by M. Waddell. In this area students are able to explore the book through dramatic play.

Stage 1

Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday morning or reporter for our investigations, report on the weather for the day. With the help of the photographer they photograph and video each day's weather, inform the students and display their data on the weather wall. We are building some fantastic vocabulary around weather.

Stage 2

Some mysterious postcards have arrived in our classroom this week. They appear to be written from a boy called Albus to his sister Zelda describing what life was like in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. We have no idea where they have come from, but the students are using their historical skills to research who these people are, where they have come from and why these postcards are appearing in our school. Many theories have been discussed as to where they have come from-

Miss Dawson is planting them in our classroom……….

They have come from Eamons house………..

Dusty has been putting them in the classrooms………..

Stage 3