Dear Parents,

I hope your families enjoyed the extra long weekend and you all survived the heat. The staff Professional Learning Day on Friday was very productive.

We commenced the day with some professional learning related to MACS Flourishing Learners strategy which sets the direction for our system until 2030. Our focus was on the Science of Learning and the importance of transferring information from our Working memory to our Long Term Memory.

The focus for the rest of the day was on Student Wellbeing. A guest presenter discussed the benefits of mindfulness including breathing and meditation and led the staff in a 30 minute practical exercise which was beneficial for us and in turn, our students. Following this we focused on High Impact Wellbeing Strategies we can use as a school, as a class and with individual students. We examined Student Wellbeing data we collected from our students and determined areas to focus on for the remainder of this term and throughout Term Two.

Attendance updates

As you know, it is very important to let us know if a student is unable to come to school. In addition to our absence voicemail option, we also have a dedicated attendance email address to help manage any student absences.

Please email the students name, class, dates and reason for absence/s to attendance24@sjvermont.catholic.edu.au in advance of planned absences, or as early as feasible on the day.

Book Club

Book club orders will close on Wednesday 13th March. Please contact Bron Welch on 0400 108 124 with any questions.

Learning Conferences

Learning Conference bookings and information will be sent to parents/guardians on Thursday 14th March, with bookings opening at 4:00 pm.

Conferences will be Wednesday 27th March onsite from 3:40pm to 7:00pm and Thursday 28th March onsite from 8:30am to 10:00am and online from 10:30am to 11:30am.

After careful consideration and feedback gained from our staff and School Advisory Council, there was a strong preference for students and parents to both be present at the conference. This will provide the opportunity for students to talk to work samples that they have chosen to share with you. To support this we have extended the original finish time on Wednesday evening.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for our Years 3 and 5 students will begin Wednesday 13th and concludes on Monday 25th March.

The table below outlines the days that we have been nominated for our Year 3 & Year 5 students to complete the assessments.

Date	Year 3 & Year 5 NAPLAN Assessments
Wednesday 13th March	Writing
Thursday 14th March	Reading
Friday 15th March	Language Conventions
Monday 18th March	Numeracy
Friday 22nd March	Catch Up

Working Bee

We are hoping for a large attendance this Friday afternoon 3.30pm - 5.30pm, with many tasks planned to help with the maintenance of our school. Gardening and painting are the two main themes. We are planning to repaint all of our Art Show Boards in black paint. We are also planning on moving mulch, cleaning drains and spouting, weeding garden beds, cleaning up Veggie boxes and cleaning out the chook shed and farmyard. We would love you to help out, so please register through Operoo.

Easter Fundraiser Orders close Tuesday 19th March

Hurry! Order your Pies, Hot Cross Buns, Slices and Quiches now!

Click here to check out the full list of items and prices on CDF Pay or login to the app.

Sushi Day Next Week -Orders due by Wednesday 13th March at 11:59pm

Please go to CDF pay and login into your account to order and pay for your child’s lunch!

Managing Big Feelings Workshop

Some of you joined us for our recent Managing Big Feelings workshop. For those unable to attend, you can view the webinar replay and some useful resources here:

Free Parent Toolkit (slides, links, videos):

https://www.informandempower.com.au/parent-resources

Purchase your own Feelings Poster (discount code: SAVE5)

https://www.informandempower.com.au/shop

Auskick

Footy fever is back and Auskick is a great way for kids to get involved in footy in a fun and friendly environment.

When: 9-10am Saturday commencing 4th May

Where: Fr Dillon Oval, St James Primary School, 51 Centre Road, Vermont

Who: We welcome and encourage both boys and girls to join in. Children must turn at least 5 in the 2024 calendar year to be eligible to enrol. Groups cater for Auskickers in kinder, prep, grade 1 and above.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Questions: Tom Dougherty, parent of Liam (4F at St James), Angus (1E at St James)

and Charlie (4yr old kinder at Eastmont).

stjamesauskick@yahoo.com.au or 0438 653 665

Auskick is run by volunteers from our community, if you are interested in becoming a

coach please get in touch with Tom.

Have a great week.

Dave

St James News

'St James School Community is committed to the Victorian Child Safe Standards.'

Update Sheet - Week 7 - Term 1 · 12 Mar 2024

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