Dear Families,

Last week I ventured to The Briars in Mt Martha on Camp with our Year Six students and various staff members. Camp was such a positive and enjoyable experience and that was due to; the fantastic attitude and behaviour of our students, the dedication and hard work of the staff and the activities at the camp.

I was very proud of this group of students who represented St James and themselves so well. Many of them stepped out of their comfort zone, "had a go" and completed some quite challenging activities. The students have written some reflections and included a few more photos in our Spotlight on Learning page.

FARM WORKSHOP: CANCELLED

This will be rescheduled at a later date.

COVID Updates

Here is the latest update relating to schools and us here at St James:

Updated School Operations Guide – easing of restrictions

As directed by the Victorian Chief Health Officer, from 11.59 Friday 26 February, face masks are no longer mandatory in all indoor spaces in the broader community. Masks are still required in limited indoor settings, such as public transport, commercial passenger vehicles and some large retail settings.

At schools, this means that face masks are no longer mandatory in all indoor spaces for school staff and secondary school students aged 12 or older.

Requirements for the use of masks are outlined below. Visitors and parents must also observe this guidance.

Face masks are recommended, but not mandatory, for use by staff, students and visitors when physical distancing of 1.5 metres cannot be maintained
People aged 12 years and over must always carry a face mask – unless they have a lawful exemption
People aged 12 years and over must wear a face mask when on public transport, school buses and when in taxis or ride share vehicles – unless they have a lawful exemption

For us here at St James:

Masks are encouraged, but not compulsory when parents enter our grounds, unless you cannot maintain your physical distance from others
Parents on site for greater than 15 minutes MUST sign in via the app or at the office
We are able to invite parents to class or level gatherings but not to whole school indoor gatherings ATM
Parents are not permitted to enter classrooms unless specifically invited for a meeting
Currently, we advise any siblings of children who are unwell with coronavirus symptoms, waiting on test results to stay at home, although this is not mandated
We are continuing to implement our COVID safe practices with all staff and students who are currently attending on site; physical distancing, staff wearing masks when appropriate, sanitising, routine cleaning, etc

Prep 2022 Enrolments

Open Days commence this week. Please encourage any neighbours or friends who have a child due to start Prep in 2022 to come along to an Open Day Tour or take a virtual tour via our website. Families who have a sibling due to commence Prep in 2022, please download an enrolment form from the website and hand this in or email it to the office ASAP. We have had a waiting list for the past two years for our Prep enrolments and certainly do not want any of our current families to miss a place. We have approximately ten enrolment forms in already!

Road Safety Particularly at Drop Off and Pick Up Times

The two main messages here are to be patient and follow the council placed street signs.

Here are a few tips and reminders:

It is preferable that families use the crossing to cross Centre Rd
If you are unable to use the crossing then parents must hold their children's hand
Children must not cross the road without an adult actually crossing with them
Do not park in the bus zone (west side of the main gate) until the bus has departed at approx 3.20pm
The school bus does not operate in the morning so that area can be used to kiss and drop.
The off road kiss and drop (am) and pick up (pm) is for quick movement. Please try and keep this to a one minute quick stop
If you need to park, leave your vehicle and walk to the gate or into the school, you must park in Centre Rd or a nearby street in an appropriate place as designated by the council signs
It may be beneficial to park a few hundred metres from the gate and have your children walk to meet you at a designated place

Arrival Times in the Morning

I have noticed that an increasing number of students are arriving at school early when our before supervision has not yet started.

Please note the following:

Before school care is available from 7.00am (register via Camp Australia)
8.30 - 8.45am students arrive and are supervised on the netball court and in the quadrangle
8.45 - 8.50am students move into classrooms as music plays, unpack and get ready for learning
8.50am teachers mark the roll and we have whole school meditation
9.00am learning commences in classrooms

A few brief updates/reminders

Yr 5 Level mass Friday 9am in the Community Centre
First Eucharist Reflection Day for students (at St John's) and Information Evening for parents (here in our Community Centre) is this Thursday
Birthday Treats: If you wish to provide other students in your child's class with birthday treat, our clear preference is to provide items other than food.
Prep Parents' Welcome Dinner Tuesday 2 March 7 - 9 pm. Please remember to BYO drinks and glass! Looking forward to it...
Next Monday is the Labour Day Public Holiday
On Friday 5 March a team from Our Lady of Sion is visiting to speak to girls in Years 3-6.
The new sports tops (size 6-8) should arrive in a week's time. We also have sport shorts in size 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 for $10:00 each. We'll contact you once they arrive.
Next Wednesday, 10 March we will have our first Education Board meeting for this year. We look forward to welcoming new members: Ciaran Collins and Deb Vukic.
Our Home Masses for First Eucharist candidates and their families will start next week. Families will gather in our Community Centre, starting at 6:30pm.
Please check your calendar and see if you can join in the Twilight Working Bee, (click to go to link) planned for Friday 12 March (4:30-6:30). There's always lots to do - and we'll have a sausage sizzle afterwards.
Please collect your child's out of date medication by this Friday 5 March from the school office, or it will be thrown out.

Marathon Club starts this Wednesday at 7:45 for those in Years 3-6. You're welcome to join in! Many thanks to the volunteers who have put their hand up to help. Gen Hammerton is organising the roster. We're seizing the opportunity to help develop more independence for the children by asking them to bring their own plastic, named bowl, cup and spoon in a plastic bag for breakfast. There will be spares here for this week, so please don't rush out to buy them if you don't have these items.

St James Swimmers Shine in Division Carnival

Congratulations to the 24 students who represented St James at the District level on Friday 19th February. 17 of these students progressed to today's Division level and from today, 6 students have progressed onto the Regional Swimming Carnival to be held on Friday 12 March. Best wishes at the Regional Carnival; Lewis, Connor, Ryan, Ethan, Mitch and Jacinta.

Thank you Mrs Wall for organising the students at these events.

Camps, Sports & Excursion Fund

Looking forward to the upcoming long weekend!

Dave

Library News