St James School Community News

PA / School Community News

Parents Association

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Grandparents and Special Friends Day was held on Friday, the 1st of November. This heartwarming event provided our students with the opportunity to share their school lives with the grandparents and special friends who mean so much to them.

The day began with a welcoming tea and coffee in the hall, where our guests enjoyed some quiet moments together before joining the children in their classrooms. It was wonderful to see grandparents and special friends fully immersed in activities with the children, who were thrilled to show off their learning and creativity with an exclusive sneak peak at the St James Art Show. The day continued with light refreshments, bringing everyone together to chat, laugh, and make cherished memories.

We concluded the day with a beautiful liturgy in the school, a fitting close to a truly meaningful celebration. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who contributed to making this day so memorable.

Special thanks to our Grade 1 parents, especially Susan Goga and Kate Guirguis for leading the organization of the event, and to the many Grade 1 volunteers who helped out. Your dedication made everything run smoothly, and we are so grateful for your time and effort.

Thank you as well to the entire St James Primary School community for your generosity in providing food and drink. This event was a wonderful example of the spirit of community we share at St James, and it would not have been possible without your kindness and support.

St James Christmas Carols

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1301517

We are excited to invite you to our annual Christmas Carol Event on Friday, the 29th of November, starting at 5:30 pm-7:30pm. This festive evening promises to be a wonderful celebration of the season, filled with joyful music, food, and holiday cheer.

Bring along your picnic rugs and chairs, and settle in for a heartfelt performance by our students as they sing their Christmas carols. There’s no better way to kick off the holiday season than with the sound of our children’s voices filling the air!

In addition to the carols, we’ll have a barbeque and burger stand where you can purchase food and drinks. Please note that all food must be pre-purchased via the TryBooking link provided above to ensure we have enough for everyone. Our event will also feature Christmas stalls, organized by our current Grade 5 students, as well as ice cream and other treats.

To make this event a success, we are calling for more volunteers to help on the day. We especially need extra hands to man the barbeque and assist with setting up and packing up. If you’re able to help, please check your class WhatsApp group, where the reps will be posting a sign-up sheet from Michaela. If you have any further questions or want to reach out directly, Michaela is happy to assist.

Thank you all for your support in creating a memorable event for our community. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

FUTURE CALENDAR DATES

Don’t miss a thing. Sending a reminder there is a full school calendar featuring everything in one place. Check out St James Website page news and events / ev

Dad’s Catch Up - every 3rd Thursday of the month.
Christmas Carols 29th November 2024

PARENTS ASSOCIATION FUNDRAISER CALENDAR 2024

Maryallan and John

St James PA Co-Chairs

Second Hand Uniform Shop

The next sale is on Friday 15th November at 8:45am - 9:15am.

Please reach out to us if you have any

uniform enquiries or suggestions.

Liesl & Ali

School Community News

St James STAY AND PLAY - Transition Playgroup & SCHOOL TOURS

Before and After school care

As a Catholic provider, MACSEYE have strong links with our school and local parish,

working together to build a vibrant community of support for children and families.

MACSEYE is an approved registered provider, and sets a high standard of quality in line

with the National Quality Standards.

Families who need Outside School Hours Care will need to enrol with MACSEYE.

Please refer to the flyer below which has the enrolment link.

If you have any questions, please email MACSEYE directly at

enrolments@macseye.vic.edu.au

Parent Google Calendar

The google calendar is designed for parents to keep up to date with school events.

Google Calendar

Please ensure that you are checking the Parent Google Calendar on a regular basis as dates are added throughout the year.

School Closure Days 2024

2024 school closure days are as follows, but please keep in mind that they may be subject to change, as each term, staff have a full day dedicated to staff professional learning and forward planning.

Term 1 Friday 22 March Staff Planning Day Term 2

Term 2 Friday 26 April TIL

Friday 07 June Staff Planning Day Term 3

N.B. Term 2 Early Release Day - Monday 24 June 1:00pm finish Parent/Teacher Interviews

Term 3 Friday 13 September Staff Planning Day Term 4

Friday 20 September TIL

Term 4 Monday 04 November TIL

Friday 22 November Staff Planning Day 2025

2024 Term Dates

Term 1 30 January - 28 March (Final Day Term 1 - School finishes at 3:30pm)

Each Wednesday in February Foundation Students are scheduled for individual testing and do not attend school. Full weeks for Foundation commence in March.

Term 2 15 April - 28 June (Final Day Term 2 - School finishes at 3:30pm)

Term 3 15 July - 19 September (Final Day Term 3 - School finishes at 3:30pm)

Term 4 07 October - 17 December (Final Day Term 4 -School finishes at 1:30pm)

Bell Times

Teacher supervision 8:40am - 9:00am

First Bell 9:00am (Music begins playing at 8:55am)

Fruit Break 10am

Morning Recess 11:00am - 11:30am

Morning Eating Time 11:30 am -11:40 am

Lunch Eating Time 1:40pm - 1:50pm

Afternoon Recess 1:50pm - 2.30pm

Dismissal 3:30pm

Teacher supervision 3:30pm -3:45pm

Lunch Orders

Please note this Friday 15th November (tomorrow) the canteen will not be serving lunch as Star of the Sea finish early!

Your School Canteen is ourlunch order provider and operates at Star of the Sea College. See attached flyer with further details.

Orders are placed online via flexischools and see below example of the menu.

Your School Canteen also offers the option to order food for recess on Fridays!

Your School Canteen Welcome Letter.pdf

Your School Canteen Menu Term 3.pdf

PLEASE NOTE THAT LUNCH ORDERS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON

THURSDAY 15th & FRIDAY 16th AUGUST

DUE TO STAR OF THE SEA SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS

Scholastic Book Club

Kindly note ordering books via the book club is entirely optional.

What is Book Club?

For more than 50 years, Scholastic Book Club has been bringing to the joy of reading to Australian children. Today, Book Club can be found in more than 94% of primary schools across Australia, with a yearly circulation of over 20 million catalogues. Each Issue of Book Club covers ages from 0-12+ years and contains specially curated, age-appropriate titles that have been carefully selected and levelled by a dedicated team of professional booklovers.

Book Club provides families with an affordable and convenient way to access the best in Australian and international children's literature. As well as bridging the important class-to-home reading gap, Book Club also benefits Australian schools—for every Book Club order placed, Scholastic gives back 15% of the order spend to schools to spend on valuable educational resources via its Scholastic Rewards program.

So how does Book Club work?

1. Book Club catalogues arrive at school up to twice a term and can usually be found hiding in your child’s backpack. We encourage you to sit down with your child and go through the catalogue together, discussing any books that sparks your child’s interest.

2. Once your child has made their final selection, head over to our LOOP websiteor app

to place your order. LOOP orders are linked to your school in an easy, safe online process. Registering for LOOP will also keep you up-to-date with all of the latest Book Club news, information on exciting new releases, and our exclusive Book Club special offers.

3. Your school’s Book Club Organiser will then take care of the rest! After they have submitted everyone’s orders, our team get to work packing your child’s order full of exciting things.　

4. Your child’s order is then delivered to their class, ready to take home and be eagerly read. Orders that you have marked as a ‘gift’ in LOOP will be sent to school for you to secretly pick-up instead.

With numerous studies finding that reading at home is a key factor in a child’s lifelong success, Book Club provides a fun and easy way of bringing books into your home.