Deputy Principal's News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Yesterday was St Patrick’s day. It was great to see so many children getting into the spirit of the day with from bowties to ribbons, coloured hair and top hats and much more! A little Leprechaun also left some treats for the teachers :)

Tomorrow, 19th March is a school closure day,the staff will be planning for Term 2. The 19th of March is also the feast day of St Joseph, the father of Jesus. In some parts of the world such as in Italy and Spain, Father’s Day is celebrated on this day.

In Italy giving food to the needy is a St. Joseph’s Day custom. In some communities it is traditional to wear red clothing and eat a Neapolitan pastry known as a zeppola (created in 1840 by Don Pasquale Pinatauro in Napoli) on St. Joseph’s Day. A ‘zeppola’ or ‘sfingi’ in Sicily, is a traditional Italian doughnut-like fritter and very yummy!

Perhaps this is something that families might like to have a go at making on Friday. I’m sure Signora Talarico would love to see some photos.

St James Drop Off / Pick Up

A friendly reminder regarding drop off / pick up times and locations . To enable a safe and efficient flow of traffic we are asking that we continue to use a turning circle in the mornings and afternoons. Please do not park in the 2min parking bays as this will only create a traffic jam. Thank you to everyone for their patience and collaboration in following the new procedures.

2022 School Enrolments - School Open Days

We are now taking bookings for our School Tours in preparation for 2022 School Enrolments. This can all be done via the School's website.

Can I please ask that you share this information with family and friends who are considering sending their child to a Catholic primary school. Your 'word of mouth' speaks volumes and is appreciated in promoting the school.

Parents will need to register for the event as we will be capping numbers inline with current restrictions and inline with our COVID Safe Plan.

Monday 22nd March - 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Additional dates and time are now available for for School Tours;

Wednesday 24th March - 4.30pm - 1.30pm

Monday 29th March - 11.30am - 12.30pm

Wednesday 31st March - 4.30pm - 5.30pm

Personal Tours will also be available by contacting the school office.

We will be maintaining strict covid safe protocols, parents will need to follow our COVID safe protocols which include; wearing a facemask where social distancing cannot be maintained, social distancing, scanning into the school using the Tested.me app available at the front office.

In the event that restrictions prevent us from touring the school, we will be providing Virtual Tours.

Please look out for the flyer that has been shared via the schools social media.

PREP 2022 - ENROL NOW

Dear St James families,

A friendly reminder that if you would like to enrol your child into Prep 2022 please let the school know by heading to the School website and clicking on the Enrol Now tab. We will then send you an enrolment form.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school directly on

ph 03 9596-4766 or via email: info@stjamesbrighton.catholic.edu.au

Thanks in advance!

Little Jimmy's Playgroup 2021

Little Jimmy’s kicks off this Friday in the Tilley Garden. We invite you and your 3-4 year olds to come along and explore and play in our sensory garden. Tea and coffee provided for adults. BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL. Please head to our school website and register for a session by clicking on the 'Book a Tour' tab.

COVID-19 Safety at School

At St James we have put a number of strategies in place to reduce the risk of transmission. No one strategy is 100% effective.

Here are just some of the ways we are doing to keep our Students, School community and Staff safe and well.

In light of current restrictions and inline with our School COVID Safety we ask that you respect and follow the following guidelines.

Self Isolating during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Can we kindly ask that if you or your family are required to self isolate during these times, that you inform the school via info@stjamesbrighton.catholic.edu.au so that we can offer any assistance possible.

Thank you!

Social Distancing

Thank you to all parents and carers who are helping the community to stay safe and healthy by keeping 1.5m apart at drop off and pick up times.

Although physical distancing will not apply to students in class, it does still apply to staff and parents. Therefore we ask that you respect our requests to minimise contact and continue with social distancing during drop off and pick ups, adults will also need to adhere to wearing masks when in public places including drop off and pick up.

DEVICES - COVID-19 Snap Lockdown Plans

A few weeks ago, following the 5 Day Snap lockdown, the teachers met and discussed how best to deal with future lockdowns. In the event of another snap lockdown our school preference would be for each child to take home a named device to use. Therefore we are asking that if your child has a red or blue bag which they are not using as a Library bag, that you please send this to school. In the event of another lockdown, this bag would be used to store and bring home devices and other essential items.

If there are any families in the community who no longer require these bags and would like to donate them to the school, please drop them into the front office. Thank you in advance.

Just in case you missed it!

Two weeks ago Vas Clementine from MACS came out to the school and filmed a story about our new Heritage Garden. The story has now been published on the MACS (Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools) website.

https://www.macs.vic.edu.au/News-Events/2021/March/St-James-Heritage-Garden.aspx

The video story can also be accessed via the attached Youtube link or via our school website, social media platforms and on the new page named ‘The Heritage Garden’ on our school portal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHXC3hUNLm8

NEW on the School Portal - The Heritage Garden

This is a new page and will be added to on an ongoing basis.