Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Belonging in a Collaborative Community

Last Friday the teachers were engaged in a Planning meeting for 2021. It was great to just stop and reflect on what we have achieved and how this was achieved. It takes a collaborative community committed to being a school of excellence and continually striving to be a high performing school. For all of us, children, teachers and parents, the quote from Christopher Robin could sum up our efforts and energy.

You’re stronger than you believe

Stronger than you seem and

smarter than you think.

At a recent meeting of Principals we were asked the question, what is it that I am most proud of this year? Four words come to mind:

Pride - enormous pride in how everyone has adapted to the challenges that we faced in continuing to be present to each other, to design a school curriculum that was relevant and flexible.

Overwhelmed - by the planning, energy and passion that has been so visible in our teachers commitment to the education of our children. I have been truly amazed by how they were required to flip in Week 8 Term 1, suddenly and effectively for the remainder of the year (and not lose any sleep?)

Revelation - the talents and resilience that we all possess that has come to the surface . In particular our new graduate teachers who have just commenced their teaching career to reset and develop in the challenge of working in the ever changing environment of education. For our children to cope without their beautiful teacher by their side. And for our parents, who have been exposed to the learning and teaching world of primary education (and who may now change career paths and enrol in an education degree?)

Optimism - WE are building a better community because of COVID. If we can manage and master what has been thrown at us this year, St James is in a solid position to continually adjust to embracing contemporary and relevant curriculum.

This year despite the obstacles, there has still been a positive feeling and a sense of increased resourcefulness as a direct result of an interaction with others, albeit in a very different mode.

2021 Planning

Planning for further success in 2021 requires that as a school we continue to advance the educational provision for all children at St James. This is a process that involves an analysis of many factors: student needs, pastoral needs, student engagement, financial capacity, intervention and extension of students, professional growth of teachers, student equity, current philosophy of effective education and class numbers. All of these factors have contributed to the decision to move to the following class structure for 2021. These decisions are always made with the student's individual needs in mind.

Nancy Ohlert

As you can see from the above list Nancy is not listed. Nancy has decided to retire from her magnificent teaching career. Nancy is one of the best. Her commitment to our children, dedication in developing the potential of children, her engagement with the parent community and her deep love for each teacher has been first class. Nancy has spent her life at St James. It is her second home and she will leave an incredible lasting legacy.

We will miss her immensely. She is a dear friend and loved by us all, those here currently and by many many children and families who have left St James in previous years.

Three BIG cheers to Nancy.

Sacrament of Confirmation

Yesterday we celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation with our Year 6 students at school.

Confirmation is the final sacrament of initiation into the Catholic parish community.

Our students were introduced to the faith community by receiving the sacrament of Baptism, for many of them as babies or as children when you, as parents, presented them to the parish community. In the students' primary years they received First Communion/ Eucharist and have now completed their full initiation into the faith community by becoming confirmed.

We are fortunate that the permission was granted by Archbishop Peter Comensoli for the Melbourne Parish Priests to confer the sacrament of Confirmation to our St James Year 6 students before they complete primary education and commence secondary education next year.

Yesterday's celebration was quite different from previous years. It was still however a prayerful and uplifting celebration despite the absence of parents and being in a parish church.

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18 :20

Fr Dean Mathieson with the beautiful preparation of Mrs Emma Herbert (Religious Education Leader) and teachers Ms Sarah Black, Mrs Mandi Joplin and Miss Carmelina Corio, led the students through a memorable celebration.

Yesterday’s celebration was streamed to parents and has been recorded for families to share with their extended families. The hall was transformed into a sacred space where the sense of the spirit was truly present.

Our Year 6 students have been sealed with the gift of the spirit. As transformed young adults and through the guidance and support they have received from their parents and all teachers at St James, they will as we prayed today in the psalm to ‘be sent out inspirit and to renew the face of the earth’

Sacraments in 2020

Due to COVID restrictions and with the advice of Archdiocesan authorities we were unable to bring faith communities together for Sunday masses and also for our children to receive First Eucharist and Reconciliation.

No decisions have been made regarding 2021 sacraments at this stage and families will be provided with information when it comes to hand from the Archdiocese and in turn to our Parish Priests.

School Fee Letter

As Principal and in conjunction with the School Advisory Board, and our Catholic Education Melbourne Business Manager Cindy O’Donoghue, we are always conscious to ensure that Catholic Education is affordable for all families and any fee increases are minimal.

The CEM Business Manager in consultation with the School Advisory Council has ratified the School Fees for the 2021 school year. Please read the accompanying letter for a full overview of 2021 Fees.

School camp fees for 2021 will be provided in next week's bulletin.

2020 Levies Re-credited

Whilst costs reduced in some areas, St James faced increased costs in technology infrastructure, equipment and resources, and increased cleaning costs. Our fundraising capacity also reduced significantly this year as expected. We have analysed the costs incurred in all areas and have made a decision to re-credit the unspent portions.

Hark the Herald Angels - Christmas Message to all Catholic Archdiocese schools

St James has been asked to be a part of the Christmas message with Mr Jim Miles, the Director of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Mrs Mandy Cooper will be coordinating this special message with a group of Year 5 girls. Thanks to Mia, Pia, Alex, Natalie, Venetia, Millie and Jess for volunteering their singing voices.

Aquinas College Ringwood will be the backing singers and we will be included in the clip. Good news for St James to bring some Christmas holy cheer to all families of Catholic schools.

Parent and Friends Association

On Monday evening the Parents Association had their final meeting, the Annual General Meeting for the year. It has been a year that has been very different. Despite the sense of disconnect this year, the spirit has not diminished amongst our families. Interestingly, I think that we have revealed a greater spirit amongst us because of COVID. Many thanks to Kate Korber and Kat Cheshire, our co chairs, Treasurer Tanya Schiffter and Secretary Candice Murray Beckman for their leadership. To all the class parent reps, thanks for holding the ship together in each of your class levels and keeping the school buzz alive. When I reflect back on some of the fundraising ideas that were compiled earlier in the year, St James has made some solid improvement. The following ideas were suggested in March.

STJPA 2020 - Community ideas for focus of fundraising (March 2020)

-responses in bold

Indigenous landscaping projects that involve the children -

How good is the Tilley space! The children have and will continue to transform the area. A continual work in progress and would benefit from additional PA funds

Literacy Program - Multisensory structured Language

St James commitment to the MINILIT / MACLIT Design. This intervention has been noted as the NO 1 on TIER 2 Catholic Education Melb Intervention list. Further information is following in today’s newsletter.

Reinstating the hall so that we have a space that can fit students and some parents for assembly. - The hall has many purposes - Art Gallery, Confirmation centre, Music / Performing Arts
Library Shelving and Books - Shelving was purchased this year to transform the space and display of books and we have beautiful open spaces to gather inside and now outside as well.
Books/library - The Library / Learning Hub space is now a beautiful space after the wonderful work of Ann Nicola. The Art Room space complements the Tilley building as a lovely space for the teacher and staff to gather.

TIER 2 INTERVENTIONS IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS - LITERACY - Catholic Education Melbourne

Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM) has completed a review of Literacy interventions. The purpose of the review was to summarise the empirical evidence for a range of literacy intervention practices and programs that are in use in schools in Australia. The review was designed to support schools and teachers in selecting interventions that are appropriate and that are evidence-based practices. It focused on interventions that are currently in use as Tier 2 support, as classified under a Response to Intervention (RTI) multi-tier framework. The review evaluated the alignment of each intervention with effective instructional practices and summarised the existing research evaluating the outcomes of each intervention.

In education, evidence-based practice refers to professional practices that are informed by evidence and data. In practical terms, this use of evidence and data has two components and includes the following:

Using instructional practices that have been demonstrated as effective through a sufficient quantity of high-quality research evidence .
Using data from progress screening to identify students who are underachieving with regard to particular skills or knowledge, and to match them to the right intervention

At St James we have made solid investment in the MiniLit (Meeting initial needs in literacy) and MultiLit (Making up lost time In literacy).

The MiniLit and MultiLit program shows strong alignment with the five core components of literacy instruction (phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension and fluency) and uses evidence-based instructional methods.

There is a large and robust evidence base that provides support for the use of both as a Tier 2 intervention.

Ms Olivia Quinlan will lead our continuation of Literacy Intervention in 2021 as the Instructional Teaching and Learning leader.

There will be a final bulletin next week with a Christmas message, prayer, farewell of Year 6 children and departing families.

We are nearly there. Let’s be gentle with each other in the final weeks and celebrate all we have achieved this year as a spirit filled community.

Regards,

Brendan Flanagan

Principal

Class News

PREP