15 December 2016

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Farewell, thank you and every blessing for the Holy Season of Christmas

To my dear friends in the St James Catholic College community; Two of the things in this header I have no problem with. It is my absolute pleasure each year to wish you all the richest blessings of the Season of the Birth of our Saviour. Once again I will pray that every one of you and your families and friends are able to enjoy a safe, happy and Holy Christmas.

Secondly I have no trouble whatsoever in saying an enormous thank you to everyone who has learned in our community, who has worked for or supported us in anyway, and those of you who have simply been prayerful and kind friends. But this year my thanks also extends to the past ten years – from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you to everyone who firstly welcomed and supported me and since then have walked with me both supporting and challenging, helping and advising as we have worked together to build the school community that will best allow our children to shine.

Which brings me of course to the part that I have resisted doing – you may be able to guess how hard this is for me to write – I have to say good bye. St James College has been a daily part of my life for 24 years of my 3 score years on this earth. As a student, for ten years, as an early career teacher for four years and for the past ten years as the Principal. It has enriched and shaped me and I would like to think that in the past decade I too have shaped it and have been able to give back to this wonderful generous and grounded community. Farewell to you all, the amazing staff from both now and in previous years, the fun loving and kind students, the supportive parents and friends and Parish community and my fabulous Leadership team.

The staff listed below who are leaving us this year – some temporarily and others permanently - have between them contributed so much and so generously to the life of the College and I thank each of them unreservedly.

Staffing news

Below you will see the summary of changes to our staffing for 2017. With a couple of exceptions these have been communicated to you previously. Exceptions are the very recent resignation of our English Coordinator, Mrs Elizabeth Chisholm and the recent appointment of Ms Esther Sulzberger to Year 5, 3 days per week for 2017. The replacement for Mrs Chisholm will be effected as speedily as possible and will be communicated to you in 2017.

Primary Staff

Mrs Jo Craddock: AP/RE/Special Learning Needs (SLN) role.

Stacey Cooper: AP/LT role: Ms Cooper will be responsible for the Curriculum, PLTs, and take the major part of the administrative and behavioural support roles in the Primary School.

Mrs Connie Thomas will continue in the Mission, Liturgy and Ministry part of what was the REC position. We will also have support for Connie in the Library from both Mrs Louise Shaw and Ms Kathy Cane.

Primary Class Teacher arrangements for 2017

• Kinder Mrs Louise Rowe
• Prep Mrs Cassy Williams (4 days) / Ms Kim Foley (1 day)
• Year 1 Miss Mary Griggs
• Year 2 Mrs Sarah Smets
• Year 3 Mrs Andrea Brain (3 days) / Mrs Kim Helm (2 days)
• Year 4 Miss Amy Westwood
• Year 5 Miss Stacey Cooper (2 days) / Ms Esther Sulzberger (3 days)
• Year 6 Ms Brianna Lory (4 days) / Mrs Jo Craddock (1 day)

In addition, Mrs Amanda Pearn will join the College in 2017 as a part-time teacher aide.

Secondary Class teachers will be announced in early 2017.

I wish to once again, express my gratitude and appreciation for our staff members leaving us at the end of 2016. Thank you for your commitment to the College and our students.

• Mrs Karen Newbon
• Mr Ian Cantle
• Mr Michael Rowland
• Mrs Elizabeth Chisholm
• Miss Jacinta Castles (for 2017)
• Ms Jacqui Lawless (for 2017)

2017 Student Leader announcement

The Student Leaders were formally announced on Wednesday 14 December.

• College Captains are Noah Clifford, Taylah Dillon
• College Mission and Social Justice Captains: Noah Clifford, Taylah Dillon
• College Learning Captains: Will Geeves, Monica Robbie, JinJu Redding
• College Arts Captains: Will Geeves, Monica Robbie, JinJu Redding
• College Sports Captains: Dylan Gane, Luke Ashlin, Alice Burleigh-McCall
• College Aboriginal Culture Captains: Noah Clifford, Taylah Dillon, Jessie Burnett

Therefore, the full Student Leadership Team is: Noah Clifford, Taylah Dillon, Will Geeves, Monica Robbie, Jin Ju Redding, Dylan Gane, Luke Ashlin, Alice Burleigh-McCall, Jessie Burnett

Prize Assembly Awards 2016

Primary FLAMES Awards

Year Prep:

Year 1:

Year 2:

Year 3:

Year 4:

Year 5:

Year 6:

Secondary Awards

Year 7 Blue:

Year 7 Gold:

Year 8 Blue:

Year 8 Gold:

Year 9 Blue:

Year 9 Gold:

Year 10:

SENIOR SUBJECT AWARDS

Food Studies - Abbey Reinmuth
Certificate 1 Hospitality - Abbey Reinmuth
Outdoor Education - Abbey Reinmuth
Certificate 1 Agricultural Foods - Nathan McQueen
Sports Science: - Ella Brereton
Art - Maximiliane Taylor
Digital Technology - Maximiliane Taylor
Digital Photography - Maximiliane Taylor
VET - Dylan Gane
Technology – Wood and Metal - Mitchell Innes
Music: - Ryan Brooks

St James Day Principal’s Award (Presented earlier this year)

Year 5 - Thomas Clark
Year 9 - Luke Ashlin

Emeritus Principal’s Award for School Spirit

Sponsored by Mrs Elizabeth McDougall. Presented by Mrs Anne Foale.

2016 - Will Clifford

School and Community Spirit Award

Sponsored and presented by Hon Robert Armstrong MLC

2016 - Brody Gregory

Arts Award

Sponsored by Senator Catryna Bilyk. Presented by Mr Robert Bilyk.

2016 - Maeghan Jernigan

Port Cygnet Lions Club Award

Sponsored by Port Cygnet Lions Club. Presented by Mr Barrie Daniel.

2016

Year 7 - Thomas Reed
Year 8 - Monica Robbie

Huon Valley Council Award

Sponsored by Huon Valley Council. Presented by Commissioner Adriana Taylor.

2016

Vocational Education: Bailey Gordon
Creativity: Ayla McIntyre

A1 Mitre 10 Handy Award

Sponsored by Mr Kevin Sawford. Presented by Mrs Anne Foale.

2016 - Riley Newick

Music Scholarship

Presented by Mrs Betty Cook

2016 - Brody Gregory
Ellie Gregory

ICAS (International Competitions and Assessment for Schools)

Presented by Mrs Anne Foale.

Maximiliane Taylor received the Gold Medal for being the top student in Tasmania in Year 9 ICAS Writing.

ADF Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Award

Sponsored by ADF. Presented by Sergeant Elizabeth Beard.

2016 - Kaitlin Dillon

UNPAA – Peter Stevents Memorial Award

Sponsored by UNPAA and Mr Paul Stevens. Presented by Mrs Anne Foale.

2016 - Emily Sedgman

Lions Club of Port Cygnet Bursary Award

Sponsored by Port Cygnet Lions Club. Presented by Mr Barrie Daniel.

2016 - Ryan Brooks

Guilford Young Bursary

Presented by Mrs Bobby Court

2016 - Abbey Reinmuth

Principal’s Academic Award – Dux of the College

Sponsored by Hon Julie Collins MP. Presented by Mr Robert Bilyk.

2016 - Abbey Reinmuth

Let Your Light Shine Award

Sponsored by Huon Valley Community Bank. Presented by Mr David Brereton.

2016 - Jinju Redding

At the conclusion to the Prize Day assembly, parents, past staff members and special guests attended am afternoon tea in recognition of Mrs Foale’s dedication to St James Catholic College

End of Year Reports and College Magazine

Our end of year reports went home on Tuesday. Overall the students have worked hard and have received well-deserved good reports. As indicated in the letter accompanying the report, if you have any concerns please contact the office and Mrs O’Neill or Mrs Duggan will put you in touch with the relevant person.

This year, we have decided to delay our College Magazine distribution, this is mainly due to the various events that have taken place in the last two weeks. The 2016 Magazine will feature a range of events including: Prize Day, Year 10 Graduation and the Primary Christmas Concert. To ensure that these events are able to be included in the magazine, the magazine has been scheduled for delivery in February 2017. Families no longer at the College will have a copy posted to them.

Building update

The building contractors are continuing to work as hard as they can – including working Saturdays and Sundays – to complete the project on time and we are still on track for having classrooms ready for teachers and students in the new year. The photos below give you an idea of progress.

Mrs Anne Foale, Principal

Important Dates for 2017

• Wednesday 25 January - College Office is open for levy/fee payment/enquiries
• Friday 27 January onwards Book Sales (Cygnet Newsagency)
• Monday 6 February - Teaching staff commence
• Thursday 9 February - First school day for students Prep – Year 10
• Friday10 February - First school day for Kindergarten students

The Cygnet Folk Festival is getting closer!

The Cygnet Folk Festival is appreciative and proud of the long standing partnership they share with St James Catholic College. As we get closer to the festival (Jan 6-8 2017) we’d like to remind you about how you can be involved. If you would like further info about the festival please visit the website:

In addition, the College Canteen will be operational over the festival period as a fundraiser for SJCC. We are still seeking volunteers from the St James Catholic College Community to assist in staffing the Canteen or assisting in managing workshops. If you are able to help out for a period of time, it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Anne Foale, Jenny Coulson or Cathy Adams at the College for further information via email stjames@catholic.tas.edu.au or by phone: (03) 6295 1541.

Special discount for SJCC families! See the attached flyer for further information:

Cygnet Folk Festival

2016 Fees and Levies

Thank you to everyone who has settled their 2016 account or has continued arrangements in place for 2017. There is no doubt that families place a high priority on obtaining a quality education for their children and many families make sacrifices to meet their financial obligations to the College. As we draw towards the end of the year it would be appreciated greatly if every effort could be made to pay fees and levies that remain outstanding. Jenny Coulson, Business Manager.

What has been happening at SJCC?

Primary Christmas Concert

The annual SJCC Primary Christmas Concert was held on Friday 9 December! It certainly was an event to remember, with real baby lambs on display and newborn Angus starring as Baby Jesus! It was wonderful to see the Christmas Story portrayed by the students who worked extremely hard in rehearsals to make the concert a success! Thank you to all the parents and friends who were able to come and celebrate with us, we greatly appreciated your support.

Graduation Mass

The College proudly farewelled the Year 10 class of 2016 on Tuesday 29 November. Students and the wider community gathered at St James Catholic Church for Mass celebrated by Fr Graeme Howard. At the conclusion of Mass, the College captains addressed the community, thanking staff for guidance and their peers for their support and enthusiasm. Mrs Foale, also addressed the students wishing them well for the future. The Prep students then gave the Year 10 students a candle as a symbol of light and well-wishes for their future endeavours.

K-2 End of Year Pantomime

The Early Years students travelled to the Playhouse Theatre on Monday 5 December to watch the Frog Prince. After the play the students then spent the afternoon playing at Princess Park. This end of year activity for the students was thoroughly enjoyed by all students!

Year 6 Big Day Out

On Monday 5 December, Year 6 students had their end of year excursion! The day included a morning Ice Skating session at the Skating Rink in Glenorchy. Then lunch and play at Cornelian Bay Park. After lunch the students went to the Hobart Aquatic Centre for a recreational swim.

Outdoor Education Camp

From the 21st-25th November the Year 9/10 Outdoor Education Class participated in their end of year camp. Students travelled to Honeymoon Bay campground at Coles Bay. The students had a great day rock-climbing at White Water Wall, then spending a day kayaking as well as Bronze medallion activities at Honeymoon Bay Beach. Students then participated in a bushwalk along the Wineglass bay – Hazards Beach circuit track. As you can see from the photos the students had an excellent time.

Rowing Regatta

SJCC had a wonderful team of students who competed at the recent rowing regatta held at Franklin.

• Noah Redding 3rd place in the under 13 single scull race
• Noah Redding and Patrick Robbie in the under 13 double scull
• Jinju Redding and Monica Robbie both placed 5th in their single under 15 scull races.
• Callum Robbie placed 5th with his double partner in the under 14 boys quad
• Callum Robbie, Patrick Robbie and Monica Robbie placed 5th in a mixed under 15 quad

Science Fun

Over the last two weeks the Year 9 students have been experimenting with titrations in Science. This method of Chemistry requires exact precision to achieve the desired results. Students have the skills and understanding to participate in TasmanianTitration Competition offered in Years 11 and 12. This competition is well established as one of the most rigorous and rewarding scientific challenges offered to senior secondary students.

Triathlon

SJCC had both Primary and Secondary teams represent the College in the recent All Schools Triathlon Challenges! Our students had a great day and showed great sportsmanship throughout the event!

Visit to Parliament House

Year 9 students Taylah Dillon and Alice Burleigh-McCall accompanied by Mrs Schmidt visited Parliament house as part of the Commonwealth Parliamentarian Women’s Group. As part of the day, the girls had the opportunity to participate in role play activities, contribute in a mock question time in the House of Assembly and have Q&A sessions with a range of female parliamentarians about women in leadership. Students networked with a variety of influential female politicians and aspiring female leaders from other Tasmanian schools.

Start Smart Sessions

SJCC hosted Primary and Secondary, “Start Smart” sessions on Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd December. The sessions are aimed at raising awareness of financial literacy and its applications. An example of the course delivered to the Secondary school includes examining a range of topics related to earning, saving and spending. From their first job to effective saving strategies, students are given the essentials of personal financial management in a learning experience that is relevant and interactive.

Several concepts are covered, including:

• getting your first job
• successful job interviews techniques
• award wages
• employee rights and responsibilities
• the value of saving
• setting saving goals
• bank accounts
• strategies for saving
• spending on trends
• the true cost of small expenditures
• tracking your money

Schoolzine

The College has signed up to Schoolzine!

Schoolzine is an online communication platform that will replace Skoolbag, some of the features of Schoolzine include: newsletters distribution, Schoolzine app, e-forms, absentee forms, a new calendar and online parent teacher bookings! The information can be accessed on any device, at any time, but you will need an internet connection!

Facebook Update

New College Facebook Page!

Community Events

The ConocoPhillips Science Experience

A nationwide STEM outreach program for year 9 & 10 students

The ConocoPhillips Science Experience is a three-day hands–on science activities program. Our aim is to inform students of the importance of science and technology while stimulating and heightening their interests in a wide range of science disciplines and career opportunities, encourages further studies in the sciences, while at the same time giving them a 'taste' of university/tertiary life.

Places are still available in the following programs;

University of Tasmania, Hobart 23 – 25 January 2017 cost $ 120
University of Tasmania, Launceston 18 – 20 January 2017 cost $ 120
University of Tasmania, Cradle Coast 17 – 19 January 2017 free

There is no selection process and students can enroll online at the link below or post /fax the registration form to our office in Monbulk. Further information can be obtained by calling 03 9756 7534 or email admin@scienceexperience.com.au