3 March 2017

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Congratulations College Leaders

We held our Opening Mass and Student Leaders induction on Friday 18 February. It was a wonderful occasion in that we gather together in communion celebrated by Fr Tate. Congratulations to our elected student leaders,: Noah Clifford, Taylah Dillon, Will Geeves, Monica Robbie, JinJu Redding, Dylan Gane, Luke Ashlin, Alice Burleigh-McCall and Jessie Burnett.

Our hope is that as student leaders you will not forget the meaning of being a person of Action and valuing Faith, learning and humility. Through interacting respectfully with others to form right relationships, understanding and respecting diversity and the gifts that this brings to all of us. Being involved in good things and always be respectful of learning for it is through learning that we grow to be the people that we are.

To all the other senior students, your role within our College is significant. I know that you will not take this for granted and that you will also serve the student body with humility and love for all. I look forward to working with each of you over this year and I am very confident that our College community will be a better place because of your leadership and example.

Mathletics

St James Catholic College is pleased to announce that all our students from Prep to Year 10 have access both at school and at home to Mathletics. This site is highly interactive and supports the Australian Mathematics curriculum both for primary and secondary students. Using this software Students can extend and/or revise key concepts from classes. Parents can follow the program and know exactly some of the key concepts students are learning throughout the year. The students have been issued passwords and the teachers have introduced the site to their classes.

Our aim is to switch students on to maths. Talk to your child’s teacher if you want to know more.

Beginning Lent

Last Wednesday in our College we joined with Christians around the world in celebrating Ash Wednesday and so the start of the Lenten season.

During this liturgical season, we prepare for Easter by imitating Jesus and going out into the "desert" to pray and sacrifice. It is a season of prayer, giving, abstaining, and fasting. It is my hope and prayer that all of us will have a renewal of Faith this Lenten season and become closer to God and one another.

Thank you, Father Tate for your Guidance and Support

Fr Michael Tate will be leaving the Huon Valley Parish and taking up the role of Vicar General in Hobart. This will happen within the next three to four weeks. The Parish has yet to be notified who will be replacing Fr Tate but will announce to you when we are advised. On behalf of the St James Catholic College community, I wish to congratulate and thank Fr Tate for his support, guidance and the wonderful gifts that he has shared with the College community over the past two years. He will certainly be missed and our prayers and good wishes follow him into his new role within our Church.

God Bless,
Mr Allan Clark - College Principal

General Information

Prayers

The College would like to pray for the family of Darrell Brown. Darrell passed peacefully away on February 27, at Huon Eldercare. Darrell is the father of Mrs Connie Thomas. We pray for her and her family during this time.

SMS Absence Notification

The College now accepts SMS absentee notifications. Please SMS: 0488 863 246 with your child's name, grade and absent reason. Please save this number in your phone for future reference.

Little Lights – Birth to Four Program

Little Lights Playgroup is held every Tuesday (term-time only) from 9.30am -11am. Everyone is welcome to come along and join the fun. During the session, children will have the opportunity to explore, participate in art experiences, ride bikes and having fun with new friends.

Kindergarten

The Kindergarten children are watching the creation of their exciting new playground with great anticipation. Every day it gets closer and closer. We saw the unveiling of a brilliant slope to run down and our soft fall has arrived. Last Friday saw a lot of work done on what is going to be a spectacular rock wall. We can't wait, we are so eager to get into all the wonderful experiences that it will offer. It must be said that Damien Wickham, the landscaper, is doing a fantastic job. So, while it is hard to wait to play in there, it will be well worth it.

We have been working very hard on our cutting skills, scissors are a difficult skill to master, but everyone is trying very hard. We have begun to look at the letter S, and we are also starting to recognise our own written names. We are also learning some very funny songs. Kinder is bucket loads of fun!!

Primary Swimming Lessons:

Last week, students from Years 3-6 participated in a week full of Swimming Lessons! Students had a wonderful time learning new techniques and all about water safety!

Swimming Carnival Results:

The College Swimming Carnival on Friday 24 February 2017. Students from Prep to Year 10 attended the event, held at Huonville Pool.

The day was a mixture of competitive swimming and fun water based activities. The confident swimmers fiercely competed in 25m and 50m events and relays.

The three College House teams vie for bragging rights and House points at each Carnival during the year. On Friday, the successful team was the Lovett House. Congratulations to all our students for their wonderful spirit and enthusiasm during the event.

Lovett – 549
Lourdes – 392
MacKillop - 367

Year1/2 Sustainability Learning Centre excursion:

To kick off our Science Unit, “Water in Our World”, Year 1 and 2 visited the Sustainability Learning Centre at Olinda Grove, Mt Nelson. We loved exploring the beautiful building and grounds.

We were fascinated at how the water in the toilets there is made from recycled wee and poo! Luckily we learnt that all the tap water comes from their large rain water tanks. Next we learnt some interesting facts about bees and became outdoor adventurers, letting our imaginations run wild in the bush.

We enjoyed using our skills of observation to sketch sunflowers and were amazed that we could use our own energy to make a banana smoothie... by pedalling a bike attached to a blender! It was delicious, but very hard work. We were all tired when we got back to school, just like Mrs Smets and Miss Griggs!

Congratulations:

Jack Walter, Noah Denny, Tyler Coulson, Lewis Direen, Harry Brereton, Seth Denny, Travis Walter, Will Clifford (Captain), Bevan Direen and Blake Direen. Congratulations to the following students who were the 2016/2017 Under 13s Cricket premiership winners.

Under 13s Cricket Premiers

The Way of the ANZAC Art Exhibition and Dinner

The Cygnet Ex-Services and Citizens club will be hosting: "The ANZAC's - Men of Valour Art Exhibition". Award winning Australian speed artist Joe Zapp will take you on a journey throughout history. The night will consist of a grand opening Gala Dinner, including a four-course meal and a complimentary glass of wine on arrival and live band. Proceeds from the night will go to the Cygnet Ex-Services and Citizens club, with a donation being made to Legacy and Diddy's Day Out!

When: 4 March 2017
Where: Carmel Hall, 25 Mary Street, Cygnet
Time: 5pm for a 5:30pm start
Tickets: $71 per person and can be purchased from hobarttickets.com.au or phone 1300 855 580.

For more information see the flyer:

The Way of the ANZAC Art Exhibition and Dinner flyer

The Way of the ANZAC Family Fun Day

When: 5 March 2017
Where: Carmel Hall, 25 Mary Street, Cygnet
Time: 10am

Activities include: face painting, jumping castle, sumo suits, pony rides, show bags and much more! Pop in to the Carmel Hall to view the special Victoria Cross exhibition, see troops on horse-back parading through Cygnet! There is something for everyone!

For further information see the flyer:

The Way of the ANZAC Art Exhibition and Dinner Family Fun Day

BYOD Program

A reminder that all students from Years 3-10 are participating in the College Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. This means that students must bring along an iPad each day, charged and ready for use. Over the last weeks, our ICT officer Miss Armstrong has been working with students to ensure that their device is setup on the network correctly. If your child does not have an iPad available to them, please contact Miss Armstrong and the College, and we can provide a device for your child to use.

A copy of the BYOD agreement has been sent home to families earlier this week. Please read through the policy with your child/children and sign. Thank you.

Forms/Policies

Please return and complete the package of forms that were sent home in late 2016. These forms include vital student information including emergency contacts, student and medical details. To help us update our records the office requires these forms returned at your earliest convenience. If you need a copy of the forms, please contact the College office.

Canteen List

Due to recent pricing increases please review attached our 2017 Canteen list.

Year 7 and 8 Information Technology

All students in year 7 & 8 study Information Technology which is based on the Australian Curriculum of Digital Technology. The Curriculum and Assessment information is on the SJCC Wiki, there is a link to this on the school home page and the address is below. This site also contains the task and leaning opportunities for student – parents are invited to discuss these with the students and, when possible, have a go themselves.

All students have a school email account – firstname.lastname@sjcc.tas.edu.au - and this is used in conjunction with the Google Suite to complete a range of tasks including storing and sharing work. These programs facilitate feedback and dialogue with the teacher. Students will be required to bring along and use their iPads to all lessons, and it is important that they are charged and ready for use.

Please feel free to contact Ms Cecily Burnett (cecily.burnett@catholic.tas.edu.au) if you have any queries or issues.

Can you help stock the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden supplies?

The College is seeking donations of any surplus garden vegetables (particularly tomatoes and zucchini) to be used in Kitchen-Garden classes. The College garden had limited produce this summer, all vegetables will be processed in the kitchen classes. If you have any questions, contact Mrs Mary Thomas (mary.thomas@catholic.tas.edu.au)

The College is also seeking large pots for plants in the classrooms. Many of our classroom plants will soon need transplanting. If you can help with these items, please contact the College Office.

School Fees

When paying school fees by BPay can you please ensure that you use your unique customer reference number located on your invoice as the reference, thank you Jenny Coulson, Business Manager.

Schoolzine / SZ App (College App)

Schoolzine is an online communication platform that the College will use to produce and distribute: newsletters, e-forms, absentees, calendar and online parent teacher bookings! The information can be accessed on any device, at any time, but you will need an internet connection! So, follow the instructions below and install the app for quick and accurate communications!

College Facebook page

Join our College Facebook page just type in: @StJamesCatholicCollege in the Facebook search bar!

Community Events

Great Southern Pram Push flyer