16 June 2017

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Official Opening and Blessing of Redeveloped Areas

On Friday, we gathered as a community to celebrate the official opening and blessing of the newly redeveloped areas. We had many special guests attend the event including His Grace Archbishop Julian Porteous, the Honourable Eric Abetz Senator for Tasmania, Director of Catholic Education Tasmania Mr John Mula, the Honourable Michael Polley AM Chair of the Tasmanian Catholic Education Commission, Assistant Director Southern Region Denise Long and our Parish Administrator Fr Deva.

Our immediate past Principal Anne Foale, Kate Reed, Chair of the St James Catholic College Board and other Board members past and present also attended the event.

A project of this calibre requires a foresight, determination and commitment from all parties. I would like to acknowledge the immense contributions of Mrs Anne Foale as Principal and driving force for these works. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Ms Ann Daley and the College Board for their invaluable support and contributions over several years.

On behalf of the College, I would like to acknowledge and thank the Commonwealth Government for their contributions towards the project. This project would not have been possible without the major investment from Catholic Education Tasmania. The whole College Community appreciates the tireless efforts of the consultants, architects, builders, sub-contractors and staff who all played a vital role to this project. These new learning areas have provided our Community with 21 century facilities in the areas of Science and Art with open classrooms flexible enough to facilitate greater collaborative learning and focussed learning spaces.

The event was very successful; our guests spoke very highly of our student’s behavior and were a credit to our College. A special thank you to all those who contributed to make the opening such a great celebration. Connie Thomas for her efforts in preparing the Liturgy and Ceremony, Wayne Neilson for his technical support, Sharlene Duggan for ensuring that all elements required for an official opening of this nature were achieved with support from Nikki O’Neill and Jenny Coulson. Thank you also to our Student Leaders who warmly welcomed our guests. Thank you to all the staff and students for their contributions to this milestone event in St James Catholic College’s history.

Mid-Year Reports and Parent /Teacher Learning Conferences

The Learning Conferences will be held 4-5 July 2017 involve students participating in a discussion about their learning with their parents/guardians and their homeroom/class teachers.

The Conference allows for homeroom/class teachers to discuss progress in key learning areas, as well as work habits, such as organisation. The process will allow for a review of how progress is going towards their goals.

Each conference is scheduled for 15 minutes and I ask that in fairness to all, you stick to this time. If you need more time, teachers will be happy to make follow up appointments. This process is a very positive way of building relationships and ensuring commitment to the individualised learning outcomes your son or daughter requires.

It is an expectation that learning conferences are conducted for every student from Prep to Year 10 and that the student is present for all or part of the conference. Appointments can be made ONLINE or by contacting the College office. The online booking process is done through a system called Session Keeper. A copy of the instructions can be found here:

If you do not wish to use the online booking system, please email or phone the office to slot in your preferred time. The confirmation of your booking will be sent by return email or phone.

God Bless,
Allan Clark - Principal

General Notices

Kindergarten Enrolments

Sporting Achievements

Last weekend, Year 10 student Bailey Gordon played for Tasmania in an U16 game against the Northern Territory in Sydney. The Tasmanian team won the game by 88 points.

Year 10 students Ella Brereton, Taylah Dillon and Tayla Clifford played in the under 16 girls AFL team in the South vs North game on the weekend. Well done

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.

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.

Join our Facebook Community!

Just type @StJamesCatholicCollege in the search bar and hit “like”.

Classroom Activities

Robotics

Last week the Year 6 students participated in the "Bigger Things Program", an initiative of the State Government and the University of Tasmania.

This was the first part of a four-stage program where students get to build their own robot from scratch using electronic parts, then learn how to sync their robot to a laptop via Bluetooth connection to program it to perform various functions.

Australian Defence Force visit

Two Australian Defence Force (ADF) representatives visited the College today, to discuss with the Year 10 students the many career opportunities available to them post-study.

Students had the opportunity to learn about the different jobs offered by the Army, Navy and Airforce and their associated pathways as well as ask questions about the programs and their requirements.

Australian Defence Force visit

GYC Pathways Expo

On Thursday, the Year 10 students attended the annual Guilford Young College Pathways Expo. The expo allowed students the opportunity to speak one-on-one with teachers and careers advisors about individual courses and possible pathways into Senior Secondary Education and post Year 12 studies.

GYC Pathways Expo

Science News

The Year 8 science students are in full swing designing and building their Rube Goldberg machines to get a Ping Pong ball into an ice cream bucket. Some students are finding the task easy and are looking forward to designing their own machine. However, many are finding the build process challenging, having to continually rebuild their contraption as the ball does not land in the bucket. One group became so frustrated they figured the more buckets the better chance. Whether they are frustrated or not all students are having a great time with the creative process. Thank you to all those that donated items.

Science

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Recipe

JB HI-FI Information

Looking to buy an iPad or MacBook?

The College has access to the JB HI-FI Bring Your Own Device Portal. The portal provides parents with discounted Apple products and accessories. This is a private arrangement between JB Hi-Fi and the buyer. Parents/Students are under no obligation to use this service and the College receives no commercial gain from JB Hi-Fi.

For more information visit: the link below and enter the school code: STJCS2017

Community Notices