2 March 2018

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

2018 Opening and Commissioning Mass

We held our College Opening and Student Leaders Commissioning Mass on Tuesday. It was a wonderful occasion in that we gather together in communion celebrated by Fr. Deva. Congratulations to our elected student leaders:

Our hope is that as student leaders you will be a person of action who values 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.

The St James Catholic College Motto is Let Your Light Shine. This phrase is taken from The Sermon on the Mount: ‘Let Your Light Shine’ before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.’ Matthew 5:16

At Mass, I challenged each student to “Let Your Light Shine”, by being a witness to our faith, focusing on your studies, being positive, respectful and encouraging to others to help to create a safe and supportive learning environment.

First Nation Celebration

Last Saturday, Year 8 students Ambrose Brereton, Keely Brereton and Oscar Thorpe presented at the First Nation celebration held at the Cygnet Town Hall. Thank you to Mrs Schmidt for creating an accurate historical and engaging film. This community celebration was an event to recognise and applaud the foundation of the Cygnet community and the ongoing contribution to the wellbeing and character of our district through culture and commerce. Our students did an exceptional job representing our College; they showed dignity and respect and demonstrated the qualities all St James Catholic College students should aim for.

God Bless,

Allan Clark
Principal

General Notices

SMS Absence Notification

The College 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.

School Fees Discount

Thank you to those families who have made fee payment arrangements and/or paid upfront for 2018. 2018 invoices have been distributed to families, don’t forget you can receive a 5% fee discount (not levies) if you pay your account in full by the 31 March.

Student Details Update

Please return and complete the package of forms that were sent home in Week 1. 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.

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. Please note: Only Apple iPads and Laptops should be used at the College.

If your child does not have an iPad available to them, please contact Kelly Du Bois at the College to make arrangements to provide a device for your child. A copy of the BYOD agreement has been sent home to families earlier this week. Can you please read through the policy with your child/children and sign, a copy is attached for your reference. Thank you.

Uniform

The College Uniform is valued as a means of developing in our students, a sense of pride and dignity and a feeling of belonging, thus minimising the notions of status and inequality.

A full set of Uniform Expectations is available on the College website:

Summary of expectations for students:

• to wear the College uniform in full, and in the correct manner as outlined in the Uniform Expectations document;
• to wear the College bucket hat during designated times and in the correct manner;
• to wear their ties knotted correctly with their top collar button fastened (winter uniform);
• to have their hair groomed neatly – extreme styles or dyeing of hair are not permitted, e.g. undercuts, dreadlocks, rat-tails, less than no. 3 cut and unnatural colours;
• to tie back hair that is longer than shoulder length and ensure that it does not cover the eyes or face;
• to wear regulation school shoes and sport shoes;
• Girls are permitted to wear a simple ring; and are not permitted to wear make-up; coloured nail polish. Shorts/skirts/tunics are to be of a reasonable length;
• Boys – must be clean shaven at all times;
• No visible piercing is permitted except for one in each ear-lobe;
• No additional items of clothing or accessories;
• To use a school back pack which is not to be graffitied in any way.

It is the expectation of the College that parents will:

• provide their child with the correct uniform;
• ensure that their child wears the uniform correctly;
• provide a note of explanation when their child is unable to wear the correct uniform.

The College Uniform shop is open each Monday and Wednesday (term time only) between 2:30pm and 3:30pm. If you wish to order over the phone please contact the College Office: 6295 1541. A copy of the 2018 Uniform price list is attached for your reference.

Canteen Pricelist

Entertainment Books

This year the College is selling Entertainment Books as a fundraiser. Pre-order your 2018 | 2019 Entertainment Books now! Books are $70 each and can be pre-ordered online below.

Parents and Friends

The College is hosting an information evening on Tuesday 13 March, 6pm-7pm – find out how you can help our College community!

Little Lights – Birth to Four Program

College Facebook page

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

What’s been happening at SJCC?

Kindergarten News

Kindergarten is off to a flying start. We have all settled in easily and happily and we have learnt all about black and scary bats. The Kinders have been up to their elbows in colour as they made discoveries about primary and secondary colours and how they are made. We have a fabulous rainbow hanging in our space that was a group effort. We are learning how to work as a team, and this is a wonderful example of how we work so well together. We made the most exciting discovery in the sandpit... we found dinosaur bones and real buried fossils. It was so exciting to find them, and then we did some research to figure out what kind of dinosaurs they may have come from. We learnt new words and asked loads of brilliant questions. Kindergarten is awesome!

Pink Stumps Day

It is estimated that over 18 000 females will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Every breast cancer experience is different. That's why the McGrath Foundation aims to make life that little bit easier for individuals and families experiencing breast cancer. The McGrath Foundation is a story with simple – but well-known – beginnings. It started with Jane and Glenn McGrath’s very public experience with breast cancer and has become one of Australia’s most recognised and respected charities. Jane’s empowering and comforting experience with her own breast care nurse set the mission for the Foundation, which has become an enduring commitment to the thousands of women and men affected by breast cancer.

Friday 23 February saw St James participate in Pink Stumps Day to raise money for the McGrath Foundation. By signing up to participate, the McGrath foundation sent us a pink cricket set to use. We raised funds by wearing pink for a gold coin donation and raffling off the pink cricket set. During recess, the lower primary grades played cricket on the oval and at lunch a teacher vs students match occurred (of course the teachers were the best). A great day was had by all.

Altogether we raised a total of $646 for the McGrath Foundation, which will provide the support of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse through a patients chemotherapy treatment.

Congratulations to Cameron Walter who won the pink cricket set. Thank you to Mr Jason Schmidt and Mr Greg Dwyer for volunteering and supporting our students on the day. 

Year 8 HASS

Year 8 HASS students have been investigating coastal landforms and the processes that occur to create them. They have used geographical skills, built good research and time management habits and have used software programs to innovatively present their research as a tourist campaign. They are looking forward to an excursion to Hastings Caves to see their learning in HASS come alive and to partner it with their work in geology in Science. Brody Gregory has been working on a campaign poster to promote the 12 Apostles:

Fabulous Friday Week 3

Ms Cooper (Assistant Principal - Primary) has seen her next group of 'Fabulous Work Friday' workers. Each Friday, a few of the many hardworking students from each class are eligible to bring their work into Ms. Cooper's office to share their success. Last Friday, Ms Cooper got to see someone from Prep who has just been fabulous in general. Well done Ava! Tori Direen and Maiya Jones brought over incredibly detailed art that is still a work in progress. The lead pencil details are enough to show that they've already put an impressive amount of effort into the images. 

Year 7 kunanyi/ Mt Wellington

Year 7 Excursion to kunanyi/Mt Wellington. Students walked the Pipeline Track to the Waterworks reserve. Students examined different plant life and completed various activities relating to their studies of HASS and Science.

Hospitality Classes

VET Hospitality students have started the year learning all about precision cutting, a vital skill that will assist them in the Certificate I Hospitality course at the College.

BULLYING. NO WAY!

The Student Leaders are holding a range of activities on Friday 16 March to promote BULLYING. NO WAY! day. Watch this space.

Project Compassion

A Project Compassion box has been provided to each homeroom. The funds collected from these donation boxes help support Caritas Australia and their works. This year the theme is “A Just Future” and celebrates the Year of Youth.

Through your generosity during Project Compassion this Lent, you are empowering young people to build a just future for themselves, their families and their communities.

Join us for Code Club!

What Is Code Club?

Please see the message from the Code Club General Manager, Kelly Taglan.

How Can You Be Involved?

We need friendly, patient and energetic volunteers who are willing to run our Code Club at SJCC one afternoon a week for one hour. This is most likely to be from 3:20 pm to 4:20 pm on a day that is negotiable. Code Club provides all the resources that structure the hour each week and there are staff who are happy to help volunteers get started. Volunteers do not need to be experts but just to stay one step ahead of the students when introducing the activity each week. Example resources using Scratch are available at:

Please contact Stacey Cooper at stacey.cooper@catholic.tas.edu.au to register your interest or for more information.

*Volunteers must have a current Working with Vulnerable People Registration. It’s easy and we can help! More information is available at:

How Can Your Child Be Involved?

If your child is in Year 3 - 6 and is interested in spending an hour a week learning to code and putting their coding skills to use on fun activities, then fill in the expression of interest form available from the office and have the student send it to the office in their class morning messages. We must have enough student interest and attendance to keep our Code Club viable. Parents/Carers would need to pick their child/children up after the session finished.

Why is SJCC changing how they run Code Club?

In the past we have had teachers volunteering to run Code Club in their lunch breaks. While this was a great way to get our Code Club started and it showed us that there certainly is student interest, we found that this way of doing things is not sustainable. Teachers need a lunch break and students need to have a run around. In addition, 30 minutes simply was not enough time.

From the Sports Desk

From the Sports Desk

The Sports Desk aims to keep you up-to-date with information relating to a variety of sporting activities and events in our community. The Sports Desk will include the different SJCC sporting events on offer and as well as highlight our students participation and successes in events.

Do you have ideas, skills or experience that may help improve Sport at SJCC? Please consider joining our Sport Supporters Club. We are not asking for a huge commitment, but offering to volunteer and/or supervise events, help with transport or scorekeeping would be greatly appreciated. Please let us know if you are interested by phoning the College (03) 62 951 541 or emailing: Ms Davies: (lynnette.davies@catholic.tas.edu.au or Ms Cooper: stacey.cooper@catholic.tas.edu.au)

*Volunteers must have a current Working with Vulnerable People Registration. We can help. More information is available at:

SJCC Events

Swimming

• SJCC Swimming Carnival: Monday 5 March: Volunteers needed between 9.40am -11.00am.
• Huon Channel Swimming Carnival: 20 March - Volunteers needed.
• STCPSSA Swimming Carnival (Hobart Aquatic Centre) 6 April - Volunteers needed.

We need volunteers to assist in all of these events, if you are able to help in any capacity please contact Ms Davies via phone: 03 62 951 541 or email:  lynnette.davies@catholic.tas.edu.au 

Cricket T20

Year 5/6: 16 March more information will be communicated soon.
Year 7/8: (Girls) 6 April - more information will be communicated soon.

AFL

AFL 9s: 16 March. Letters have been sent home entries due next week to the College Office.

In the Spotlight…

Each issue of the Sports Desk will place a spotlight on Sporting achievements from our students.

Cricket

Congratulations to our students who were part of the Under 13 Slab Road Cricket Club team who are the 2017/2018 premiers!

Boxing

Dylan Cowen competed in the Kingston Boxing Club Tournament at AIC Sports Centre, North Hobart on 17 February. Dylan defeated Kyle Donaldson in the final from Tigers Den Boxing in the 64KG Youth Male bout.

North Melbourne Football Club visit

On Monday, the College welcomed some very special visitors: representatives from the North Melbourne Football Club. Our students had a great time having a kick around with players and asking questions about their careers.

What’s on in our community

Coming up this term:

• Hockey: Getin2Hockey
• Basketball: various club information, see below
• Rugby Union: U14s to U18s
• Football: various activities, see below
• Cygnet Sea Dragons Soccer
• Silhouette Dance
• High School Surf League (the College may send a team if enough students are interested)
• Tennis at Cygnet Tennis Club

Southern League – Thursday 22nd March 2018 @ Kingston Beach

Welcome back! It’s that time of year again, Surf Life Saving Tasmania wishes to invite to your school and students to participate in the 2018 High School Surf League.

The High School Surf League, which is conducted regionally in the North and South of the state, has a focus on fun, team work, participation, aquatic skills development and basic awareness of the dynamic beach environment through surf sports. The students will have the opportunity to participate in a range of surf sports both ocean and beach including swimming, board paddling, board rescue and relays, rescue tube rescue, beach sprints, beach flags and aquathon events.

If interested see Ms Davies for an entry form and info pack.

If you have any questions or you require further information about the upcoming 2018 High School Surf League, please feel free to contact me at 6222 6555.

Cygnet Tennis Club – Tennis lessons

New players are welcome to join in with our professional coach, Michael Hewitt.
Players will be grouped into lessons with children of similar tennis ability/development.
Sessions will be held Saturday 10 February to Saturday 7 April 2018.
Cost: $80.00 (for the term).

Any queries contact Trent Cowen: 0438 342 234

Community Notices

Parenting Ideas flyers

School Banking

Dollarmites information

Bendigo Bank Information

PCYC Kids Night Out

You + Me = Community Festival in Huonville

The Huon Disability Network, in partnership with NDIS/Baptcare would like to invite you to the You+Me=Community Festival on Sunday the 4th of March.

The festival aims to build a bridge between community and the members of our communities living with a disability. People with a disability don’t always feel welcome in their community. This festival will bring together community groups, disability service providers and members of our community to have fun and find out more about the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

There will be many activities and shows, like the Choir of High Hopes (you can sing with them as well), the Bright Stars, Dance Studio 42, and there is also the You+Me Challenge where many prizes can be won. The Challenge consist of a series of activities and activities will be accessible for all without losing on excitement.

The festival starts at noon and will be held in Huonville at the PCYC on Sunday March 4th. For more information please visit:

Salvation Army

SaverPlus