8 June 2018

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

National Reconciliation Week

Each year from 27 May to 3 June, National Reconciliation Week celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the Reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision.

The theme for this year’s National Reconciliation week is
‘Don’t Keep History a Mystery.’

The week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can join the national reconciliation effort. Reconciliation involves building positive, respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians; enabling us to work together to close the gaps, and to achieve a shared sense of fairness and justice. Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

As a Catholic College with one of the highest Tasmanian Aboriginal enrolments in the State, we are committed to continuing to build these respectful relationships. We are also very proud to have a number of professional Tasmanian Aboriginal staff members and a strong relationship with the South East Tasmanian Aboriginal Corporation. Recently many of our teachers completed an Australian award-winning program that focused on how to create transformative change in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education outcomes. As part of Reconciliation Week, our students are participating in various activities over the next few weeks. Last week, Year 3/4 had a special visit from Trish, Jamie and Craig from NITA education who coordinated a session on bushcraft and fibrework. Trish also has worked with our Year 5 students at putalina (Oyster Cove) who was their guide and shared with them the significance of putalina in the history of Tasmanian Aboriginal people. Our College also had a representative attending the Tasmanian Reconciliation Council Reconciliation Week breakfast launch.

Sacramental Preparation and Celebration

Our College recognises parents as the first educators in Faith. Students wishing to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation are enrolled by their family in the Parish Sacramental Program. Religious Education in our College encourages students to reflect more deeply on the fundamental questions of life. It enables them to live the message of the Gospel and invites them into a meaningful relationship with both Jesus and the faith community.

Students are provided with meaningful opportunities in Religious Education which enable them to reflect, respond and act. St James Catholic College fully supports the Catholic Parish of the Huon Valley Sacramental program. We encourage all our students, family members and community to be involved. For those are interested see the information provided in this newsletter for more details.

Maths Fun Day

Thank you to our Secondary Maths teachers Mr Weerts, Ms Galbraith and Mr Vanderplas for coordinating last week’s Maths Fun Day. It was great to see this event, in its second year, again be a positive and engaging learning and networking opportunity for our students and Huon Valley students.

God Bless,
Allan Clark
Principal

General Notices

Student Free Day – Friday 6 July 2018

Sacramental Preparation and Celebration for 2018 in the Catholic Parish of the Huon Valley

Our Parish has recently formed a Sacramental Preparation Team and we are in the process of confirming dates for the preparation and celebration of the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist. Any queries regarding Baptism should go directly to Fr Deva on 0417 886 991. Please leave a message as he is not always able to answer the phone at the time calls come in.

Reconciliation is usually celebrated when a child is around Year 3 age and then the following year a child is able to celebrate the Sacraments of Confirmation followed by Eucharist. However, there is flexibility around this based on a child’s maturity and parents recommendation that their child is ready to celebrate a particular Sacrament.

If your family is interested in finding out more about the Sacramental Program for this year, please contact the school office at St James Catholic College, Sacred Heart School or Kathy from the Sacramental Team (0400893267) and leave your details. We will follow up with you more formally during June.

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

Thank you to those families who have made fee payment arrangements and/or paid upfront for 2018. Families who do not have a payment arrangement in place are encouraged to contact College Business Manager Kelly Du Bois for a confidential discussion.

Student Medical Detail Update

Please consider if your child's medical information has changed. If you haven't yet advised the school office, please do so. If you have previously supplied an epi-pen or other medication which may have since expired, please organise a replacement. 

Entertainment Books

Entertainment Books and Digital Entertainment Membership still available!

The Entertainment™ Digital Membership puts the value of the traditional Entertainment™ Book into your Apple or Android device, and allows you to:

• Show and save using your Apple or Android device, with no Card or Voucher to present
• Search for nearby businesses in the Entertainment™ program
• Search for specific businesses by name, location or dining category
• Share your Membership with another family member

For more information visit the “Choose Your Membership” page:

To order your Digital Membership or your 2018 | 2019 Entertainment Books now available visit the website below. Cost is $70 per book.

Little Lights – Birth to Four Program

Kindergarten Enrolments for 2019

May Ball Photos

This year, May Ball photos can be viewed online and ordered through the College Office. For instructions and a copy of the order form, click the link below. Alternatively, hard copy order forms are available from the office.

Because Of Her, We Can!

It is my great pleasure to introduce SJCC's Strong, Local Aboriginal Women and Girls Project. Through this project, we aim to shine a light on the strong Aboriginal women and girls in our local community. This includes any member of the community who is local, female and Aboriginal. These strengths can be in any area, including such areas as academics, sport, arts, career, community involvement, volunteering or family life.

The project involves the completion of a profile template about the woman or girl being nominated. The profile is short but shares important details about the strengths this person shows. These profiles will then be on display for students, families and staff at the college on the week of the NAIDOC assembly. Profiles are due to be returned by 14 June 2018 but early contact/submission is greatly appreciated.

For this project to be successful, we require community input. We are asking that you consider a strong and local Aboriginal woman or girl that you know and email stacey.cooper@catholic.tas.edu.au to request a profile template or to ask for any further information.

I am looking forward to celebrating the strengths of some of the college's own amazing, strong and local Aboriginal girls.

Year One Reading Support – We Need Your Help

In Year One this year we would like to maximise the opportunities the students have to read one on one to an adult. We’re hoping to establish a family reading program starting in Term 2 that will run through until December. You do not need experience or a child in Year One.

We would be looking for a regular weekly or fortnightly commitment to come in on a set day to listen to students read. This would most likely take place from 10:00-10:50 Tuesday to Friday. If this sounds like something you can help us with, please see Ms Griggs the Year 1 teacher or Kelly Du Bois in the school office.

Lunchtime in the Library

Lunchtimes are very busy in the library, with many activities on offer for students. Students can read books, play board games, learn to knit, colour in and so much more. If you would like to volunteer in the lunchtime session (1pm-1:35 pm) please contact Mrs Thomas. Note: volunteers will need a Working with Vulnerable People check - the office is more than happy to help you through the process.

GYC Year 11/12 Information 2019

Please see below links to the 2019 course handbook and a PDF version of the powerpoint presentation used at this last week’s Year 10 parent information evenings.

2019 Handbook

Powerpoint presentation from Year 10 Parent Information Evenings

Donations

The Prep class are currently seeking donations of cardboard boxes and/or egg cartons if you can assist please leave them in the Prep classroom – thank you

College Facebook page

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

Happening at SJCC

Maths Fun Day

Last week the College hosted over 65 Year 6 students from different schools across the Huon Valley schools. The annual St James Maths Fun Day event coordinated by our Mathematics department was an action-packed, fun-filled and educational day.

As part of the activities, students needed to think mathematically using their problem-solving and reasoning skills to solve a problem or engineer a solution. The challenging activities students participated in included: the Nine Colour problem, the design and construction of straw towers that could support the weight of a tennis ball, engineering paper planes with as many weights as possible ensuring they could still fly, creating complicated polyhedra with toothpicks and lollies and the crowd favourite, building and racing their own balloon-powered car.

Students and staff were highly engaged in these activities and of course, many students learnt how fun Mathematics can be!

putalina

On Monday 4 June, Year 5 went on an excursion to putalina (Oyster Cove). Trish from NITA met us there and we discussed the history of Australia since before the ice ages, all the way until today. We also stood as a human timeline.

Trish taught us about the significance of the location. It was a very sad place because Aboriginal people were removed there and suffered while living there. Fanny Cochrane Smith was one of the people who survived being moved from Wybalenna to Oyster Cove. Today, the place is used for celebrations of Aboriginal culture and education. We saw the rocks that mark graves of Aboriginal people who had been cremated and returned to putalina from other places they had been sent.

Trish took us for a short bush walk and we got to taste some traditional bush tucker. Our favourite was samphire. It grew in the marshy area by the bridge and tasted very salty. A lot of us went back to get seconds and put some in our pockets for later. We also had a go at tapping bottlebrush heads to get the sweet nectar. The bushwalk ended at a tiny but beautiful beach.

This excursion gave us more insight into the Aboriginal perspectives of our local history and was part of our HASS unit.

Kindergarten Hairdressers

Does anyone need a haircut? The Kindergarten students have a hairdressing salon in action, if you need a new hairstyle simply book an appointment and see one of the almost qualified hairdressers for your new style. This has been a line of inquiry that the children have initiated and it has sparked off many learning experiences for the children. They have been working together, taking turns, sharing, practicing their literacy and writing skills, all while playing.

We have been very busy with our Year 6 buddies too. We have been playing games, sharing stories and getting to know each other. This is a valuable learning experience for the Kindergarten students, and rich leadership opportunity for the Year 6 students.

George’s Marvellous Medicine – Year 3/4

We have been reading George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl as our class novel. On Friday 1 June we went to see the live show at the Theatre Royal. There were 5 characters in the show and they all helped to make a yummy medicine for Grandma. George Kranky's Grandma is a miserable grouch. George really hates that horrid old witchy woman. One morning, George is in charge of giving Grandma her medicine. George knows exactly what to do, a magic medicine it will be! In his magic medicine, he mixed lots of household materials like washing powder, shoe polish, anti-flea powder, shaving cream, honey and brown paint. After having her dose of medicine, Grandma grew big and went through the roof.

After being successful, George and his dad tried to make this marvellous medicine again except it had the wrong effect and shrunk the chicken they tried it on. Grandma was so demanding for a cup of tea that she drank the new medicine and she became so small that George’s mum stepped on her. After the actors finished, we had a question and answer session. We found out that the actors live in Brisbane and travel around Australia presenting George’s Marvellous Medicine. They also make Grandma get so big by using a see-saw. We had a great day.

Year 3/4 Aboriginal Incursion

Last week, the Year 3/4 students were visited by Trish, Jamie, and Craig from NITA education who coordinated a session on Tasmanian Aboriginal bushcraft and fibrework. As part of the session, we learnt how to make a fan and bracelet using grass from our playground. The session was really fun and we learnt how Tasmanian Aboriginals used nature to create useful items.

We found weaving a bit difficult when learning how to weave to make a fan as it spiralled from the stem of the grass. In the end, it looked like a plait. Our bracelets, necklaces, and rings were a lot easier. We twisted the grass two different ways and then wrapped it around each other. The tighter the weave was the better the pattern!

Afterwards, we went outside to taste some cutting grass. It tasted just like snow peas. Craig then played the didgeridoo. He told a story about a dingo chasing the kangaroo, he made different sounds and actions to create his story. It was a great experience sharing Aboriginal culture in our classroom.

Year 5 Richmond Gaol excursion

Last week, Year 5 went on an excursion to Richmond Gaol and the Old Hobart Town Model Village. The excursion was linked to the Year 5 Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) curriculum and was an activity to support students in gaining a deeper understanding of Colonies and Convicts. Everyone had a fantastic day and got to imagine what life must have been like in Van Diemen's Land in the early 1800's.

Year 10 Geography excursion

Our Year Ten students conducted a Geography field study on May 24, investigating change and management in marine environments. Students measured salinity, water oxygenation, turbidity and photic depth amongst other indicators of environmental health. They will evaluate and discuss their findings in their upcoming reports. Many thanks to Chloe and Steve from the Woodbridge Marine Discovery Centre, Mrs Schmidt and Ms Kemmis for organising such a valuable learning experience.

From the Sports Desk

Dates to remember:

SJCC Cross Country 2018

The 2018 St James Catholic College Cross Country took place on the 16 May, showcasing a new track which was shorter in length than previous years, although arguably more challenging, with the course mostly heading uphill or downhill. The course was a test of endurance and physical strength due to many uphill climbs and navigating back down all while trying to keep a steady, competitive pace. When asked, school captain and 1st place winner JinJu Redding (Year 10 Women's), she said “although the course was shorter, I enjoyed the challenge”. The College wishes to commend everybody for their participation and to thank all students for their competitive spirit and team comradery - Sean Dillon, House Leader.

Huon & Channel Cross Country

The College Primary Cross Country team represented the College at the recent Huon and Channel Cross Country Carnival.

Congratulations to all our students who displayed great sportsmanship and participation at the event. Well done to the following students who placed in the top three for their category:

Div B Year 6 Girls: Charlotte Direen 3rd
Div B Year 6 Boys: Harry Brereton 1st
Div B Year 4 Boys: Darcy Direen 3rd

Community Notices

Youth Film Productions

Apple Repairs