14 September 2018

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Confirmation:

Last weekend a number of our students along with some students from Sacred Heart Catholic School entered into the Sacrament of Confirmation. This joyous occasion was celebrated by Archbishop Julian Porteous and Fr Deva. Thank you to Mr Wigan, Ms Cane, Mrs Thomas and the Parish Sacramental team for their commitment to helping our students prepare for this day.

NAPLAN:

The College has now distributed the 2019 NAPLAN results to students in Years 3,5,7 & 9. NAPLAN is a high stakes, point of time testing and is used by the College to make decisions about learning. In 2019, NAPLAN testing will be conducted online, the move to online testing will bring about more timely information regarding students progress. The College is in the process of doing a short trial of online NAPLAN in Year 2,4,6 and 8 so that next year students will be familiar with the new process. Any parents with concerns are welcome to contact the College for further information.

New Zealand Trip 2018:

Time is drawing near for the first St James Catholic College Tour to New Zealand. We are hoping to offer a tour for the Year 9 and 10 students every second year. It is a big commitment for all involved students, parents and teachers. The tour has been competitively costed and the disruption to normal classes has been kept to a minimum. Thank you to all the those who have helped fundraise. We would like to wish all those involved a safe and happy travel.

Drought Relief

St James Catholic College are proud supporters of a variety of different community groups and organisations. One of the initiatives we are supporting this year is the “Cygnet's Boot Scootin' Barn Dance” hosted by Cygnet Ex-Services and Citizens Club. The evening is an effort to raise money for the drought-stricken farmers of Australia. I would encourage you all to support the event being held on Saturday 22 September 2018 at the Carmel Hall. For more information please see the flyer in our “Community Events” section of this newsletter.

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

Thank you to those families who have made fee payment arrangements and/or paid upfront for 2018. School Fees are now due and if you do not have a payment arrangement in place or are experiencing financial difficulty which is impacting your ability to pay, you are required to contact the College Business Manager. The College appreciates the sacrifices our families make for quality education and is here to support our families with these financial commitments, all conversations and payment arrangements are held in the strictest confidence. For a confidential discussion please contact Kelly Du Bois (Business Manager) via 62 951 541 or email: kelly.dubois@catholic.tas.edu.au

Student Medical Details 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.

Little Lights – Birth to Four Program

College Uniform – Hats

College Facebook Page

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

College Year 9/10 Subject Handbook for 2019
(current Yr 8&9 students)

The Year 9/10 Subject Handbook 2019 is now available on our website. Visit the link below for more information about the different subject options available.

Happening at SJCC

Year 5 Science Displays

Our Year 5 students have been busy working on a variety of Scientific experiments and this week they shared their project findings with the other classes and staff.

Growing Crystals

This year some of our Year 5 and 6 students entered the RACI Crystal Growing Competition. Over the last six weeks, they have been nurturing their crystals to grow the biggest they can. This involved them carefully taking their crystal and removing any unwanted growth then placing them in new saturated solution to continue to grow. The crystals have been sent off to be judged and we will know the results at the end of October.

Good luck
Tori, Lola, Matthew, Charlotte, Matt, Emily and Coral.

An Artfully Classic Day Out

Last Monday Year 7 went to the University of Tasmania’s John Elliot Classics Museum and The Royal Botanical Gardens. Year 7 was divided into class groups and it was a day of combined HaSS and Art learning.

Seven Gold started at the Botanical Gardens. Students had time to walk around a section of the Botanical Gardens and sketch plants and flowers along the way. It was a great way to socialise whilst learning new things. It was an enjoyable experience and some great drawings were created during this time.

Seven Blue started at the Classics Museum. This was a very educational experience where students learnt about amulets that were used in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Roman times. We discovered in-depth their meaning and significance and how people believed they provided protection. There were many different kinds that each had their own purposes and we even got to make our own amulets to take home. We also discovered other ancient artefacts at the museum which included things we still use today!

After these two classes had done these things we swapped activities so that we could all get the most out of the time we had and I’m sure both classes would agree it was a great day. Mia Radnidge and Dakota Fraser

Primary Assembly

Last week at the fortnightly Primary Assembly, it was, as always a great opportunity to celebrate some of our student successes - well done to our Year 2 students who shared their work and congratulations FLAMES award recipients for their extra efforts at school.

RSPCA Cupcake Day

Student Leaders fundraising initiative. Thank you to those who baked and contributed to the day. Over $260 was raised to support the RSPCA

BYOD 2019

The College is currently undertaking planning for 2019, part of this process involves the review of the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. Students in Years 3-10 will continue to require an iPad to be brought to school, each day, charged and ready for use. In 2019, the minimum requirement for a student iPad is an iPad Air or newer. Older devices will not be an acceptable option.

If you do need to purchase a new iPad, the 2018 (9.7inch) iPad is the recommended option.

If an outright purchase of the iPad creates financial hardship for any families, there is an opportunity to pay a device levy of $120 per year to the College. If you wish to access this option, please contact our Business Manager, Mrs Kelly Du Bois on 62951 541 or email: kelly.dubois@catholic.tas.edu.au before Wednesday 5 September 2018.

From the Sports Desk

Schools Triathlon Challenge 2018

Applications for the 2018 Schools Triathlon Challenge are now being accepted. Now is the time to start making teams. Please note individual student entries will need to be accompanied by a parent. Copies of the entry forms are available from the College Office, entries due before the end of Term.

Community Notices

Living with teenagers in the internet age. Seem familiar?

Michael McGirr, an exceptional writer, deep thinker and a man of keen wit and faith will bring acute awareness to this scenario as he unpacks the rocky road of living in a household with three teenagers in the internet age when he presents the John Wallis Memorial Lecture on Wednesday 19 September, GYC Hobart Campus, at 7pm. Michael, a family man, theologian and author, will speak about God, Family and Other Related Matters. Donation: $10/$5. An Auslan interpreter will be present. A selection of current books will be on sale. Supper will be served. Everyone is welcome. further information: Eva Dunn 0417 734 503, eva.dunn@gmail.com

Play School Live In Concert touring Tasmania this November!

Come join the presenters and they toys as they open the pages on the “Once Upon a Time” book to uncover all your favourite nursery rhymes and stories LIVE on stage.

This 45 minute fully interactive show will have your little ones up jumping and dancing for joy. Don’t miss out.

Book your tickets today.

THU 22 NOV Burnie Town Hall
FRI 23 NOV Launceston Door of Hope ( Launceston Conference Centre)
SAT 24 NOV Hobart, Terence Butler Auditorium, The Hutchins School Sandy Bay