7 December 2018

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Thanksgiving and Graduation Mass

Congratulations to our Year 10 students who last week officially graduated. The College Community gathered for Mass to formally celebrate the achievements of the students and to farewell them as they embark on their next journey. Thank you to Mr Robbie and the newly established Choir for their wonderful singing.

Staffing News

Primary Staffing

The College is in the process of planning for staffing in the Secondary classes. I will provide further updates in the near future.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Mrs Jordana Schmidt who was recently awarded the University of Tasmania Teaching Excellence Award as part of the Tasmanian Community Achievement Awards.

Dates to Remember 2018/2019

2019 Term Dates:

Uniform review update

Throughout 2018 the St James Catholic College Advisory Board performed a review of our current school uniform. This review was requested by the SJCC Leadership Team prompted by feedback from parents. This review has now reached the recommendation stage and the Leadership Team has accepted these recommendations and will commence rolling out changes during 2019.

Recommendation # 1 - Kinder to Year 2 - sports uniform to be worn daily

Effective from 2019, The SJCC Sports uniform will become the daily uniform for all Kinder to Year 2 students. Students will no longer be required to wear the formal uniform on non-sport days up until they commence Year 3. This decision has been endorsed by the Class Teachers as the sports uniform is more conclusive to the curriculum activities that form part of their teaching plan. The sports uniform consists of SJCC polo shirt, navy shorts and the rugby jersey. The SJCC Leadership Team understand that this decision will impact some families and will, therefore, implement a transition period for 2 years. This will mean that your child can continue to wear the formal uniform during this transition period with the aim to be in the sports uniform daily by the end of the transition period.

What is happening next?

This recommendation is one of many that have been provided by the SJCC Advisory Board. Once the remaining recommendations have been accepted you will be notified of how this affects you and your family. We will ensure to provide a transition period when and if possible. Clothing samples relating the recommendations are on display in the College Office foyer, we welcome any feedback.

Thank you for your participation in this review. If you have any enquiries regarding this review and transition period do not hesitate to contact the College Business Manager via telephone 6291 1541 or email kelly.dubois@catholic.tas.edu.au.

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.

College Uniform – Hats

College Facebook page

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

Happening at SJCC

Pre-Kinder Sessions

Over the last three weeks, the 2019 Kindergarten students have been attending Pre-Kinder Sessions at the College. We are looking forward to sharing your education journey in 2019.

Orientation Day

On Monday, the College welcomed the students joining our College in 2019. It was great to see so many new and happy faces!

Caritas Leadership Day

On Tuesday last week, three Year 5 girls were selected to attend a Caritas Leadership Day held at St Mary’s College, Hobart. We learnt how Caritas can help less fortunate communities. Caritas is an organisation that raises money to help people have fresh, clean water, to have an education, to cook, take care of themselves and to help have better lives. We also played a game that resembles how some people have to walk several kilometres today each day just to find and collect 5 litres of water and return home. We then had the opportunity to get a bucket, put it on our heads and go get a stamp of approval for the leader, out team won, this was because we worked together as a team. Trying to lift a 10-litre bucket and carry it we quickly realised how hard life must be for these people. Written by Nelly, Maiya and Lola.

Outdoor Education Activity Day

Last week the Year 9/10 Outdoor Education class participated in an activity day at Tas Laser Skirmish and bushwalking at kunyani (Mt Wellington).

Leavers Dinner

The Year 10 Leavers Dinner was held last week at the Hobart Function and Conference Centre (Elizabeth St Pier). The Year 10 students looked fantastic and arrived in style! The night was a wonderful success, with table settings and the room atmosphere designed by the students. Photos supplied by Carolyn Whitehouse from CMW Photography - thank you.

Booklists 2019

Visit the link below to access a copy of the 2019 Booklists and information. Information packages containing booklists have been circulated.

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 to access a school device. 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.

From the Sports Desk

Community Notices

CATHOLIC PARISH OF THE HUON VALLEY

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR MASS TIMES 2018

Christmas Masses:

Christmas Eve

Midnight Mass

St. Mary of the Cross Ranelagh (with carols beforehand)

Christmas Day

New Year: