Week 5, Term 2 - 2025

Welcome

Dear St James Community,

Today our Year 6 students took part in the GLOW Faith Retreat—a special day dedicated to deepening their relationship with God and celebrating their faith alongside fellow Year 6 students from across the Tweed region.

The retreat provided our students with meaningful opportunities to reflect, pray, and connect with God in new and inspiring ways.  Through music, discussion, and shared experiences, the day was a true celebration of faith and friendship.

We are incredibly proud of how our students represented St James. Their enthusiasm, respect, and joyful spirit truly stood out—they GLOWED in every sense of the word!

Thank you to all who made this powerful faith experience possible. It’s a joy to see our young leaders continuing to grow in their faith journey.

GLOW - 2025

Semester 2 Reporting to Parents

Our teachers are currently busy preparing student reports, taking time to carefully assess learning progress and achievements across all subject areas. These reports are an important way for us to share with you how your child is progressing both academically and personally. This semester’s reports will include comments in English, Mathematics, other Key Learning Areas, and a general comment that reflects your child’s holistic development - their strengths, characteristics and participation in school life. 

Tell Them From Me Survey

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the 2025 Tell Them From Me survey, which closed today. We are thrilled to have received 112 responses—a fantastic level of engagement from our school community.

Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us. Once we receive the data, we will take time to reflect on the results and use them to identify areas for growth and improvement within our school. Our goal is always to enhance the experience for our students and families, and your input helps guide that journey.

Many, many thanks for your continued support and partnership in making St James the best it can be.

Updated Morning Opening Time – Supporting Staff and Student Success

Beginning Monday, June 2nd, we will be shifting our classroom morning opening time from 8:10am to 8:30am.  This change is designed to create a more balanced start to the day for everyone.  From 8:30am each day, staff will be available to greet and welcome students, and there will still be time for brief conversations with parents.  Importantly, this adjustment allows our teachers dedicated time each morning to prepare for the day ahead, helping to support their workload and overall wellbeing.  As always, if you would like to discuss your child’s learning or wellbeing in more detail, you are very welcome to make an appointment at a mutually convenient time.  Thank you for your continued support and understanding with this change in our school procedures.

Parent Community Group

Our Term 2 Parent Community Group meeting was held on Thursday, May 22nd, and we were delighted to have 17 parents and staff in attendance.  A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us to support our school and strengthen parental engagement—it was wonderful to see such enthusiasm and commitment!

Below, you’ll find the minutes from the meeting for those who couldn’t attend.

Looking ahead, our next meeting will be held in Term 3 on Thursday, August 14th, at 7:00 PM. Let’s aim to grow our numbers even further—we’d love to see more parents getting involved in this fantastic opportunity to connect, share ideas, and support our school community!

Students Presentation Policy [Uniform]

At St. James, our school uniform is more than just clothing—it is a visible symbol of our shared identity, values, and pride in our school.  Wearing the uniform fosters a sense of belonging, encourages equality among students, and helps maintain a focused and respectful learning environment.

On May 22nd, our Parent Community Meeting included an open and thoughtful discussion about our School Uniform Policy.  We deeply appreciate the many parents who contributed to this conversation with constructive feedback, thoughtful questions, and affirming support.

Following this consultative process, and after discernment with our School Executive Leadership Team, we can confirm that no changes will be made to the current School Uniform Policy.  This decision reflects a shared understanding of the role the uniform plays in supporting student wellbeing, school culture, and community standards.

Moving forward the school will be investigating different colours and designs for our Year 6 polo top.

We thank all who participated in this process and for your ongoing partnership in creating a positive and unified school environment for every student.

Looking Ahead – What's Coming Up This Term

As we move into the final stretch of Term 2, there’s still plenty happening around the school, including the school disco, athletics carnival, 100 days of Kindergarten, Play is the Way Championship and Springloaded! Our students are continuing to engage deeply in their learning, and staff are working hard to provide enriching opportunities across all areas of school life.

This year, we have made the decision not to participate in the Murwillumbah Eisteddfod due to competing priorities.  While we know this may be disappointing, we are excited to be focusing our creative energy on a major highlight for Term 3 – our school musical, High School Musical Junior! The performance will take place on August 21st, and promises to be a fantastic showcase of student talent, teamwork and school spirit.

Looking to the future, we are currently reimagining the way we approach extra-curricular events. We’re exploring a rotating Year A & B calendar to help ensure a balanced and sustainable approach that gives all students the chance to pursue their interests and shine across the many facets of school life.

Thank you for your continued support – we look forward to what’s ahead!

School Disco

We are excited to invite all students to our upcoming school disco! It will be a fun-filled evening with music, dancing, and great company.

Date: 4th June, 2025
Time: K-Y2: 4:15pm to 5:45pm
             Y3-Y6: 6pm to 7:30pm 

Location: MPC Hall

While we want the kids to have a fantastic time, we also remind parents and guardians of their responsibilities aligned with the New South Wales Child Safe Standards. Please note the follow rules that parents must adhere to:

• Supervision: Children are dropped off and picked up on time. Adequate supervision will be provided during the event, but it's important for parents to be punctual and ensure a safe handover before and after the disco.

• Adult helpers: Only adults who have volunteered and have been invited to assist with the disco can remain in the MPC hall for the event. 
• Digital/Social Media: Parents must not take video or photographs of the children without consent.

• Toilets: Only students may use the MPC toilets; an adult toilet is located in the Administration Block of the school.

Your support in these areas is essential in maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone. We look forward to seeing all the students there for a night of fun and memories!

Pupil Free Days

As part of our ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality education at St James, we have two upcoming pupil free days [June 5th & 6th] that provide our staff with valuable professional learning opportunities.

On these days, staff will be engaging in professional development focused on the new Creative Arts curriculum as well as exploring current research on how students learn best. Both areas are vital to student development and will help us continue to enhance the learning experiences we offer at St James.

We sincerely thank our families for supporting these important learning days for staff. To help make things easier for families, we have scheduled these pupil free days to align with the King's Birthday public holiday, giving everyone a well-deserved five-day mid-term break to enjoy.

We look forward to returning refreshed and inspired, ready to put new learning into practice for the benefit of every student.

Atheltics Carnival

Get ready for a fun-filled day of energy, spirit, and sportsmanship at our upcoming St James Athletics Carnival on Friday, June 13th!

Students are encouraged to come dressed in their house colours to show their team pride and add to the vibrant atmosphere of the day. It promises to be a fantastic event packed with activity, cheering, and lots of fun for all.

Families are warmly invited to join us throughout the day and cheer on our young athletes. We look forward to seeing our school community come together to celebrate effort, participation, and teamwork.

Let the games begin!

1500m Tweed Zone Trials

The date has been set for the 1500m Tweed Zone event which will be held on Tuesday, 17th June at 4:00pm on the St Joseph’s/St James field. 

The top two fastest times in the following age groups from our school 1500m trials (run throughout week 4 and 5) will qualify:
Junior (8-10yrs).
11yrs.
Senior (12/13yrs).

You will be notified via a compass event if your child is successful once we have completed the school trials. 

Kind Regards,
Monique Rochester
Year 6 Teacher
Sport & Extra Curricular Coordinator

Term 2 Dates & Events

Please note the following events/dates scheduled for Term 2.

- June 4th: Student Disco.

- June 5th & 6th: Pupil Free Days.

- June 9th: King's Birthday Public Holiday.

- June 13th: School Athletics Carnival.

- June 27th: School Athletics Carnival Back-up Day.

- July 2nd: 100 days of Kindergarten.

- July 4th: Play is The Way Championships Day.

- July 4th: End of Term 2.

Please note our pupil-free days for 2025: 

- June 5th & 6th, August 22nd, November 13th & 14th, and December 18th & 19th.

Please note the 1 public holiday that fall in this year's school calendar:

- June 9th: King's Birthday

Please note the Parent Community Group Meeting dates for 2025:

August 14th & November 6th (7pm - MPC).

Please note the following changes to our Term 3 date/events plans:

Due to the school musical now being scheduled for Thursday, August 21st, we will be moving the Term 3 Pupil Free Day to Friday, August 22nd. This change allows students to have the day off following the musical.

As a result of this adjustment, our planned Grandparents' Day and Book Week Dress-Up Day will now take place on Friday, September 26th.

Thank you for your understanding and support with these updates.

Thumbs-up

- Families who completed the Tell Them From Me survey.

- Parents who attended the Parent Community Group Meeting.

- Our Year 6 students for their energy at the GLOW retreat.

- Families for supporting our staff's professional development.

To conclude

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to my recent Principal Appraisal. Your support, honesty, and thoughtful input have provided me with some terrific reflections on how I lead our school, as well as valuable insights into how I can continue to grow and develop as a leader.

The appraisal process has been both affirming and inspiring. It reminded me of the many strengths we share as a community and highlighted opportunities for me to further enhance my leadership so that I can make an even greater impact on student learning and wellbeing.

I am incredibly proud to be the Principal of St James. Every day, I am grateful to work alongside such dedicated staff, supportive families, and wonderful students. I look forward to continuing this journey with you as we strive to make St James an even better place to learn, grow, and thrive together.

With blessings,

Nic.

Parenting and support & learning

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