Term 3 Week 2 (1/8/2025)
What Is On?
Monday 4th August - Meerkat Production 2pm
Monday 4th August- Stage 3 Basketball Gala Day
Tuesday 5th August- Community Conversation #12 (see below)
Monday 11th August- Stage 2 Basketball Gala Day
Tuesday 12th August - First Communion Parent evening 5:30pm (details below)
Monday 18th – Thursday 21st August 2025 - Book Fair Open (8:30am to 9am & 3:10pm to 3:30pm)
Tuesday 19th August - ES1 Excursion to Church & Mass
Tuesday 19th August- tentative Disco date - save it!!!
Thursday 21st August - Book week parade
Friday 22th August - Little J's starts
Tuesday 26th August - DIO Athletics Carnival- Coffs Harbour
Saturday 30th August - First Holy Communion-St James Church, Yamba
Wednesday 3rd September - Zone Soccer and Netball Carnival S3- Yamba
Friday 5th September - Father's Day Breakfast 7am -9am (ticketing to come)
Tuesday 9th September - Public Speaking School Finals in hall
Wednesday 10th September - Colour Run- Stage 3 Fundraiser (see below for details)
Wednesday 17th September- Netball School Cup Finals- Lismore
Friday 19th September- Touch Football Gala Day S2 & S3
Monday 22nd September - Public Speaking Finals in Coffs
Wednesday 24th September- DIO Netball & Football Finals - Grafton
Thursday 25th September - Last Day Term 3 for Students
Friday 26th September - Staff Professional Learning Day - Curriculum - Pupil Free Day
Term 4 2025
Monday 13th October - First Day Term 4 for Students and Staff
Monday 3rd – Friday 7th November - Stage 3 Camp- Canberra
End of Year Final Awards Assembly - Thursday 11th December - Yamba Bowling Club 10:00 – 11:00am
Tuesday 16th December - Graduation Dinner
Wednesday 17th December - Last Day Term 4 for Students and Staff
Dear Parents and Carers
At the end of a lovely "out and about" and "in for the win" week I can't wait for the weekend!
Between the Sacrament of Reconciliation with our families at Saint James Church, the school representing at AFL in Sydney, a school assembly and 100 Days of Kindy, I may be ready for a weekend. Of course, this weekend our school sponsors the Parish Mass at Saint James Church, (All are welcome All belong!) so, I may need to be on once more!
I feel that we have started the term with lots of events where our community can come together.
Once we add a Community Conversation, Play J's, Little J's, a school disco, the Colour Run and Father's Day into the mix, we may have all connected this term! Just for a moment I thought "I should check the parent list and see who I still have to meet." and then I have dismissed this as a stupid Friday thought that is best forgotten. I could write a spiel about how much I enjoyed the events but as you have all been in... no need!
Happy weekend
Ann
RE News
Parish Mass
We warmly invite all families to join us for our School Parish Mass this Saturday evening at 5:30pm at St James Church, Yamba.
First Reconciliation Celebration
On Tuesday evening, 13 of our students took an important step on their faith journey by celebrating the Sacrament of First Reconciliation at St James Church. It was a beautiful and reverent occasion at St James Church, with Fr Roland.
We congratulate our candidates for their prayerful participation and thank their families for their ongoing support.
Congratulations to Maeve, Mila, Ivie, Leah, Cruz, Lola, Declan, Dolly, Finn, Cleo, Jackson, Molly and Poppy.
Sacrament Dates
Parent information evening at school- Tuesday 12th August, 5:30pm pizza dinner, 6-7pm meeting. Please RSVP via google form (sent via email).
First Holy Communion- Saturday 30th August, St James Church, Yamba
The order of Sacraments in the Lismore Diocese is:
Baptism, Confirmation (Year 3), Reconciliation (Year 4), First Eucharist (Year 4)
If you need more information about Baptism for your child, please contact the Parish Office in Maclean at 6645 1188 (open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm).
For any other Sacraments, please reach out to Mrs Howland at school. Please note that your child must be Baptised before receiving any other Sacraments.
If your child was Confirmed last year, they will be invited to receive Reconciliation and First Communion this year. To arrange this, please email yamp@lism.catholic.edu.au.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at school.
Renee Howland
Assistant Principal - Mission
Sport News
AFL
Our St James AFL team have returned home from Sydney after travelling down earlier in the week to play in the State Finals of the Paul Kelly Cup in freezing cold, wet conditions at Blacktown on Wednesday. Whilst they weren't winners on the day, they showed great determination and skill against the 9 other regional winners from right across NSW. The boys had a great time and are very lucky to have been able to play on such a big stage. They were also very excited to get the opportunity to play in our brand new set of AFL jerseys which we were able to purchase courtesy of a grant from AFL NSW that was awarded to St James after the boys won the Regional Final. A huge thank you to those parents who were able to travel down for the event, your support and help with transport and organisation is very much appreciated. It was a great experience for the team and one they will remember for many years to come!
And a big thank you from us to Martin and Tash who travelled/coached the students.
Athletics
Information regarding the Diocesan Athletics Carnival will be going out via Compass early next week. If your child finished in the first 3 in an individual event at Zone they will be progressing to the Diocesan carnival. The carnival is being held at the International Stadium in Coffs Harbour on Tuesday 26th August (Week 6). Please keep an eye on Compass for details if your child is involved in this event.
Basketball
St James will be attending the Lower Clarence Schools Basketball Gala Days being held at the Raymond Laurie Sports Centre on the next two Mondays. Stage 3 will be playing on Monday 4th August and Stage 2 will be playing on Monday 11th August. This is always a fun, social day for the kids, aimed at introducing them to Basketball in a relaxed, friendly environment. Please check Compass for details and to make sure you have given your child consent to attend.
Rugby Union
Good luck to Ashton who is travelling down to Newcastle next week to play in the Polding team at the NSW PSSA Rugby Union Championships. Ashton earned selection in the Polding team after the NSW CPS carnival in Forbes last term. This is a great effort from Ashton to reach this level and continues his run of excellent sporting achievements throughout this year. We look forward to cheering Ashton on from school next week. Good luck!
School Awards Assembly (from Term 2)
St James' Award – Billie
Values – Ayva, Sunny, Maggie, Anthony, Cassidy, Luka, Penny
Sport – Max, Lucee Mae, Maeve, Liv, Kade, Ella, Hailey
Achievement – Ella, Jensen, Luca, Aiden, Lola, Kingston, Harvey, Neve, Charles, Lyla, Sonny
Encouragement – Louis, Jonas, Ivie, Eden, Isaac, Delfina, Bonnie, Lennox, Meg, Lewis, Cadence, Francesco, Dean
NAPLAN
NAPLAN is coming home in Year 3 and Year 5 bags. If you would like to look at the results with staff or seek clarification please get in touch.
Community Conversation #12
Community Conversation #12 is on Tuesday evening. Please come along to join us in future dreaming in the school. Booking link below. Pizza for dinner and babysitting provided.
https://forms.gle/XBhGwgUBSHrBraxeA
St James Colour Run
Stage 1 News
It’s hard to believe we’re already in Term 3, this year is flying by! Stage 1 students continue to amaze us with their enthusiasm and dedication to learning. We are so proud of the way they consistently put effort into everything they do.
In Stage 1, we are excited to introduce a new daily recognition called the Love Award. This special award celebrates students who are seen showing God’s love through their actions, words and attitudes. Each day, one student is chosen for demonstrating kindness, compassion, or thoughtfulness towards others. This might include comforting a classmate who is upset, helping someone with their work, including others in play, or speaking kindly and respectfully.
The chosen student is proudly presented with our special heart lanyard to wear for the day as a symbol of their loving actions. This is inspiring students and teachers to keep an eye out for moments of love being shared in our classroom. We are already noticing how this simple act of recognition is encouraging a more caring classroom.
We look forward to continuing this beautiful tradition and watching love grow in our learning space!
Thriving Friendships
This Term we’ve been continuing to enjoy our Thriving Friendships program with Mrs Hamilton, and it has quickly become a highlight of the week for everyone in Stage 1.
Last week, we explored the topic of conflict resolution. Students practiced important strategies such as calmly expressing their feelings, actively listening to others, and working together to find positive solutions for the future.
This week, our focus was on showing concern for others. Stage 1 students shared many thoughtful and compassionate ideas about how we can show care towards those around us.
It’s clear that our students are well on their way to building strong, positive connections… both within our school and in the wider world.
Introducing Mr Mills
We're thrilled to welcome Mr Mills to our school community for the next ten weeks! Currently in his final year of teaching at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney, Mr Mills brings a fresh perspective and boundless energy to the classroom. With a passion for art, cooking, staying active and his love for being outdoors, Mr Mills brings creativity, warmth, and enthusiasm to everything he does and is incredibly excited to be part of the team for the remainder of the term, and is looking forward to learning, growing, and connecting with staff and students throughout his time here at St James.
Attendance
Live Life Well @ School
