FROM THE PRINCIPAL
With the holidays fast approaching and extended travel opportunities available, I am assuming many of you may be in the market for more diverse destinations during the April or July breaks. It is exciting, in many ways, that we are starting to think of life beyond the pandemic. It is also worthwhile reflecting on the changing nature of our world and what we may encounter, both while travelling and upon our return.
As reconnecting in international destinations is now possible, I am sure reunions with family will be paramount in the thoughts of those whose families reside beyond WA. To be able to support members of your immediate or extended family in these challenging times will be a welcome relief for many. I wish you well in those endeavours. On your return, I also implore you to consider with respect and responsibility what may be introduced to our community and aim to keep it safe. I know you will, from our collective experiences so far as our School community has been working well together to minimise risk and keep each other safe. I thank you in advance for this.
I also ask that you continue to respect the work the teachers are doing and work with them on the advice that they have given at the recent parent Zoom interviews. Let's take comfort in the knowledge that the path ahead will likely be downhill, as we look forward to the reduced restrictions in Term 2.
I await to hear the great experiences that some of you may enjoy these school holidays, the relaxation that others need, and the positive approach we will have to Term 2 at St James’.
I also wish you a safe and meaningful Easter, as we reflect on how blessed we are to be part of such an engaged and caring community.
Have a safe and enjoyable break.
Mr Adrian Pree | Principal
Beach Safe Carnival 2022.
We hope your school holidays are as much fun!
FROM THE CHAPLAIN
Well, it has happened, COVID-19 entered WA and spread. It is now part of our community. We were all waiting and expecting this to happen, we were also awaiting the rules and regulations to come with it. And we were scared and worried.
The questions I reflect on are: has the world stopped turning? Have you stopped loving and being loved? Have you lost your sense of humour, of fun? Things haven’t changed as much as we thought they would.
Mr Pree has aimed to keep everyone as updated as possible, with the ever-changing information, while trusting we will all play our part. This is where trust becomes an important aspect of school life. We need to trust, support and care for one another.
In a strange way, as we move towards Easter, it reminds me of one of the verses about the resurrection.
"They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." Luke 24:2-3.
Until the stone was rolled away, no one knew the tomb was empty. Just like we did not really know what was going to really happen when COVID hit, or what is going on behind someone’s mask. Are they happy, sad, or just feeling hot and sticky?
The thing is, until the mask is removed, we never really know just what is going on. As we are so attuned to reading people’s faces as well as their eyes. This is what the stone was doing, stopping people from seeing what was going on. It is what makes Easter such a joyful celebration. We see all there is to see and rejoice, knowing that Jesus has risen from the dead. He is no longer hidden from sight. His promise of hope, forgiveness and resurrection has been fulfilled.
The lesson we learn is one of trust and patience. We may not like what has or is happening, in our state or the world. Just as we who believed and trusted in Jesus, never wanted to see Him crucified. The lesson we are being shown and taught is that whatever may be hidden behind a mask or a tomb stone, Christ’s glory will rise and shine in and on the world. All we have to do is wait, look and trust.
Reverend John Taylor | School Chaplain
FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL
Reflecting On Good Days
As we come to terms with our transition in WA to ‘living with the virus’, it is worth looking at the positives we can take from COVID’s presence in our lives.
As a society, we have likely never been more careful with our health and that of others. We take personal hygiene more seriously, we are more considerate when we are unwell or visiting vulnerable members of society, and we are more grateful for the freedoms which we enjoyed in abundance prior to COVID entering the world and then reaching our shores.
From an educational perspective, we have a far deeper understanding of the impact of ‘face to face’ teaching and learning, we crave social interaction with our peers and friends and, dare I say it, we welcome the structure and discipline associated with the school day. When once we may have quickly embraced the opportunity for a ‘week of isolation’, we now hope for a ‘negative RAT’, so that we may continue to work and engage with others.
When speaking with a colleague recently, we were musing about what constituted a ‘good day’ – he suggested it came down to two things: purpose and progress. I love this!
I challenge every student to reflect before they answer the first question that every parent asks when they get home from school, “how was your day?” to stop and think, did I operate with purpose and did I make progress? If so, then that is a good day and, if you can string enough of these good days together, you will be closer to achieving your goals.
I encourage us all to be grateful, to be kind to one another and to have days that are filled with purpose and progress.
Mr Chris Hall | Head of Senior School
FROM THE HEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL
The Great Outdoors
This year in Junior School we have challenged ourselves to get outside more and enjoy learning in different environments around the School.
We are lucky to have expansive school grounds to explore, including the Djerabin Boodja (our outside classroom on the western end of the campus). This area has been slowly growing since 2018. At its heart is a yarning circle, from which there are pathways that lead through native garden beds. Later in the year a ‘Bush Tucker garden’ will be established here, to complement the current vegetable garden.
The Kindy students have been using Djerabin Boodja to investigate Autumn, visiting the area at least once a week. They have been searching for evidence of seasonal change, asking questions and discussing the importance of nature.
In the ELC some clubs have made the most of the School grounds, such as the Move Club, which has been using the outdoor classroom area to explore nature and build cubby houses. This has required teamwork and co-operation, moving some serious logs and campfire stones into position!
The Year 1s have been learning maths while outside, where they hide numbers (such as 21 – 40) in the garden. The students then have to find them and place the number on a number line, talking about which number comes before/after etc. The children have loved this activity.
The Year 5 students have been devising their drama performances while outside on the grass, engaging in guided reading and spelling activities outdoors, and have completed a science experiment growing bean sprouts outside in the elements.
Most classes across the Junior School have been enjoying their story-time outside, under the shade of a tree or sailcloth.
In Junior School, we have always embraced our natural surroundings, but recent times have led to our students spending extra time in the great outdoors, discovering not only new learning opportunities but also how to find the positives in challenging situations.
Dan Mornement | Head of Junior School
FROM THE DEPUTY OF JUNIOR SCHOOL
World Prayer Day
World Day of Prayer is celebrated on the first Friday of March each year to encourage people around the world to engage in communal prayer under the motto, 'Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action'.
This year, students from Years 1 to 12 painted pebbles with symbols and words of support and prayer for the countries of Wales, Northern Ireland and England.
The pebble activity was a collaborative school community effort that encouraged reflection and creativity. Some of the words the students chose to write on their pebbles included faith, God, Jesus, hope, smile, happy, love, joy, peace and family. After painting the pebbles, the students had the opportunity to write a short prayer.
The pebbles will be displayed in the Djerabin Boodja area of the Junior School once the garden area is established. Djerabin Boodja means happy place.
Next year we will be praying for Taiwan. The country selected changes each year and is decided upon by the International World Prayer Day Committee.
Nicholas Townsend | Deputy of Junior School
Friends of St James' (FOST)
The Friends of St James’ (FOST) committee and I had the opportunity to view the newly bought school bus, and I must say, I’m very impressed. The signage placed on the side of the bus makes it look even fiercer, “Here comes the Orange Army!”
Amazingly we bought the bus using the funds raised at the 2021 Family Fun Fair. The Friends of St James' will be hosting another Family Fun Fair next year. Be sure to write it in your calendars as it is definitely something to look forward to, as last year's event was such a huge success. We will share a ‘save the date’ with you all soon.
In addition, Mother’s Day is fast approaching. The FOST team is working on lovely gifts and ideas for our mums, grandmothers, Godmothers and mother figures. We look forward to welcoming some parents to the School to assist in putting the Mother’s Day gifts together. If you are interested, we will share more information on this soon.
As Western Australia goes through some awkward times with COVID, I hope that everyone is well and staying safe and you all enjoy the Easter holidays coming up.
Sonet Coetzee | President
Wellbeing Pursuits
How often do you link your state of mind with your wellbeing? For some, not often enough. We tend to see them as two separate entities.
Our state of mind is how we think and feel, our wellbeing is how we act or react to different situations.
We pursue financial wellbeing, but it can come at a cost to our relationship wellbeing. Maintaining mental wellbeing can push aside physical wellbeing.
Taking a long walk clears the mind and increases fitness. We can become single-minded to excel at work and career goals, however, we forget that having fun is just as important as being serious, to maintain our wellbeing.
Speaking of fun, last week I had the privilege of taking a Kindy class for the afternoon. As I walked around the Kindy classroom, I reflected on Robert Fulghum’s poem, 'All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.'
"Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some."
In the few hours of engagement, wellbeing was enhanced through play, laughter and challenges.
Children used Grandma and Grandpa puppets to help solve problems, offer alternative solutions and use ‘aged wisdom’ to voice opinions with respect, gratitude and kindness. The students learnt about giving a round of applause to themselves and others; how often do we forget to applaud ourselves for a job well done? Stickers and hugs (social distancing being a difficult pursuit with a Kindy child!) are the currency of the room and in receiving and giving, our bond with each other grows stronger.
Using Fulghum’s final line,
"And it is still true, no matter how old you are – when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together."
In these challenging times, as adults, we are cautious and hesitant. The Kindy children have shown me that sometimes, we can be brave. By sticking together, our wellbeing can be awesome.
Teresa Gastevich | School Counsellor
FROM THE SENIOR SCHOOL CAPTAINS
As we approach the end of Term 1, we would like to take the opportunity to recognise a few of the momentous events that have occurred so far this year and outline what we are looking forward to in the near future.
The start of this year saw the opening of the Stage Four building and we are pleased to see the Senior School students settling in and enjoying the new space. We are also delighted to see the new school buses being used to transport students to and from Alkimos Beach as they complete their Beach Safe Program, as well as the continuation of the Volleyball and Soccer Specialist Sports Programs.
While we are living in times of uncertainty, we aim to ensure the year continues to run as smoothly as possible, providing students with a plethora of opportunities and experiences in a COVID-safe environment. We look forward to the development of the School’s latest musical production, ‘Into the Woods Jr’ and wish the cast and crew the best of luck in this exciting endeavour.
We hope that we can continue to develop an accepting and supportive school community here at St James’ and we cannot wait to see what else 2022 will bring!
Anya Coetzee | Elissa Quinn-Williams
THE REAL VIRTUAL FARMER
This term, our Year 5 students were the first students in Western Australia to participate in two ‘Farmer Time’ incursions. These were held over Zoom by ‘Produce It. Protect It’, a collaboration between Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA) and the Victorian Farmers Federation.
Preceded by a special delivery in the mail, filled with fun activities that helped the Year 5s learn more about the process from Paddock to Plate. We inquired about how we can make farming processes more sustainable through problem-solving and collaboration tasks within groups.
Then, the students were able to ask thought-provoking questions that a ‘real-life’ farmer in Bundaberg answered for us during the second session. Farmer Anthony shared his farming methods with us and told us his favourite thing about being a farmer!
Thank you to Jayne from ‘Produce it. Protect it’ for putting together this fun and educational activity for us and ‘Zooming’ into St James’ to virtually host this engaging incursion.
Miss Samantha Alcock | Year 5 Teacher
EXPLORING ART TECHNIQUES
The students at St James' are incredibly passionate and enthusiastic about their art. It is always so rewarding to see their artworks progress from an initial concept to the finished creation.
This term, the talented elective Art students had the opportunity to explore and practice techniques using dual marker graphic pens.
The results are amazing and speak for themselves. Josh in Year 12 has even decided to use this medium for his final artwork. Stay tuned for the finished product. It will leave you in awe.
Anna Fletcher | Head of Art
Are you interested in exploring and practising this technique? Click the link below to see a demonstration using dual marker graphic pens.
HOUSE TIME IN ACTION
House time is the perfect opportunity for students to try new things or have a go at something that may be a little out of their comfort zone, supporting their House while having fun.
During Term 1, students in Years 7 to 12 have been rotating through various House time activities. Students have designed and created couture fashion pieces using only newspapers. They have challenged their peers by playing board games and even made newspaper baskets. Students have also participated in volleyball, basketball, soccer, and moved through the stations in the St James’ ‘Shrimp Game’ (a form of tabloid sports).
The Dance-Off Challenge was fun to watch and the Art Challenge, to design a vinyl record, was a blast from the past!
The older students have been involved in quizzes and building their life skills which have included looking after your car, including oil change, radiator and petrol cap! Learning the fine art of how to set a table correctly and the etiquette when eating a meal with multiple forks and knives!
Formatting professional emails have also been on the list for our Senior School students as well as discovering their five character strengths.
Guest speakers have been a welcome addition to House time, albeit virtual, especially the Tomorrow Man and Tomorrow Woman speakers. In addition, the Year 12 ATAR students have completed additional study sessions with their teachers.
There is always something interesting, challenging and interactive happening for the Senior School students during House time, along with some laughs and a whole lot of fun!
Stacey Syme | Head of Year 7, with the assistance of Tracey Cooke, Head of Music and Sian Yates, Head of Year 10