From the Principal
Leadership - The Generals are Coming!
Leadership - this word is often associated with a General leading an army into battle, a Prime Minister delivering a stirring speech or the Captain of the West Coast Eagles thanking players at the end of a season.
It is far more than that. Students get opportunities in their everyday lives to lead in large and small ways. They must seize these opportunities if they are to develop their full potential. The English teacher breaking students into groups and asking for a spokesperson to present their findings, a Year 9 who sees bullying occurring and intervenes or even a student speaking to the whole school about running for Captaincy. These are all opportunities to lead.
Staff all get to lead their classes each day and reinforce our core values through challenging and organised classes. Parents get to show leadership with their parenting and interactions in our community through social media and involvement in local sports clubs. I constantly say to my staff that you are only a leader if you check your rear vision mirror and there are people following. Forging on blindly without looking back is hazardous.
As our first Year 12 School Captains are elected in the coming weeks, I challenge them to be the leaders that make a difference, set the tone and leave a legacy that will set high standards for those that follow. We will be working closely with these students to ensure we set the right flavour. Thank you to those who have stepped up to lead our community. Be prepared to challenge yourself and step outside your comfort zone. Most importantly, look forward to the end of next year and reflect on what you would like to be remembered for - map the job backwards from the endpoint.
I wish you all the best as you take on these pivotal roles. The Orange Army is getting its first lot of Generals!
Mr Adrian Pree
Principal
It’s All Happening in Years 3-6!
Integrate, collaborative and innovate!
When we work together we build on one another’s skills, learn to compromise, negotiate and try new ideas. The Year 3-6 Collaborative Area has been a hive of activity this term. From Maths games to integrated projects, students have showcased their learning in a plethora of ways.
Students in Year 3 have acted out a scene from BBC Radio’s abridged version of The Tempest in Drama. They also performed a selection of songs, learning lyrics and developing pitch and rhythm. As part of an Integrated Studies unit in Geography, students designed posters of an island. To conclude the unit, students used food to make their own edible islands. Who would have thought that blue jelly could become an ocean and that broccolini could be made into trees! Congratulations to Euan MacDonald and Chloe Oliver who won prizes for their projects.
In Year 4, students have made dioramas on environments from around the world. Students have also been learning about fractions and decimals with the help of tangrams. In English, students have commenced a unit on Poetry. They discovered what a spoonerism is - switching sounds to make a different word such as “shake a tower” instead of “have a shower”!
Year 5s have been writing information reports on the Swan River Colony. Life was hard back then! In Health they have been working through a unit on Protective Behaviours. This included safe and unsafe secrets and learning that “what we say goes” when it comes to our bodies. In Maths, students have been planning a budget to learn how to manage money.
As part of a STEM project the Year 6 students have been working collaboratively to create a house lighting design. This has involved using a shoebox, dividing it into rooms and then installing a circuit with lights. One team even used paperclips as switches. In HASS and English, Year 6s have debated what the requirements should be to become an Australian citizen. For Maths the students created brochures advertising their favourite products with discounts applied. They were required to select a variety of discounts and calculate a final price.
Mr Nicholas Townsend
Deputy Head of Junior School
From the Head of Senior School
House Time – Student engagement across Year groups
House Time is a terrific opportunity for students to engage with one another across Year groups. Each of the four House groups must band together to achieve collective success in a range of carnivals, competitions and activities. House Spirit is built through shared effort and a willingness to participate to one’s best. Each House has a Captain who looks to inspire, motivate and lead others to success.
Recently House Spirit was on display at the Interhouse Athletics Carnival, Interhouse Debating, Interhouse Public Speaking and the ever popular Dance Off. We continue to be amazed by the support our students give to one another at these events.
At St James’ it is cool to ‘have a go’ and strive for excellence amongst one’s peers. This culture is a big part of what makes St James’ so special.
Mr Chris Hall
Head of Senior School
Elections in the Senior School
As we look ahead to our first cohort of Year 12 students next year, elections took place this term for 2021 School Captains.
There was an impressive line-up of nominees for these positions and we congratulate everyone who took part. The speeches were persuasive and confident, with the electorate left to ponder who would be the best person for each role.
During the elections all Senior School students completed their ballot papers, exercising their right to vote and have their say. Following the voting tally, all candidates were interviewed by Mr Pree, Mr Hall and myself.
The role of a Captain is a prestigious position and all candidates are very worthy of this honour.
Mrs Laura Briggs
Deputy Head of Senior School
Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award
St James’ Anglican School is honoured to be involved in the running of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. This Award plays a vital role in providing opportunities for young people to develop essential life skills, increase their employability and foster their creativity and innovation.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is valued globally by employers and recognised by leading universities and institutions in their application process.
From Term 4, St James’ will be offering opportunities to students in Years 8 - 11 to start the Bronze level of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, under our guidance. Copies of the letter and information pack can be collected from Administration.
For more information, please click on the links below:
Mrs Stacey Syme and Miss Jes Meulenkamp
Duke of Edinburgh International Award Leaders
High School Volleyball Cup
On Thursday 10 and Friday 11 September St James' had five Year 8 and 9 teams compete in the High School Volleyball Cup at Lords Recreation Centre.
The girls competed against Greenwood Senior High School, Mercedes College, Rossmoyne Senior High School, Iona College and Harrisdale Senior High School. The boys competition included Fremantle College, Harrisdale Senior High School, Greenwood Senior High School and Gilmore College.
Competition was fierce and it was impressive to see the development of volleyball skills and great camaraderie amongst the students.
Special mention must go to the outstanding leadership our student coaches displayed. Brady Jansen, Charlie Parkman and Matthew van den Ham were fantastic representatives for their team and the School.
All members of the Orange Army Volleyball team should be very proud of their achievements on the day.
Miss Jes Meulenkamp
Physical Education Teacher
Book Week Fair and Parade
What a fantastic week we had at the Book Fair. Thank you to all who braved the chilly cave, polar bears and giant penguins to enter the wonderful world of books. We now have a healthy number of points to spend at the Scholastic Store, ensuring the Library will get a boost of new and popular books.
The winner of the ‘Number of Snowballs in the Jar’ was Ella Constantine (Year 1) who correctly guessed 173 snowballs, closely followed by runner up Lucas Large.
Congratulations also to the winners of the colouring competition, Isla Reynolds, Georgia Glancy, Cooper Paul, Lucas Bewick-Sedgman, Yolanda Huang, Madison Eckert, and Zac Quinn-Williams.
The Book Week Parade was a sight to be seen with some amazing creativity on display. Congratulations to the class winners for their wonderful costumes.
Ms Rachel Stone
Librarian
Exploring Yanchep National Park
On Tuesday 08 September the Year 2 classes participated in an excursion to Yanchep National Park.
When the students arrived they were split into three groups and rotated through exciting activities that related to their Science and HASS units.
Derek Nanup thrilled students with his animated Dreamtime stories and spoke about the traditions of the local Noongar people.
Students learnt about the effect of water conservation on fauna and flora and explored the woodlands and wetlands - a timely reminder to practice our water conservation skills!
Finally, students explored the magnificent Crystal Cave.
In between the structured activities students were able to explore the woodlands and take a quick walk to visit the koalas and kangaroos.
It was an exciting and interesting excursion learning about our local ecosystems and traditions. All the students had a wonderful time.
Mrs Candice Geracitano
Year 2 Teacher
2020 ACC Athletics Carnival
Friday 4 September saw our Senior School Athletics team compete in the ACC Athletics Carnival.
After achieving a promotion from I to H Division in 2019, the squad commenced their training program after the Interhouse Athletics Carnival at the beginning of Term 3.
Numbers and attendance were excellent throughout the early morning training sessions. The squad was focused on meeting the challenge of going up to H Division, with every member focused on performing their role.
Throughout the day we were consistent as our name sat at the top of the leaderboard, however, by the time the relays commenced the gap had closed considerably. Despite winning four of the eight relay races we finished second overall by an agonising 25 points. After the initial disappointment, students and staff were extremely proud of the effort and spirit displayed by the whole squad.
Overall there were some outstanding performances throughout the day. Some of the highlights included:
- Winning the Junior Boys Shield.
- Winning the Overall Boys Shield.
- Lewis Davies placing fourth overall in the Under 13 Male Division.
- Hayley Bidefeld being Runner Up Champion in the Under 14 Female Division.
- Jared Marriott placing third overall in the Under 15 Male Division.
- Liberty Boylan being Runner Up Champion in the Open Female Division (as a Year 10).
Many thanks to the Athletics coaches, Miss Meulenkamp, Miss Huggins, Mrs Briggs, Mrs Pearce, Mr Tolson and Miss Ransom, for their work in the preparation phase in the lead up to the carnival. The Orange Army gave a fantastic effort and we look forward to the challenge of H Division again in 2021.
Mr James Parsons
Head of Physical Education
Selflessness Through Food
Selflessness is defined as “concern more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own”. The Year 10 Food Technology class have learnt a lot about selflessness this term.
On Thursday 17 September they were challenged to make 100 vanilla cupcakes for staff, decorated with rich buttercream icing and an edible icing image, as part of R U Ok Day. Each cake was individually wrapped in a cellophane bag with gold ribbon. Catering for different dietary needs, the students also made sure there were cakes available for staff who are Coeliac (including our Principal, Mr Pree). These were well received and appreciated by all.
Last week students were busy working on catering for the 2020 Art Exhibition Official Opening. 50 individual boxes were lovingly made with meatballs, hummus and vegetable sticks, a chocolate brownie, seeded crackers with brie and salami and a chocolate dipped strawberry. The boxes were small enough to hold as people walked around looking at the amazing student artwork.
Not always do the students understand why they cook for others. It is sometimes difficult for them to realise their selflessness makes somebody else’s day. These two examples demonstrate the Year 10s willingness to put others needs ahead of their own. We appreciate the efforts they have made.
Mrs Angela Robertson and Mrs Maryanne Wakefield
Food Technology Teachers