Message from the Principal
Stage 3 Update
Dear Parents/Carers
There are several exciting building projects emerging from the northern corridor sand dunes that make up our school site. On the western side of our grounds, adjacent to the Pectoral carpark, you will see the Design and Technology building reaching completion. We will be taking possession of this building in under 4 weeks. This should see our students move into the facility on the last day of term, ready for an exciting Term 3 in the new workshop. There will also be a final resting place for the Grounds staff at St James’, with an adjoining workshop.
On the eastern side of our site you will see the two storey Stage 3 building. This is due for completion in November. We will then move into this building, which will allow the re-fit of our existing secondary D-block, making two new Science Laboratories. These will be ready in February.
Stage 3 will have 8 classrooms upstairs, music rehearsal rooms, a staff room and a teacher preparation area. Downstairs it will have a library, IT Windows Lab, an Art room with Kiln, a boardroom, a STEAM Maker space and a new Administration area.
Stage 3 will have an abseil tower rising above the first floor, with lift access to allow an inclusive Outdoor Education program. A climbing wall adjacent to this should round off a true multi-purpose facility.
The future use of our current Administration building is likely to be the development of a canteen area. Watch this space!
I hope you are all excited about the coming months as we unveil these new buildings. The students are very excited and the interest from the community has really sparked many enquiries regarding new places for students. Thank you for your continued support and faith in St James’.
Mr Adrian Pree
Message from the Chaplain
Why have a uniform?
Have you heard the saying, ‘Clothes maketh the man’? This is the English translation, as it is from Shakespeare. It may have been used as comic relief in Hamlet, yet it is often and used today.
In the reading from Mark’s Gospel we have Jesus telling the people to be wary of Scribes who walk around in long robes (12.38). We have a school uniform to instil in the students a sense of belonging and equality. It is also important for that same reason that teachers are smartly dressed and presentable. Otherwise this leads to a culture of do as I say and not as I do. Before anyone says anything, yes, I am guilty of doing that often!
What Jesus is talking about is how some people us fancy clothes and position to dominate and down trod others. If you are all wearing the same thing, this is a bit difficult to do. I wear something different because it is the uniform of my office. The fact I like wearing a frock is beside the point. Yes! It is a frock not a dress. If we are removed from the office of ordained ministry, it is called De-Frocked.
The point is, if we all wear the same we cannot call, bully or condemn others for what they are wearing. Otherwise you are only calling yourself. Another reason for a uniform is the same as the armed forces, the police, ambulance / paramedics etc. When we see them, we know instantly who they are, what they represent and where they are from. It gives peace of mind, encouragement and hope, knowing they are there to help and protect us.
This may not be exactly the same as a school uniform. Yet as I said earlier it instils that feeling of belonging. It also helps the whole school to grow as a single unit, with several different parts. By dressing the same we all act and behave the same. Learning from each other in what to and not do as representatives of this school.
As we wear our school uniform let’s not only look the same but act the same. With pride, courage and a knowledge that we are representing not only our schools but ourselves and our families.
With every blessing, John
JUNIOR SCHOOL
What’s Happening in the Junior School?
The end of Semester is a time when we reflect on progress made over the first two terms of the year. To this end the Semester reports will be released, via SEQTA, during the last week of this term. They are a chance to acknowledge the successes that have occurred. They are also a wonderful opportunity to reset and refocus goals for the rest of the year. I would encourage families to take a moment to discuss the comments and suggestions made by the teachers, and to use them to help prepare for Semester 2.
As a school we are also preparing for Semester 2. It will start with a couple of celebrations in Week 1.
Firstly; NAIDOC Week 2018, Theme ‘Because of her, we can’
During the upcoming school holidays NAIDOC week will be celebrated (8 July – 15 July). As this is during the holidays we will hold our NAIDOC celebrations on Tuesday 24 July.
This is an important date on the calendar and to mark it we have arranged a series of events. This will start with a traditional welcome to country performed by the Moorditi Mob who are part of Wesley College’s Indigenous program. The day will then have a series of activities across the various learning areas to help us appreciate and understand the traditional owners of the land.
The school will also be displaying our art work in the Alkimos Pop Up library from July 14 onwards. This is an exciting opportunity, linked with the City of Wanneroo and their NAIDOC celebrations. It will be great to see St James’ students displaying their work in public – I encourage you all to try and get along to support this.
Secondly; On Wednesday 25 July we will have our annual St James’ Day Service. This gives us the opportunity to come together to remember our patron saint.
Thirdly: On Friday 27 July we will have our fourth Interhouse Athletics Carnival. Athletics has such a varied skill set that this allows all students a chance to showcase their talents and to also try something new.
Mr Dan Mornement, Head of Junior School
In Week 3, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 completed the NAPLAN assessments. NAPLAN assessments consist of four tests: Numeracy, Writing, Language Conventions and Reading. This year is the last year St James’ students will complete the assessments on paper. From 2019, our students will be completing the NAPLAN tests online using their iPads. A locked down browser will be used which will prevent students from accessing other applications and other assisted features such as auto-capitalisation and spelling correction. Next year’s tests will be conducted over two weeks. The dates are 14- 24 May 2019. Unfortunately, the iPad Mini is not an acceptable device for NAPLAN. Students with an iPad Mini will be required to use one of the iMac computers at school. If you are upgrading your child’s iPad, please ensure the regular sized iPad is purchased.
Results from this year’s NAPLAN will be released between mid-August and mid-September. You will be provided with a summary report on each of the tests completed. NAPLAN tests provide an indication of your child’s performance. They should be reviewed in line with reports from class teachers and discussions you may have had with them.
Students in Years 2, 4 and 6 complete similar NAPLAN assessments at the same time as the NAPLAN is conducted. These assessments not only provide us with useful information, they provide students with an opportunity to ‘practice’.
Should you have any queries regarding NAPLAN, please speak with your child’s class teacher or chat with Mr Mornement or myself.
Mr Nicholas Townsend, Deputy Head of Junior School
SENIOR SCHOOL
Senior School Examination Week
The Year 8 and 9 students have just completed their Semester One Examinations in the four core subjects of Science, Mathematics, English and HASS. As our Senior School students progress through St James’, not all will choose an ATAR pathway which culminates in examinations each semester; however, all students will benefit from this type of summative assessment in some way.
The process of studying and then searching through one’s memory and retrieving the relevant information is an important skill that develops and strengthens neural pathways for future use. They also provide students the opportunity to develop time management and stress management skills. The ability to express thoughts clearly and concisely is essential in life and examinations allow students the opportunity to practice this and then reflect on ways to improve. Examinations also give students a clear motivational goal and provide students feedback on their own learning.
Exams are a challenge and facing them allows students to emerge stronger and more able to cope with other challenges in their lives. It often takes courage to sit an exam in the first place and these lessons are important in developing resilience. Exams can often inspire a greater effort and determination in the future. Life is about rising to challenges and overcoming them. St James’ is about developing agency and resilience, enabling students to say ‘I can and I will’ as opposed to ‘I can’t and I won’t’. Irrelevant of the final results, students will walk away from their exam week with developed life skills that will enable success. Success is a journey, not a destination and it is the doing that is far more important than the outcome. Our wonderful students will all take different paths once they leave the doors of St James’ but the lessons we teach them now will lead to opportunity and provide them with the strength to take risks and face challenges with determination and pride.
Mrs Laura Briggs, Director of Innovation, Teaching and Learning
With just under four weeks to go, students in Drama Club are getting ready to showcase their very own self-devised original group performance called Boxes. If you are interested in coming along to watch, please see poster for further information. We hope to see you there!
List of cast members involved (Year 6-9): Annabel Lucas, Elissa Quinn-Williams, Elizabeth Marinoni, Jessica Wiltshire, Eden Pietersen, Isaac Faithful, Charlee Jory, Harry Lomas, Susie Cano, Penny Gormlie, Lily Truscott, Kayla Burton, Sophie Coyne, Tatyana Torney, Amelia Weston, Kelso Stevenson, Rowan Facey, Katie Goulter, Ava Tomazin, Madison Montgomery, Madison Dissington, Brooklyn Eckert, Lara Oskay, Bridgette Leaman, Charmay Dune, Charnay Dune, Ava Palfrey & Hannah Bosch.
Ms Annalisa Sorgiovanni, Drama Teacher
Wanted: Costumes and props – Miss Sorgiovanni, the Drama Teacher is wanting to provide a selection of costumes and props for her Drama students to use when performing. Any donations of the following would be kindly appreciated:
CLOTHING
- Fancy dress and Halloween costumes
- Cocktail dresses and skirts
- Coats, jumpers and jackets
- Vintage wear
- Shoes
- Hats, wigs and hairpieces
- Gloves
- Scarves
- Vests
- Tutus
- Costume Jewellery
- Belts
- Masks
PROPS
- Bags and briefcases
- Baskets
- Halloween props (e.g. plastic swords)
- Old cups, mugs, plates and utensils (preferably plastic)
- Plastic food
- Wands
- Umbrellas, parasols and fans
- Old telephones and radios
If you would like to make a donation or have any questions please contact Miss Sorgiovanni at asorgiovanni@stjames.wa.edu.au
ANZAC Day
On the brisk morning of ANZAC Day, our Junior School Choir and Symphonic Wind Band attended the Quinns Rocks ANZAC Day Dawn Service, held at the Quinns Rocks Sports Club on Wednesday 25th April. Our Choir and Band were joined with other school groups to form a combined ensemble for the event, to help lead the large congregation of attendees who were paying their respects. Our wreath, hand-made by our Junior School Leaders was laid by the Junior School Captains, Annabel Lucas and Rohan Toomer, who also played in the band. Thank you to everyone that attended and helped out on the day for this annual event.
WASO present Harry Potter
“I solemnly swear I am up to no good…”
After Cross Country in Week 1, some of our Symphonic Wind Band musicians flew by broomstick into the city to watch the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) present Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Live in Concert. That’s right, LIVE! With the movie played on a large screen behind, WASO played the whole music score for the movie live in the theatre. Without this live music, the movie would have been bared of half its emotions. Our students enjoyed dressing up, seeing their own instruments live in action and may have also seen the next instrument they would like to learn to play.
“Mischief managed…”
Sausage Sizzle
Thank you to all the students, parents and staff who helped out at the Bunnings Sausage Sizzle on Sunday the 13 May. We raised much needed funds to help with our tour to Germany in July!
Quiz Night
We are delighted to announce that we are hosting our first ever Quiz Night on Friday 22 June at 7.00pm at the School. The proceeds from this exciting event will be split between the Smiths Foundation (an Australian charity that assists young people from disadvantaged backgrounds), school equipment, and upcoming tours to enhance the global learning of our students.
We would appreciate any donations that could be used as prizes at our Quiz Night. There will be a silent auction, a door prize and many prizes throughout the evening. If you are able to assist at all, please do not hesitate to contact the School.
In return, we would love to advertise your local business on each of the tables at the Quiz Night.
Beach Safe Carnival
On the last day of Term 1, all students from Year 3-6 travelled to Alkimos SLS Beach to compete in our annual Beach Safe Carnival. Students competed in various events, such as: Board race, Cameron Relay, Sprints and Run and Swim Run races. Congratulations to Twilight for taking out the winners trophy. It was very impressive to see all students challenge themselves on the day. For some students their challenge may have been to win their event, whereas others was to get in the water and swim around a buoy. Their surf lifesaving skills have improved tremendously over the term.
The results from the day:
- Twilight
- Eglinton
- Sydney
- Cervantes
NIPSSA Swimming Carnival
On Friday, we had 47 Year 3-6 students compete at the 'Far North' division NIPSSA Swimming Carnival. We took out 2nd place overall. We were only 1 point behind Kingsway. The carnival was so close all day and the team came together well in the relays. We also took out the Aggregate Male trophy on the day.
- 1st Kingsway 1,013 points
- 2nd St James' 1,012 points
- 3rd Francis Jordan 981 points
- 4th Northshore 285 points
The team work and support shown at training and on the day was outstanding. Everyone played their part, from our reserves who patiently waited in the stands all day ready to be called upon if needed, to the Year 7/8 students who assisted with various jobs throughout the day and our team who congratulated every swimmer who walked back from the race.
Our volume of students at training the past two terms has been exceptional. The improvement in technique was very evident.
I would also like to acknowledge the individual achievements on the day:
- Year 3 Champion Girl - Grace Tomazin
- Year 3 Runner Up Champion Boy - Charlie Stay
- Year 6 Champion Girl - Ava Tomazin
- Year 6 Champion Boy - Liam Reid
Thank you to the Breakfast Club mums for feeding our swimmers. Thank you to Paul O’Reilly for taking photos and to all of the parent helpers on the day. Thank you to our coaching staff: Mrs Durham, Ms Wall, Mr Mizen and Miss Meulenkamp for the 2 term’s worth of early mornings you have given to the team.
ACC All Stars Team
The Swimming All Stars Team is an "All ACC" honorary team consisting of the best two performers in each event across all divisions of the carnival. Congratulations to Aimee Tomazin for making it in to the ACC ‘All Stars’ Swimming Team. Aimee was the second fastest U13 Girl in the ACC for the 50m Freestyle.
CAS Volleyball Carnival
The Year 7 girls and boys Volleyball teams travelled to St Mark’s Anglican Community School on Friday 6 April for the 2018 CAS Volleyball tournament. The boys won 6/6 games and the girls won 4/6 games.
Boy’s results (6W 0L):
- Game 1: St Stephen’s Duncraig 57 – 29 Win
- Game 2: Lake Joondalup Baptist 49 – 40 Win
- Game 3: Irene McCormack 66 – 30 Win
- Game 4: St Mark’s 62 – 40 Win
- Game 5: St Stephen’s Duncraig 52 – 39 Win
- Game 6: Lake Joondalup Baptist 52 – 30 Win
Girl’s results (4W 2L):
- Game 1: Irene McCormack 48 – 47 Win
- Game 2: St Mark’s 49 – 40 Win
- Game 3: Irene McCormack 54 – 39 Win
- Game 4: Peter Moyes 38 – 60 Loss
- Game 5: St Stephen’s Duncraig 31 – 42 Loss
- Game 6: Lake Joondalup Baptist 41 – 38 Win
Both teams played with great heart and sportsmanship. They supported each other and represented St James’ with great enthusiasm and honour.
Lightning Carnival
On Wednesday the 9 May, we had 11 teams travel to various locations to compete against other schools in Soccer, AFL and Netball. During all of the games, our players displayed good sportsmanship and performed well in the competition. Thank you to the various staff and Brenda, Tammy, Phil, Vicki, Nuala, Lewis and Jason for assisting with our teams on the day.
School Sport Soccer
Females Team
The girls had their first game against Butler college on Wednesday 9 May. It is the first time our Senior School has competed in an Interschool Soccer Competition. The score was 6 goals Butler to 4 goals SJAS. It was a big learning curve and the girls finished the game with their heads held high. Thank you to Yousif for refereeing the game on short notice.
Males Team
I would just like to say a massive well done for last Friday. You all gave 100% and tried your very best. Although the game was tough, we played with passion and determination and we should be very proud. Thank you to Mr Pree for refereeing and Miss Meulenkamp and Mr Mizen for organising.
From Cian
InterHouse Cross Country Carnival
On Friday 4 May, we had our annual ELC and Junior/Middle School Cross Country Carnival. The key focus for the day was to ‘achieve your best’ and we were extremely pleased and proud to see so many of our students participating to the best of their abilities. We would like to congratulate all our students on their positive attitude towards achieving their personal challenges and the level of support they provided to each other.
We would also like to say a huge thank you to all the parents that came down and either watched or ran as this created a great atmosphere.
Junior School Results
- 1st Sydney
- 2nd Eglinton
- 3rd Cervantes
- 4th Twilight
Senior School Results
- 1st Eglinton
- 2nd Twilight
- 3rd Sydney
- 4th Cervantes
All students who have been selected for our preliminary ACC and NIPSSA team have been notified via email. Training is held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 7.15-8am. Breakfast is available after training for a gold coin donation. The ACC team only has 5 more training sessions to go and NIPSSA only have 13 more. Encourage others in your age group to attend training so that we can put our best team forward on the day.
Jump Rope
The St James’ Anglican School ‘Jump Off’ day will take place on Monday 18 June 2018. All children from Kindergarten to Year 6 will participate as we attempt to fundraise money towards research in heart-related illnesses.
On the Jump Off Day, all children can dress in red for a gold coin donation or their PE uniform. Your child is welcome to bring in their own skipping rope on the day.
All skipping will take place on the Basketball Courts and Junior School Oval. Parents and family members are welcome to attend and support the students as we raise funds for the Heart Foundation.
The timetable for the day will be as follows: Monday 18 June
- Year 1, 2 & 3 - 8:55am - 9:30am
- Year 4,5 & 6 - 9:35am - 10:10am
- Kindergarten & Pre Primary - 10:35am - 11:15am
Please log on to the link above or complete the form that went home in Week 3 to start your fundraising.
Anzac Day Art Installation
A sea of red poppies flowing down to a single flower formed a poignant reminder of the meaning of Anzac Day, symbolising the troops that headed off into the distance to battle but never returned. This art installation, designed by Miss Walden, was made possible by a huge team effort throughout Term 1 by both staff and students alike. Over 250 poppies were hand crafted from hundreds of recycled plastic bottles and corks, each placed on a rod, painted, and able to spin in the breeze. This project both created a thought provoking focal point for the memorial service, and also demonstrated how everyday objects can be recycled with just a little thought and creativity.
Hayley Welsh
British born artist Hayley Welsh has established herself as one of the most exciting creatives in the street art scene. Her whimsical street art in locations all over the world have become fondly recognised for their surreal, fluffy, wide-eyed creatures, with darker undertones of the unknown and abyss.
Hayley visited the Year 6 Art students on Tuesday 8 May, to show a variety of her book illustrations as well as some of her original artwork. She shared some tips and tricks with the students about how to draft out an idea for a character and make them come to life in a book. As the students are working on an illustrated book this term it was a fabulous opportunity for them to have Hayley with us as a source of inspiration to create their own characters and designs.
Japanese Kite Incursion
On Thursday 24 May we had the pleasure to see kite designs and decorations from around the world from expert, Michael Alvaris (Kite Kinetics). The day started in the chapel where Michael had displayed some of his very impressive kites, ranging from huge modern box kites to very old paper and bamboo Japanese kites. He put on an impressive display to all the Pre-Primary to Year 7 students present, running up and down with his koi fish kites flying above the children sitting in the stalls, many oooohhhh’s and ahhhhhh’s were heard.
We then ran multiple sessions throughout the day making kites, providing an opportunity for all students from Pre-Primary through to Year 7 a fantastic opportunity to each build and decorate their own kite. Pre-Primary - Year 3 made a sugar glider, Years 4-5 made hexagon kites, and Years 6 - 7 made a box kite. It was a busy fun packed day culminating in a highly enjoyable and visually stimulating kite flying session on the oval. Thank you to the music department for supplying wonderful background music, it really was a heart-warming sight to see everyone flying their kites together.
Michael had explained to the students in the morning session that he had a special Koala that went up into the air on a kite, the Koala was filled with lollies all attached to parachutes. At the end of the day, the Koala performed a lolly drop for the students to stand beneath and catch. Thank you to all those involved in making the day happen, in particular to Johnson Sensei for his Japanese knowledge of signs and symbols used for decoration.
Pop up Library Excursion
On Wednesday 30 May, twenty students were invited to attend a workshop run by renowned Aboriginal artist, Jade Dolman. The workshop was highly informative and thought provoking, teaching us about Aboriginal culture and what the symbols used in Aboriginal art represent.
Did you know only Aboriginal artists from the desert regions use dots in their paintings? It was very insightful! All students contributed to a large community canvas that will be on display in the Library soon, and they also created their own small canvas to portray their own story or family background.
日本語 at St James
This semester, the students have been busy studying various topics about life in Japan and its culture.
Year 9 students have explored food this semester, learning new vocabulary for each meal of the day. They have also studied the grammatical structure of expressing how food can be described (sweet, salty, smelly…etc) and discussing foods they like and dislike. One particular structure learnt in class was indicating how food appeared in both smell and sight before it was eaten.
This culminated in the students conducting a blind ‘smell test’, where they had to describe the food by smell in Japanese. Taking turns, one student would give their partner a cup filled with an edible item and ask their partner how it smelt. The blinded student would then give their impression of the food based solely on scent. Foods on display included wasabi, custard, Worcestershire sauce and seaweed.
The lesson was a success, with all students giving it a good effort. Of course, most of the students wanted to eat the food, including drinking the Worcestershire sauce! Maybe it’ll give them some extra kick for their exams this week!
Lacrosse Club - Alkimos Pirates
School Fees
If you are not on a payment plan or have a direct debit, please note school fees must be paid before the end of Term 2, Friday 29 June 2018. If you have any queries please contact the Accounts Department - accounts@stjames.wa.edu.au.
