ABSENTEE LINE 3230 8655
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27 April 2018 Vol. No.10
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1. Listen calmly to get the full story.
2. Reassure your child that they are not to blame.
3. Ask your child what they want to do about it and how you can help.
4. Visit www.bullying.gov.au to find out some strategies.
5. Contact the school.
6. Check-in regularly with your child.
Dates for Your Diary
April 28 Bunnings Albion BBQ Fundraiser
May 2 Yr 9 Debating 7 Labour Day Holiday 9 Yr 10 Debating 11 Careers Expo Yrs 11 & 12 15 Yr 10 Immunizations 15—17 NAPLAN Yrs 7 & 9 16 Yr 8 Debating
18 Cultural Night Free Dress Day 22—25 Yr 10 Outdoor Recreation Camp
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Parents and All in the St James Community
150th Anniversary Mass
A large congregation gathered last Friday evening in the Cathedral of St Stephen to celebrate the Thanksgiving Eucharist
to mark the 150th Anniversary of the College. The Mass was presided over by Archbishop Mark Coleridge. He was as-
sisted by Bishop Ken Howell, past student and who delivered such an inspiring homily on the night, together with priests
Fr Peter Brannelly, Fr Tom Ehlich and Fr David Pascoe.
Past students, Principals from other Colleges, representatives from Edmund Rice Education Australia, Brisbane and
wider Queensland Catholic Education networks as well as parents, friends of the College and students witnessed a
wonderful celebration of this remarkable little school that has stood the test of time and influenced the lives of so many
young people since it began in a humble little cottage – ‘Castleracket’ – on the corner of Boundary St and Hartley St,
Spring Hill, where the College Hall now stands.
We were also delighted to welcome a number of Christian Brothers to the event, among them four former Principals of
the College – Br Paul Conn, Br Luke Quinn, Br Bill Tynan and Br Marty Sanderson.
Visit from the Minister for Education
On the very first day of the Term last week, we were privileged to welcome to the College the Federal Minister for Educa-
tion, Simon Birmingham. Mr Birmingham spent some time on a tour of the school accompanied by the College Cap-
tains, visiting several classes and talking with students and teachers (he was even introduced to Jimmie the Pug in the
library who gave him a special welcoming lick – in a detached be-wary-of-politicians sort of way!). With new protocols for
Federal Funding for schools being instituted next year (often referred to as Gonski 2.0), this was a rare opportunity to
talk to the Minister face to face about our school and its needs.
Historical Snippets (cont’d)
Second and Third Term at St James is World Cup Soccer time. The tradi-
tion has been an integral part of the school’s lunch break for many years.
Today, our ‘national’ teams continue to mirror the spirit of the winning
Italian Team from 1992 as they hold aloft the trophy – even the teacher/
coach was Italian – Mrs Fabbri! Prior to the building of the Hall, World Cup
Soccer instituted by past student Joe Miranda’s class in the 1980s was
played on the old tennis court which used to occupy the space between
the St James Building and the Hall where the upper courtyard now is.
The School Parade of 1954 below indicates a regimentation that St James
students today might find a little challenging. Noteworthy in this photo is
the railway vent in the foreground. The classes are parading where the
Tom Carey Wing now stands with the St James Building in the background.
The circular railway vent has been superseded by a rather high metallic
and quite ugly chimney today. The stories are rife from past students
about hats been blown high above the playground from the updraft
of the tunnel when trains passed below; stones and other debris
also found their way down the vent from mischievous boys. No
doubt Queensland Rail representatives were frequent visitors to the
school!
Live Jesus in our Hearts.
Gerry Crooks
Principal
Deputy Principal Mr Tony McCulkin
National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
These annual tests will be undertaken by Years 7 & 9 students from Tuesday to Thursday May 15 to 17. Forms
requesting special provisions or exemptions need to be signed and returned as a matter of urgency. NAPLAN
is an annual assessment of all students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 across Australia in literacy and numeracy. It
enables a comparison between annual assessments and is intended to monitor performance throughout
schooling.
NAPLAN utilizes national scales to measure achievement in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in the domains of reading,
writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. It does not measure performances in any other
domains of learning and was never intended to compare school performances as the Myschool website pur-
ports is possible. Research has consistently indicated that 70% of differences between schools are explained
by who is enrolled. It is not possible to make realistic comparisons without consideration given to such things
as how students are selected, the ethnic mix, gender balance, school location and size. It is important parents
are aware of what they are looking at when viewing these data.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Many thanks to all the families who attended the Parent Teacher Interviews this week. Staff certainly appreci-
ate the opportunity to speak to parents about student performance. The contact between home and school in
this format is vital. We hope the evening was worthwhile and encouraging and that the information gleaned is
useful in those so necessary discussions with students at home. Any outstanding issues should be directed to
classroom teachers or the most appropriate person at the College. Parents who missed the opportunity for any
reason, are invited to contact the teachers at a mutually convenient time by telephone, or better still via email.
AP Pastoral Mr Martin Wiseman
I trust that the break from school brought to your households a less busy and maybe calamitous atmosphere.
It certainly does to my house and I enjoy seeing my kids relax and pursue the stuff that gives them energy.
Uniform
We are back to it so please attend to these issues in your household when you can:
• School tie to be worn by Senior students everyday.
• Correct school pants also need to be worn. We are seeing black pants make an appearance for
some reason.
• Hair styles and cuts need to within the guidelines set out in the Student Diary.
• Piercings also need to conform to our expectations so nose and facial piercings as well as multiple
ear rings are banned.
Reflection Days
I would like to thank our House Deans for walking with our Year 11 and 12 students during these days last
week. The facilitator, Mr Michael Fitzpatrick, is brilliant and he loves working with our kids and they him but
our House Deans held the students’ hands brilliantly throughout the two days.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Thank you to all parents and carers who attended the afternoon and evening on Tuesday this week to meet
with teachers. You would have seen on the report issued over the holidays that all students received a rating
from their Homeroom Teacher for a number of capabilities that the Australian Government deems essential in
the personal and social development of each child. If you have any queries with regard to these capabilities or
the rating your child received please do not hesitate to contact me or your House Dean.
150th Mass Celebration
There is obviously much written about this event in this edition of the newsletter but I would very much like to
add my congratulations to all the students who participated in the Mass. The readers and singers all excelled
and not only rose to the occasion but understood the significance and relevance of place to a degree which
surprised even me. We are very proud of all of students at St James but these young people were outstanding.
AP Identity Mrs Tricia Parry
Well, the beginning of Term 2 got off to a fabulous, if not a busy start, as we worked our way through a series of
important events.
On the first day of the term, we began by commencing with our Easter Liturgy, celebrating the Resurrection of
Jesus on Easter Sunday. We remembered this important occasion through word and action as we looked at
how the important messages of Lent and Easter could continue in our contemporary lives. This was followed on
Thursday and Friday respectively with both of the Year 11 and Year 12 Cohort of students experiencing their
annual Reflection Days. These days were facilitated by Michael Fitzpatrick, who does wonderful work with our
students and was most complimentary about the way the students engaged with the days that he presented.
This of course was followed by our Sesquicentenary Mass celebrating our 150th Year as a College at the Cathe-
dral of St Stephen. I was so proud of all of the students involved and sincerely thank every staff member who
assisted with this truly phenomenal event – it was a marvellous occasion and I was just so very privileged to be
part of such a wonderful celebration.
On Thursday we celebrated Anzac Day with both prayer and a wonderful speech by Mr Ross Wiseman AM,
father of our own Mr Wiseman. His words were informative, and he certainly gave us a great deal to think
about across this national celebration. I would like to sincerely thank Mr Wiseman for sharing his wealth of
knowledge and experience in such a meaningful way with our students.
Every Blessing for a wonderful week.
Ministry Ms Amanda Moss
The St James Community raised over $1000 for Project Compassion during the 2018 Lenten period. This
money goes to Caritas Australia who use the money to fund development projects both in Australia and world-
wide. Closer to home, Brekkie Van continues to run every Wednesday and Friday morning. A special thanks is
due to Carey House and students who did Brekkie Van on ANZAC Day.
150th Anniversary Mass
Middle School Coordinator Mrs Karen Lindsey
World Scholar’s Cup
The World Scholar’s Cup is a global competition where students compete in teams of three in four events held
over two days. The focus is on learning and having fun at the same time. The Regional Round for Brisbane was
held at Anglican Church Grammar School during the Easter holidays. St James entered a Senior team made up
of Samueli Ernest, Peter Fowler and Maror Guot. We also entered our Year 7 student Thomas McGarry into a
Year 8 Churchie team.
This year's theme, "An Entangled World" covers a wide range of subject areas including science, art, music,
literature, economics and social science. The four rounds are Debating, Collaborative Writing, a multiple choice
written test and a unique event called Scholar's Bowl. Teams earn points along the way with the aim of
qualifying for the Global Round.
I am very pleased to announce that all four of our boys were awarded a number of medals for their
achievements in the competition and have qualified to attend the Global Round which is to be held in
Melbourne in August this year. This is really an amazing achievement and I’m very proud of their teamwork,
their dedication in studying for the competition and for the way they proudly represented St James.
Assessment Schedules
This term’s assessment schedules have been disseminated to students this week. This one-page document
succinctly communicates the assessment items and due dates for all of your child’s subjects for the term. It is
a good idea to keep this on the family noticeboard or the fridge and to check in with your child about their tasks
as the deadline draws nearer. If your child has not shown it to you, you can obtain a paper copy from Maria at
Reception or it can be found on the College website under the “Teaching and Learning” tab.
Library Ms Nikki Carpenter
Library News
We are lucky enough to have recently received a lovely big delivery of new books! Included
in the selection are Graphic Novels, Classics, and books with Mysteries, Adventure and
Friendship as their themes.
Come along and have a look at our ‘New Books’ display. You are certain to find something
that you’ll enjoy and Library Staff are always here to help as well!
Cultural Night Miss Jessica Whelan
This year our Annual Cultural Night will be held on Friday 18 May at 7pm. This is an evening where we
celebrate the diversity of the students in our school community through various dancing and singing
performances. Students have been practicing for endless hours to ensure that this will be an evening that will
be thoroughly enjoyed by all. Some of the acts this year include the Samoan Siva, student and staff band,
Egyptian Dance, Afro Hip Hop Dance and various African performances. The skill and talent in these
performances have to be seen to be believed so mark this in the calendar as an event that your family cannot
miss!
Congratulations to Willow Hersant & Leuca McLeod
World Scholar’s Cup
Thomas McGarry, Peter Fowler, Samueli Ernest and Maror Guot (From L—R).
ANZAC Day Celebration Mr Ross Wiseman AM and Mr Martin Wiseman.
Gibson Gray, Yr 8 MR 3, representing Brisbane Central Scout Group at the Anzac Day Service, New Farm Park. For information on scouting contact, Brisbanecentral.scoutsqld.com.au .
Scouting is an activity for both boys and girls.
Last week in Adelaide, Willow Hersant, Yr 9 HO 3,
took part in the Special Olympics. Willow compet-
ed in Equatation, Dressage, Gymkana and Skills
Tests. She received Gold for all four events in her
class. Well done Willow!
Last weekend in Rockhampton, Leuca McLeod, Yr
7 CA 3, took part in the Queensland Gymnastics
Championships competing in TRP (Trampoline)
State Age and Open Championships.
In the U15’s Youth Section (Leuca is only 12)
Leuca finished:
2nd in Trampoline
4th in Double Mini
6th in Synchronised
Well done Leuca!
Jimmies Climbing Club Ms Casey Francis
The Rocksports 2018 School Climbing Series kicks
off Wednesday 2 May. It is an interschool climbing
competition held over three unique rounds. Jim-
mies climbers will be defending their title from last
year. Climbers have been training on Thursday
afternoons with Jimmies ‘Old Girl’ and QLD State
Representative climber, Bridget Aitcheson. With
many new comers to the team, this will be a great
event to test some skills.
Not in Climbing Club but keen to compete, join or
support your fellow students? See Miss Francis
either at the College or contact her via email at
[email protected] for further
information.
K2 Base Camp 2018 QLD Youth State Lead Titles
Phew … We're exhausted!
The K2 Base Camp 2018 QLD Youth State Lead
Titles over the weekend were epic. St James was
well represented by Matthew Kuzevich, Yr 12 LO 2,
(pictured top right) in Youth A Males. Mathew
cruised into the finals easily qualifying for the Youth
Nationals, held at Villawood, Sydney in three weeks’
time. Go Matthew!
Girls AFL Mr Greg Flint
The AFL Girl’s competition this year was severely hampered by poor weather resulting in seven games being
cancelled. The St James College senior girls were only able to play two games this season. The final game on
Wednesday afternoon against Mt St Michael’s College resulted in a ‘stirring’ 44 to 8 victory for St James Col-
lege. The girls played with great passion and spirit, with many, playing for the first time.
Sport Mr Scott Prickett
Cross Country — The last day of term saw the weather play games as to whether the interhouse carnival would
go ahead, but really what is cross country without nature’s elements playing games on us! The Houses were
full of enthusiasm and great colour. All age groups ran with determination to receive points for their House.
Participation is the main focus of this carnival and students lived up to the expectation of that. A handful of
from each age group ran competitively to earn the honour of Age Champion. Congratulations go to Mary Rice
House who came out victorious at the end of the event.
House Results
Jimmies Futsal Holiday Program — St James
held its first ever Jimmies Futsal holiday clinic
where our student came in and worked hard on
improving their individual and team skills to
become better players and better team mem-
bers. Each day there was a different topic and
students were evaluated daily to see how they
responded to the new information given to
them. This helped them push themselves hard-
er each day to improve individually. We were
very fortunate to have Emilio Martinez from the
Brisbane Roar come in and share his story
about balancing school life and sporting life to
follow his dream as a professional athlete.
Trevor Edwards from Football Queensland Futsal also worked closely on individual skills with our players. On
the final day Redlands City Futsal and Southside Eagle Futsal Club came in to play against two of our St James
teams in a Fast 4 Futsal Round Robin. The games were fast and of a high quality. With an undefeated record
our St James 1 team was crowned champions. Plemedi Loko was named Player of the Camp with his incredi-
ble attitude and determination to work hard on his individual skills. I would like to thank Mr James Anderson
who helped organise and coach the clinic. It was a fun, exciting and rewarding three days and we all look for-
ward to seeing how St James futsal program grows.
Term 2 Update — Term 2 will be full of excitement and preparations for what will be one of the busiest terms I
have seen in a while. In the June/July holidays our Rugby League and Netball teams travel to Townsville and
Charter Towers for their Confraternity and QISSN tournament. Our Basketball teams will be competing and
hosting the EREA Basketball tournament, then travelling to the Gold Coast to defend their title at the GCI Invita-
tional. There is a lot of training and planning going into term 2. If you would like to get on board and volunteer
some of your time to help these teams in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the College on 3230
8600 or via email at [email protected] .
1st Mary Rice 103
2nd Hogan 86
3rd Carey 81
4th Long 75
2018 Cross Country Age Champions
12 Boys – William Barr-Bond 12 Girls - Benise Nishimwe
13 Boys – Troy Nelson-Hodges 13 Girls – Holly Barnes
14 Boys – Bernard Kalenda 14 Girls – Briana Mercer
15 Boys - Hussein Ahmed Nasser 15 Girls – Samantha Dix
16 Boys – Dut Acuil 16 Girls – Chynelle Marama
Open Boys - Abdi Mohamed Shukri Open Girls - Tenzin Tenzin Nyidon
Senior Girls’ AFL Team
Futsal Holiday Program