20 August 2021 Vol 26

Dates for Your Diary

August

23 Yr 12 Macbeth Performance

26 Yr 10 Art Excursion

27 Wear It Purple Day

Malaga Mentoring

30 Advisory Council Meeting

September

2 Yr 9 Outdoor Education Day

3 Student Free Day

Asylum Seeker/Refugees Big

Day Out

5 Fathers’ Day

8-10 Yr 12 Outdoor Ed Camp

8 Yr 7 QDU Debating

9 R U OK Day?

Year 12 College Formal

10 Malaga Mentoring

13-15 Yr 9 Camp

14-17 Yr 11 & 12 Assessment

Block

16-19 CBSQ State Championships

17 Last day of classes

ST JAMES COLLEGE

ENROLMENT INTERVIEWS

2022 - 2023

Enrolment Interviews for 2022 and

2023 are now taking place, with

limited vacancies available in all

Year Levels.

Online interviews are possible.

For all enrolment enquiries please

contact Mrs Maria Young at the

College on 07 3230 8600 or at

MYoung@stjamescollege.qld.edu.au

Dear Parents, Caregivers, Friends, Staff and Students

This week has seen our students settle into their studies more at school after the Lockdown home

learning week, introduction of masks and all getting used to different regime of restrictions. In

addition, students have not been able to partake in interschool activities, so it has been focussed on

our campus sport/programs. This situation is changing with many restrictions lifting today.

The week has taken its toll on our Afghanistan community – we have a number of refugee students

who attend St James - we pray for them and their families. On Thursday our Afghanistan students

ran a fundraising sausage sizzle at morning tea and over $1500 was raised to donate to an Aid

organisation to provide direct support in Afghanistan. Further donations may be made through

UNHCR at https://www.unhcr.org/en-au/

We would strongly support Archbishop Coleridge in his call for action. See his article below, taken

from CathNews, 20 August 2021.

We thank all for their generosity and support for our group of students and their families – it is a very

difficult time for them. In addition, we absolutely implore our government to provide as much

assistance as possible and take as many refugees as possible into our country. Their lives may be at

risk and for women it is highly difficult in regard to their rights and treatment in society.

African Exchange and Support

We commend Mary Rice House leaders who have established a

unique relationship with the Reuben School in Nairobi in Africa. A

zoom meeting was arranged with students from the Reuben Centre

School and they were delighted with our students being from all parts

of Africa and also some of our students speaking their language.

Their English however was impressive. We are desperately trying to

raise funds for more desks for them as they have 98 students in a

classroom and not enough desks!! There are over 2,500 students in

the school. The Principal, Ms Scholastica Opiyo, and I met in Kolkata,

India at EREA Congress in 2016, and have worked together to improve

outcomes through exchange and fundraising/awareness.

Venue

Hotel W

Date

Thursday 9 September

Cost

$110.00 per person

Archbishop Coleridge urges PM to increase Afghan intake In a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison last night, Archbishop Coleridge noted there has been “an outpouring of concern for the people of Afghanistan” as that country’s government has collapsed and the Taliban seized control.

He said the 3000 places offered above and beyond 8000 places over the past decade “is a substantial commitment, but more is needed”.

Based on estimates from key humanitarian organisations and pledges from other countries, Archbishop Coleridge proposed that at least another 17,000 places be made available.

“Australia has stepped up before in response to significant humanitarian crises, and I urge your government to be generous,” he wrote, adding that Catholic agencies “stand ready to assist your government with resettlement of refugees as an expression of our great concern for the people of Afghanistan”.

Archbishop Coleridge said many Afghans would find themselves vulnerable under Taliban rule, but he made particular mention of those who supported Australia’s defence personnel who served in Afghanistan, some of whom lost their lives, as well as religious minorities and women.

The Story and Situation in Nairobi for the Reuben School

Mukuru Kwa Ruben is part of the larger Mukuru slums located in the vicinity of industrial area of Nairobi City. It is prone to

several challenges and risks which include rampant insecurity both to its residents, children and workers of the Ruben

Center. According to Ruben Centre Needs Survey (March 2015) others are fire, floods, sanitation, hygiene, diseases and

children’s rights. Extreme poverty and human rights violation are prevalent. Due to its proximity to the industrial area, a

few of its residents secure seasonal jobs at the factories, but even this is affected by frequent shut down of the factories

and the large number of job seekers. Others do manual jobs such as separating garbage; a few are handcart pushers while

others are petty traders. Poverty levels are at over 50.3% for the male and 49.7% for the women.

The Ruben Centre, with its five core areas of Education, Health, Social & Economic empowerment, Organizational Capacity

and Advocacy, works directly with the surrounding community to alleviate these hardships that the residents of Mukuru

face. The Ruben Centre administration is committed to building strong relationships, practices and policies across all

departments, which reflects the desire to listen to, engage with, and empower all sections of the community.

B ursary Scholarship Launch

We are very pleased to announce that a

St James College Bursary Scholarship Program

has been launched. This is possible due to the

establishment and ongoing support of the St

James College Bursary Endowment Fund https://catholicfoundation.org.au/articles/st-james-college/ so wonderfully supported by Alumni and St

James College community friends. (Refer

screenshot featured to the right and select the

St James Bursary Endowment from the dropdown

box as shown). A small number of Bursaries will

be available. Applicants will be accepted by

arranging an interview, completing an Enrolment

Application and an Expression of Interest Form.

Assistance can be given at the College to help

applicants. The Bursary Scholarship is to provide

the opportunity to access an Edmund Rice

education at St James College. The Bursary will

cover fees, camps, laptop, a set of uniforms with

a small negotiated weekly contribution. The

student will be funded to the end of Year 12.

Eligible recipients will be those showing

application and a positive attitude to their

schooling and community. Special talents can be

identified. The aim is to support students who

have faced significant barriers and financially

have lacked access to the opportunity for an

Edmund Rice Catholic education at St James

College.

Education

Ruben Centre’s strategic Objective one is To improve Access to and provide Quality

Primary, Secondary and Vocational Education to children in the slums of Mukuru.

A.E.F Ruben Primary is a public sponsored school by the Christian Brothers -

Australia. The school has a population of over 3,000 children with 58 teachers : 28

government teachers and 30 project teachers.

Student Achievements - Congratulations!

Zac Whittaker, Year 10, whose has successfully applied to attend the Junior Physics Odyssey at Queensland University in the

September school holidays.

Harvey Whitehart, Year 11, who has found himself a school-based apprenticeship with Memmott’s Automotive Mechanic in

Windsor.

Well done to those Year 12 students who have applied for university through QTAC. A reminder that applications close on the

30th of September.

Latifa Ali Mariana, Year 12, who has received an early offer of acceptance to the University of Southern Queensland.

Coming Events

Wear it Purple Day (27 August)

St James College Advisory Council Meeting (30 August)

Student Free Day (3 September)

Fathers’ Day (5 September)

Year 12 Outdoor Education Camp (8-10 September)

Year 12 Formal, Hotel W (9 September)

Year 9 Camp (13-15 September)

CBSQ State Championships (16-19 September)

Last day of classes for Term 3 (17 September)

Enrolments

Enrolment Interviews for 2022 and 2023 are now taking place, with limited vacancies available in all Year Levels in 2021. For all

enrolment enquiries please contact Mrs Maria Young at the College on 07 3230 8600 or at MYoung@stjamescollege.qld.edu.au.

C ongratulations to Mr Ian Wardrop and his wife Tara on the birth of their son, Ryan James, on Thursday 12 August.

Take care and blessings for the week.

Ann Rebgetz Principal

Prayer

Lord, we lift up the people of Afghanistan to you right

now. We pray that you would take hold of them and

help them walk through this fearful time. Protect

them under your wing and help them feel the comfort

and peace that only comes from your powerful

presence.

So many people who have called this place their

home have been displaced because of their situation.

Give those who believe in you the courage to stand

strong in their faith and be a strong witness for you.

Help all people to find peace and compassion in their

hearts and may the spirit of humanity find a place in

all in the country.

Deputy Principal Mr Martin Wiseman

As you may already know, restrictions associated with restricting the spread of Covid-19 have been eased somewhat from this Friday at

4pm. Here is how it will play out at St James from next week.

Parents/carers on school site

Parents/carers and visitors are allowed back on school sites, with the requirement they adhere to the ongoing direction regarding the

wearing of masks.

This means masks must be worn by all adults inside school buildings (unless they can stay 1.5m apart from other people) but may be

removed outdoors, as long as they can keep 1.5 metres apart from other people.

School activities

Assemblies and other large group activities including instrumental music groups, choirs, performances, extra curricula sporting activities,

and dancing are permitted, adhering to COVID-19 health directions including wearing of masks. If students are able to remain 1.5

metres apart from others during these activities, they are able to remove their mask. We will be running all scheduled activities next

week. The exception to that is the Semi-Formal and Formal as the venues have cancelled on us. New dates and venues will be

announced soon.

Sport and excursions

Interschool sport and excursions are permitted. Excursions should not involve interstate travel. We will be running interschool sport

next Wednesday.

Visitors and external providers

Visitors and external providers including providers of extracurricular activities are now be permitted on school sites.

Masks must be worn by all visitors and external providers inside school buildings (unless they can stay 1.5m apart from other people)

but may be removed outdoors, as long as they can keep 1.5 metres apart from other people.

Face mask restrictions

Masks must be worn by teachers and staff unless you can stay 1.5 metres apart from other people. This applies to both indoors and

outdoors.

Based on this advice, and the difficulty of implementing a 1.5 metre rule in classrooms, it is expected that students will continue to wear

masks in indoor classroom settings in most cases for another week unless health advice determines otherwise.

There are a number of exceptions to wearing face masks, including for children under 12 (unless they are in Year 7) and people with

particular medical conditions or disabilities. Some of these exceptions include:

anyone who has a medical condition or disability that may be made worse by wearing a mask, including problems with

their breathing, a serious skin condition on their face, a mental health condition or experienced trauma

anyone who is communicating with those who are deaf or hard of hearing, where the ability to see the mouth is

essential for communication.

If you have any questions regarding these expectations, please contact me here at the College.

Assistant Principal Identity & Global Advocacy Mr Isikeli Kubunameca

Yesterday, Thursday 19 August, was Afghanistan’s Independence Day. Afghan’s all over Australia came out to wave their flags but

yesterday it had a completely different meaning. Across the oceans people in Afghanistan also came out on the streets to mark the

country’s Independence Day, which commemorates the 1919 treaty that ended British rule. Afghanistan is strategically placed between

India, Persia and the Silk Road.

The country we recognise today as Afghanistan emerged in 1747, when Ahmad Shah Durrani unified the Pashtun tribes. In the context

of this holiday, our story begins with the arrival of the British in the early nineteenth century.

Threatened by the growth of the Russian Empire, Britain moved into Afghanistan to secure it as a buffer between Russia and the so-

called 'Jewel in the Crown' of the British Empire, India. This led to the first Anglo-Afghan War when British forces invaded, installed King

Shah Shujah, who was assassinated in 1842 and the war ended abruptly with the massacre of the entire British invading force by

Afghan forces in the city of Jalalabad.

In 1878, the British returned and the second Anglo-Afghan War resulted in victory for Britain over the Afghan army in Kandahar and a

treaty that gave Britain control of Afghan foreign affairs in exchange for protection and a subsidy.

In 1919, the brief third Anglo-Afghan War brought British control of any aspect of Afghanistan to an end.

Afghanistan signed the Treaty of Rawalpindi (or Anglo-Afghan Treaty) on 8 August 1919, when Britain formally recognised the sovereignty

and independence of Afghanistan and ensured neutral relations between Afghanistan and Britain.

On 19 August 1919, Emir Amanullah Khan declared independence from British influence. Note that it wasn't independence from

Britain, as Afghanistan was never part of the British Empire.

This year Independence for our Afghan community is a little different with the current issues with the Taliban in the country. As a

community we showed our support of our Afghan students and their community by have a sausage sizzle and bake sale. As a

community we were able to raise over a $1000 that we will donate to an organisation that is in Afghanistan on the ground supporting

the people. There is also a Justice Rally scheduled for Sunday 22 August for anyone who would like to show their support.

Art Therapist Ms Sue Cameron

This week the crisis in Afghanistan has reminded our community of the many complex challenges refugee students face when they settle

in Australia. Many of our students from Afghanistan have family and friends still in the country. Social media allows them to keep close

contact with their loved ones, and often students are more up to date with the current situation than our official media organisations.

This contact is invaluable but can also intensify feelings of distress and helplessness. Schools have an important role to play in

supporting students to build community strength and social capital during these difficult times. Our students can be our greatest

educators through these experiences.

At the beginning of the week, our Afghan students met

together and discussed what actions our school community

could take to offer support. Over the week, students have

achieved so much – creating posters and videos to inform

the extended EREA community, as well as running a

lunchtime stall to raise funds for direct aid. The support of

our community was just fantastic. We had so many offers

of help from other students who wanted to support their

friends. Our incredible staff baked up an amazing array of

cakes and goodies to sell and were so incredibly generous.

Our cultural staff have supported students throughout the

week to prepare for the fundraiser. At this stage, students

and staff have raised approximately $1500, thanks to the

generosity of our community. Funds raised will go directly

to providing emergency food and shelter for displaced

women and children in Kabul. As our students continue to commemorate the holy month of

Muḥarram, we all pray for peace and safety for the people of Afghanistan.

Coordinator - International Student Engagement & Marketing Ms Tamia Song

We welcomed back Victor Dai on Tuesday 18 August. Victor has been studying online offshore for the last 18 months. After two weeks

in quarantine and a negative COVID test result, we celebrated Victor’s arrival with an afternoon tea. Victor made a statement to show

his gratitude to the St James’ Staff for their support during the pandemic while he was studying overseas. Victor settled in smoothly.

Victor’s Statement: “Sitting in the classroom again feels like a wild dream to me, I can’t express how grateful I am for the opportunity to

return to class in Australia.”

Thank you to those who joined our afternoon tea.

我校于 8 月 18 日星期二欢迎 戴忻（Victor Dai）回来。在过去的 18 个月里，Victor 一直在海外线上学习。经过 2 周的隔离

和 COVID 检测结果呈阴性后，我们用下午茶的方式庆祝戴忻的到来。戴忻说，感谢圣詹姆士教职员工，在病毒大流行期

间、在他海外学习期间给予的支持。他现已顺利地安顿下来。

戴忻说：“再次坐在教室里对我来说感觉就像一个疯狂的梦，我无法表达我对有机会重返澳大利亚课堂的感激之情。”

谢那些参加我们下午茶的人。

Development Officer Ms Berenice Anzellotti

Ms Rebgetz and Victor Mr Wiseman and Victor

T he Year 11/12 students have started working on their landscape paintings. The

concept and planning was informed from the excursion to Mt Coot-tha last

month. The paintings are being developed by applying multiple layers of thin

acrylic paint to the surface. Later a more detailed image will be painted onto this

background creating a contrast with the abstract background and realistic forground.

The works are progressing well and looking forward to the finished pieces. Keep

watching this space!

Head of Faculty, HPE and Technologies Mr James Petaia

Health & Physical Education – Celebrating Success in the Classroom

Senior HPE ATAR: Ms Whites Senior HPE students have worked incredibly hard in completing their IA3 for Term 3. All students have

engaged in integrated learning experiences about biomechanical and functional anatomy concepts, and principles. They also engaged

in the application of body and movement concepts, specialised movement sequences and movement strategies in volleyball. Following

on, students have evaluated the effectiveness of biomechanical strategy using the selected biomechanical and functional anatomy con-

cepts and principles to appraise outcome, implications and limitations in the sport of Volleyball. Well done and success as they prepare

for external examinations in term 4.

Junior HPE

Mr Anderson’s Year 9 HPE students enjoyed boxing

sessions with his Year 11 HPE classes.

Students analysed the impact of effort, space and

time when composing and performing movement in

boxing. Students engaged in boxing sessions to apply

decision-making and problem-solving skills when tak-

ing action to enhance their own health, safety and

wellbeing. Well done to our year 9 HPE class.

Finance Manager Ms Genevieve O’Sullivan

Please be advised that fees statements for Semester 2 were sent out in late July and were due on 6 August, which means that all

outstanding balances for TERM 3 are now OVERDUE – unless you are on a regular payment plan, and if so, please just continue your

regular payments.

You can check your current balance and access your fees statements through Parent Lounge or our College website at https://

tass.stjamescollege.qld.edu.au/parentlounge/login.cfm then follow the Accounts & Payments tab.

If you are not already on a regular payment plan, Term 4 fees are due on October 8, and may be paid by one of the following:

Weekly: $186.63 x 10

Fortnightly: $373.25 x 5

Monthly: $622.08 x 3

Term: $1866.25

Payment details are included on the statements. Our preferred method of payment is via BPAY for payments from your bank account or

credit card, however, should you wish to commence a Direct Debit arrangement for payments from your bank account, please contact

Genevieve at finance@stjamescollege.qld.edu.au

If your account is overdue and you have not made contact with us, you risk having your account sent to an external debt collection

agency which incurs extra costs. Should you wish to have a confidential discussion regarding eligibility for a fees concession due to

financial hardship, please don’t hesitate to contact David or Genevieve on 3230 8600.

S ponsorship

The College acknowledges and thanks our Local Sponsors along with all the Sponsors of CQU QISSN, particularly CQUniversity,

Struddys, Academy Photography, Netball Qld, all our Catholic Education Offices, Catholic School Parents Qld, and supporters.