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26 March 2021 Vol. No.9
Dates for Your Diary
March 29-31 Yr 11 Exam Block
31 Autism & Disability Awareness
Breakfast, 7am-8.30am
Yr 8 QDU Debating
April 1 Last day of Term 1
Interhouse Cross Country
2-3 Junior African Camp
14-16 EREA Football Tournament,
Nudgee College
19 Term 2 begins
25 ANZAC Day
26 ANZAC Day holiday
28 Titans’ Cup
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.
For all enrolment enquiries please
contact Mrs Maria Young at the
College on 07 3230 8600 or at
Having trouble getting the College Newsletter at home? Would you like to
receive it via email? If so, please send an email to
[email protected] and we will add you to our mailing list.
ABSENTEE LINE 3230 8655
Please clearly state student’s name, year level, homeroom and
absence reason.
Dear Parents, Caregivers, Friends, Staff and Students
African Dinner (Senior Student Families) – A Global Party!
A wonderful celebration was held on Thursday evening in the Library – we were delighted to have a
full house with over 100 people attending including families with students! And the families came
from all over Africa with students and parents talking at the gathering in many different languages
acknowledging the number of countries in Africa represented, as well as the many different cultural
backgrounds! The food was delicious, sharing of conversation very friendly, dress striking and
colourful, with the atmosphere celebratory! With the music compiled by Mr Josateki Tora, it then
started! Students performed and then various students and parents kept dancing – the place was
alive! Even Br John was up dancing!! We have many people to thank especially Mr Atem Atem, Mr
Isikeli Kubunameca, Ms Hope Mugalihya, Mr Josateki Tora, other members of the College Leadership
Team and Staff, and all who helped in cooking, liaising, transport, facilities team, Ms Claire Grlj. We
await the next one with anticipation!
Wonderful Achievement for Student Leader – Best Wishes for Saturday
Congratulations to Abou! Speaking superbly, Abou was named Public
Speaking Champion and Overall Winner at the Lions Youth of the Year
competition held in Ipswich recently.
Abou will travel to Pittsworth tomorrow, Saturday 27 March, where
he will battle it out with five students from other regions in the
district. The winner of the district competition earns the right to
compete as the district finalist at the state final in Brisbane on
Saturday 17 April. The winner from the state final will compete at
the national final in Canberra in May.
Lions Youth of the Year is a national event held annually for young
people aged 16 to 18. Participants have the opportunity to practice
and refine their public speaking and interview skills. The long-
running and prestigious event is in its 55th year. Students are
required to sit through a formal interview process with a judging
panel, present a prepared speech on a topic of their choice and
answer three impromptu questions on local and global current affairs.
Rotary Supported Peace Advocates Project - Nurturing Student Leadership
An excited group of 26 Year 10 and 11 students participated in a training
workshop for two hours after school on Tuesday. This was conducted through
Zoom from Scotland by the Rotary leaders who are the drivers of the Project.
The aim is to train our students over a series of workshops as Peace
Advocates, badge them with these competencies, and give them skills in
conflict resolution generally between students at school, people in all walks of
society, between each sectors, and general peace advocacy! It went very well,
and the students were super engaged! The presenters were up very early in
the morning in Scotland!! Many thanks to Rotarians Catherine Bonifant and
Bill Phillips for locally supporting the project and involving us as a pilot school
in Australia! It was terrific to have the program lead by AP Mr Isikeli
Kubunameca, Ms Rachel Pelser and Mr Tom Corkery and it will bring many
benefits to our community.
Art Exhibition
Congratulations to one of our parents – Robert Brownhall, for his superb Exhibition at the Philip Bacon Gallery. The paintings were
exquisite, being a collection of 2 years work. We have such talent in our community and it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to
view the exhibition.
“Robert Brownhall is a realist painter, inspired by his local environment. Over twenty years of painting he has developed a unique, and a
birds-eye view of scenes, characterised by a strong connection to place, moody nocturnes, broad sweep panoramas and gritty vignettes
of urban life. This exhibition included urban scenes and recreational areas in Brisbane and on the nearby Gold Coast.”
.
L-R: Ms Narelle Gluer, Lions Youth of the Year District Assistant Chair,
Abou Kamara and Mr Mohamed Kamara.
River Lights
Cyclone surf - Snapper Rocks
Harmony Day
Harmony Day was celebrated with true Jimmies’ spirit yesterday!! A variety of fundraising
initiatives including food stalls, raffles, craft and sporting activities were enjoyed by all in our
College community. Funds raised will go to supporting the Romero Centre.
Student Achievements
Congratulations to Vivienne Yakimoff-Minge (Year 10) and Christina Gangkor (Year 11) on securing school-based traineeships at
Sedo Café and KFC respectively.
Congratulations to Year 10 students—Lochie Ross, Lara Sparrow, Andre Robson, Harrison Hagan-Green and Noah Smith on obtaining
their Construction Safety White Card.
Congratulations to Willow Hersant (Year 12), who won a gold, silver and a fourth place in Special Olympics State trials last weekend.
Congratulations to the U19 Boys Futsal Team on qualifying to compete in the State Champion of Champions Competition at the end
of Term 2.
St James Taster Day: Congratulations to students from St Brendan’s Primary School, Moorooka, who participated in a welcoming
sporting activity with Ms Lu’s Year 8 PE Class. Ahora Shojei, welcomed the students as he was a recent past student from the
Moorooka school. The students then followed Mr Chapman down to Mr Tora where they participated and learned a new dance. Mr
Tora was very proud of all the students as they picked up each step very well. The children then participated in Mr Ebrington’s Year 8
Science class where they buddied up and raced one another around the College with a treasure hunt.
Our Year 12 QDU Debating Team — Abou Kamara, Mary Chol, Rosie Maina and Mary Tabeje were up against St Peter’s Lutheran
College on Wednesday evening. It was a great debate ‘That juries should be abolished’ with St James as Negative. We were
narrowly beaten by one point!
Enrolments
Enrolments for 2022 and 2023 are underway. Please
contact Mrs Maria Young on Reception regarding all
enrolment enquires. Tours of the College are available
everyday throughout the week at a time to suit each
family.
Coming Events
Autism Breakfast (31 March) Interhouse Cross Country Carnival (1 April) Junior African Camp (2-3 April) EREA Football Tournament (14-16 April)
ANZAC Day Liturgy (27 April)
St James College Open Day & Cultural Night (14 May)
Sponsorship / Donations Towards St James College
Hosting CQV QISSN Netball Carnival & Sporting Program
We are looking to host the Carnival from June 27 to July 2
for 70 Colleges at the Nissan Arena, along with the QISSN
Committee.
This is exciting as it provides an opportunity to share our “Jimmies” community spirit. If you would like to support by way of a financial
contribution or in kind, to this event or in general sporting programs including Confraternity Rugby League, please contact myself, or Mr
David Cantwell or Ms Hannah White (Host Convenor) at the College.
Take care and blessings for the week.
Ann Rebgetz Principal
Project Compassion — A Lenten Story
PROJECT COMPASSION: AN AUSTRALIAN ICON
For over half a century, generations of Australians have participated in Project Compassion. The initiative has raised more than $500 million since it began in 1965 – making it one of the nation’s longest running charity campaigns.
For many, Project Compassion’s iconic collection boxes have become a nostalgic part of their lives – a reminder around home, school, church and the community that it’s time to support Caritas Australia’s annual appeal.
Margaret Moriarty can’t remember a time without a Project Compassion box in her house during Lent.
“Donating to poorer counties was very important to my mother and father. My children have grown up with the same iconic boxes in our home and my grandchildren are continuing the tradition,” Margaret says.
Throughout five decades of natural disasters, conflicts and crises, Caritas Australia has worked alongside vulnerable communities with the generous support of Australians. Project Compassion has also helped with access to education, health services, agricul-tural training and through programs that reduce maternal and infant mortality.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, local partnerships have helped Caritas Australia to respond quickly to minimise the spread of the coronavirus.
This year, Caritas Australia has presented five stories from people striving to ‘Be More’ – just a few stories amongst the millions of people who have been helped through Project Compassion.
We would like to thank generations of our supporters nationwide for their ongoing generosity, which allows us to move forward with lifesaving strategies to tackle new challenges.
Deputy Principal Mr Martin Wiseman
Clarence St
This week on College Assembly we were presented to Mr Tom Atkin who is a drug and alcohol Counsellor at this organisation. Tom visits
St James every Monday and provides students with a free counselling service for those students who are struggling with their use of
drugs and/or alcohol. All the research indicates that early intervention offers the best hope for people who may be battling addiction.
We are the only EREA school who offers this service to students. If you wish to find out more about the service, please contact me or our
Counsellor Renee Thornton here at the College.
Conclusion to the Term
Next Thursday we will be concluding the term on Holy Thursday with our traditional Easter Liturgy followed by the Interhouse Cross
Country Carnival. This year we will be running the event at the GPS Rugby fields at Ashgrove. The students will be bussed out there and
will return to the College by the end of the school day. Students are permitted to wear the College sports uniform to and from school on
the day.
Student Council
My thanks to College Vice Captains, Baraka Ruhirika and Mary Chol who chaired the first Student Council meeting of the year. The
topics discussed included HOMEWORK CENTRE, WINTER UNIFORM – UNIFORM OPTIONS, MOBILE PHONES – LUNCHTIME ACTIVITIES,
CULTURAL NIGHT, SPORT SUPPORT and ATTENDANCE. Some healthy debate and great ideas came out of the meeting. It was terrific to
hear the students’ voice on these topics.
Assistant Principal Identity & Global Advocacy Mr Isikeli Kubunameca
Monday this week saw the College run our Harmony Day celebration. With both staff and students in their cultural attire, the day was a
mini culture night and a true celebration of the word Harmony. With staff vs student’s volleyball games, bracelet making, a sausage
sizzle and bake sale, funds raised are going to the Romero centre and funds to support our Asylum Seeker and Refugee community at
the College. A big thank you to all who made the day such a successful one!
Thursday 25 March saw the College celebrate its next cultural dinner with Africa taking their turn. Being such a large continent with
many countries – 54 countries in fact, 48 sharing the area of mainland Africa and 6 island nations, we decided to split the dinner into 2.
One happening this Term for Years 10-12 and another in Term 3 for Years 7-9. As a community our largest cultural background
community from Africa is our Sudanese community with 54 students speaking a variety of languages like Arabic, Dinka, Swahili and
English. Our next largest group after our Sudanese community is a community from the Congo with 29 students speaking Swahili,
Kikongo, French and English. Other countries which make up our African community here at St James College include Egypt, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Last night was amazing and a big
thank you to all who made it possible to happen – parents, staff and students. The night ended on a high with staff, students and
parents all joining in on an impromptu dance across the many countries of Africa.
Today Friday 26 March we celebrate Bangladesh Independence Day with our resident Bangladeshian. Today marks the 50th anniversary
of Bangladesh Independence Day, a national holiday that commemorates the country’s declaration of sovereignty on this day in 1971.
The Savar National Memorial, a national monument built on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to honor those who fought in
the country’s war of independence, stands as the official focal point for today’s observances. Citizens pay homage to their national
heroes by gathering at the memorial. Many of them wear the symbolic green and red colors of the Bangladeshi flag.
The green of the nation’s flag represents the bountiful vegetation that covers much of the Bangladeshi
landscape, as the red disk emblazoned on the green background symbolizes the rising sun that gives
life to the Asian region of Bengal.
Happy Independence Day, Bangladesh!
https://www.google.com/doodles/bangladesh-independence-day-2021
Careers Counsellor Ms Brooke Walters
Trade Taster Program
Congratulations to our Year 10 students who were accepted into the Trade Taster Program offered through TAFE at School. Our first
round of students have commenced the program and are enjoying it thoroughly. They are gaining skills in an array of trade areas
including electrical, plumbing, light automotive and bricklaying, just to name a few! They will also be obtaining their Construction Safety
White Card. Well done to Lochie Ross, Lara Sparrow, Andre Robson, Harrison Hagan-Green and Noah Smith.
Defence Force Work Experience Program
The Australian Defence Force has recommenced their work experience program. This is an excellent opportunity for students who are
interested in pursuing a career with the Army, Navy or Air Force. Defence is committed to providing a national work experience program
designed to:
demonstrate the wide variety of interesting careers available within Defence;
ease the transition of students into the workplace; and
contribute to the development of the skills of young Australians.
If you are interested in this, please head to the website https://www.defence.gov.au/WorkExperience/Default.asp and make an
appointment to see Mrs Walters.
Traineeships
Congratulations to Vivienne Yakimoff-Minge and Christina Gangkor on securing school-based traineeships at Sedo
Café and KFC respectively.
During a school-based traineeship, students earn a wage, train with an employer, and work towards an accredited
qualification while undertaking their high school certificate. A school-based traineeship is a great way to learn a role,
gain experience, and get a head start in a career.
If you are in Year 10 or 11 and are interested in these opportunities, please make an appointment with Mrs Walters.
Free and Low Cost TAFE courses for school leavers
TAFE have established over 70 courses that are free or of low cost that are available to young people who have left school and are
looking for work. These Job Trainer funded courses are an initiative to help Queensland recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19
by providing the skills required in industry growth areas. For more information, please head to the TAFE website.
Art Therapist Mrs Sue Cameron
Harmony Day Celebrations 2021
The weather was not kind to us this year but despite this, students worked together to plan and deliver a great range of lunchtime
activities for Harmony Day 2021. Harmony Day was established to celebrate diversity and inclusion in Australian communities. As part
of our commitment to a fair and inclusive community, students decided to dedicate our celebration towards the support of people
seeking asylum in Australia. The College community raised about $500 for the Romero Centre through a barbeque stall, Hogan House
bake sale and an Easter raffle. Students also organised art activities, cultural games and a staff/student volleyball match. It was lovely
to see students working so enthusiastically together, trying new things and building great community spirit. Many thanks to Hogan
House for their support of this event. And many thanks to the students who really stepped up to guide and run our activities this year.
Teacher Ms Heidi Chapman
Friday 2 April is World Autism Awareness Day, an internationally recognised day encouraging Member States of the United Nations to
take measures to raise awareness about people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders including Autism and Asperger syndrome throughout
the world. World Autism Day is one of only seven official health-specific UN Days.
At St James, we’re celebrating all people with Autism, other disabilities and other learning difficulties, with a community breakfast on
Wednesday 31 March, 7:00-8:30. There will be things to learn, prizes to win, activities and discussions, as well as great food to share.
All friends and family are welcome!
But are we already aware of Autism, its strengths and its challenges? Well there’s one way to find out – take this quick Autism
Awareness quiz right now!
I know what ASD stands for. ☐
I can name a famous person with Autism. ☐
I know what percentage of the population has Autism. ☐
I know the 3 areas of life Autistic people are affected in. ☐
I know what Stimming is. ☐
I know what Echolalia is. ☐
I know what Prosopagnosia is. ☐
I can name a service or initiative specifically for autistic young people. ☐
I can name the rights of people with disabilities according to the law. ☐
I know what ‘#Nothing about us, without us’ means ☐
1-2: You’re a beginner. Most of the world knows about this much.
3-5: You know what you’re talking about; maybe autism is in your life somewhere.
6-8: You’re an expert; autism has probably affected your life directly.
9+: You absolute pro, did you study for this test? Do you keep earmuffs in your purse?
For more details on parking or RSVPs for the breakfast, see the College app or email [email protected]
Development Officer Ms Berenice Anzellotti
Year 11/12 Visual Arts in Practice students have continued their exploration into Tibetan Prayer Flags. This week we have a wonderful
example from Joshua Cottrill Year 12. Joshua has used coloured ink and permanent markers to complete his vibrantly coloured work.
Great work Josh!!
Sports Coordinator Mr Scott Prickett
Wednesday Sports
Next Wednesday will be our final week of Wednesday sport for this term. I would like to encourage all students to make sure they
remember their correct sports gear for their final week.
Next Wednesday some of the College’s senior sporting groups will be listening to a physiotherapist about body management and injury
prevention. St James would like to welcome RHP Physiotherapy to the College campus.
Interhouse Cross Country
Next Thursday we will be having our second interhouse carnival of 2021. The annual Cross Country will show the fittest of the fittest,
with long gruelling kilometres run during that afternoon. The College will travel to GPS Rugby fields where they will run the course. This
is the first time St James will be using this track but it will be exciting to see all students participate. Listed below are some guidelines
and distances for you to talk to your child or student about prior to next week’s carnival.
Running Levels
Blue Lane – Competitive Runners (Will run the complete course and distances)
Yellow Lane – Moderate Runners (Will run and walk at times)
Red Lane – Walkers (Students who will want to walk the course only)
Distances
C ongratulations to
Willow Hersant,
Year 12, who won a gold, silver
and a fourth place in Special
Olympics State trials last
weekend. Willow now awaits
notice to see if she makes the
Queensland side to travel to
Tasmania next year for States.
Finance Manager Ms Genevieve O’Sullivan
Please be advised that all TERM 1 FEES ARE NOW OVERDUE, unless you are on a regular payment plan – if so, please just continue to
make your payments as arranged.
Should you require a payment extension or wish to have a confidential discussion regarding a possible fees concession due to financial
hardship, please don’t hesitate to contact Genevieve or David on 3230 8600 or via email [email protected]
Age Bracket Boys Girls
13 & Under 3km 3km
14 Years 4km 4km
15 Years 4km 4km
16 Years 4km 6km
Opens 4km 6km
