Building Bridges in Kindergarten

Our K-5 classes recently read the Norwegian fairy tale, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.”  They learned all about the three billy goats that tried to cross the troll’s bridge.  The story tells of overcoming obstacles and problem solving. Our kindergartners got creative with a S.T.E.M. challenge of building bridges with Legos in the science lab. All elementary students, grades K3-5, visit the science lab each week during enrichments. The lab is a perfect setting for hands-on application of what is taught in our classrooms at all elementary levels.  

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Faculty Spotlight: Señora Autumn Jackson

Teaches: Elementary and Middle School Spanish

I’ve Taught for: Going on my fourth year

Hometown: I was born in Santa Ana, California, and I was raised in North Alabama (Arab, AL.)

High school: Arab High School

College/Degree: The University of Alabama.  I have a Bachelor's Degree in Education K-12 & Spanish.  

Favorite Book: The Bible

Favorite Movie: I have many!  I love many types!

Favorite Food: Mexican

Married to: I am married to the Band Director here at STJ (Greg Jackson).  He is a wonderful, sweet, & hard-working man.

Children: We do not have children, but we do have two fur babies.  1 small dog (Morkie) & 1 bird (Double Yellow-Head Amazon Parrot)

Church: Frazer United Methodist Church. I volunteer in the Children's Ministry every 1st and 3rd Sunday.

Fun Fact: I did my teaching internship through the COST PROGRAM at The University of Alabama in Guadalajara, Mexico at a school called Instituto Thomas Jefferson. Outside of school, I'm working to complete my thesis for a Clinical Psychology Master's degree at AUM. I have already completed my coursework.   

Abuzz about Bees

Mrs. Taylor’s Science elementary Lab was all abuzz, as fourth grade experienced a special presentation by STJ alum Joe Barnett, a local beekeeper. He spoke about pollination, bees, and honey production.

Mr. Barnett even brought an empty, but complete, bee hive and explained the fundamentals of what goes on in the hive. Even Dr. McLemore stopped by and helped with the presentation!

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Faculty Spotlight: Mrs. Megan Deal

Teaches: Kindergarten

I’ve Taught for: 5 years at STJ

Hometown: Pike Road, AL

High school: Saint James School. Go Trojans!

College/Degree: Auburn University, Bachelor of Science Dual Degree in Human Development Family Studies and Early Childhood Education

Favorite Book: The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst

Favorite Food: White cheddar popcorn and chocolate covered blueberries

Married to: Grayson Deal ( Montgomery native). He is a data analyst at Alfa 

Children: My son Gray, 2 years old

Church: Yes, we are involved and active at First Baptist Church Montgomery

Fun Fact: I love Pure Barre! I teach with my teaching assistant, Lucy Daniel, and she is fabulous.

Today is the Day! Applications are Live Online!

Today is the day! Starting November 1, the 2019-2020 admissions season officially opens. Saint James School PreK3-12th grade applications are now available online.

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First-round admission decisions for PreK3-Kindergarten is February 14, 2019.

First-round admission decisions for 1st-12th grade is February 21, 2019.

We encourage families to visit our campus and experience our amazing school! Please call us at (334) 273-3021 to schedule a private tour of campus or register for one of our many admissions events. We can’t wait to review your child’s application and meet our future Trojans!

It’s a great day at STJ!

Food Chain Finds

This week, third graders dissected owl pellets in the elementary Science Lab to accompany their study of food chains.  Finding bones and feathers of the animals the owls had eaten helped students see what prey was in the owl’s food chain.  Students especially loved finding the skulls of small birds and mice, then matching them to bone diagrams.

Faculty Spotlight: Mrs. Kiki Hughes

Teaches: American History, AP US History, AP Human Geography

I’ve Taught for: 6 Years

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

High school: New Canaan High School and Rolling Hills High School

College/Degree: Vanderbilt University (BA in history) , UAB (Masters in History)

STJ Extracurriculars: SGA Sponsor, Youth in Government Sponsor

Favorite Book: The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman

Favorite Movie: Star Wars

Favorite Food: Seafood

Married to: Yes. Married to a Montgomery native. We were set up on a sorority mystery date in college.

Children: Two children. The oldest is at Auburn studying Communications. The youngest will be finishing up high school in 2020.

Church: First United Methodist Church

Hobbies: reading, Pure Barre, and walking my dog. I love everything Disney! I will be running the Disney World Half Marathon in January. 

Fun Fact: I lived in England for three years.

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National Mole Day

Happy Mole Day! National Mole Day commemorates Amadeo Avogadro's Number, 6.02 x 10^23, which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Each year, on October 23rd, schools throughout the United States and around the world celebrate Mole Day with various activities related to chemistry. Mole Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry and S.T.E.M. fields at large.

Saint James sophomores and juniors celebrated Mole Day by creating their own mole themed projects.

“I look forward to this date each year! It is rewarding to see my students use their artistic talents. I get to see a different side of them that I would not normally see in my class. ”

— Dr. Amanda Ousley, chemistry teacher

“Each class had a party to celebrate. It was fun to get a chance be creative in a science class.”

— Leland Talbert, chemistry student

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Faculty Spotlight: Mr. Zach Beard

Teaches: 4th grade (Reading, Writing, and English)

I’ve Taught for: 9 years

Hometown: Montgomery, AL

High school: Jeff Davis

College/Degree: Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education

Extracurricular: Director of STJ TV. Check it out!

Favorite Book: James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Favorite Movie: Can't choose only one, but I do love Christmas movies

Favorite Food: Pizza

Married to: The woman of my dreams. Blair Beard, she is a graphic designer for Bell Media.

Children: Yes, Jace Beard. He's 11 months old and is the most chill kid ever. He currently loves crawling like an inchworm and chillaxin in our pool.

Church: Frazer United Methodist Church

Hobbies: I love playing football, basketball, and soccer, but I mainly just watch my favorite teams do it now. I also like traveling, hiking, and camping.

Fun Fact: I love writing children's stories.

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Student Government Association Gives Back

Hello, my name is Trinity Hunter and I have the honor of serving as the SGA President of Saint James in my final year of high school. 

Our Student Government Association been thriving. Since the end of last year, we have managed to double our members from thirteen to twenty-six. We have continued to be committed to serving the community and Saint James as best as we can. 

Our first initiative of the year was the Booker T. Washington Magnet High School change drive. Early in the school year, BTW experienced a major fire. While it is a blessing that no one was hurt, one of their buildings was still destroyed and with it. Student art work, art tools and materials, and technology devices were lost in the disaster. Members of the STJ SGA stood outside all over campus one Friday morning and collected change from parents, students, and teachers alike. Amazingly, we were able to gain $1500 to send to BTW!! 

I can honestly say that my time in the SGA has been some of my favorite memories. It has given me experience leading a group and public speaking ability from the school convocations. But most importantly, it has given me the ability to talk to people and maintain relationships with them along the way. I am forever grateful to Saint James to have gotten this opportunity. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the school year holds!

Go Trojans!

After the change drive, it was time to get to work on our annual Community Day of Service. Every year, the high school is tasked with going out into the community and spending a day volunteering. This day could not happen without the SGA. For two months, we planned for Community Day: calling businesses, assigning students and teachers alike, and designing T-Shirts. On October 5, the high school branched out across the Montgomery area to make the community a better place for all that lived in it. 

Our next project is Fall Festival. It is so exciting to be able to participate in the uniquely Saint James tradition that is Fall Festival. It is a great night of fellowship between Saint James families and has become a stable in the lives of many students. Every year, SGA is in charge of the raffle. We are excited to give out great prizes this year to those whose names are drawn! 

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