Faculty Inservice: Let's Put Good Into Action Today

Saint James School faculty, staff, and support personnel gathered together to learn, grow, reflect, and plan for the 2021-22 academic year at our two-day summer inservice meeting. Dr. Larry McLemore opened the meeting with a reflection of the historical 2020-21 year and the lessons we learned and triumphs we experienced, despite unthinkable challenges we and all schools in our country faced last year. The theme for the upcoming year is “Let’s Put Good Into Action.” Dr. McLemore challenged us to notice the good around us and to in turn, put that good into motion. The opening invocation was delivered by Rev. Courtney D. Meadows, 2011 STJ graduate. He prayed for guidance and wisdom for our faculty and administrators and encouraged us to all promote community and unity in the months ahead. The STJ Board of Trustees addressed our faculty and Col. Dex McCain, Ret.,Board Chairmen, shared school-wide initiatives and goals for 2021-22. Parent Association president, Ms. Mary Pool, Esq., provided updates and plans for Parent Association events and fundraisers for the coming year.

“Let’s Put Good Into Action”

— Dr. Larry McLemore, Head of School

New faculty were introduced and departmental and division-level updates were addressed. Mrs. Susan Atkins, Academic Dean, provided an overview of our school’s reaccreditation and action plans. We also heard from our maintenance and custodial staff and recognized the hard work of the teams who keeps our facilities and grounds running smoothly. It truly takes a campus to run a campus!

The Trojan Operational Plan (Top 2.0) and safety protocols were reviewed and additional health and wellness initiatives were discussed. During the summer months, the STJ leadership team painstakingly monitored and assessed our local and state-wide reports in relation to Covid-19. When making decisions about policies and safety standards, the health of our students was always, and will continue to be, our number one priority.

Finally, Dr. McLemore led our faculty and staff through thoughtful discussion of one of his favorite poems, “Sermons We See,” by Edgar Albert Guest. We reflected on ways that we can be “sermons” daily for our school family. The poem and its message beautifully illustrates the core values of Saint James: character, commitment, courage, and community. We are ready to welcome our students back to campus tomorrow for the first day of school! We are Trojans, 24/7!

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Parent Association President: Mary Pool, Invocation Speaker: Rev. Courtney D. Meadows c/0 2011, Head of School: Dr. Larry McLemore, Board Chairmen: Col. Dex McCain, Ret.

Three Days, and Counting!

We have been busy during these last few weeks of summer preparing for our favorite time of year- the first day of school! Our maintenance and custodial staff has been working tirelessly making our campus as beautiful, safe, and functional as possible. We’ve kept especially close attention to detail with deep cleaning and sanitation efforts in the classroom and common areas. The crews have also been sprucing up our landscaping and green spaces. Faculty members have been putting the finishing touches on their classrooms and laboratories. We are so excited to welcome our students back to campus this Friday, August 6th, for another fantastic year at Saint James School.

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Sliding Out of Summer

Splish splash, school is almost here! To celebrate a wonderful summer at CampSTJ, our campers and staff cooled down with waterslide fun. We love CampSTJ!

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This Year is Going to be Poppin'!

Pop on in!

Our PreK3 and PreK4 students enjoyed meeting each other and their new teachers last Sunday. We enjoyed colorful flavored popcorn with lots of yummy toppings. We are so excited for a wonderful year at STJ.

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Ice Ice Baby!

This week, our Camp STJ campers beat the summer heat with a local favorite, Nancy’s Italian Ice. We’ve had such a blast enjoying the laid-back fun, games, and educational programming at Camp STJ.

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MANE -Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrian

by: Kate McDevitt, junior

Since my freshman year I have volunteered at a place called MANE (Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrian). MANE is a place where therapeutic horseback lessons are given to riders who might have a disability. I discovered MANE in eighth grade when I shadowed an equine veterinarian who recommended I volunteer there. Now I volunteer once a week during the school year and at their camp during the summer. At MANE, I assist riders and make sure they are safe while they ride a horse. Depending on the class I volunteer with, there are different lesson plans. Some of them involve a scenery walk. However other lessons have the rider follow instructions given to them. On the scenery walks the rider usually goes to a station that has a game. Some of the games include horseshoes, darts, and throwing items into a certain cut out shape on a wall. All of these games are played while the rider is on the horse. Usually a rider is competing against another rider to see who can win the most games. There is no prize for winning except bragging rights. The scenery rides usually occur on sunny days, but on overcast days riders are given tasks or obstacles to complete in a covered arena.  An example of an instruction given to a rider is to weave between poles and then turn right and stop. In these types of lessons I am responsible to see that the rider is holding onto their reins, their weight is equally distributed on the saddle, and their feet are in the stirrups. Although most of the time I do work a class, sometimes I am instructed to complete barn chores. This happens if a class does not show up, or if there are more than enough volunteers to help with riders. Some of the barn chores include mucking stalls, sweeping, cleaning water buckets, and cleaning tack. Although the barn chores might not seem very pleasant to some people, I love doing the chores because it is something new to do. However, my favorite part of MANE is the friendships I make there. I have made friends with volunteers and riders. I look forward each week to seeing the riders and the fun conversations we have. 

Who Am I?

Before we dismissed for summer break, our fourth graders participated in an inspired and imaginative poetic exercise during their poetry unit. Students crafted a free-verse poem about themselves without explicitly telling who they are. Free-verse is a style of poetry that is not defined by rhythm, verse, or specific meter. It is an artistic expression that spans beyond the typical rules of poetry. Then, students drew a self-portrait of themselves using their iPad as a “mirror.” To make their work more unique, the portrait was done with a one-line drawing, meaning they couldn’t pick up their pencil during the sketch. Finally, students finished their art by coloring with unnatural or irregular colors. We loved how these introspective and creative projects tuned out.

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Gone Fishing

Our students are quite the catch! We had a blast learning about magnets and “catching” fish in our elementary science lab. Students were challenged to catch fish of all one color, in a pattern, and used fine and gross motor skills to manipulate their magnetized fishing poles. #WeAreSaintJamesSchool

It's a Great Day at Camp STJ!

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We have had the best start to our summer with fun at Camp STJ. Currently enrolled Saint James students and children from the community have been enjoying an active summer with learning games, dancing, programmed play, and lots and lots of laughter! It’s a great day at Camp STJ!

Camp ASCCA- A 5th grade Tradition

The overnight trip to Camp ASCCA is one of the most highly anticipated events in fifth grade. This annual tradition is a rite of passage of sorts for our students before they enter the world of middle school. Camp ASCCA is an inclusive year-round camp located at beautiful Lake Martin, Alabama. Students enjoy hiking, fishing, archery, nature lessons, zip-lining, canoeing, and arts-and-crafts. For many students, this two night experience is their first sleep-away trip without their parents. As a reflection exercise, upon return, students illustrated and described their favorite aspect of camp. Some students chose thrills like the rock wall and zip line. Others appreciated the nature and wildlife, but some simply enjoyed the friendships formed and fun experienced outside the classroom. Students truly look forward to this field trip every year and cherish the fun memories and camaraderie built!

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