St James' Primary School, Kotara South is a Catholic co-educational Kindergarten to Year 6 systemic school in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
We are a proud Catholic school, founded by the Sisters of Mercy. We take great pride in our Mercy heritage with our core values of respect, courage, service, justice, compassion and hospitality embedded in our everyday life. We are a school with strong ties to our parish of St Philip’s and are committed to an inclusive Catholic education.
Our staff are dedicated, hardworking professionals. We strive to provide the best environment for students to grow in all facets of their life, attending to their spiritual, social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs, establishing a solid and broad foundation for lifelong learning and wellbeing.
The positive relationships which exist amongst the staff, students and parents is evident in our community. We have enthusiastic, hardworking parent volunteers who dedicate their time to our school. We foster open communication and respect the dignity of all in our interactions with one another. St James’ offers students the ability to be active and supportive of the local community. We are immensely proud of our Mini Vinnies group which provides support for Catholic Mission, Mercy Works and Caritas.
St James’ is a community with a strong and optimistic commitment to school improvement. We not only embrace change but initiate change to achieve our core objective – to improve learning outcomes for all students. All classrooms feature interactive SMART Boards or SMART TVs, HP streams, iPads and wireless internet to assist students in utilising all aspects of a 21st century environment. Our learning spaces are flexible, innovative and encourage students to take ownership of their own learning. We have also established extensive outdoor education spaces.
Providing a meaningful and inclusive learning program, St James’ caters for the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social and physical dimensions of each student. Quality teaching is provided by exceptional educators at St James’ for our students with specific needs as well as those students identified as gifted learners.
St James’ is committed to ensuring students transitioning to Kindergarten receive the best possible start to their schooling. We are a ‘Successful Foundations’ school, implementing the Early Years Framework which focuses on the importance of ‘play-based’ learning to give our students the best transition to school.
Participation, enjoyment and skill development are the cornerstones of the school sport program which gives all students the opportunity to compete at a representative level in a range of sports both internally and externally including, swimming, cross country, athletics, netball, soccer, rugby league, rugby union and hockey. Students can also participate in an intensive swimming program and attend sports gala days.
The creative arts are also highly focused on in the school curriculum, giving students the opportunity to discover, strengthen and express their creative abilities both in and out of the classroom. We have an active school band, comprising of more than 50 students. Our senior students also audition for the Diocesan performing arts ASPIRE program.
St Nicholas OOSH Kotara South provides before and after school care and vacation care in a fun, safe, supportive and inclusive environment onsite at St James’ Primary School, where children can play, explore, be creative and use their imagination.
Students of St James' Primary School, Kotara South are encouraged to continue their Catholic education by attending St Pius X High School, Adamstown.
