St James Lutheran College is an independent, co-educational Kindergarten to Year 12 Lutheran College under the Lutheran Church of Australia. The school is located in Urraween, a suburb of Hervey Bay, South East Queensland, Australia. St James Lutheran College currently caters for approximately 650 students, after opening in 2003 as one of the newest Christian schools on the Fraser Coast.
In the Junior School years, St James has a strong focus on the development of sound Literacy and Numeracy skills, taught within the framework of the Australian English and Mathematics Curriculum. Teachers dedicate a significant amount of time each day towards Literacy and Numeracy development. The other core curriculum areas taught in the Junior School are
Christian Studies
Science
Humanities
Health and Physical Education
Integrated as part of these units of work are The Arts and Technology learning areas. Junior School students also engage in a number of specialist subjects each week, including:
In a students' middle school years, they will develop essential cultural, informational, and social skills. In addition to this, middle school students are also educated on essential components for their senior years to come. The core curriculum items offered in the Middle School are
Christian Studies
English
Mathematics
Science
Humanities
and Health and Physical Education
Middle School students also have the ability to engage in a range of specialist subjects, including:
Languages Other Than English - Japanese
Music and Dance - one semester each year
Drama - one semester each year
Visual Arts - one semester each year
Photography - one semester each year
Media - one semester each year
Digital Technologies - one semester each year
Wood Technology - one semester each year
Food Technology - one semester each year
Senior School
In 2012, St James offered its Senior School curriculum program for the first time. Subject offerings are based on the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority courses and the Queensland Studies Authority syllabus. Up until 2019, OP was used as the standard for senior reporting and higher education. However, with the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority introducing the new ATAR curriculum, the OP system was phased out with senior students now studying an improved syllabus. The following are the current subjects on offer: **Sciences
**Subjects marked with two asterisks are core subjects or are mandatory for QCE completion Vocational education and training is an option for students in Year 10. VET qualifications and options include: Certificate I, Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma, and Traineeships and apprenticeships.
Co-curriculum
There are a variety of extra-curricular activities offered at St James Lutheran College. Some are weekly and others occur according to the school season. The most commonly occurring extra-curricular activities include the following: Musical
The St James choir which performs at civic and school functions.
International trips such as Japanese exchange program and the Spain Trip
Other activities that occur from time to time according to the school seasons and interests of students include swimming and athletics training. St James also participates in local community events such as The Whale Festival and local shows.
Houses
St James has three Sports houses, which are named after local waterways on Fraser Island: Eli, Wabby and McKenzie. These houses regularly compete in school and sporting-based events, as well as providing a structured and fun way for students to collaborate and build team spirit. The St James annual carnival program is supported by seasonal sporting carnival days as well such as Netball, Soccer, Cricket, Rugby, AFL, Basketball and Volleyball. As well as trial-based events at these carnivals, the College also offers students the chance to compete for the St. James Cup, the House Spirit Award, the Environmental Award and the House Participation Award. Alongside school days, involvement in weekend sport commenced in 2012.
History
The College began operation in a demountable classroom block consisting of 4 rooms in 2003 with an enrolment of approximately 70 students. It has since grown to include 10 blocks of classrooms and a Library building, all of which house over 650 students as of 2019.
