Students stay toasty in warm coats donated by the community | | Caring Is the Gift That Keeps Giving | | |
“Get what you need, share what you can.” You can’t miss that simple message when you walk by the colorful mural on the Friends' Fridge, which is nestled along the yellow brick road off Clearfield Street. It’s a message that captures the heart of St. James School’s mission as a community that gives, receives, and grows stronger together.
As we enter the holiday season, we embrace one of our most meaningful traditions: distributing coats, food, and gifts to ensure every student and family is cared for, known, and supported. This season of caring is also a season of connection in which each conversation, each act of generosity, reminds us that our mission thrives when we look out for one another.
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Every year at this time, our community comes together to:
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Provide a warm coat for all members of every student’s household who requests one. This year, more than 90% of the 120+ coats collected will come through donations.
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Distribute 300+ Thanksgiving meal bags to students, graduates, and neighbors. Our six faith community partners will provide nearly all the canned side dishes.
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Transform the Church of St. James the Less into “Santa’s Workshop,” filled with gifts from which students and families may choose. See how you can help Santa at the bottom of this email.
All three programs are labors of love and logistics led by the Welcome Table team. Assistant Director Tiana Jones says, “I am inspired to be doing this work at this time because I've always been for community. It was instilled in me by my parents at a very young age. It's important to help each other out and be there for your neighbor.”
| | Thanksgiving meal bags filled and ready to feed our families and neighbors (2024 photo) | | |
This year, the need feels even greater due to the withheld SNAP benefits increasing food insecurity for many families.
Together, we can make sure that everyone in our community feels seen, valued, and loved throughout the holiday season.
To get involved in a Welcome Table program, contact Edward Wolfe at 215-226-1276 x238 or ewolfe@stjamesphila.org
ALL gifts to St. James support this important work
| | Eighth Graders Grow in Faith and Teamwork at Outward Bound Retreat | | Samad (Class of 2026) climbs all the way to the top of the pole as his classmates support him from the ground | | |
A favorite tradition at St. James is class-wide "retreats." Spearheaded by the Chaplaincy Team, the goal of retreats is to find space and time outside of the normal patterns of daily life for self-reflection, relationship building, and joy. The 8th grade teamed up with long-time partner Outward Bound for a day-long retreat that proved to be both physically challenging and spiritually enriching for the class. The experience last month offered students a chance to grow in faith, trust, and community — values that guide the St. James community.
Outward Bound is a global, non-profit network of outdoor education schools helping people develop character, leadership, and life skills. From the start, skilled guides immersed our students in team-building activities designed to foster communication and collaboration. Games and group challenges reinforced the importance of listening to one another, offering encouragement, and working together toward shared goals.
| | Eighth graders dive into a fun and challenging team-building game of “Capture the Snake” | | |
One of the most powerful moments came during a climbing activity, when students quite literally held one another up. As one classmate climbed a tall ladder secured to a towering pole, the rest of the group stood below, cheering and managing the safety ropes.
Samad said," Being outside in the cold doing the challenges was hard, but my classmates encouraged me and I had fun bonding with them."
Moments of fear, frustration, and self-doubt emerged, but these quickly transformed into opportunities for personal growth. Students learned to persevere, to laugh through mistakes, and to celebrate each small victory together.
| | Garden Club students complete a fall harvest in our campus vegetable gardens — with much of the produce going directly to the Friends' Fridge for sharing with neighbors | | Rahmair and PJ, Class of 2027, explore the structure and function of cell membranes using bubbles to model how membranes move, stretch, and repair themselves | | Eighteen brave graduates join Servant Year Member Annie Wilder and Graduate Support Associate Tayza Hill for our annual haunted house adventure at Eastern State Penitentiary | | Sixth graders explore the Edelman Fossil Park of Rowan University, where science comes to life literally beneath their feet as they stand on the floor of an ancient shallow ocean and unearth fossils of coral, sponges, clams, and even shark teeth! | | Families and friends enjoying our Fall Festival, with trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting, bounce houses, a tractor-pulled hayride, and more | | St. James is a faith-based educational community deeply rooted in transformative loving relationships. | | | | |
