Principal's Update - 27th February

Welcome

Dear Families 

The students have settled well into the first term, and the weeks are already flying by! This week, our Year 5/6 students are at camp, enjoying an exciting few days by the beach at Anglesea. Enrolments for 2026 are also in full swing, with school tours and a Parent Enrolment Evening held on Monday, which was well attended. 

This week, we are looking forward to our first whole school assembly for the term. Next week is also a busy one, with Parent-Teacher Interviews providing a valuable opportunity for partnership in learning. 

Next week we also enter the sacred season of Lent, beginning with Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, marking the start of our 40-day journey towards Easter Sunday.

Reconciliation

This week marks the commencement of preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, with students completing their first session as they begin this important faith journey. We encourage families to actively support their children by engaging in follow-up activities at home after each session, reinforcing their learning and reflection. To further deepen their understanding and connection to this sacrament, we warmly invite students and their families to attend Sunday Mass at 10:00 am throughout the Lenten period. This will provide a meaningful opportunity for prayer, reflection, and spiritual growth as they prepare to receive God’s loving forgiveness. Please note the following important dates for students preparing for their First Reconciliation.

Presentation of Candidates at Mass

 -  Sunday, 2nd March at 10:00 am

 -  Sunday, 16th March at 10:00 am

 -  Sunday, 23rd March at 10:00 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation Celebration

Thursday, 3rd April 5:30 pm at St Columba’s Church

Whole School Assembly

We are excited to invite our school community to our first Whole School Assembly for the year, led by our Student Leaders, this Friday in the School Hall. This special gathering marks the beginning of our journey together in 2025, celebrating our students and the vibrant spirit of St Columba’s. We warmly welcome parents to join us for this occasion and kindly ask that you be seated by 2:45 pm for a 2:50 pm start. Please enter via the Howard Street double gates and access the Hall through the decking entrance, where our friendly ushers will be there to meet and greet. We look forward to coming together as a school community and celebrating the start of another wonderful year!    All parents, please be seated in the hall by 2:45 pm

Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday

Next week, we begin the sacred season of Lent, starting with Shrove Tuesday, followed by Ash Wednesday. As part of our Lenten preparation, all communities will participate in writing their own Lenten promises, which will be burned and used for our Ash Wednesday masses, symbolising our commitment to renewal and growth in faith. Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday—also known as Fat Tuesday—was a time when families used up rich pantry items like eggs, milk, and sugar in preparation for fasting during Lent. While our modern Lenten practices may look different, the essence remains the same. It is a time for us to either give up something we enjoy or to make a deliberate effort to help others, doing so quietly and humbly, just as Jesus did when he spent 40 days in the wilderness. Through our personal sacrifices and acts of kindness, we are called to deepen our faith and follow in Jesus’ footsteps throughout this Lenten journey.

Our students will attend Ash Wednesday Mass with parishioners at St Columba’s on Wednesday 5th, March at 10:00 am. All Welcome!

Individual learning groups will request helpers for Pancake making on Shrove Tuesday. Please be aware that all volunteers are required to have a valid working with children check WWCC and have completed the Code of Conduct, Volunteer for and volunteer induction module in this link.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Our upcoming Parent-Teacher Interviews in week 6 on Tuesday 4th & Wednesday 5th March provide a valuable opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher, discuss their progress, and set goals for the year ahead. These meetings are an important part of fostering strong home-school partnerships and ensuring the best possible outcomes for our students. 

If your child has a Program Support Group meeting (PSG), a separate meeting time has been arranged, and they will not require a Parent-Teacher Interview. 

We look forward to these conversations and working together to support your child’s learning journey.

Bookings are now open via PAM.

School Closure Day & Public Holiday

We remind families that next Friday, 7th March, is a school closure day for our staff to attend Professional Learning to extend their understanding of the daily review.  The office will be open during the day.

Please note that Monday 10th March is the Labour Day Long Weekend Public Holiday.

SAC - Working Parties

Our School Advisory Working Parties continue to play a vital role in bringing our school community together through various events and initiatives. A key focus for each event is to recruit new volunteers to join the organising committees, ensuring fresh ideas and shared responsibility. With many exciting events planned throughout the year, it’s important that we distribute the workload fairly and encourage more families to get involved. By welcoming new faces for each event, we not only lighten the load for our existing volunteers but also bring in new perspectives and creativity. If you haven’t yet had the chance to contribute, we encourage you to step forward—your support makes all the difference in creating vibrant and successful school events!

School Photo Day

A reminder that School Photos will take place on Friday 14th March. To ensure a consistent and polished look, we ask that all students wear their full summer uniform, with the following guidelines:

✅ Year 6 students must wear their Summer Legend Shirt – not hoodies
✅ No jumpers to be worn
✅ White socks must be worn with shorts

Please ensure uniforms are neat and tidy on the day. We look forward to capturing this special moment for our students!

Colour Fun Run

Our Colour Fun Run is fast approaching, taking place on Sunday, March 30th, at C E Brown (Laker’s) Reserve.  This will be a fantastic opportunity for our school community to come together and enjoy an afternoon filled with fun, laughter, and physical activity for all abilities. We are incredibly grateful for the efforts of our dedicated volunteers who have already begun preparations, especially those stepping forward for the first time. While our initial organising team is small, we will soon be inviting more volunteers to assist on the day to ensure a safe and successful event—there are many ways to get involved, even if you’re not part of the main committee. We look forward to seeing as many families as possible join us for this exciting and colourful celebration!  Please note there will be a BBQ and a number of Food Trucks attending to provide a range of food and beverage items for the event.

Date: Sunday 30th March 

Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm 

Location: C E Brown Reserve (Laker’s Oval) Behind Selkirk Stadium

Remember to create a profile page at www.myprofilepage.au and share your profile to family & friends to receive online donations.

Traffic Safety

Reverse with care, and please abide by traffic laws.

With increased traffic flow in Gregory and Howard Street in the mornings and the afternoons, please ensure you follow the traffic laws, including reversing safely and not across the road. We ask that you also walk across the street to collect your children from the gate rather than gesturing for them to cross to you. We ask this for the safety of our children. We ask that you be extra careful as we certainly don’t want to report that a pedestrian/child has been hit. We also request that parents do not drop their children off in the middle of the road, this is extremely unsafe for both children and drivers.

Please note that the Howard Street gate opens at 8:20 am & the Armstrong & Gregory Street gates open at 8:30 am. The bike gate is open from 8:15 am. 

Classrooms are not open until 8:35 am to enable teachers to ensure they are ready for the day prior to student entry.

Crossings.

Please also ensure that no child or parent steps onto the crossing until directed to by the Crossing Supervisor at the Lydiard Street crossing. This is for your safety, as traffic can be quite heavy and, at times, unpredictable. Please also use the school crossing on Armstrong Street and Lydiard Street to ensure everyone's personal safety. We ask for your patience and vigilance here. 

Introducing Maddi Worthy - School Councellor

We are delighted to welcome Maddi Worthy as our School Counsellor here at St Columba’s. Maddi is passionate about working with students to support their well-being, helping them navigate school and life challenges. With experience in guiding students to recognise and understand their emotions, Maddi supports them with identifying goals and learning practical strategies to manage their feelings and build a personal toolkit of coping skills.

Maddi is committed to fostering a supportive and caring environment where students feel heard and empowered. She understands the importance of emotional resilience and works closely with students to develop the skills they need to thrive both in and beyond the classroom.

Parents and carers can also access Maddi’s insights through "Maddi’s Musings" on the Schoolzine app. This will be a ‘Live tile” later in the week. This regularly updated resource will provide valuable tips, strategies, and reflections to support families in navigating the ever-changing landscape of raising children such as the challenges of separation anxiety our young people experience. 

We look forward to the positive impact Maddi will have on our school community and encourage families to engage with the resources available to support student well-being.

Yr 3/4 Camp Information Night

We invite all Year 3 and 4 families to attend our Camp Information Session on Wednesday 12th March, from 5:15 pm – 5:45 pm in LG10. This session will provide important details about what to expect at camp, what to pack, and any specific requirements such as medications, allergies, and dietary needs. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions and ensure your child is well-prepared for this exciting experience. We look forward to seeing you there!

Caritas K’s & PROJECT COMPASSION – "Unite Against Poverty"

During the Lenten season, St Columba’s Primary School is proud to once again participate in Project Compassion, Caritas Australia’s annual fundraising and awareness campaign. This initiative unites thousands of Australians in solidarity with the world’s poor, working to end poverty, promote justice, and uphold human dignity. Running throughout the six weeks of Lent, Project Compassion is a powerful expression of faith, love, and generosity, driven by a shared commitment to justice and peace.

The theme for Project Compassion 2025 is "Unite Against Poverty", inspiring us to come together to make a meaningful difference.

This week, each family will receive a Project Compassion money collection box to gather donations throughout Lent. We kindly ask that these boxes, along with their contributions, be returned to school in the final week of term, allowing us to forward all collected funds to Caritas Australia to support their vital work.

To further support this initiative, our school will be hosting two special fundraising events during Lent. More details will be shared soon, and we encourage our community to get involved in this important cause.

Our Lenten Liturgy and ‘Caritas K’s Walk’ will take place on Friday, 21st March, from 9:15 am to 10:30 am. The students will participate in a Lenten Liturgy at 9.15 at St Columba’s Church. Families are most welcome to join with the school community. The students will then return to school to participate in the ‘Caritas K’s Walk’. The walk takes place around our school perimeter. Caritas K’s is an opportunity to fundraise and educate people in social justice, aiming to move our compassion into action for now and for all future generations. 

The walk will commence at 9.45 and conclude at 10.15. There will be various collection tins on each street corner for your donation. Donating your icy pole money is a powerful action. The donation will go towards ‘Project Compassion’ and the work of Caritas in bringing relief to those in need. Additional family members and prams are most welcome. However, we are unable to accommodate pets due to the safety of our students.

Looking forward to seeing you all at this event. Don’t forget your gold coins for a worthy cause. 

Please note that all children are invited to wear their full sports uniform if they wish to walk in runners. 

Easter Raffle and Donations

Our Easter Raffle is back!! You are able to purchase tickets, on behalf of students, family, neighbours and friends. Tickets are now available to purchase via the following link or QR code. Ticket sales will be online only this year through rafflelink.

Please finalise your ticket purchases no later than Tuesday 1st April 2025.

Families are also asked to please leave a donation for the Easter raffle prizes at the school office by Tuesday 1st April 2025

Thank you in advance for your kind support of our school fundraising efforts.

Hot Cross Bun Drive Fundraiser

We are excited to announce our Hot Cross Bun drive will be back this year. Order forms from Bakers Delight will be sent home this week. Many different flavours to choose from with $2 from every 6 pack purchased to go back into the school.

Orders close on Monday 24th March and Hot Cross Buns will be sent home with students on Monday 31st March.

Arts Update - Art Exhibition Cycle

It has been several years since we held a Visual Arts Show at St Columba’s, and we feel it’s time to showcase the incredible learning our students do in the arts. After discussions with our staff team we are excited to announce that, in late Term 3, we will be hosting an Arts Festival. This festival will highlight student work across all areas of the arts and will incorporate learning from all specialist subjects. The specialist team is already hard at work, making meaningful, cross-curricular links wherever possible. While we’re still in the early planning stages, we are very excited about the possibilities ahead!

2026 Foundation Enrolments

Reminder to families that Enrolment Applications are now open for Foundation 2026 Students.

Register your interest in enrolling your child at a Catholic school in the City of Ballarat by completing an online “City of Ballarat Expression of Interest for Enrolment” form found below.  At this stage, you will be able to nominate St Columba’s Primary School as your first preference.

When completing the Expression of Interest form, you must indicate your first preference school and upload your child’s birth certificate  and baptism certificate (if applicable).

If you have a sibling starting, you must complete the form also.

School Fee Assistance

Just a reminder to any families who have not already done so, if you wish to claim the Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF) and Family Fee Assistance Scheme, a copy of your valid health care/pension card needs to be provided and forms completed. The forms can be found on our website here 

Please return these to Rebecca Lubeek in the office or email them through to rlubeek@scballarat.catholic.edu.au, please feel free to email or call with any questions.

Term 1 - Change in finish time

I would like to sincerely apologise for any oversight regarding the Term One finish time. Please note that school will now conclude at 2:05 pm on the last day of Term 1 - Friday 4th April, aligning with the commencement of the third recess break.

I appreciate your understanding and regret any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for your continued support, and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Community

Important Dates - 2025