Principal's Update - 17th March

Welcome

Dear Families,

The term is continuing to fly by and it is hard to believe that next week is Week 9! In coming weeks we have some exciting events planned for both students and families...

School Picnic

We look forward to hosting a School Picnic here onsite at St Columba’s to celebrate Term 1 as a school community. Our School Advisory Council (SAC) are excited to welcome families back into the school grounds for a BYO school picnic from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm on Wednesday 22nd March. This will be a wonderful opportunity for families to gather, socialize and welcome those families who are new to our community.

Please note that alcohol and smoking are not permitted on school grounds.

We look forward to seeing you all there and hope to host many more opportunities which will enable families to gather in the future.

NAPLAN

This week we commenced NAPLAN Assessments for our students in Year 3 and Year 5. Year 3 students completed their Writing on paper, whilst our Year 5 students were online.

Our Year 5 students completed Reading today and Year 3 will complete Reading on Friday. Next week our students will complete assessments for Language Conventions and Numeracy

Foundation 2024 Information Night and School Tours

Our 2024 Foundation Information Evening held this week was well attended and was an excellent opportunity for prospective families to view our school and learn more about who we are and what we offer here at St Columba’s. Our ‘School Alive Tours’ have also commenced, and families have been excited to see our communities in action.

If you know anyone interested in sending their children to St Columba’s in 2024, please direct them to our website or contact the  School Office for further information.

School Camp

Our Year 3 / 4 Community will host their 2023 camp on the 27th & 28th of March at Log Cabin Camp, Creswick. A parent information session was held on Wednesday evening and the children have enjoyed learning about the camp and the activities they will participate in. 

Remember to Keep positive
Telling your child, you believe they're ready for school camp and they'll have a great time helps your child believe it too. School camp is a great opportunity for your child to push their boundaries, discover new friends and experience outdoor adventures first-hand.

Please read this useful article Keeping cool for school camp

Excursions/Incursions

On March 22nd, the 3/4 community will take part in the Artlink program ran by the Ballarat Art Gallery. They will explore the Pliable Planes exhibition and then try their hand at making their own woven creation.

On Wednesday 15th March this week, the middle and senior classes were lucky enough to be visited by Councillor Des Hudson. This visit was a valuable component of our learning in the area of Civics and Citizenship. The Children listened to Des talk about his role in local government and then they had the opportunity to ask him a range of questions relating to our learning intentions.

SWPB Blitz

Some of you may have heard the children talking about our School Wide Positive Behaviour Blitz. Each fortnight our SWPB team meets to discuss how we as a school can positively influence the school environment in positive ways. Our staff and Year 6 Leaders collate data on observations to inform these blitzes. Our students focus on the positive by reinforcing the good things we see. This is not a punitive approach.

This fortnight the focus has been on Positivity. We believe that a positive attitude is a key ingredient to success in life. Having a positive outlook can help you overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. We encourage our students and families to think positively even in difficult situations and to interact with other in a positive manner. When we approach  challenges with a can do attitude we are more likely to find solutions and achieve success. We also know that when we interact thoughtfully with others we build stronger relationships  which helps to create a supportive environment for everyone.

Religious Education Update

At St Columba’s, we are gathering for a shared meal on Thursday the 6th of April from 11:20am-11:50am during an extended eating time, just like Jesus gathered with his friends for The Last Supper. This will follow a reenactment of Palm Sunday, the Last Supper and the 14 Stations of the Cross performed by each learning group. Unfortunately, for this occasion we are not extending an invitation to families, however we look forward to seeing you at our Caritas Ks walk on Friday the 31st of March.

School Closure Day - Staff Professional Learning with Corwin International

Staff have continued to participate in sessions with CORWIN International with a focus on developing assessment capable students and supporting teachers and students in developing classroom practice that supports this. Our team has been excited by the implementation of learning intentions and success criteria and the development of our unique learner profiles/ dispositions. The session this week explored the feedback to support making learning visible. We appreciate your support in enabling the day to happen.

Important Dates for Term One

We thank every one of you for your continued support of our school. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Kind regards,

Bambi Afford & Shaun Mohr
Co-Principals